If you have made your way to this post, you have started to wonder if ceramic coatings are worth it. Well, that depends on what you are expecting a ceramic coating to do.
In this post, I will dive into what a ceramic coating can do, and more importantly, what it can't do. My goal is that this information will help you make a better decision about not only if a ceramic coating is worth it, but if a ceramic coating is right for you.
Ceramic coatings are made up primarily of Silicon Dioxide that, when applied correctly, creates a chemical reaction that bonds to the surface of your vehicle adding the hydrophobic properties that ceramic coatings are known for.
Ceramic coatings add gloss to paint work and add a layer of protection on top of the clear coat. The results? An extremely chemical resistant, high gloss finish that will protect from UV rays, prolonging the life of your clear coat. It also protects from clear coat etching from bird droppings, bug guts and leaves your vehicle looking freshly waxed each time you wash it. It also makes cleaning your vehicle MUCH easier due to its hydrophobic, non-stick properties, it can be easily cleaned with just pressurized water most the time, although there will be times you would want to do a more in depth cleaning. Another benefit? No more waxing for the life of the coating! That's right. No more hours spent waxing your car. Sure, if you want to you still can, but the coating is a much superior product in terms of gloss and protection.
One of the most important aspects of any ceramic coating is prep work. That is where having an experienced professional comes into play. Regardless of the brand of coating, claims of how shiny your car will be or any of that, the prep work plays the biggest part in how your vehicle will look once it is coated. You can do very minimal prep work and put a ceramic coating you bought from Amazon on your vehicle, but you will likely be disappointed with the results. Having the vehicle polished/buffed to remove swirl marks and minor imperfections will be the absolute difference in your level of satisfaction with the outcome. Not to mention, consumer grade ceramic coatings are not as durable as professional grade coatings and by the time you factor in the cost of the equipment to do it properly, the cost of the ceramic coating itself and most importantly, your time, you'll find it's worth it to have it professionally done so you can rest assured it is done well.
Now that we have talked about some of the great things ceramic coatings do, lets talk about what they can't do.
Ceramic coatings are not bulletproof. While they do provide resistance from light scratches, they can not protect against deep scratches, rock chips, dents, or anything of that nature. While I understand the importance of wanting to wash your vehicle in the winter, automatic car washes with brushes are not good for your cars paint work long term, and they are not great for ceramic coatings. If you can picture the brushes at automatic car washes, they are dirty. Covered in years worth of sand, dirt and debris from all of the other vehicles that have gone through them, they act almost like sand paper and will scratch almost any finish you have on your vehicle, ceramic coatings included. I always recommend touch-less car washes if you have to take your car through a car wash. Either option provides a quick way to get your car looking decent, but neither will do as good of a job as a quality hand wash with products made for cleaning cars. Stay away from dish wash soap!!
Please, don't be fooled by anyone that says they have a coating that will protect against that type of damage and other types of wild claims, that does not exist. Remember "if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is". While Paint protection film (PPF) can protect from some of the mentioned damage, that is an entirely different product then a paint coating.
To learn more about the coatings I use and packages I offer, click here!
Still have questions? Ready to schedule? Contact me! With 6 years of experience applying ceramic coatings and hundreds of vehicles coated, I will make sure you are happy with the results! We are located in Whitmore Lake, MI. You can contact me, Justin, at 734-408-1389. Thank you for reading!
