Feel like I was duped here with detailing and ceramic coating

[parshisa]

I'm hoping to take it to a forum member this week. A local detailer (not above) said he can fix it but will have to strip off the coating and essentially start over. He said it would be $3500????? Is that even remotely correct? This is exterior detail only and he said its so expensive because he has to take off the existing coating, properly paint correct it and clean up the other guys mess, then re-coat it.

Is that another detailer you found online?

Many people posted here price range for this type of job. And it is nowhere close to 1700$, let alone 3,500$.

Mild polish/compound should remove the coating with no issue. Few extra hours is a possibility but not enough to justify 2mortgage payments.

Mate, just leave the car alone before you get pulled into something else lol


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[bryanviper]

You are jsut in the wrong area/market.

I'm up in Toronto, Canada. Generally to Polish/Ceramic coat a car prices start at around $1,000 give or take.

If you love what you are doing you may want to move where the market allows you to charge more if possible. OR you could even start advertising in nearby states that charge more then you. So say they charge $800 you charge $500, it may work
Good luck

This really pisses me off that I'm doing perfect work and cant get 300 a car for it,to a point of I'm thinking about just closing down and finding something else to do. I've been doing escalades and tahoe's for 300 to 350 and can only find one every week or two to even work on..

[bryanviper]

No thats too expensive. Find somebody on the forum here in your area and let them do it. It should cost less then $1,700 as others have posted.

I'm hoping to take it to a forum member this week. A local detailer (not above) said he can fix it but will have to strip off the coating and essentially start over. He said it would be $3500????? Is that even remotely correct? This is exterior detail only and he said its so expensive because he has to take off the existing coating, properly paint correct it and clean up the other guys mess, then re-coat it.

[Eldorado2k]

Mate, just leave the car alone before you get pulled into something else lol


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I agree, you should just leave it for now... Worst case scenario you actually don’t have anything on there [which is highly doubtful] and if that’s the case then it’ll be obvious for you to see over time. And if that turns out to be the case they won’t have to get aggressive buffing away any more of your paint because they’ll be no coating to have to sand off.

[spazzz]

I mean really,do you have to get it done right this minute?

Let it ride through winter at least. It simply has to look half way decent now, maybe not perfect, but that is some serious money.

Douse it with a hose if you doubt there is a coating on it.

At this point I would be more worried about upkeep, geesh

I am addicted to this dang thread.

[custmsprty]

For the money your looking at, imho your best investment would be to come down here to Fla. and attend Mike's 3 day class and maintain your vehicles yourself in the future.

PS $3500 is outrageous.

Detailing Boot Camp link:

Detailing Classes, Florida Detailing Classes, learn how to detail

[BudgetPlan1]

I'm hoping to take it to a forum member this week. A local detailer (not above) said he can fix it but will have to strip off the coating and essentially start over. He said it would be $3500????? Is that even remotely correct? This is exterior detail only and he said its so expensive because he has to take off the existing coating, properly paint correct it and clean up the other guys mess, then re-coat it.

Stripping off the coating will take place anyway when he corrects the paint, no?

Maybe take it from a possible one step to a definate 2 step process but still...

What kinda coating is he gonna apply when done? If a pro coating, maybe reasonable cost? If not a pro coating, seems a bit excessive.

I dunno, what's a 2 step correction + coating application (or should we call it a 'coating installation' to make it sound more involved ) go for in your area? Barring any unforeseen wet sanding or other extraordinary measures, seems *maybe* a bit high. Then again, we've seen what a $1700 job looks like in your area so...

Sorry this is all happening, gotta be a real bummer.

[Eldorado2k]

What if he installs swirls within his 1st couple if washes? I haven’t read this entire thread, but who’s going to be maintaining this big black vehicle? That person better be good, because if they aren’t it’s going to develop swirls... It’s inevitable unless a good 1 of us is washing it everytime.

[Donnation]

What if he installs swirls within his 1st couple if washes? I haven’t read this entire thread, but who’s going to be maintaining this big black vehicle? That person better be good, because if they aren’t it’s going to develop swirls... It’s inevitable unless a good 1 of us is washing it everytime.

I know how to maintain a vehicle and how to hand wash. It’s getting the swirls off a vehicle that I can’t do. I’ve been driving company vehicles for a few years and purchased this one with the swirls and wanted them removed. After that i can maintain.

[ryanbabz71]

$3500 to fix . I’d spend a little of that buy the tools and products and fix myself. A repaint would be cheaper than $4700 you would have into it???


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