What is a Ceramic Coating, and why should I consider it for my car?

We get this question all the time. Maybe you’ve seen ads, maybe your neighbor told you about it, or perhaps you heard it mentioned at a car meet. Let’s go over what it is, and what it isn’t. At Done In Detail, it’s important that we talk about these offerings in a fair manner. That means going over the great stuff and the not-so-great stuff. Let’s start by talking about what it actually is.

Without getting overly technical or scientific, you can think of a ceramic coating as a very strong wax that chemically bonds to your car's paint. Unlike wax, these coatings last for years and since they chemically bond to your paint they don’t wash away after a few rain storms. This means you can enjoy the benefits of a coating for a much longer time than a wax.

What are the benefits of a Ceramic Coating?

Let’s focus on the real deal when it comes to the benefits of Ceramic Coating, without leaning on hyperbolic marketing.

    1.    Enhanced Gloss: When a coating bonds to your clearcoat, it increases the levels of gloss present by filling microscopic imperfections and creating a smoother surface for light to reflect off of.

    2.    Chemical Resistance: bug guts, bird droppings, road fallout, iron particles, and much more always seem to be searching for a clean car to land on. With a quality coating, these environmental elements are repelled more effectively and cleaned more easily than with a bare clear.

    3.    UV Protection: Have you ever seen fading paint? The number one cause is the sun. UV rays can cause paint to dull over time, and a quality coating helps to prevent that damage with built-in UV protection.

    4.    Hydrophobics: does this mean the car is scared of water now? Sort of. Hydrophobics simply means water beading. Instead of sitting on the surface in uneven globs of water, the properties of the coating make the droplets form into tight beads. This is satisfying to watch, and with coated windshields, windshield wipers are an optional accessory.

    5.    Ease of Cleaning: quality coatings are slick, which means dirt and other debris are less likely to stick to the surface. The car looks cleaner for longer, and the wash process requires much less elbow grease than a non coated vehicle.

What are some myths about Ceramic Coating?

I’m glad you asked. Whether you’ve heard it from a friend or seen an ad about how amazing ceramic coating is, things can get a bit out of hand. In the spirit of full transparency, let’s dive in.

    1.    You never have to wash your car again: this is simply untrue, unless your car lives in a bubble inside of an underground bunker. As much as I wish this were true, cars do get dirty. Even coated ones. However, technology advances fast. Perhaps one day I can come back and edit this article because this will no longer be false.

    2.    Scratch resistance: maybe you’ve heard of “liquid PPF” or “harder than diamond” claims when it comes to coating. Ceramic coating is an excellent product, but the scratch resistance is negligible. If you have a car with sensitive paint the coating will certainly help resist light swirling and marring during any washing process, but not full on scratches.

Are there any cons to a Ceramic Coating? Will it hurt my car?

If the coating is installed correctly, there aren’t really any true cons. The one major drawback only arises when the coating is installed improperly: a “high spot”.

A high spot is an area where ceramic coating was applied but not removed effectively. Since ceramic coating hardens as it cures, this can leave behind a smudge mark that is raised above the clearcoat and has a texture you can feel.

Below, you can see the high spot we found on a customer’s McLaren during a pre-coating inspection. See how it looks a bit like a smear or a smudge? Whoever installed the coating didn’t take the proper time to level it effectively.

Hopefully this post has given you a much better understanding of what a coating is, and what the limitations are. If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an email or give us a call.

Are you in the Cumming/Alpharetta/Buford or general North Georgia area and considering a coating? We’d love to help!