As you all know, I have spent a lot of time researching and talking about ceramic coating.
Let me clarify briefly some of the major points of ceramic coating.
* Protects the clear coat
* By protecting the clear coat, it protects the paint
* Replaces the need to wax. The purpose of wax is to protect the clear coat
* The hardness levels determine how long the product will last-- under perfect conditions
* Must still wash *regularly* and protect the paint from normal things like bugs, bird poo, etc
* Must check the consistency regularly.
* Forget about the warranties---they don't matter
* Paint correction is the key, and the reason you pay the big bucks.
Now for some details:
My 2019DSDP looked terrible from the factory. It had many burn marks from a poor polishing job. Every time you wash a BASF clear coat, it will show micro scratches. It is very soft. Newmar recognized this early on, and blamed the brushes, saying go with lambs wool.
Anytime you wash anything, you should use the 2 bucket method, with a soft (micro fiber / lambs wool) material, that is then rinsed in 2 buckets between each stroke.
I will not get into the great detail about washing--I could do a whole series on that. The point is that paint correction, once done, should be protected. I had my coach paint corrected, and then protected that finish with ceramic coating.
The ceramic coating I chose was a 9H, and I put 3 layers on. The marketing tells you this is a 7 year guarantee. Read the fine print and you realize there is nothing really being guaranteed.
Annually the entire coach needs to be washed and inspected for hydrophobic properties (does water just run off easily or collect). A good installer will charge $10/ft to do an annual maintenance on a ceramic coated RV, and include a top coat of ceramic that will build up whats already there. By starting with 2 layers of 9H, and keeping up with annual top coats, you will never have to strip the ceramic and start over. Even better, you will never have to paint correct again.
The cost of paint correction is what you are really paying for in that $150/ft price. That is on the high side, but about what I paid for one that needed 40+hrs of paint correction. You don't want to rush this job.
If you don't care about the micro swirls, and don't see them, then you can save yourself a lot of money by skipping the paint correction and doing just the paint prep and ceramic coating. Those prices go for $30-40/ft for an RV. They call this a 1-stage paint correction and it involves a clay wash, and quick pass polish before coating.
The next level from ceramic coatings is the Paint Protection Film. I did 80% of my 2021 BMW M3 CS with PPF, and then ceramic coated ontop of that. The PPF is much better than the junk that Newmar installs on the front of our coaches. It is self healing, prevents scratches, and does not require any special maintenance. Bugs clean off so easily, I have already decided that I will be doing this on the LA, covering the entire front cap, and then down both sides on below the slides.
This year I have had PPF and ceramic coating done to 4 new vehicles, and 1 older car. My 2011 black suburban was showing signs of clear coat failure. By doing the paint correction on it, and then applying ceramic coating, I have frozen the failure in place. It looks so much better now, and I know it won't get any worse.
@sheridany I think your coach would greatly benefit from a ceramic coating. Every time you wash it, the coach will look like it was freshly waxed. The paint you have on there is some of the very best, and this is an investment in protecting it for the future.
If you have the right people and vault of ?I'd say do it.
I am forbidden to go to a Mecum auction because the DW feels I will come home with the bus pulling a new stacker and an automobile inside.
