What have you done to your CX-5 today?

[bxpretzel]

Had the CX-5 coated in Ceramic Pro 9h. Had my wife's car coated a month ago and loved the outcome so decided to do mine as well.
With the ease of maintenance and the scratch resistance I found the cost to be completely worth it. W/ the prep work & coating it was $990.

WOW! This looks really good. I hope this holds up over time. Question, did they wash/wax before installing? What kind of place did the install? Definitely doesn't look like the inside of a dealer.

 

[sk7]

WOW! This looks really good. I hope this holds up over time. Question, did they wash/wax before installing? What kind of place did the install? Definitely doesn't look like the inside of a dealer.

Thanks! I brought it to SeaJay's Detailing here in MA.
I exchanged a few emails w/ him during initial inquiry and he listed the prep work for the coating as follows:
- 2 bucket hand wash
- 2 step paint decontamination (deironizer spray and clay bar treatment)
- Wheels/tires cleaned and dressed
- Vehicle dried via compressed air and microfiber towels
- Trim, emblems, plastics taped to protect them during the polishing stage
- 1 step polish done to remove minor-moderate defects, amplify gloss and reflection, and prep the surface for coating

For anyone in MA looking for a detailer I definitely recommend SeaJay's - Jason does really good work and he's super customer focused.

 

[Bob-Loblaw]

Agreed. It is warrantied, they do a yearly inspection and decontamination so we'll see how it holds up.

How long is the warranty?

 

[sk7]

How long is the warranty?

2 layers is 5yrs (2 layers of Pro 9H & 1 layer of Pro Light)
4 layers is lifetime warranty (4 layers of Pro 9H & 1 layer of Pro Light)

We opted for the 5yr warranty. The cost difference is about $140 but when doing two cars and considering it's very unlikely we'll keep them 5 years it made sense to go the 5yr route.

Love your '16 btw, that color looks great!

 

[Bob-Loblaw]

Well after a bit of research I've come to understand that ppf and opti-coat serve 2 different purposes, play nicely together and that the film should go on first. Got a call in to a local "opti-coat specialist" for a quote. Maybe it's all over kill (garaged at night, covered during the day) but it is a $32,000 investment that I plan to keep for a long time after its paid off so a few grand up front to ensure years of protection seems worth it.

 

[sk7]

Well after a bit of research I've come to understand that ppf and opti-coat serve 2 different purposes, play nicely together and that the film should go on first.

Cool, thanks for posting the follow up. I hadn't thought about using the film and coating together. I agree, if you're keeping it for a while it's totally worth protecting the investment. Good luck!

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

A wise man once told me a car is not an investment because it loses value. I think it was Mike M. V8Toilet or Paris1.

 

[sk7]

A wise man once told me a car is not an investment because it loses value. I think it was Mike M. V8Toilet or Paris1.

If your goal of the investment is strictly a monetary return then sure that makes sense. It's what I get to do w/ the car and the places I get to go w/ my family - from that I get far more than my money worth in return.

 

[Bob-Loblaw]

"Investment is time, energy, or matter spent in the hope of future benefits actualized within a specified date or time frame" Wiki

Future benefits a la the woody I get when I see my car looking beautiful day in and day out (breakn)

 

[tibimakai]

If your goal of the investment is strictly a monetary return then sure that makes sense. It's what I get to do w/ the car and the places I get to go w/ my family - it's priceless.

 

[player one]

Well after a bit of research I've come to understand that ppf and opti-coat serve 2 different purposes, play nicely together and that the film should go on first. Got a call in to a local "opti-coat specialist" for a quote. Maybe it's all over kill (garaged at night, covered during the day) but it is a $32,000 investment that I plan to keep for a long time after its paid off so a few grand up front to ensure years of protection seems worth it.

That's what I've done to my 3 and will get it done on the CX-5. I've had that combo for about a year and water still beads like it has a good coat of wax. All I do is wash it and not very often as I don't have much time. The main reason I got opti-coat is so that I don't have to clay and wax 2-3 times a year. With opti-coat, you just have to clay it once the surface is rough (as I was told). You also don't have to worry much about bird poop. ShowCarDetailing did a test by leaving bird poop on his own car for a week with no visible damage. That has happened to me and it just comes right off when you wash. So far so good, let's see how it holds up.

 

[Bob-Loblaw]

So I've got an appointment Tuesday to have Optimum Gloss-Coat applied to the car. Guy works out of his garage and this is a side business for him but he sounded very knowledgeable and his Yelp reviews are all 5 stars so hopefully he does good work. The price is right at $475 anyway.

He mentioned they have discontinued Opti-Coat 2.0. He says the warranty is not as long on the new stuff (3 year) but he says Opti-Gloss, when used in combination with Opti-Seal, should last the life of the car.

Wish me luck.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

got the armrest cover on.

 

[FiveCX-5]

Nice !

 

[NoKenDo]

Added this.

 

[tibimakai]

The dog sticker?

 

[NoKenDo]

The dog sticker?

Yes.

 

[Triton46]

Oil change! 20k miles and 2.5 years of ownership.

 

[Bob-Loblaw]

Dipped the rear badges and removed the SkyActiv badge. I'm happy with the outcome but I'm considering removing the CX-5 as well. We'll see.

Before

After

 

[mondomon916]

Nice, I was curious how would I remove the dealer sticker? I asked to have them remove it, but they were saying it doesn't come off. Any suggestions?