I'm curious about anyone's experience with the ceramic coating. I had a company all set to do this for me when my 2022 Cx5 Turbo came in. The dealer was having a deal on that service and offered it for half price which I took/fell for. I had the dealer do it and canceled the other company.

Car looked great when I picked it up but it's really challenging to clean. The dirt really seems to cling to the paint to the point where touchless carwashes are next to useless. I took it back and the dealer re-applied it but the result is the same. I use a soft cloth to wash at home when the weather permits but even then I find I have to work hard to get it clean. Not what I expected.

 

Everybody do the bartman,
I am a pro ceramic coating installer and i saw your post and wanted to give my opinion. Dealerships do not generally offer an actual ceramic coating. Some do but it's usually the high end cars. Dealers offer paint warranties that they call ceramic because they want to sell it so they use that lingo. Its a paint warranty that will buff or repaint damage caused by the environment. They put on a sealant that lasts for a few months so they can say they put something on. The local dodge and honda stores have called me recently to price coatings for their own personal vehicles. It's possible they were just trying to find out what I charge. They charge about a quarter of what I charge. If you want a paint warranty without a coating then a dealer is what you want. If you want a real coating that carries a warranty than call a pro installer. I have grown up inside the dealership and finally went off to detail on my own because I could not detail to the level I wanted to. The dealer held me back. If the pro charges $1,800 and the dealer is doing half off then it's not hard to figure out who has the real coating. By they way, the average ceramic coating costs $1,800 nationwide. Do yourself a favor, go back to the dealer and get your money back and then set up an appointment with the local detailer that you trust.

 

Appreciate that feedback. I ended up raising enough hell that the dealer sent it at their cost to a different detail shop who stripped and applied a proper ceramic. Looks much better and performs as expected. Lesson learned.