That looks perfect Ryan; money well spent I'd say. Who needs mirrors in the house when you've got paintwork like that?

awesome job!
your car looks stunning

Well, the shine has been enhanced further by the fact that the detailer made contact this month and offered to do a complimentary maintenance wash including protection top up. Very impressed and it has been worth having done

Last edited by pld118 on 30th Dec 2018 12:39pm. Edited 2 times in total

Have to say that whatever magic a good detailer can work, the car cleans up much better and easier than before. Not having cleaned it for about 6 weeks and then feeling that horrible 'baked on' winter crud stuck to the lower paintwork panels at the start of a wash today, thoughts initially started to creep in that a full stoving would be needed... a power washer, snow foam, the 2 bucket of clean warm water method, a Meguiars grit guard and sheepskin washmitt and careful cleaning of each panel saw the car looking and feeling like glass to touch again in 2 hours.

My 2003 SL55 has a Merc standard ceramic paint and I have to say that after 15 years with only washing and waxing, plus one DIY paint correction, the paintwork looks pretty good - although it has always been garaged, which probably does more for reducing paintwork deterioration than any treatments. I reckon ceramic coating is worth it, BUT, paint protection film is probably better, but hugely expensive - about £1500 for front end, bonnet and sills, with self-healing film (gets rid of fine scratches, swirl marks by applying gentle heat). I had PPF on my TVR Tamora and it definitely stopped a lot of stone chips, but not all of them.

I suppose it depends on the value of your car, and how long you intend to keep it. If it's a long-termer, and you want it to keep looking at it's best, then it's probably worth spending money. Likewise, if it's a new car, then protecting it might help with resale value (for a private sale anyway). If it'a a new car AND a long termer, then PPF would be the way to go IMHO. (All I have to do now is persuade the wife of these self-evident truths!)