Ceramic Coating - Maintenance Polish ?

[TBrio]

I had ceramic coating done on my car 3 years ago. It started failing on the bottom half of the car and back (not sure if the back is due to airflow when driving) a year and a half after it was done. It's totally my fault for not notifying the installer at the time these issues arose, but due to some personal reasons, the ceramic coating was the least of my concerns at that time! I called the installer yesterday who recommended bringing it in for a ceramic maintenance polish for $550 (for a Porsche Cayenne).

I take good care of my car - it's garaged, only ever hand washed, it's 4 years old and only has 11,000 miles, is taken in for decontamination wash 1-2x/year, etc. However, since I live in the Seattle are, it gets rained on A LOT and I'll admit that I'm not the best at cleaning it and it does sometimes sit for a month or two with the dirt from the rainy roads.

Should the ceramic coating have lasted longer? Or, can the timeframe be affected by letting the dirt sit on it?

Will the maintenance polish make a difference?

I hate to put additional $ into the coating if it's not going to last another 2 years (installer said the coating I purchased should last around 5 years total). I'm also hoping going to the original installer will allow him the chance to see where the coating is failing and perhaps fix the issue beyond just doing the polish if he thinks it is failing for other reasons.

This is my first experience doing a coating so just wanting to get your experience and feedback on this situation.

[Setec Astronomy]

Can you tell us what the coating is?

[evo77]

Should the ceramic coating have lasted longer? Or, can the timeframe be affected by letting the dirt sit on it?

There are MANY variables that play a part in the longevity of a ceramic coating. But it should be no surprise that maintenance is the KEY. If the paint surface is not properly taken care of on a regular basis then durability can be compromised.

Does leaving the surface dirty for an extended period affect it? Yes but typically it can be "rejuvenated" with a decon wash.

I'm surprised your "installer" didn't opt for this rather than jumping to an expensive service which may not even be necessary. I suppose in all fairness, getting 3 years out of your coating is quite good even if its labeled as a 5 year (given the circumstances).

Will the maintenance polish make a difference?

That depends: what does this mean exactly? Is he polishing the entire vehicle or just the troubled areas?? Is he polishing off the old and adding a new layer of coating? If that's the case, then of course, you'll have a fresh new coating. But what about the rest of the vehicle (if he is just polishing the trouble areas)? You'll have 3 year coated areas and new coated areas??

I encourage you to learn how to do this stuff yourself. You can save a LOT of money and also have peace of mind that its done right.

I live in the Seattle are, it gets rained on A LOT and I'll admit that I'm not the best at cleaning it

Please elaborate. Car washing is quite simple if you have the right tools, rights producst and are applying the correct method and practice.

[Desertnate]

Agree, three years is the high end of most coatings lifespan. I've gone 3.5-ish and it was certianly time to recoat the vehicle.

Also agree on a decon wash with something like CarPro Reset, Descale, or Lift (?). I've also found consistently washing with a really good soap also can diminish or eliminate the need to doing a decon wash. I've been using Meguiars Hyperwash and it seems to be strong enough to keep the coatings from getting too grimy. This doesn't mean you have to wash it religiously every weekend. I wash when able and when the car needs it. This usually averages out to every 2~3 weeks in the warm months. In the winter that can stretch to 6 weeks or longer between touchless car washes.

I'm curious about what a "maintenance polish" means too. Polishing normally removes the coating.

[Setec Astronomy]

I'm curious about what a "maintenance polish" means too. Polishing normally removes the coating.

That's why I was asking what the coating was, if it was some super coating that can be polished.

[Coatingsarecrack]

I'm surprised your "installer" didn't opt for this rather than jumping to an expensive service which may not even be necessary. I suppose in all fairness, getting 3 years out of your coating is quite good even if it’s labeled as a 5 year (given the circumstances).

He did state he takes in for Decontamination washes 1-2 times a year.


Being garaged and less than 3k miles seems short lived if it was supposed to get 5 years but a lot of “5 year” coatings from pro’s mean you need to do maintenance and that sometimes include top ups

I would definitely ask what was done in the Decon wash. I would also look into Labocosmetica 3ph Wash. it is triple wash starting with an Alklaine, then an Acid then a PH 7 wash.

If he’s using this kind of decon wash then I would ask questions about this “ceramic maintenance polish”

Every coating I know of is removed by polishing so my guess is quick decon wash, clay, light polish and then a new layer of the coating.

If this is needed I would ask for a deal for it failing with it being garaged and 3k miles per year….


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[TBrio]

Can you tell us what the coating is?

It's CQuartz Finest Reserve.

[TBrio]

There are MANY variables that play a part in the longevity of a ceramic coating. But it should be no surprise that maintenance is the KEY. If the paint surface is not properly taken care of on a regular basis then durability can be compromised.

Does leaving the surface dirty for an extended period affect it? Yes but typically it can be "rejuvenated" with a decon wash.

I'm surprised your "installer" didn't opt for this rather than jumping to an expensive service which may not even be necessary. I suppose in all fairness, getting 3 years out of your coating is quite good even if its labeled as a 5 year (given the circumstances).




That depends: what does this mean exactly? Is he polishing the entire vehicle or just the troubled areas?? Is he polishing off the old and adding a new layer of coating? If that's the case, then of course, you'll have a fresh new coating. But what about the rest of the vehicle (if he is just polishing the trouble areas)? You'll have 3 year coated areas and new coated areas??

I encourage you to learn how to do this stuff yourself. You can save a LOT of money and also have peace of mind that its done right.




Please elaborate. Car washing is quite simple if you have the right tools, rights producst and are applying the correct method and practice.

I've taken it to them 1-2 times a year at their "express" detailing location for the decon wash and told them this when I called yesterday. I think that's why they recommended the polish?

I found some more information on their website regarding the polish. I'm a total newbie when it comes to anything car related. This is my first new car, let alone first nice car (Porsche Cayenne).

Ceramic Maintenance Polish
The perfect way to maintain or enhance your ceramic coated vehicle. We start with a thorough cleaning and decontamination of your vehicle’s paint to remove stubborn iron deposits from brake dust, road tar and environmental contaminants. Next we perform a professional polish using Essence Plus. Essence Plus is the first non-abrasive solution to partially repair fine swirls, increasing gloss with it’s distinct blend of ceramic coat repair agents, high gloss quartz resins and hydrophobic nanoparticles. This is a great once a year service on ceramic coated vehicles. *We can also perform this service on non ceramic coated vehicles if you are prepping a car for sale or long term protection is not necessary.

Includes:



Foam Bath Pre-Soak
Gentle 2 Bucket Hand Wash
Clean Wheels
Clean Door Jambs
Paint Decontamination w/Iron Remover
Paint Decontamination w/Tar Remover
Mask Trim
Gloss Enhancement Polish w/Essence Plus
Polish Exhaust Tips
Tire Dressing
Courtesy Vacuum and Windows


Not to say that females can't be good at this stuff, but I'm definitely not one that's naturally inclined at any of this type of work, so would rather pay for someone to do it if that makes sense! I'm not a very good do-it-yourself person and would most likely make it worse haha.

However, I would love recommendations/tips on products I should buy and methods I should use for being able to wash the car myself (I've been taking it to their express service for this, but spend hundreds of dollars each time). When I said I'm not the best at cleaning it, I meant that I probably am not washing it as often as it should be since I am driving it 20 minutes each way to get washed. Here's hoping I can at least handle car washing!

[TBrio]

Agree, three years is the high end of most coatings lifespan. I've gone 3.5-ish and it was certianly time to recoat the vehicle.

Also agree on a decon wash with something like CarPro Reset, Descale, or Lift (?). I've also found consistently washing with a really good soap also can diminish or eliminate the need to doing a decon wash. I've been using Meguiars Hyperwash and it seems to be strong enough to keep the coatings from getting too grimy. This doesn't mean you have to wash it religiously every weekend. I wash when able and when the car needs it. This usually averages out to every 2~3 weeks in the warm months. In the winter that can stretch to 6 weeks or longer between touchless car washes.

I'm curious about what a "maintenance polish" means too. Polishing normally removes the coating.

Thanks for your input! I noticed the coating starting to fail around 1.5 years. I've taken it in for a decon wash 1-2 times every year.

Here's more details on what their maintenance polish entails per their website:

The perfect way to maintain or enhance your ceramic coated vehicle. We start with a thorough cleaning and decontamination of your vehicle’s paint to remove stubborn iron deposits from brake dust, road tar and environmental contaminants. Next we perform a professional polish using Essence Plus. Essence Plus is the first non-abrasive solution to partially repair fine swirls, increasing gloss with it’s distinct blend of ceramic coat repair agents, high gloss quartz resins and hydrophobic nanoparticles. This is a great once a year service on ceramic coated vehicles. *We can also perform this service on non ceramic coated vehicles if you are prepping a car for sale or long term protection is not necessary.

Includes:

• Foam Bath Pre-Soak
• Gentle 2 Bucket Hand Wash
• Clean Wheels
• Clean Door Jambs
• Paint Decontamination w/Iron Remover
• Paint Decontamination w/Tar Remover
• Mask Trim
• Gloss Enhancement Polish w/Essence Plus
• Polish Exhaust Tips
• Tire Dressing
  
• Courtesy Vacuum and Windows

[opie]

Imo, you need to first get a good wash routine/products and set yourself up for maintaning the car by washing it more regularly yourself.

Maintanence is key for a coating to succeed.

If you are not able to do that then you are effectively wasting your money.

At 3.5 years after coating application, personally i would weigh out the options. Will essence plus get me another 1.5 years for $550? Or what is the cost for a light polish and new coating application?

But all this is mute if you do not get yourself setup to maintain it yourself OR have someone else do it a couple times a month bare minimum.

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