[ksavostin]

Originally Posted by dynamic

7 grand, wow.
Forget about that and just get a new vehicle every 12-18 months which is what I do any way.

I am going to keep it 8-10 years that is why I invested much money in it.

[Mojobaggins]

You want to go to place that is going to do paint correction first then you have PPF applied then ceramic coating applied.

PPF will cost the most and can go upwards of $6k
Ceramic coating will vary based on the number of coats expect $1-2k

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Mojobaggins

You want to go to place that is going to do paint correction first then you have PPF applied then ceramic coating applied.

PPF will cost the most and can go upwards of $6k
Ceramic coating will vary based on the number of coats expect $1-2k

If you're PPFing for ultimate looks, sure, paint correction, but if you're doing it because you live in Alaska and your car is going to get sand blasted on dirt/gravel then maybe not ... I mean if you really need PPF, it's gonna get fairly dinged up and you're going to have to replace it anyway ... is anyone really gonna notice the underlying paint micro-marring or orange peel

If that's the use-case (Alaskan dirt & sand) I'd skip the paint correction expense if I could - cause right out of the factory seems fine unless you're looking for perfection ... which is then going to sit under dinged up PPF.

Originally Posted by ksavostin

I am going to keep it 8-10 years that is why I invested much money in it.

In Alaska for dirt & gravel roads or the Al-Can PPF might be a good idea, especially if your existing / past vehicles look like this:



If not, you may not need PPF unless you're planning on driving differently

[dynamic]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

I just recently looked into this and here's what my BMW authorized auto body shop quoted me for resprays in the Bay Area, CA:

... a single panel usually $800.-$1200. A front bumper cover refinishing from rock strikes is around $1200.-$1500.

So in the case that the damage is light enough to not be covered by normal insurance or comprehensive, you can just respray your bumper and/or hood for way cheaper, and now you have brand new paint.

This PPF & ceramic stuff is getting totally out of hand ... the industry manipulating people's emotional ties to their car and extracting ridiculous sums out of it.

In Alaska with a lot of dirt roads and/or tons of highway sand blasting during the winter, or routine runs up the Al-Can ... ok, sure, PPF the bumper, hood, and rockers ... but otherwise just why?

Very good points made here. Never thought about the respray option and that is if needed but agreat alternative indeed.
Beautiful Sunday here, going to wash and wax. Much rather do this than frustrate myself on a golf course or drink and eat at sports bar with a bunch of knuckleheads.

[-Vanguard-]

Also, may I suggest just paying $100 and having your detailer give you car a really nice wax after every winter.

The car will remain hydrophobic for 6 months no problem, just like a ceramic coat.

And at 5% the cost of a $2000 cermic coat, which you ALSO need to refresh every year.

There's a guy on youtube who tests like 80+ ceramic coats options, including all the big names, and they all lose their properties within a year, enough to need a second coat applied. Some less so than others, but wow you'd be surprised.

Get a good wax job every year and thats it.

The absolute worst part of having PPF, besides the astronomic cost (fully installed PPF in europe is 50-70% less btw) is if you take a rock to the bumper/hood or a shopping cart/door to the side and it goes THROUGH the ppf. That's taking a double L right there. You need to pay for body and paint repair and you need to pay for a new PPF on that panel.

Fuck that.

[Mojobaggins]

Originally Posted by -Vanguard-

Also, may I suggest just paying $100 and having your detailer give you car a really nice wax after every winter.

The car will remain hydrophobic for 6 months no problem, just like a ceramic coat.

And at 5% the cost of a $2000 cermic coat, which you ALSO need to refresh every year.

There's a guy on youtube who tests like 80+ ceramic coats options, including all the big names, and they all lose their properties within a year, enough to need a second coat applied. Some less so than others, but wow you'd be surprised.

Get a good wax job every year and thats it.

The absolute worst part of having PPF, besides the astronomic cost (fully installed PPF in europe is 50-70% less btw) is if you take a rock to the bumper/hood or a shopping cart/door to the side and it goes THROUGH the ppf. That's taking a double L right there. You need to pay for body and paint repair and you need to pay for a new PPF on that panel.

Fuck that.

Every few months, I use a Reload spray after a wash and after a year my car still has a glass finish. No more waxing and washes are super quick and easy. Also got the Ceramic Pro Gold package which is five coats and guaranteed for life, so if it does fade, they redo it for free.

[jps3b]

I did both on my 2022 X5 M50i. It cost me 10,700 but the owner was nice enough to give me 10%off. I'm in SoCal

[Eternalthinker]

On my X5, I skipped the coating and getting most of the car wrapped. The ppf my guy uses is Clearguard Alpha that already has a ceramic coating built in.

[-Vanguard-]

Originally Posted by jps3b

I did both on my 2022 X5 M50i. It cost me 10,700 but the owner was nice enough to give me 10%off. I'm in SoCal

Full Xpel PPF+ ceramic coat is $6000 tops brother

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by -Vanguard-

Full Xpel PPF+ ceramic coat is $6000 tops brother

Depends on the shop, the region, and custom or pre-cut: the two top shops here in the bay area are $10k for clearguard alpha for installers with 10+ years of experience ... you can get it for less but ... right now they're booked out until March.

[-Vanguard-]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Depends on the shop, the region, and custom or pre-cut: the two top shops here in the bay area are $10k for clearguard alpha for installers with 10+ years of experience ... you can get it for less but ... right now they're booked out until March.

Im in NYC and shops that work on celebrity cars who all do custom tucks, no pre cuts, don't charge over 6K.

[mannym122]

So I got a quote in my area for the CeramicPro coating. The shop near me is an official installer. You can check out the 3 packages on their website: https://ceramicpro.com/products

They charge, $1200 for the Bronze, $1600 for the Silver, and $2000 for the Gold which is:

The Gold Package consists of 4 layers of Ceramic Pro 9H applied to the vehicle’s paint, providing permanent protection with a lifetime warranty. An additional layer of protection is added to exposed areas including windshield and wheels.
4 Layers of 9H
1 Extra layer on exposed areas
1 Layer of Top Coat
1 Layer of 9H on plastics and wheels
1 Layer of Rain on windshield and front side windows
Lifetime Warranty

What do you guys think? Is that a decent price for the Gold package? Was thinking of going with that.

They also do PPF and charge $2700 for the entire nose of the car.
$400 for the front bumper and $600 for the hood if I want to go a la carte with just those 2.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by -Vanguard-

Im in NYC and shops that work on celebrity cars who all do custom tucks, no pre cuts, don't charge over 6K.

Those guys are undercharging!

j/k, probably not undercharging as there's likely much more competition in NYC? At least here in the Bay Area there's basically 2 shops with industry-famous installers that do all bigwig stuff ... given I'm acquainted with them and just got a quote:

a 100% full custom wrap ... costs $9500 (add $1k for doing XPEL Stealth) out the door ... includes CQuartz Finest Reserve prep work and coating on top of all the film areas, wheels, brake calipers, glass, and trim.

Obviously I'm not THAT well acquainted with them.

Anyway, point is, $10k is a fairly common estimate for a famous shop, at least here in Cali.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by mannym122

Is that a decent price for the Gold package? Was thinking of going with that.

They also do PPF and charge $2700 for the entire nose of the car.
$400 for the front bumper and $600 for the hood if I want to go a la carte with just those 2.

Depends on what you're trying to accomplish:

(a.) Prevent rock chips because you get a lot, or
(b.) Maximum gloss with minimal work on your part cuz you'll be doing the washing, or
(c.) Making your detailer's job as easy as possible for maximum cost to you

Does the nose of your normal daily-drivers look like this after 1 or 2 or 3 years?



Then you probably need PPF, at least on the nose (full hood, not partial!). If not, then it comes down to who's doing the routine detailing...

If you're paying someone to do it, then just pay them to put down a base coating and put on a spray wax or use a good drying aid after every wash. Paying $2k for ceramic up front just makes their washes easier at no discount to you.

or

Do it all yourself. This is quite easy and takes about 20-30 min per wash with an upfront cost of ~$100 for product & tools, even if you have no garage and/or access to running water.

Micro-marring is quite easy to control for with good technique, but if doing your own detailing sounds like chewing off a finger, but you also don't want to pay a detailer every few weeks, then a long-term ceramic is a good choice.

And FYI, you have the entire nose resprayed for <$2k which'll give you brand new paint ... so just depends ...

[jps3b]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Those guys are undercharging!

j/k, probably not undercharging as there's likely much more competition in NYC? At least here in the Bay Area there's basically 2 shops with industry-famous installers that do all bigwig stuff ... given I'm acquainted with them and just got a quote:

a 100% full custom wrap ... costs $9500 (add $1k for doing XPEL Stealth) out the door ... includes CQuartz Finest Reserve prep work and coating on top of all the film areas, wheels, brake calipers, glass, and trim.

Obviously I'm not THAT well acquainted with them.

Anyway, point is, $10k is a fairly common estimate for a famous shop, at least here in Cali.

I don't know where Vanguard is getting his information, the quote for my 2022 X5 M50i was 7200 full Xpel PPF and 1400 Xpel Ceramic Coat. That's 8600 in Southern California about an hour East of Los Angeles. There is no way they are doing both Full PPF/CC for 6K in NYC. Especially if they have celebrity clients. He must be either mistaken, or maybe it sounds like he's confusing full PPF and just the Bra.

Here was my car the day I picked it up from the installers

[DuskPhilosophy]

I was getting quotes and the best I've found so far:

PPF Full Front Kit: Front Bumper, Hood, Fenders, Headlights, side mirrors, door cups + rear luggage strip!
- Full Front Plotted $1,990 (Plotted) , Custom Full Front $2,090 (tucked edges)
- Full wrap $7000
Ceramic
Ceramic Pro Packages (6 Month, 2 Year, 5 year and Lifetime Warranty)


Gold – Lifetime warranty: $290 minimum + $1,490 = $1,780

· 5 Layers of coating on paint (4 layers 9H, 1 Top Coat)

· Wheels faces, plastics, and glass coated

Silver – 5 year warranty: $290 minimum + $990= $1,280

· 2 layers of coating on paint (1 layer 9H, 1 Top Coat)

· Wheel faces, plastics and glass coated


Bronze- 2 year - $290 minimum + $690 = $980.00
1 layer of light
Wheels- faces, plastic and glass coated


Sport Package -6 Months with our minimum prep - $390

All of the above are warranted against staining, etching and UV damage(As long as you return yearly for a $190 service.

So ~$3870 for both.

[mmm50i]

$1200 here in Vancouver, BC! I only had 1 layer of IGL coating done though not 4-5 layers.

[kingmonkeyjr]

From a local shop in SD. Honestly I got my wife's X7 done and without a doubt I'd rather have it get a extreme detail & wax every 6 months. Ceramic coating looks great but after it's released into normal use it's no different. PPF is the way to go on front end. I am leasing so at this point just a good nano tint and I'm set. Hope this helps.

Ceramic Pro Package 💎
!! Best Ceramic Coating In The Market !!
- 5 Year Warranty Package
•1 Layer of 9H
•1 Layer of  Top Coat
•1 Layer of 9H on plastics
•1 Layer of Rain on windshield and front side windows
•Full Paint Correction
Msrp:$1380 Our price:$850

- 3 Year Warranty Package
•1 Layer of Top Coat
•1 Layer of Top Coat on plastics and wheels
•1 Layer of Rain on windshield and front side windows.
•Minor Paint Correction
Msrp:$1180 Our price:$550

*FREE Rim/Caliper Ceramic coating
*FREE Interior Mini Detail

[moseph]

Know it’s an old thread but interested to see what prices people are getting 18 months later. I was quoted $2500 for Opti-Coat Pro 3 which I guess is 4x thicker than the Pro+. Lifetime warranty. PPF for front end I was quoted $2200. Leaning towards skipping the PPF…

[Bm1806]

Originally Posted by moseph

Know it’s an old thread but interested to see what prices people are getting 18 months later. I was quoted $2500 for Opti-Coat Pro 3 which I guess is 4x thicker than the Pro+. Lifetime warranty. PPF for front end I was quoted $2200. Leaning towards skipping the PPF…

I just did Xpel Fusion Plus ceramic with 4 year warranty. Includes touch up and detail every year for warranty period. Cost $1,200

[LDT]

https://www.xpel.com/ceramic-coating-fusion-plus $1200 quote from my local guy

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by LDT

https://www.xpel.com/ceramic-coating-fusion-plus $1200 quote from my local guy

That is a really good price, I paid $2,200 a couple of years ago to do the M340i with another product though. Does that include paint correction, wheels and brake calipers?