What You Can Expect From Your Ceramic Coating
We Tackle Question on Everyone’s Mind : What About Real World Expectations.
So you’re interested in having your vehicle ceramic coated but you’re a little skeptical over some of the claims and want to know more about real world expectations before buying. Smart.
There are a lot of options out there folks. The automotive industry is littered with promises as far back as the industry itself. And yeah, there’s good reason to be skeptical. We are too. In fact, that’s the real reason we got into ceramic coatings. Take a walk with me down memory lane for a bit won’t you?
When ceramic coatings first started hitting the market, there was one or two brands that really pushed the “snake oil” narrative a bit too much for my liking. Over promise, UNDER deliver. There were actual claims made that you could light your car on fire and the ceramic coating would protect your vehicle from the flames. Yeah, it was that bad.
Naturally, rational folks were a little…skeptical. It did take us some time to come around, but we eventually did. After some time, a few years give or take, other manufacturers started hitting the scene. It was still relatively small, just a handful of manufacturers, and we ended up meeting some folks from Canada who were just different from everyone else. We had already decided on a brand at this point, it wasn’t the brand the “Canandian guys” were representing, but they offered such a fresh and honest take on things, we ended up ordering samples to put up against the brand we thought we were happy with, and long story short. We were now not only selling ceramic coatings, we were selling incredible ceramic coatings, with honest, no BS fluff. Realistic longevity claims. Realistic chemical resistance claims. Zero claims about protecting your car from fire or any random monsters living in the garage. We were hooked. But why?
What was it about ceramic coatings we fell in love with? Why did we not only start to offer ceramic coatings but also eventually completely pivot away from traditional waxes and sealants towards a completely ceramic based protection line up? To sum it up in a word: Performance. (Read the story that hooked us on Ceramics here)
Ceramics, true, honest, well crafted ceramic formulas are truly superior to anything else on the market. Higher chemical resistance, higher temperature tolerance, higher gloss, slicker finishes, higher contact angles, etc. It’s a natural evolutionary step in applied automotive paint protection. Don’t get us wrong here either, we’re not bashing waxes. We actually love using waxes, they just aren’t viable from a commercial stand point for us anymore, we truly believe ceramic based products are the best option for the vast majority of vehicles on the road. They’re simply designed to stand up better to the real world elements you’ll run into.
So what about the hype around longevity? Is it legit?
Yeah, absolutely. For the most part anyway. Here’s where it can get a little dicey if expectations aren’t managed properly. If you take your ceramic coated vehicles through automated touch car washes, it’s likely to shorten the life of a quality coating and flat out destroy lower quality coatings. If you use brushes on your paint, acids or alkaline based formulas, you’ll shorten the life and potentially alter the performance of your coating too. And again, you’ll likely destroy lower quality coatings. And remember cost =\= quality. More about that here.
A great way to approach this topic is, did the shop actually do the due diligence on testing their coating line up or did they rely on social media, marketing claims, and facebook detailer groups? It sounds odd but that’s the world we live in. There are a lot of shops out there selling the dream, selling the marketing, and a lot of times folks get left holding the bag with what amounts to be an expensive mistake. Now, If you have found your shop, the next question is, are you going to maintain your ceramic coating properly? It’s an honest question and it’s one that weighs on the outcome of coating longevity.
What Kind of Chemical Resistance Are We Talking About?
Mostly this topic is going to come down to resistance of staining and paint fading. Ceramic coatings are designed to withstand exposure to chemicals and hold up to that exposure better than automotive paint. The coating itself could even turn into a sacrificial layer where the coating itself bores the damage and we’re able to lightly polish and recoat the panels.
We’re also talking about exposure to road construction chemicals. A lot of which have also undergone evolutions themselves and have become more difficult to deal with as they stain the newer water based paint systems hitting the market on newer vehicles (and from body shops on repainted panels too).
Bird poop and bug guts are big ones. Both are highly acidic and can etch into your vehicles paint work, especially if left to sit, or worse to bake in the sun. Coatings buy you more time and lessen the damage, hopefully avoiding it altogether.
How Much Easier Is It To Clean a Ceramic Coated Vehicle?
So much easier. Seriously, it’s wild how much easier it is to wash a vehicle that’s been ceramic coated. It can take a couple of washes to get used to it, the soap beads off, dirt and grime more or less wipe away, everything rinses clean. Tar and bugs are easier to deal with, you don’t need aggressive chemicals to deal with either of them, they’ll wash away. Drying is easier. If you use a nice ceramic based quick detailer it’ll make it easier and give it that little extra POP!
Ceramic coated wheels and calipers are way easier to keep clean. Brake dust isn’t fun and if you have bad brake dust you know how much fun it can be. Ceramic coatings aren’t perfect. You’re still going to get dust, but the coatings certainly make them easier to clean and they look better when they are cleaned up.
Ceramic coated windows, headlights, etc. All easier to clean than non-coated surfaces.
Overall Ownership and Sense of Pride
If you choose a high caliber shop that uses high quality products. A shop that defines the standards rather than following the minimum standards. You’re going to absolutely love your coating.
Every time you wash your vehicle, it’s going to look like it was just detailed. When you see it in the parking lot, when you see the way other people look at it, catch a reflection of it driving past a window on a summer day. You’re going to love it.
The sense you get from knowing you’ve protected your vehicle with the best protection the industry has to offer, you’re going to rest easy knowing you’re preserving the resale value and esthetic value for years to come.
Conclusion
Like many things, the real world experience can vary on a number of factors. If you choose the right shop, you’re real world experience with your ceramic coating should be exceptional. If you choose a lesser shop who pays less attention to the smaller details…you could end up holding the bag.