Just my very humble opinion:
I had a 'ceramic' coating applied at the dealers before I picked the bike up. It wasn't done by BMW but an independent. It was about £300. I wasn't present. It came back lovely and shiny and water beaded off beautifully. A year in or so I had tarnishing in the normal places, e.g. bolts, front shock body etc. I had the bike four years and it was in good nick when I traded it for my 1250. However, I was never sure how much this coating contributed to its condition.
It was put on by hand and cloth. How can this really be effective?
I wasn't present, so have no idea how rigorously it was applied.
I look after my bike and wash it regularly and do the winter ACF50 spray coating thing by All Year Biker. with top ups over this period by myself.
Because of all the above I didn't get it done on the new one. I'm not convinced. My concern is that the only way this can be tested is to not wash your bike and see what it looks like in the Spring. Not for me.
You have raised some of the concerns I have for this sort of treatment.
Firstly, who does the work? If it's a professional detailer working on behalf of the dealer, I'd have less concerns. In terms of the application, it gets applied by foam/non-linting cotton applicator by hand, the success of which entirely depends on how the surfaces have been prepared to allow the silica to bond to the applied surface. On paintwork, it really is effective - you are creating a semi-permanent bond between two surfaces. Indeed, with high silica content products you can run the risk of creating product ridges on the surface and which would require rotary polishing to remove. Over time, the bond breaks down. Typically, you'll get 18-36 mths viable protection (most other claims of longevity are false or else require additional treatment over the lifetime).
Second, ceramics are designed for surface type - paint, plastic, bare metal - and, from what I have seen, it's claimed that a one size fit all ceramic does the job.
Finally, and most importantly, as I've said before, given the need for meticulousness in prep and application I don't see these products and applications working on small metal parts and in the partial crevices that adorn a bike. And I'm not aware of a ceramic that works on hot surfaces, such as engines, and which is a significant portion of the exposed bike.
Ceramics work great for cars, which is because it's just about all paintwork and wheels.
Also to note, ceramic coating will degrade faster if a car is not washed, as the contaminates will eat into the bonding over time. This is why the regime is to regularly use low-silica content sprays on top off the higher-content coating, to head off contamination, as well as increase sheen.
I've applied ceramic coating to the paintwork of my bike, but for all other parts I'll be relying on products such as ACF50.
