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How to test if your car has had a ceramic shield

P911X50

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3 Jan 2017
Messages
421
Hi

I bought a BMW M6 V10 and the most important condition of the deal was that the garage would apply a ceramic shield.

However, having picked it up, I'm not sure if they have applied it. I can also see some swirl marks on the paintwork and as it has rained I can see the usual beeding you see on a well waxed car, but nothing special.

Having looked at utube and seeing the amazing effect using a hose pipe, it don't believe is has it.

Can anyone show me how I can conduct a test to see if it has a ceramic shield and does not have it. I will be asking him to pay for one.

Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
Let's hope it hasn't been done, as those swirls will now be a feature for a long time... :nooo:
 
I would take it to a professional detailer who is accredited by one of the ceramic coating companies for an assessment.

Then if it needs anything doing I would try to get the dealer to contribute to the cost of getting the professional to do it. I certainly wouldn't allow a car dealer to to undertake any kind of detailing work on a car.

As MNC911 says, if they have put a coating over swirl marks it's going to be a pig of job to put it right.
 
Thanks guys.

I took it to a ceramic coating detailer this morning and straight away he said there is no ceramic shield. I asked if he could have a closer look and used a think plastic wrapper while running over the car and asked me to do the same. I can tell that is not even been clay barred let alone polished and had a ceramic shield.

I am so disappointed. I offered a price when buying the car ]was very clear the car had to have a ceramic shield. It says so in the deposit. He was a independent supercar dealer. He even sent a picture of a claybar with some which had some dirt from the car implying "look we are clay barring the car".
:eh!:

The detailer is asking for £1,200 for the ceramic shield. Seems really high to me. Is there anywhere I can take this to near Stansted Airport area + 25 miles

Anyway, I will ask him to pay someone of my choice to get this done and he pays them direct. Or if he refuses, I will pay and take him to court for the full amount.
 
The problem is with the ceramic coating suppliers and the dealships that sell/ supply it

The customer thinks a ceramic coating is the way to look after his new car
Dealerships just see it as an income stream

To 'properly ' detail a car is a 1/2 day job, I ve seen so many valeters given 40 minutes to apply it
I detail my cars using zymol vintage wax free of charge as I think it's the best product that I'm happy with using.
But to the rest of the industry ceramic coatings are just away to earn money

And if you wonder why I use a wax and not ceramics, I think ceramic coatings are too shiny and varnishey and have no depth to the finish
 
P911X50 said:
The detailer is asking for £1,200 for the ceramic shield. Seems really high to me. Is there anywhere I can take this to near Stansted Airport area + 25 miles

I would have thought that the cost will be in that ballpark to be honest.

It's not the coating itself that is particularly expensive, it's the preparation that takes the time (and therefore, money). You mentioned that the paintwork had swirl marks, so the detailer will need to correct the paint before applying the coating. BMW paint is typically hard so it wouldn't surprise me if it was a 2/3 day job.

They might be just out of the mileage range mentioned but I would probably take mine to KDS in Gillingham for something like this. They won't be the cheapest but they really are masters of their craft.
 
You might want to look into the ceramic coatings in more detail as there are some nuances: you can put the softer self-healing coating on a dark colour but a light one needs a harder coating ... they are not all the same, and then you would need a shampoo from the same producer to keep the coating topped up.

And as others have said, a large part of the cost is in the preparation, not just paint correction but de-denting and de-dinging the car. I'd guess that 1200gbp is about right for a proper job, depending on how much labour is required, and how long it takes to cure.

I learned a lot from Terry Hilton at Feynlab Dubai.
 
From a personal view & through my own experience, I wouldn't trust a dealership to apply a ceramic coating.

For one, the car needs to be properly detailed & all swirls taken out, otherwise they will simply be applying the coating over bad paint, locking them in.

It took me a day of cleaning & a good work over with the DA to prep my own car prior to application. A second day using the Q2 prep & then applying the coating, & another half day going round it with a heater to cure it fully.

If the beading stops on the OP's car within a few washes, then I suspect it has only had a coat of wax, or at best a coating of wetcoat or the likes.

A properly applied ceramic coating will last years if applied & looked after properly.

For example, mine still beads well after three years as it has been maintained every six months with wetcoat to top up.
 
Update:

The dealer is very offended that I have raised this (how dare I). Just tells me that he knows that he has been found out. He saying that his 'product' may be out of date or something. He has offered me a 'bottle of ceramic shield worth .....£100 :eek: .

I am taking it to another professional detailer at the weekend and will ask him to make an assessment. Then he will be asked to either pay the detailer directly to coat the car or I will pay for it and take him to court. The cost is approx. £800.

The Porsche I bought from another dealer has a CC and the water just flies off after 1 year. This is only a week old and when I pour water on it, it behaves as it was waxed a month or two ago, little or no beeding.

He is trying a fast one, I reckon.
 

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