Coating

[threpwood]

Have any of you had your boxster coated? I am having the boxster coated including the wheels at a body shop. The coat is supposed to last up to 5 years and I am wondering if you have any experience about this. The coat is supposed to be good quality and cost about USD$800. I found a few very small chips on the front end because of gravels in highway, so I am hoping that the coat can protect the paint.

[threpwood]

Additional link to the stuff that the body shop uses (translated to English with google):

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.otsuka-dm.co.jp%2Fgaiyou.html&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools

[Brucelee]

I have never seen anyone rate these "coatings" as worth the money.

In fact, many dealers simply apply a coat of Klasse Sealant and charge hundreds of dollars.

This sounds like a scam to me.

$800 also seems outrageous to me.

Good luck.

Caveat Emptor!

For $800 bucks you can buy a lot of good quaility car care products, and keep your car looking great, and enjoy the experience on a nice day.

[threpwood]

I called different places today and got explanation that there are "grades" with the coatings based on the material (whatever that is) and thickness. The cheapest one starts from $250, then goes up from there.

The coating business is actually quite popular here, but I've never get any car coated or seen it very closely, so I'm going to just try it...if it is a scam then I'll have my lawyer contact them despite a hole in my pocket

On calming thought, the body shop has good rep and has been doing business for 10 years, so at least I know that my boxster is safe on their hands...

I'll post some detailed pics later.

You may want to send a Private Message to SD987. He had his Boxster coated, and loves it!

[AUDIOGUY]

What kind of coat are you talking about? If you are referring to a 3M clear bra or the likes, this is worth the money. Any product that is a paint sealer or wax is definately a waste of money and certainly wont last long term. Only a 3M type coating will protect your paint from stone chips. Regardles of what type of chemical or wax you put on your car, none will protect from stone chips that I know of.

You should look in the the Clear Bra and give that a shot before spending money on a paint sealant or similar.

Best of luck,
Joe
01S
Triple Black

[threpwood]

This isn't the clear bra. They explained that the coating is a "gel" that goes above the paint (paint sealer?) and made from a mix of silica and fluorine polymers that when dried form a hard and clear gel (about 4-5 mm) above the paint. It is supposed to make the paint and wheels looking like a glass (reflective and shiny).

The work takes 3-4 days to complete.

The best grade can last up to 5 years and recommend a yearly maintenance to smoothen out the gel from chips etc (I think all they have to do is to buff it).

I looked at the clear bra and indeed it can be a good alternative. The only downside is that the shrinkwrapping film makes the paint less reflective, but of course it is a lot better than having to do a paint job later.

I'm planning to keep the Boxster for a while and the paint is the area that I am most worried about.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by threpwood

This isn't the clear bra. They explained that the coating is a "gel" that goes above the paint (paint sealer?) and made from a mix of silica and fluorine polymers that when dried form a hard and clear gel (about 4-5 mm) above the paint. It is supposed to make the paint and wheels looking like a glass (reflective and shiny).

The work takes 3-4 days to complete.

The best grade can last up to 5 years and recommend a yearly maintenance to smoothen out the gel from chips etc (I think all they have to do is to buff it).

I looked at the clear bra and indeed it can be a good alternative. The only downside is that the shrinkwrapping film makes the paint less reflective, but of course it is a lot better than having to do a paint job later.

I'm planning to keep the Boxster for a while and the paint is the area that I am most worried about.

Hi,

If you're planning on keeping it awhile, then accept that paintchips and a 5 year respray are part of the bargain. Forget the Coating and put the money toward the respray which will be necessary, to whatever degree, in 5 years. Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim '99