Restorfx (Cermic coating) opinions

Leonard Hofstadter

First time posting here, so please go gently on me:o!

I have my car booked into a bodyshop in the UK to deal with some rust, and in the course of the conversation, I discovered that they do detailing as well.

However, as well as the 'traditional' detailing, they are an authorised agent for restorfx, which I'm given to understand is some sort of ceramic coating, or something like that (sorry, this is all double dutch to me, I've never had a car before that was deserving enough of a detail until fairly recently)?

I had a quick look on Detailing World and I saw some negative opinions, but it seemed to me that this is just a more modern (and less labour intensive) system for restoring paint not that there's actually anything 'wrong' with it.

The bodyshop was recommended to me by a garage I'd trust with my life so I know they'd do a good job, and the facebook page shows some pretty impressive results, but there are some fairly bold claims about its effectiveness, and basically I'm wondering if it's worth spending nearly €400 on doing it considering that getting traditional paint correction would cost me about €180? There would be a 2 year warranty as well (although on what exactly I do not know).

Is ceramic coating a good thing or a bad thing in your experience? Will it last a lot longer than a traditional detail?

Thanks in advance.

https://restorfx-uk.com/

https://www.facebook.com/restorfxpaintperfect/

Curran

No experience with the coating but if it's not gEttington great feedback on DW then I would avoid.
Sometimes products don't always perform as they should when they aren't used correctly; in terms of preparation, application, curing, removal and subsequent curing. Generally speaking the better coatings will have mostly positive feedback with the odd negative; where someone was out of their depth or didn't follow directions to the letter of the law. It's not like a traditional wax or sealant, where if something goes wrong, removal is quite easy. For a ceramic coating, it's far more invasive, essentially a full correction to remove it.

There are a lot of positives for ceramic coatings, but also a few drawbacks...one of which would be handle by having someone else apply it. Others are a slightly glassy appearance, and for some, missing the enjoyment of getting out every few weekends and freshing up the appearance; but of course for others not having to is heaven.

If it's something that you like the sound of; easy maintenance, swirl resistance, hydrophobic properties meaning car stays cleaner for longer, etc, etc, then I would suggest that you consider the known names in the sector...CarPro, Gtechniq, Gyeon, etc.
Perhaps a correction of the paintwork and maintain yourself with traditional products or even some of the very good spray application products that would be in the vein of ceramic coatings only not the durability but very easy to use.

Leonard Hofstadter

Thanks very much for your detailed reply Curran, I very much appreciate it.

From what I gather, most of the negative reviews of RestorFx (along with ceramic coatings in general it must be said) are down to people not liking the fact that this new method is a lot quicker than a traditional detail and some members on DW feel like it could put the traditionalists out of business because it lasts a lot longer.

Another concern is that which you've outlined, and that is that it seems that it is very easy to make a complete pig's ear of it and people are quite rightly worried that it will affect the reputation of the detailing industry as a whole... all I know is they are my garage's chosen bodyshop so if they're good enough for my garage then they're good enough for me.

I like the fact that it is the case that once it's done all that's needed to keep the car looking smart is just a wash by the sounds of things. I am a perfectionist about these things and I simply wouldn't trust myself enough to do it properly, in any event I don't have the space to wash and wax a car myself so I definitely need something that's on the low maintenance side, something that will restore the car's look with just a wash.

In general, how long would a ceramic coating be expected to last before it would need re-applying?

I do see what's mentioned about the 'glassy' finish, though, the photos I've seen don't have that deep shine you get off the traditional methods although it is nice to see no swirls or anything like that as well and it will still look an awful lot smarter than most cars, so I think I'll probably go for it.

Leonard Hofstadter

I meant to follow this up some time ago, but never got around to it.

I think it's fair to say the RestorFx ceramic coating does a good job though of making a car look the part (if you can excuse the exhaust pipes and wheels which need a refurb).

Quality beading as well when it rains, must take a photo of it some time!