I love my Jeep Grand Cherokee. I plan to go to my grave owning this vehicle.

Winter's coming. It didn't get its spring detailing job for various reasons. I was planning on having it over to my detailer for just an outside detailing to protect the paint over the winter, then the regular exterior, interior, and engine bay detailing come spring--after the salt's all gone.

Then I got to thinking about ceramic coating again.

I dismissed it, last time, because, for my Jeep Grand Cherokee, it would've been somewhere around $1,000. But then I started doing the math. I think an outside-only detail job runs somewhere around $250-$350, if memory serves.

Meanwhile, an Opti-Coat Pro+ ceramic job has a seven year warranty.

So, I'm thinking, ceramic the exterior, maintain the interior myself, and not worry about the engine bay getting kinda scruffy-looking? Save money and better paint protection.

So, question for those of the collective who've had ceramic coatings applied professionally: Was it worth it? Did you get the lifetime out of it they promised?

I have had it professionally done on all my cars the last 15 years. Coatings have been getting better and better. 2-3 years is more realistic for a decent coating.

If you like waxing your car it’s not for you. If you want it to look great for a long time with regular hand washing, it’s for you IMO.

My cars generally look like new on the outside when I get rid of them after 4-5 years.

I know you asked about professional coatings, but I applied mine myself and I've only had to wash my car twice since last November. Everything slides off with a quick detailer and a microfiber cloth. Paint is still slick to the touch.

White car, garage parked, but daily driven

So, if you are already paying $250 for professional detailing every year, $1000 seems like a reasonable jump for better multi-year protection.

I had it done on my recent Porsche purchase and have had it for less than a year but it has held up remarkably. I’m assuming that I will get several years of protection.

When my pickup was new, my neighbor got it done on his jeep. It looked amazing (still does 6 years later), so I inquired. The quote I got was between $3500-$5000 depending on how much correction they ended up doing before the coating. I passed. I regret it.

I used to be a reseller for CorrosionX products. They have a polymer wax replacement product, Rejex, which I ended up with a case of after closing my store. I use it on nearly everything, but it really only lasts for about 90-120 days. But I was selling them for $9.95 a bottle, and I think I had about $5 each in them. I have no idea what that costs today.

Go with the Tru-Coat.

$1,000 is low for a car, really low for a SUV. Make sure it includes paint correction otherwise you're sealing in scratches. It will not last seven years, so make sure you find out tge details of that warranty.

I had it done to my 2013 F150, about a year-and-a-half ago. The truck was always garaged, so it was in good shape, but it seemed like even after washing, it still didn’t look good (tuxedo black). I had it paint corrected and a ceramic coating applied. The metallic elements in the black were brought out, and it still looks incredible. I run it through a touchless car wash and towel off any remaining water the dryer misses. I’m really happy with the results.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
$1,000 is low for a car, really low for a SUV. Make sure it includes paint correction otherwise you're sealing in scratches. It will not last seven years, so make sure you find out tge details of that warranty.

^^ THIS ^^

Way too many certified professional only coating manufacturers are hanging their certified detailers out to dry on warranties and saying it wasn't applied properly which stiffs both the certified detailer and customer.

I'll give an example. Owner's Pride turned out to be the same as Technician's Choice TEC580, but sold to certified detailer for $300 versus $33. Detailer marked it up plus has to charge for wash, decon, and polish. The problem is it was failing in 12 to 18 months not 7 years.

Also, the fine print typically states certified detailer needs to provide maintenance details every x months. In other words, the initial cost is the tip of the iceburg.

I've had two Porsches and a Mercedes done at this shop. Amazing quality work. I know its not in your hood but I am posting the link so you can compare costs and depth of service. I bought the middle level C Quartz ceramic job including paint correction. If you hand wash the car and park in a garage it should last 5 years.

https://www.metropolitandetail...cquartz-professional

Perfect timing! The YouTube channel ScottHD just posted an update video. He owns his own detail shop (ie pro retailer) and his channel primarily does head to head coating tests where he does all the prep, applies many coatings to same panel, leaves outside, hand washes once a month, and shows updates. He is in East Texas so his weather is closer to mine than the OP’s.

This is the one year update of professional coatings with two consumer DIY coatings as “controls”:

NanoBond is $37.90 on Amazon

Meguiar’s is $45.59 on Amazon

Look how the two “controls” are fairing in same conditions versus the pro coatings. I certainly wouldn’t pay extra for the coating and then buy a warranty (May or may not be honored) on top of it. If I couldn’t DIY the prep and application, I’d hire a pro detailer to apply a 2 or 3 year consumer grade ($69 to $99 per vial) better than the “controls”, and every 6 months pay the same pro detailer to decon and apply a booster.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Thanks for the feedback, y'all.

The $1k number I mentioned was probably the least expensive option:

3-year: $1300
5-year: $1700
7-year: $2000

Exterior-only detailing: $350

3-year cost: $1050
5-year cost: $1750
7-year cost: $2450

Money-wise, it's a tossup between ceramic and annual exterior detailing over five years.

With those numbers I think I'm just gonna stick with annual detailing.

They have a product, already forgot the name, you spray on and apply with a clean microfiber cloth, she said provides almost as much protection as ceramic. $40/bottle and has enough for 10-12 applications. (They'll apply it, following the external detail, for $75 additional.)

I used to detail my own cars. I just don't have the ambition for it anymore.

ETA: Another thing, my wife pointed out when we just discussed it: I don't even know for sure if the Jeep will last me another seven years or whatever. Yeah, I plan to go to my grave still having it, but we all know how plans sometimes work out.