New Car + Ceramic Coating

frugalbyname

We have recently purchased a new car and am considering the ceramic coating. Great salesman who wasn't in least bit pushy, and currently considering a coin flip as to whether or not to get it.

Its £400 which seems reasonable when compared with what i have seen others charge, but wondering if it really makes any difference and if were just throwing money away.

Im a fair weather car washer, i dont dislike it but i cant be spending hours out there cleaning so hoping that the coating would make a difference.

Nobbie1967

You can buy the stuff for £30-40 and probably do a better job of applying it than the youngster paid peanuts at the dealers. Certainly worth doing to cut down on washing effort.

Frozen_up_north

It won’t add £400 of value to your car. My new car (early December) came with “free” paint treatment (Supagard), it appeared on the invoice as a £449 extra!

I’ve had the same on previous cars and not noticed any real advantage.

Dealers are fond of adding what appear to be free extras, then dropping the overall price with mysterious discounts 😂

Desmond_Hume

It entirely depends on what’s being offered and how much you actually care. 

If it’s Supagard type stuff from the dealer - avoid. It’s not worth the cost and you can buy it for £30 and do it yourself. They won’t prep the vehicle beyond a quick wash with a gritty sponge. 

If it’s a proper ceramic coating done by a professional- likely worth it. It’ll cost you though. They’ll fully prep the paintwork and apply properly. It’ll last for years. 

With that said - if you’re happy enough to wash every second weekend, decontaminate the paintwork with iron-x and tar-x before topping of with some Autoglym Polar Blast then arguably the ceramic coating isn’t worth it either. My opinion is you’ve got to be really into car “detailing” for it to be worth it. 

m0bov

Not worth it, best to get a pro apply it 

daveyjp

Very expensive snake oil.

born_again

frugalbyname said:

We have recently purchased a new car and am considering the ceramic coating. Great salesman who wasn't in least bit pushy, and currently considering a coin flip as to whether or not to get it.

Its £400 which seems reasonable when compared with what i have seen others charge, but wondering if it really makes any difference and if were just throwing money away.

Im a fair weather car washer, i dont dislike it but i cant be spending hours out there cleaning so hoping that the coating would make a difference.

£400 will  not be a proper ceramic coating. It will be one of the slap on version.

A proper ceramic coating will be nearer £1K & take a couple of days to apply as requires more than just a coating. It requires the paint work prepping, (claying) even on a new car.

frugalbyname

born_again said:

frugalbyname said:

We have recently purchased a new car and am considering the ceramic coating. Great salesman who wasn't in least bit pushy, and currently considering a coin flip as to whether or not to get it.

Its £400 which seems reasonable when compared with what i have seen others charge, but wondering if it really makes any difference and if were just throwing money away.

Im a fair weather car washer, i dont dislike it but i cant be spending hours out there cleaning so hoping that the coating would make a difference.

£400 will  not be a proper ceramic coating. It will be one of the slap on version.

A proper ceramic coating will be nearer £1K & take a couple of days to apply as requires more than just a coating. It requires the paint work prepping, (claying) even on a new car.

Thank you. i just checked the leaflet and it was GEN-3GLASSCOAT which all sounds good but as someone else said probably applied by someone no more qualified than me, which is my worry id pay the money and wouldnt know if theyd done it, what they done etc. 

Cheslea2010

Wouldn't bother. £400.00 buys a lot of car washes. 

chrisw

I've had 5 company lease cars from new, never coated, washed maybe once or twice a year and the paintwork has come up spotless when handed back after 4 years. (Apart from a BMW where bird muck blistered the paint along the roof!)

Mr.Generous

Got gifted a couple of kits for a new BMW / Mini (same kit) that they only offer on new cars. The dealership valet guys get about £25 for applying it, and the kit costs about the same. They charge in the region of £500 for it. I did my car, it's no different to any other polish / sealer as far as I can tell. The dealer often discounts it - If you buy it today only £250!! As it costs them £50 it's a great sell.