[fujison82]

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

4// Carbonite Detailing (Mountain View). Another "under the radar" guy. He does it all...paint correction, ppf, ceramic coating etc. I can honestly say he's a master at his craft and a perfectionist. Some local collectors (we're talking F40s, F50s, LaFerraris) have him on retainer for touch-ups. He's a small operation with really fair prices. Ultimately this is who I went with (got lucky with the appointment timing) and I'm really grateful how it all worked out. He does custom PPF (no kits) and if you saw my car you'd have no idea there's a film on it.

+1 on Carbonite Detailing. They are a small hole in the wall shop but they do everything custom and are super genuine and honest. Are car enthusiasts themselves. I think my M2C is the first they did there earlier in the year. Did front PPF and ceramic full body+wheels. They babied my car and documented the process each step of the way. Their clients are supercar show cars so they really know their stuff. Happy to introduce you if you send me a DM.

Here's a photo of my car when I picked up. Near mirror finish. They did a great job.

[devo]

Add to the previous replies, a larger rear quarter piece. Xpel's 'extended rocker kit' for example doesn't cover the quarter panel enough. A custom piece needs to be created or full quarter panel.

[F87M2CS]

Thank you everyone that has chimed in with words of wisdom, real world experiences and shop recommendations

I appreciate folks taking the time to help a newbie figure out how to protect his M2C!

Cheers

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by fujison82

+1 on Carbonite Detailing. They are a small hole in the wall shop but they do everything custom and are super genuine and honest. Are car enthusiasts themselves. I think my M2C is the first they did there earlier in the year. Did front PPF and ceramic full body+wheels. They babied my car and documented the process each step of the way. Their clients are supercar show cars so they really know their stuff. Happy to introduce you if you send me a DM.

Here's a photo of my car when I picked up. Near mirror finish. They did a great job.

Is that Hockenheim? Almost looks Nardo under that lighting...really awesome stuff.

Here's my car when Carbonite was done. Can't really tell from the pic but ZERO seams on the PPF and the ceramic made her extra buttery.

[twintiga]

How much is carbonate for full correction/full xpel and ceramic?

I imagine there’s gotta be some Silicon Valley tax built in the price...

[fujison82]

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

Is that Hockenheim? Almost looks Nardo under that lighting...really awesome stuff.

Here's my car when Carbonite was done. Can't really tell from the pic but ZERO seams on the PPF and the ceramic made her extra buttery.

Yup! Hockenheim. Wow, your car's a beauty!

[aerokubectl]

I just applied ceramic coating to the car. Ugh I saved money but that was a lot of work.

[aerokubectl]

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

Is that Hockenheim? Almost looks Nardo under that lighting...really awesome stuff.

Here's my car when Carbonite was done. Can't really tell from the pic but ZERO seams on the PPF and the ceramic made her extra buttery.

You hit that black SUV with your door!

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by spetsnazos

You hit that black SUV with your door!

Ha...promise you it's not touching.

Looks pretty close but there's a solid couple of inches.

And it was actually Ian (the owner of Carbonite) who opened the door and pulled the car out. If anything, he's probably even more anal about the well-being of the cars in there.

[Flacht3]

Originally Posted by twintiga

How much is carbonate for full correction/full xpel and ceramic?

I imagine there’s gotta be some Silicon Valley tax built in the price...

What I paid was less than most of the reputable SoCal shops quoted me (I did LA delivery, so looked into getting PPF down there) but both areas command a bit of a premium.

I don't want to give a quote on his behalf but I paid around $4k for full front (hood, mirrors, fenders, bumper) plus the rear wheel arches back to the bumper. Paint correction, and full ceramic including removing the wheels and coating them entirely, inner barrels too.

Oh and he applied some decals for me. Not just throwing them on but really taking his time and getting them perfect. Sending me photos to double check placement and showing me multiple options. Didn't charge me for the extra time (but granted I've already sent 3 referrals his way).

[fujison82]

Originally Posted by Chris_DM

What I paid was less than most of the reputable SoCal shops quoted me (I did LA delivery, so looked into getting PPF down there) but both areas command a bit of a premium.

I don't want to give a quote on his behalf but I paid around $4k for full front (hood, mirrors, fenders, bumper) plus the rear wheel arches back to the bumper. Paint correction, and full ceramic including removing the wheels and coating them entirely, inner barrels too.

Oh and he applied some decals for me. Not just throwing them on but really taking his time and getting them perfect. Sending me photos to double check placement and showing me multiple options. Didn't charge me for the extra time (but granted I've already sent 3 referrals his way).

That's pretty consistent with my experience with them also. Ian is awesome. Great guy.

[epic]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

Heck no. I went to: https://lumidetailing.com/

They are in the same building as IND. The work they do is beyond perfection.

Damn, that price was not bad for what you had done. It's a bit of a hike for me to go that north, but may be worth it.

[ChrisK]

Originally Posted by epic

Damn, that price was not bad for what you had done. It's a bit of a hike for me to go that north, but may be worth it.

Whaaat? You are in Roselle?

Don't hesitate. Tell/Call Frank that Chris referred you (SO M2C). He knows me well.

[epic]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

Whaaat? You are in Roselle?

Don't hesitate. Tell/Call Frank that Chris referred you (SO M2C). He knows me well.

I googled after then laughed, that's not far at all. Might hit your guy up come spring. Do I get a discount for giving all my money to IND?

[ChrisK]

Originally Posted by epic

I googled after then laughed, that's not far at all. Might hit your guy up come spring. Do I get a discount for giving all my money to IND?

No, but you look dam
Good!

[M Fifty]

Maybe if Bay-area owners fitted car bras?

[hyperrift]

Originally Posted by spetsnazos

I just applied ceramic coating to the car. Ugh I saved money but that was a lot of work.

Did you do prep work? What kind?

I'm in the bay area and moved here from Florida, wish I'd done it in FL before leaving. Had a good place that would do full crystal serum ultra for $1600 including wheels... Hard to find that out here so I'm considering doing something myself.

[Faikius]

Originally Posted by MTuohy

I should be taking delivery of my new Alpine White M2C in a couple weeks (currently somewhere in the Atlantic).

My dealer (in NY) quoted me $2498 for the clear bra (bumper, hood, fenders, mirrors), which I'm thinking of going with to prevent chips, etc.

They quoted me $3980 for the ceramic coating to the entire car, which seems insane for a new white car that doesn't need much prep work. I'll probably end up just doing that myself.

Wow...

Just had SunTek film installed full front (bumper, fenders, mirrors, full hood) plus the rear quarter panels for ~$1500. Opticoat Pro Plus coating runs $1500 here as well.

[aerokubectl]

Originally Posted by hyperrift

Did you do prep work? What kind?

I'm in the bay area and moved here from Florida, wish I'd done it in FL before leaving. Had a good place that would do full crystal serum ultra for $1600 including wheels... Hard to find that out here so I'm considering doing something myself.

This is what I did. All of this is super easy just a bit time consuming.

1. Washed the car and wiped off all the water.
2. Sprayed Gyeon Iron per panel and wiped down.
3. Sprayed Gyeon Prep per panel and wiped down.
4. Applied Gyeon Mohs in 30x30 sections and wiped down/worked the coating into the paint.
5. Wait 1 hour
6. Applied Gyeon Mohs in 30x30 sections or half panels and wiped down.
7. Waited 12 hours.
8. Sprayed Gyeon Cure on each panel and wiped down.

Again very easy, it's just the second coat of coating and my shoulder was already sore.

There's no way I'd pay over $500 for this, it's far too easy to apply yourself.

Idk why people are even talking about claybar and polishing. The car is brand new, you shouldn't need to polish or clay anything.

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by Ramos

You guys do realize that you can apply ceramic coating yourself such as G Techniq CSL in a weekend in your own garage for under $150!

True that. PPF however takes some skill and is not a DIY activity.

Originally Posted by spetsnazos

Idk why people are even talking about claybar and polishing. The car is brand new, you shouldn't need to polish or clay anything.

Some people feel that factory paint can be made better, and of course there's no telling how long the car sat at the dealer out in the elements before delivery.

I am in the camp that does not drink the ceramic cool-aid, and I'm sure that will annoy many folks here. I think it's a bunch of marketing hype.

PPF is great if you do plan to take your car to the track - there's a lot of crap on the track and one does tend to tailgate often. There's also crap just on the roads, and it also protects against that as well, but I'm not so sure that the cost justifies the benefits for everyone, especially if you don't keep cars for a long time.