Ceramic Coatings
These days ceramic coatings are common place amongst the detailing community, but that wasn’t always the case. Let me take you back 8 or 9 years; nobody really used them, and there was very little choice. Now we have multiple manufacturers, all offering the latest generation of coatings, all promising the best finish, the most gloss, the most beading, the most durability, and so on. But what does any of it really mean for you, the end user whos car its going on? Well whichever coating you opt for, providing its been applied correctly, you’re almost certainly looking at a minimum of 12 months hassle free cleaning and easy maintenance… and probably a bit more scratch resilience.
But what is a ceramic coating? what do they do? are they really worth the money?
In a nutshell ceramic coatings start off in liquid form, and when they come into contact with oxygen they bind to the paintwork and crystallise to create a barrier between the elements and your bodywork. Not only do they provide resistance against chemicals and detergents such as those found in general vehicle maintenance products like shampoo, and tar removing solvents etc, but they also provide added protection against light scratches and general damage caused by poor washing (often referred to as ‘wash marring’). In other words, increased swirl resistance. How do they do this? well most ceramic coatings on the market these days are physically stronger than the clearcoat on your car. In addition, they keep the paintwork cleaner for longer; like the Lotus effect, the surface becomes so smooth dirt finds it difficult to adhere to it! For this reason, there’s no need for further waxing or polishing, in fact, both of those become counter-productive as they effectively ‘clog’ the surface by making it rough on a microscopic scale and give dirt something to key onto. And the best part? all of this lasts for several years depending on storage and usage factors - I have some clients who had their cars ceramic coated by me 7-8 years ago and they still behave as if I coated them yesterday! These are the exception to the rule though, as they’re mostly kept in the garage and the mileage is kept low. The norm would be around 2-3 years, for a car used daily and subjected to a regular weekly wash.
#Labocosmetica SAM crystallised on a disused applicator, 12hrs after exposure.
Lets look into the costs though, as they are often charged out at 25-50% of the cost of the detailing treatment itself, which can run you into a massive bill. Are they worth it? In my professional opinion, yes, because the benefits are massive. No more spending your Sunday waxing your car every month or so, and all the physical advantages I mentioned above. But what does the cost really mean? Lets use my pricing structure to keep it simple. My general cost for a Paint Correction is ~£600, and my ceramic coating upgrade from GTechniq or Labocosmetica is £200 (for a multi-layer system), 1/3rd of the cost of the detail. But lets compare that to say a Paint Correction with just a regular wax or sealant to protect the finish… same cost for the detail, but you’ll need some form of top-up detail every 3 months, and that would cost around £100 a time. So in year one alone, you’d spend £900 on a detail and regular top-ups, and only £800 on having a ceramic coating upgrade.
But what of the negatives? There’s not many, the largest one being incorrect application - they can make a real mess of your paintwork, and some can’t be removed by polishing alone (there’s a select few which require wet-sanding to remove). So choose your detailer wisely, look at their experience, not just their portfolio of dealership cars they’ve prepped for free to add some depth. Another disadvantage to some people is they take the ‘fun’ out of caring for your car, a simple wash is all that’s needed most weeks, and in the first year the removal of a tar spot is as exciting as it gets (but this is also a massive benefit to many!).
So there you have it. Ceramic coatings are a great investment to preserve and protect your vehicle. Save time, and money.