[SoxOfRed]

Originally Posted by Howdy

...What it does do as one poster said, it saves you as the owner Labor on Waxing/Polishing that's it.

It does make a difference in the way your car looks that is very satisfying. Similar to getting your garage floor or driveway painted/coated. Probably unnecessary if you take good care of it but still makes you smile when you see it.

[Sledneck]

what did it cost for the tesla ?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Howdy

I will be surprised if you get an answer. Call a dealer. That said it is very expensive & adds zero value to the vehice,

What it does do as one poster said, it saves you as the owner Labor on Waxing/Polishing that's it.

My vehicle paint finish still looks good after 10 years. Maybe it is because I always park it in a garage?

I have never waxed or polished my vehicle. I heard years ago that some waxes actually have an abrasive that will damage the clear coat on a vehicle. Is that true?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by USOTR

Dealers add these protective layers for one reason.. Added dealer profit. On a Tesla that has no dealership to force you into buying an add on, it is your choice. These expensive add on bring no value when you sell or trade the car in. Money down the drain..

I agree. Some dealers will add as much as $7,000 to the stated vehicle price for dealer installed add-ons. But, there are a few dealers who don't install any add-ons (Mullinax Ford and Hyundai in Clermont). I refuse to pay anything for a dealer installed item.

[jrref]

Originally Posted by Howdy

I will be surprised if you get an answer. Call a dealer. That said it is very expensive & adds zero value to the vehice,

What it does do as one poster said, it saves you as the owner Labor on Waxing/Polishing that's it.

You don't add ceramic coating or PPF to your car to add to it's value or re-sale value LOL. It's basically a way to cut down the maintenance in keeping the car clean, minimizing or eliminating issues with acidic bugs, and keeping your car looking like new.

So, here is an example. On my Honda, I would have to coat it with a spray wax at least once a month. Quite a bit of work and at my age, I'm not interested in doing this. If I had ceramic coating applied, I would have to maybe add some spray refresher once a year. So, I'm paying for the coating in order to do less work maintaining the finish.

Some say they do nothing but go to the car wash once a month. That's fine as long as you are happy with the way your car looks. Over time, your paint finish will deteriorate but as long as you don't care there is nothing to do. I mentioned that car wash places no matter what system they use hurts the paint finish over time because automatic car washes create micro-scratches, swirl marks, and stripping protective wax through abrasive brushes and harsh chemicals. Even if you go to a touchless place, they use even harsher chemicles to get off the dirt which can cause damage over time.

As far as resale value. If you are trading-in your car then none of this stuff will increase it's value. As long as the car is in decent shape, you will get the full trade-in value. But if you sell the car privately, then you may get more money if the paint finish is pristine. You probably won't get the full value of your investment but if you want a premium price for the vehical, having a pristine paint finish is just one of several items that will enable you to get your price.

[raananh]

I recently bought quite an expensive new car and did not bother.

It will look great for the next 3-5 years even if I wash it weekly at a car wash.

After 3-5 years, the quality and shine of the paint is not a factor when selling a car. Never!!!

Because one scratch or a ding (and there will be scratches and dings) on a perfectly shiny car totally negate the quality of the paint.

[Howdy]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

My vehicle paint finish still looks good after 10 years. Maybe it is because I always park it in a garage?

I have never waxed or polished my vehicle. I heard years ago that some waxes actually have an abrasive that will damage the clear coat on a vehicle. Is that true?

Actually a Wax to use is " Carnuba " free of abrasives. Many waxes available now free of abrasives.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Howdy

Actually a Wax to use is " Carnuba " free of abrasives. Many waxes available now free of abrasives.

Thanks. Apparently you need to be careful about what you buy. If it is called "carnuba wax and polish" or "carnuba cleaner wax", it most likely contains abrasives, especially if it claims to remove scratches. But, I don't need to worry because I will never be waxing my car.

[tankman]

Whenever I read a glowing report on some local business, I always wonder if this person doesn't work for the business, or owns it themselves. Then when they don't tell you how much the process cost, I know I'm right. If you're trying to help fellow Villagers, fess up and tell us how much you paid. We can figure out if your car is bigger or smaller than ours and if there could be a price adjustment either way. I will say that if you talk to a body shop, they do not like the ceramic coatings because they cannot easily paint over it. Blending paint into ceramic coated panels is difficult
because they contain silicone, and paint doesn't stick very well to it. That being said, I just bought a used car that has been ceramic coated, and I hope I never need to touch up the paint in the future.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by tankman

Whenever I read a glowing report on some local business, I always wonder if this person doesn't work for the business, or owns it themselves. Then when they don't tell you how much the process cost, I know I'm right. If you're trying to help fellow Villagers, fess up and tell us how much you paid. We can figure out if your car is bigger or smaller than ours and if there could be a price adjustment either way. I will say that if you talk to a body shop, they do not like the ceramic coatings because they cannot easily paint over it. Blending paint into ceramic coated panels is difficult
because they contain silicone, and paint doesn't stick very well to it. That being said, I just bought a used car that has been ceramic coated, and I hope I never need to touch up the paint in the future.

In case you haven't noticed, some posters on TOTV refuse to tell you how much they paid for anything. They would rather say that the price was reasonable, which really tells you nothing. When I post about something I paid for, I will tell you who I hired and exactly how much I paid. I don't understand why people want to hide the price.

[Ecuadog]

Except for the paint chips on the hood and a ding or two, I have a 17 year-old Scion that still looks like new. It never gets garaged. When I get around to it (very infrequently), I wash it with a long-handled, soft-bristled brush and Meguiar's carwash. After the car is dry. I wipe it down with Rain-X Waterless Carwash. It removes water spots and anything that was left behind. Very easy to use. The car shines and the rain beads.

Rain-X at Amazon... click here

[jrref]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

In case you haven't noticed, some posters on TOTV refuse to tell you how much they paid for anything. They would rather say that the price was reasonable, which really tells you nothing. When I post about something I paid for, I will tell you who I hired and exactly how much I paid. I don't understand why people want to hide the price.

As I mentioned, it depends on what you get. There are a lot of options since professional detailers generally offer multi-tiered options depending on the level of protection you want. This breakdown is a good guide of what most car protection places charge.

Entry-Level / Economy ($700 – $1,100): Typically a 1- to 2-year standard coating. This includes basic paint decontamination, a light single-stage polish, and one layer of coating.

Standard / Premium ($1,200 – $1,800): This is the most common range for a Tesla Model Y. It covers a 5- to 7-year warranty using premium multi-layer coatings (like Ceramic Pro or Gyeon) and includes deep gloss paint correction.

The "Ultimate" Total Shield ($2,000 – $2,600): Multi-layer, lifetime warranty coatings that treat not just the paint, but extend coverage to the glass, plastic trims, and the wheel faces.

As I mentioned in my first post, this is labor intensive, takes many hours or days so it's not cheap. If your car is new it shouldn't need a lot of paint correction but you still need to either clay bar and or polish it since it's silly to put PPF or ceramic coating on a paint surface that is not polished. If you are up to it, you can do it yourself at a fraction of the cost but you need to factor in the cost of a potential of an emergency room visit. Or you can do nothing. I know some people that don't even take their car to a car wash and just let it get clean by leaving it out in the rain and claim the car looks like new even after 10 years!

This is not for everyone but I posted my recommendation for those who are looking to have this done and want a good local shop.

[tankman]

Thanks jrref for some numbers. So my $20,000 used car has a ceramic coating that is worth 5 to 15 percent of what I paid. I don't know at what point in the car's life it was coated, but that seems like a lot to me. I will admit, the exterior of the car looks great, but it had little to do with my decision to buy it. Washed and waxed would have been okay too. Time will tell if it looks as good in a year or two.







420

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by jrref

Many Villagers are getting new cars and getting either ceramic coating and or paint protection film applied. Both of these coatings are not cheap and have their pro's and con's. The biggest pro for ceramic coating especially for use here in the Villages is to protect the paint finish from acidic bug droppings and making it easier to wash. Paint Protection Film is yet another step up being a thin, clear thermoplastic urethane layer applied to a vehicle's painted surfaces to shield against rock chips, scratches, and environmental damage. If you apply any of these coatings, contrary to popular thinking, they do need some maintenance or they will not last the many years claimed by their manufacturers.

When I recently purchased my Tesla Model-Y Juniper I shopped around to see where I could get these coatings applied. There are excellent shops in Tampa, Orlando, Ocala, and Leesburg but I found Polished to Perfection Auto Detailing and Ceramic Coatings right here in Wildwood, across from Brownwood. They have been in business for many years in Leesburg but have recently moved to Wildwood in the past couple of years.

The difference I found with this shop is althought their prices were competitive with most of the other shops for the same services, they perform the extra steps to make sure the result is as good as it can be. For example, the pre-wash and iron remover and pre-treating are extreemly important. You want to make sure paint correction is done, especially on a Tesla where the paint isn't always perfect, before applying any coatings. Also, if you are getting PPF, this shop will disassemble some of the trims and even the camera covers on the Tesla so they can wrap the film to get a better seal. Overall, many of the extra steps this shop takes contributes to a better result because nothing is 100% perfect so you want to get as close to perfect as you can. They also do ceramic window tinting and will install some after market upgrades such as the rear trunk spoiler and mud flaps on my Tesla so, you can get everything done at this local shop right here in the Villages.

Chais, the owner is also very easy to work with and he does everything he can to make sure you are happy with his work.

Needless to say, besides the great service done in a modern, clean shop at competitive prices, another strong motivator to using Polished to Perfection Auto Detailing and Ceramic Coatings is that they are local. So, if I ever have a problem or need something fixed or want periodic maintenance done, I don't have to travel far to get work done by of of the top detailing and coating shops here in Central Florida.

Just wanted to give them a recommendation in case others are looking for a premium shop to get this type of work done.

The game has not changed. You will see ads buy a car like 100 over cost or even under cost. All should realize business. You must make a profit. Cars, the profit is in the add ons. Car may be new-the game is not.

[La lamy]

I always wonder if some people still don't know to ask google their questions. Here's what google said about Central Florida cost of ceramic coatings: