How frustrating is it to search for the cost of a good or service and NOT be able to find a price. You KNOW the company could easily post their price (or at least a ballpark) and they don’t. Now-a-days you have to give the street you grew up on, your mothers maiden name and sign over your first born just to get a quote.
Real Cost of Ceramic Coating: Introduction
Kings Valet understands your frustrations and this is one small part of the industry we are revolutionizing. Transparent pricing post in plain view all over this website. I won’t even bury the cost deep in the arictle. Ceramic Coatings from Kings Valet start at $1,000 for a 5 years of protection and $1,450 for a Lifetime of protection. If all you were after was price – we bid you adue and hope you have a great day. If you were here to compare more than pricing – below are the inclusions for packages, additional offerings and a break down of REAL costs for Kings Valet to install your Ceramic Coating. I hope you enjoy!
*One Note: We NEVER charge based on the type of vehicle. Corvette or Corola they are both the small vehicles and billed the same.*
What Does Kings Valet Include with Ceramic Coating Packages?
Kings Valet’s Ceramic Coating Packages include all the essentials to protect the paint on your new or luxury vehicle. The process begins with a Full Exterior Detail. From wheel wells to sunroof; Kings Valet is going to deep clean and prepare the surfaces for protection. Kings Valet then moves on to a Machine (“buffer”) Applied Polish. Polishing adds shine and allows a better bond for the Ceramic Coating. The third portion of Kings Valet’s Ceramic Coating installation process is the most important (by far). Your vehicle will receive a Decontamination Wash – every square inch of the vehicle will be given an isopropyl alcohol bath to ensure no grease or contaminants are on the surface. This is the most important step as it ensures a clean bond. Finally, the Ceramic Coating is applied to your paint, covered and allowed to cure overnight!
What about Paint Correction?
Kings Valet specifically focuses on New and Luxury Vehicles; as such the Ceramic Coating packages are structured to be as cost effective as possible for these clients. There is no reason for us to “include” 2-steps of paint correction and have you paying $500 more for work that isn’t occurring. Kings Valet DOES offer Paint Correction and Ceramic Coating for vehicles that require it. This is MOST vehicles outside the current model year. Once life has started happening to the vehicle; paint correction is usually required. To add a single step of paint correction (80%+ improvement of condition) to your small vehicle would be only $350 and ranges up to $400 for a large vehicle.
What about Warranties and Maintenance?
Kings Valet offers a NO Fine-Print Warranty that can be found here: Lifetime Ceramic Coating Warranty or Five Year Ceramic Coating Warranty. The basics of both warranties are:
- Don’t Set Your Hood On Fire
- No Aggressive Wash Methods
- See Kings Valet Every Spring for an Annual Inspection
The only big difference in the two warranties is that the Lifetime Ceramic Coating INCLUDES the annual inspection at no cost. For the 5-Year Ceramic Coating; it is $150 for the Annual Inspection. Annual Inspections Include a full exterior detail and application of a ceramic topper. With the Lifetime Ceramic Coating you also get FREE Maintenance 4x a year. This is valued at $600+ annually; all included at no cost to you.
Add-on Ceramic Coating Packages
Kings Valet offers 3 add-on ceramic coating packages. These packages are all or nothing offerings as this system has reduced confusion on both the your end (the consumer) and our end.
Cost of FULL Exterior Ceramic Coating ($450 Any Size)
The full exterior Ceramic Coating is meant to protect you from all the little headaches. It protects your glass, plastics, chrome and badges. Bug guts on the headlights? Wipe right off! Driving through a rainstorm? Water flies right off the windshield. Have something sporty that produces a bit of break dust? Wipes right off your rims. This is just the start of the assets of this additional package.
Cost of FULL Interior Ceramic Coating ($600 / $750 – 2 Row / 3 Row)
This package is one of hardest working Ceramic Coating packages. Face it – even when we genuinely care about our vehicles, the interiors still get abused. The full interior Ceramic Coating package protects your leather seats from drying, cracking and fading. It helps to prevent stains on the carpet if you drop a cup of coffee. A full interior Ceramic Coating from Kings Valet will also give your plastics / vinyl a deep rich satin look without being greasy.
Cost of Rustproofing ($275 Any Size)
Protect your New Car from Salt and moisture with an Undercoating / Rustproofing from Undercoating Near Me! This is a special pricing offered to only Kings Valet Clients. Installation will be done during your Ceramic Coating appointment. This package protects not only the undercarriage of your vehicle, but also inside door panels, tailgate / rear hatch, the hood and so much more. A Lifetime Warranty applies to all vehicles 3 model years or newer (more details on Corrosion Free’s Website).
Why is Ceramic Coating Expensive? (Break Down of Cost)
Kings Valet did not just pick numbers out of a hat. The following is a breakdown of what goes into your coating. This is a peak behind the door that NO-ONE in the industry provides.
Cost of Ceramic Coating – Product ($200+)
Most Professional Ceramic Coatings cost about $200 per 30 ml bottle. 30 milliliters is enough to coat the paint on a small or midsize vehicle. For larger vehicles Kings Valet will use 45-60 milliliters of Ceramic Coating (meaning chemical cost rises to $350+).
Cost of OTHER Products Needed for Installation ($120+)
The costs here are not overwhelming, but require inclusion. We have broken down our “other chemical costs” to an average of about $120 a vehicle. This will include things like; pH neutral soap, high quality microfibers, applicator pads / sheets, IPA, and other miscellaneous items. This figure also factors in wear and tear on our equipment from buffers to power washers. Kings Valet uses top of the line products and equipment in EVERY aspect of the process. Ultimately, you are covering a small portion of replacement when they wear out.
Cost of Labor ($240+)
Even with Stephen and I handling every vehicle coming through our shop – we need a paycheck too; after all I have a little baby that LOVES to eat hah. We pay ourselves about $30 an hour in labor- the same as we would pay any hired help with our experience. Typical labor per vehicle is about 8 hours; so this equates to about $240.
Cost of Overhead / Marketing ($250+)
I won’t break down every cost here, but our per vehicle average is about $250. This covers things like our utilities, insurance, rent and marketing. For marketing specifically; it is VERY expensive to compete in this industry. We spend about $12-15 PER click for promotion on a platform like Google. $15 is cheap right? Most folks that are early in the process, see the price on the website and run. They were expecting a couple hundred and were shocked when they saw a 4 figure price tag. As Ceramic Coating is a niche industry – average close rate is around 10%. So we spend about $120 per customer that walks through our doors.
Donation for a Greater Cause ($150+)
Kings Valet donates 10% of EVERY dollar that comes through our doors to local charities. Stephen and I were raised in a family that believed in helping others in any way possible. We both recognize that Kings Valet is a God given opportunity for us to help others. (More on our mission here.) This equates to about $150 per service. These donations have been made to nonprofits like Center for the Homeless, Cultivate Food Rescue and A Healing Hope. If you have a charity you are affiliated PLEASE reach out. We have silent auction packages we can donate as well as annual cash donations. (george.hunt@kingsvaletind.com with a subject line of “charity”)
Cost of the “KV Cupholder” ($75)
Wouldn’t you like to know all the goodies you are going to get for getting your Ceramic Coating done with Kings Valet. The never changing staple is a $45 drying towel. We have 4 or 5 other pieces that we rotate into our thank you package – average cost of this thank you collection is about $75.
Total Cost to Install Ceramic Coating: $1,035+
Yes that means we make about 20% on top. We are so evil right? Its a business, if I am not making profit – I won’t be around in a year to help you. My brother and I opened a business to provide something generational to our families. We love what we do and hopefully our kids do too. Another note; these costs are not including things like on-going training events and continuing education. Kings Valet strives to provide the most elite experience in the industry.
Why Kings Valet for Your Next Ceramic Coating?
As mentioned prior – we offer an experience like no other. Beyond the Peace of Mind Guarantee; our business is based on philanthropic ideals. Kings Valet donates 10% of EVERY dollar in sales to local causes. These charities include: Center for the Homeless, Cultivate Food Rescue and A Healing Hope (among others). Kings Valet’s Mission Statement is: Instilling confidence – one coating at a time. This is a two prong mission. First “prong” is likely obvious; your coating makes you feel more confident in the longevity of that showroom new look lasting for years. The other “prong” being our donations allow those who are homeless, children who are neglected / lost or those born with incurable diseases to get the help they need to land on their feet as best as possible. This allows a restoration of confidence to them through our work on your vehicle.
In Conclusion: “How Much Does Ceramic Coating Cost”
Whether with Kings Valet or another shop in the Michiana area; you should be spending a minimum of $1,000 on Ceramic Coating. Have a question that I didn’t cover? I would love to hear from you. Email me at george.hunt@kingsvaletind.com– send our shop a text at 574.777.0033 or call Kings Valet at 574.347.4445. I hope you found this information useful and that it will possibly change your search habits.