How much am I looking at for professional new car prep and coating?

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greg72982

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I have a brand new car ordered and on the way and I just don't have the time or inclination anymore to do more than basic washing and waxing myself these days. I'd like to do things right from the beginning and have a coating put on it. There is one place in the area that installs CQuartz Finest but my guess is that would be much more than what I want to pay, but I really don't know. I guess my question is what does it usually cost for a new car prep and coating? I know it would likely vary depending on which coating is used, I'm just looking for ballpark figures. If it's more than I want to pay I'll probably just keep it old school and throw some DG 501 on it.

Also, I'm in the Pittsburgh area so if anyone here recommends any specific place I'd appreciate it.
 
On a new car depending on the condition of paint 350 to 750.If needs multiple stages of polishing add on another 200 on top of the 750.Need more info color make is it 2dr or 4 dr. Every bit of that money done right will pay off in the long run.
 
Since you are in Pittsburg I highly recommend a high quality job be done and multiple layers of ceramic be installed all over the car! You are probably looking at well over 1000 for something like that but honestly that money will literally protect your vehicle and in the long run save you money. I never understand this whole mindset of not maintaining or putting money towards your vehicles appearance which is what everyone sees first and is the main selling point of a vehicle. Most modifications on a car these days you lose money. Why not do something that actually technically makes you money? My advice is spend the money and get a quality job done. In the long run you will come back and thank me. I know because I have been in this business 20 years and I can't even count how many people who have agreed with me on this. If you have any questions please let us know.
 
I have a little bit of an issue with this. If the customer isn't going to maintain the car and just run it through the car wash, what's the point. I've done a couple of 2 steps for my friends. I won't do it anymore. It's a waste of my time. Because they don't wash the car properly. Now if they really want me to do anything i just go over it with hd speed and call it a day.
 
I would think that someone going to spend that kind of money would have it maintained by a detailer at least once a month
 
frankprozzoly said:
I have a little bit of an issue with this. If the customer isn't going to maintain the car and just run it through the car wash, what's the point. I've done a couple of 2 steps for my friends. I won't do it anymore. It's a waste of my time. Because they don't wash the car properly. Now if they really want me to do anything i just go over it with hd speed and call it a day.
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lol this is why I stopped doing family cars
 
frankprozzoly said:
I have a little bit of an issue with this. If the customer isn't going to maintain the car and just run it through the car wash, what's the point. I've done a couple of 2 steps for my friends. I won't do it anymore. It's a waste of my time. Because they don't wash the car properly. Now if they really want me to do anything i just go over it with hd speed and call it a day.
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agreed I was gonna go there but what's the point,he will do whatever.
 
frankprozzoly said:
I have a little bit of an issue with this. If the customer isn't going to maintain the car and just run it through the car wash, what's the point. I've done a couple of 2 steps for my friends. I won't do it anymore. It's a waste of my time. Because they don't wash the car properly. Now if they really want me to do anything i just go over it with hd speed and call it a day.
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I have to agree here.. my wifes new car came with perma guard paint protection on obsidian black (and interior).. it was done by the dealer, who of course did a poor light correction before the coating.. so now it has super fine holograms locked in.
Subsequent super fine scratches show up lig a pig on this paint so i correct them properly, but then of course the perma guard is removed etc.. those panels get sealed and waxed..

In short.. total waste of time.. in this particular case after 12 months i'll be doing a full correction of the whole car, and using sealant and wax as usual.. the coating was a waste of time as I didn't have the same product to re-apply to areas once corrected.. this last point is the key..

For low maintenance you have to have access to the coating to undertake the unavoidable occaisonal correction every so often on a single patch of panel.. or be OK with living with the diminished finish until such a time as the coating is fully re-done after a year or two..

Given daily driver staus, being the wifes car and my kids being .. well kids.. its easier to do it the traditional way..
 
I too will and have turned down people because of the maintenance process they planned on using. I will do a one step for them but that is about it. Im not going to waste my time (even for money) on that. Id rather spend that time enjoying family and friends.
 
It's a waste of money. I have a customer with a 2015 white Jeep Grand Cherokee. He bought it new and paid $1200 for a coating that was suppose to last 10 years. The very next spring his vehicle was peppered with orange iron deposits all over it. He went back to the dealer and they said they would not cover against that. Long story short, a coating that is said to last 5 to 10 years is like a diet pill that claims you will lose weight without diet or exercise. It doesn't exist. Save your money and get a professional detail once a year to keep your car looking spot on.
 
Coatings are a life saver if you maintain your car. I have kamikaze coating on both my car and my sister, both being black, and have reduce amount of swirls and scratches. If you maintain your car and dont take it to a machine car wash, the coating is highly worth it!
 
Check with Rob's auto body. He's shouldn't be too far from you. They offer a range of coatings and will definitely be able to help you out. As far as price ranges go... that's going to be a tough one to ballpark. So many variables, especially dependent on the condition of the vehicle. I've done new cars that literally required wet sanding to fix the issues from the factory, shipping, and dealer prep.
 
I couldn't care less what people do after I'm done with correcting their car. It gives me satisfaction to see the turnaround, and they pay me. That's plenty good enough.
 
Maybe I should clarify-the car is a black 2017 Camaro SS. It will be garage kept and is a toy not a daily driver (though I plan to drive it a lot). I only wash my vehicles myself using the two bucket method. They will not see a car wash.

Like Wrapt said though you're getting paid either way, why take it so personal anyway?

Thanks to those that gave pricing and recommendations instead of jumping to conclusions.
 
I have a business moto. No request is too small we just add it to the invoice. As long as the customer is paying me, I'll do a 3 step if they want and they can trash the car all they want after I'm done. I don't care. I'll give their car a two step every month if the customer wants to pay me. Lol
 
frankprozzoly said:
I have a little bit of an issue with this. If the customer isn't going to maintain the car and just run it through the car wash, what's the point. I've done a couple of 2 steps for my friends. I won't do it anymore. It's a waste of my time. Because they don't wash the car properly. Now if they really want me to do anything i just go over it with hd speed and call it a day.
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Just like every other detailing related shops out there (and those consecutive replies PROVE it !!) they claim the coating will have 8-9 H Hardness (claiming its a pencil test and wont get scratched...) and won't get scratched from normal car washes (but they won't specify what kind of washes their coating will endure), also telling you the so called Glass-Coating will endure high temps, a match of fire on top of it and nothing will happen to it, scratch it with a pencil and it will endure, no swirls, forever hydrophobic and all those claims !, then asking you to just wash it with water pressure, don't use car shampoo coz it's hydrophobic and SUPPOSED NOT TO PICK UP DUST (BULLSH*T) and beed the water of it as soon as you wash it with water only !!, then what the hell is the point of the coating if it's gonna get scratched just like your paint ?? I personally got it applied just in 2015, while it looks really good on the car (and yes you can see the difference as the coating gives glass finish even when dust accumulates you will see that especially on the car bonnet) while that is true, I became extra careful, extra obsessed with how and what I was my care with, I was told to avoid ANYTHING but water, adding to that A sealant added on top to help with the water sheeting (so ya you don't want that sealant to fade away easily either when washed with pH balanced shampoo or even using waterless car washes or anything that would scrub the dust against the surface) my point is, coatings is a silly GIMMICK while it gives a great glass gloss on the paint, and add a second layer on top of the paint (or so it is??) it requires more care which doesn't justify the price !!, I personally like it on the car just for the look and thinking it adds a layer on top of the paint (but never again gonna pay premium price for it), also if you are asking for extra careful washing and maintenance of the coating then why the hell don't you offer it for him free of charge since you are asking for a premium price for a cheap bottle of cquartz or whatever the cheap coating you are using that's mostly sold ONLINE (and you won't use the whole bottle am sure), instead of asking him to pay you a visit twice a month, pay you MORE to get the car washed your way, what a hack sorry to say but this is not the first time I see this kind of practice !..

as for the OP if you really like the Coating in principal then buy it online and do it yourself and save your money and the trips to such detail shops !...
 
I'd check out the website of your local guy to know his prices for sure. If you look at my site, under "Nano Coatings", you'll see my prices range from $550 to $950 for coatings, which includes a single stage polish.
 
I'm with richy on my coating cost, a high quality coating with a polish is about 550. I'm about two hours from you, let me know if I can help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
OP, I would look to buy your own ceramic nano coating kit and apply it yourself. You will save huge $$$$$$$$$$. Wolfgang sells the uber ceramic coating kit for $150. They claim it will last and protect for 3 years. Its super easy to apply. Wipe product on with the foam applicator and wipe off. Done
 
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