Ceramic Coating Benefits:
A Game Changer for Car Owners or Snake Oil?
Ceramic Coating Revolution
Read this before buying a ceramic coating!
What does a ceramic coating do?
Have you ever dreamed of keeping your car's exterior looking as flawless as the day you drove it off the dealership lot or maybe even better? If you're a car enthusiast, you know that a car's exterior finish isn't just paint; it's a statement of pride. The gleam of a well-maintained vehicle is something that turns heads and makes you feel like a million bucks.
But, we understand that maintaining that factory-fresh shine can be a challenge, especially with the daily wear and tear, harsh weather conditions, and various contaminants your car faces. That's where ceramic coating, the game-changer for car owners, steps into the spotlight.
In this article, we're diving deep into the world of ceramic coating and exploring how this revolutionary technology can elevate your car's appearance, simplify maintenance, and preserve its value for years to come. Say goodbye to endless waxing, polishing, and worrying about the elements – it's time to unleash the true potential of your car's finish with ceramic coating.
What Is a Ceramic Coating?
Ceramic coating, often referred to as nano-coating or glass coating, is a state-of-the-art, liquid polymer applied to a vehicle's exterior surfaces. Once it cures, it forms an invisible, protective layer that offers numerous benefits to car owners. But, what exactly is this miraculous coating made of and how does it work?
Ceramic coatings are primarily composed of silicon dioxide (SiO2) or titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles suspended in a solvent. When applied to your car's paintwork, glass, or other surfaces, these nanoparticles create a hydrophobic and protective layer. This layer is incredibly slick, and it chemically bonds with the factory paint, enhancing its physical properties.Ceramic
What Are The Benefits of Ceramic Coating?
1. Supreme Paint Protection:
Imagine your car's paint as the first line of defense against environmental factors, such as UV rays, bird droppings, tree sap, and road contaminants. Ceramic coating provides an ultra-durable shield, offering superior protection against these hazards. Your car's finish remains untouched, extending its life.
2. Enhanced Gloss and Shine:
One of the most captivating features of ceramic coating is its ability to amplify your car's natural shine. You'll notice a deeper, more vibrant appearance, akin to the showroom condition that first captured your heart.
3. Hydrophobic Magic:
Less spots or streaks after rain or washing. Ceramic coatings are hydrophobic, which means they repel water with ease. Rainwater and wash water bead up and roll off, taking dirt and contaminants with them. Your car practically cleans itself!
4. Minimal Maintenance:
Forget about the endless cycle of waxing and polishing. With ceramic coating, you'll drastically reduce the frequency of car washing and detailing. The hydrophobic properties keep your car cleaner for longer and make it much easier and quicker to clean when it's time.
5. Scratch Resistance:
While ceramic coatings won't make your car completely scratch-proof, they provide a robust layer of defense against light scratches and swirl marks. It's like a suit of armor for your vehicle's paint.
6. UV Protection:
Prolonged exposure to UV rays can lead to fading and oxidation of your car's paint. Ceramic coating offers exceptional UV protection, preventing these issues and maintaining your car's truest vibrant color.
7. Chemical Resistance:
Road salt, acidic rain, bird droppings – they all pose a threat to your car's finish. Ceramic coatings create a chemical barrier, shielding your vehicle from these corrosive substances.
8. Increased Resale Value:
With your car's paint and exterior looking better than everyone else, it's no surprise that ceramic coatings can enhance your vehicle's resale value. Prospective buyers appreciate a car that looks brand new.
9. Stain Resistance:
Spills and stains are a part of life, but they don't have to leave their mark on your car. Ceramic coatings make your car's surface resistant to common stains, such as watermarks and coffee spills.
10. Environmentally Friendly:
Ceramic coatings eliminate the need for waxing, which often involves harsh chemicals and frequent applications. This eco-friendly solution is better for your car and the planet. All the ceramic coatings we apply at Firepower Detailing are held to a higher standard and are made of the safest materials going beyond just being VOC compliant.
What is the disadvantage of ceramic coating?
Ceramic coatings are great for many types of owners. From an enthusiast with a new (or new to you) car who wants to keep it looking its absolute best, to a collector of high end cars, trucks, SUV's, ATV's, UTV's, RV's, airplanes, and more, ceramic coatings have you covered.
They're not perfect and they aren't for everyone. There are a couple limitations:
Ceramic coatings can be expensive
A professional grade ceramic coating is a permanent application for its rated lifespan or longer. Professionals use higher quality, higher purity, more concentrated coatings than consumers are able to purchase. They are much less forgiving and often require specialized training, experience, and tools. Some people are shocked at the cost for a coatings but if you think of it like an insurance policy, things start to come into perspective. We realized this and we offer flexible payment options for our coating services through Affirm.
Ceramic coatings won't stop all damage
A ceramic coating is a great line of defense from normal wear and tear. They will stand up to and protect your vehicle from many types of scuffs, scratches, swirls, etc. While impressive, they do not defy physics. They can not prevent rock chips, dents, dings, chips, or deep scratches. If you need a more intense physical barrier, you might want to consider Paint Protection Film (PPF).
Automatic car washes can void your warranty
Although they are easy and quick, automatic carwashes are a no-no for those trying to maintain best practices in the care of their vehicle. The harsh chemicals are designed to strip everything from your paint and repeated exposure can take their toll on coatings. Brushes don't get cleaned between cars and are notorious for transferring dirt and other contaminates to the cars behind them. This can mean deep scratches and swirl marks while also slowly eating away at your coating. Many professionals will not warranty a coating if it has been run through automatic carwashes. Your detailer can usually tell.
Why not to get ceramic coating?
We have spent a lot of time covering ceramic coating benefits and what sets them apart from older technologies. But ceramic coatings may not be for everyone. If you aren't the type of person who really cares that much about their vehicle's appearance or longevity, it might not be worth the investment to you. Sometimes older or severely damaged cars will often need as much work or more than they are even worth to correct and prepare them for a ceramic coating. Ceramic coatings can not fix damaged clearcoat. If your clearcoat has failed or paint has failed, a ceramic coating will not help or increase the longevity of the remaining paint.
How much does ceramic coating actually cost?
You may read all this and think ok, it sounds great, but how much should I pay for ceramic coating on my car? Well, the answer is not always simple. Expect to pay between $800 and $5,000+ for a professionally installed ceramic coating with most starting around $1,000 or so. Your region, market, and the availability of products as well as what the detailers near you carry and install all play a role in the actual cost of a ceramic coating. Also, the type of vehicle you have can play a role in how much a coating costs. Smaller 2 door cars are usually a little cheaper than a full size SUV. Some paints are trickier to work on than others and have different hardnesses. Sometimes that means a detailer will need to do more steps than normal just because of your vehicle's make or color. A lot of exotic and collector cars take extra time because of more complex designs to work around. A detailer that works on high end and expensive exotics opens themselves up to larger risk, which is in turn, usually passed on to the detailer in their insurance rates. A good detailer may have more overhead than someone who offers mobile ceramic coatings near you. Some coatings require specific environmental conditions to properly adhere and that means a more complex and expensive shop and equipment for your detailer. Those overhead costs can all play a role in the amount you will pay for a coating.
How Does a Ceramic Coating Work?
How Does a Ceramic Coating Work Its Magic?
Now that you're acquainted with the benefits and limitations of ceramic coatings, let's take a closer look at how this technology works its magic. Understanding the process will give you a deeper appreciation of what's happening beneath the surface of your car.
Ceramic coatings are applied in a liquid form, and they bond chemically with the factory paint. Once cured, they create an ultra-thin yet incredibly strong layer on the car's surface. This layer boasts hydrophobic properties, making water bead up and roll off, along with protection from the elements.
Here's a step-by-step breakdown of the process:
1. Inspection:
A professional detailer performing a service such as a paint correction or ceramic coating will usually perform an inspection of the vehicle before beginning any work. There may be other inspections throughout the process as well such as after the vehicle is washed before any work on the paint begins. Think of the things that bother you that you would like them to address or any questions you have before arriving. Make sure to share these concerns and problem areas with your detailer who can make a note of it and ensure that the finished product is going to be what you expect.
2. Decontamination:
A thorough preparation phase is crucial. This typically involves washing and decontaminating your car's exterior to ensure a clean and smooth surface. A professional detailer using a professional grade coating has been trained in the proper methods specific to the particular coating they use. Knowing the proper chemicals to use in the proper order will either allow proper adhesion, or can compromise the entire process and cause a failure. Your detailer will use a variety of chemical and mechanical means to decontaminate your paint before correction.
3. Paint Correction:
Now that your finish is fully decontaminated, it is safe to start correcting the paint. If a vehicle's surface still has embedded contaminates, a paint correction can cause sever damage to your paint, which can oftentimes be unrepairable. This means now your vehicle needs to be repainted. A factory quality repaint can cost as much as $10,000 or more! Who do you think is picking up the bill? Probably not that cheap "detailer." This is why it is so important to look for a detailer who is professional, has evidence of experience, training, and is insured. A good detailer will have no problem showing you their insurance policy which ensures they have limits well in excess of the value of your vehicle.
4. Surface Preparation:
Again, here preparation is absolutely critical. A good detailer will have corrected your vehicle with the proper and recommended compounds, polishes, pads, tools, etc as required by the brand they apply. A good detailer will know what compounds and polishes are safe for ceramic coatings, have no fillers, and how to properly remove any residue. They will have specialized products made by the same manufacturer for the installation of their ceramic coating to prepare the surface. Each brand has different techniques and products and your professional detailer will clean and prepare the surface in a way the coating will properly bond and last as long as it is intended to.
5. Application:
Now is the fun part! The ceramic coating gets applied. There are all different kinds of brands that require different products, methods, tools, layers, etc. Again, this is where a detailer's experience and training is crucial. They know what they can and can not use and should understand why. Installation methods, times, environments, and working times are all different and all have different consequences. A professional will be very familiar with their products and able to apply them per the manufacturer to ensure proper performance and that a warranty is honored should an issue ever arise. Detailers use a variety of lights and other tools and methods to make sure they thoroughly remove the parts of the coating that are supposed to be removed, leaving behind only the parts designed to be left behind. A coating that isn't allowed long enough and is wiped off too early will not allow the solids and chemicals to properly bond to the surface underneath and will lead to a premature failure. A coating that is missed or not cleaned off soon enough or at all will leave a "high spot". A "high spot" can look like a dirty streak on your paint that no amount of scrubbing will remove. If you find any of these, contact your detailer immediately. Time can be the biggest factor in the ease of fixing it. If one isn't properly fixed in the right amount of time, an entire panel may need to be sanded to remove the coating, re corrected, and the coating re-applied.
6. Maintenance:
Now the work is done! But not forever. You have a deep, rich, glossy finish on your car that you can't wait to show off. You vehicle sheds water like it's a duck, and you aren't afraid to have it out in the elements. Dirt, dust, and other contaminates will not stick to your finish as quickly, making it stay cleaner longer and almost effortless to clean when it's time. Your detailer will cover with you proper maintenance and inspection procedures or intervals. Some products may require a top coat every few months or yearly to be applied after a wash. Some coatings require an authorized installer to do certain procedures or apply certain products to maintain them every 6, 12, or 18, 24 months or more.
Can I do ceramic coating myself?
While some car enthusiasts opt for a DIY approach, we recommend having ceramic coating applied by a professional detailer. Professional application ensures thorough preparation, precise application, and expert-level results. Professionals also have access to higher quality products that are more effective, last longer, and have true manufacture backed warranties. Some may even report to CARFAX in order to assist with future warranty transfer and the potential for increased resale value. If you're confident in your detailing skills, have several days to devote to a proper job, and have the right equipment and environment, some DIY ceramic coating kits are available. These typically come with detailed instructions for a successful application. With the ability to self-install comes the need for the coatings to be more forgiving. Unfortunately, when making this trade off, consumer grade coatings have to sacrifice some of the materials and concentrations.
Investing in the Future of Your Car
Sadly, some companies use misleading marketing and buzzwords to capitalize on the hype of ceramic coatings. Many products are ceramic infused but are not true ceramic coatings. Just because it isn't a true coating does not make it a bad product. It just means a consumer has to be more educated and more diligent in their shopping.
Ceramic coatings are a game-changer for car owners who desire a vehicle that stands out, exudes brilliance, and is easy to maintain. This innovative technology offers a myriad of benefits, from superior paint protection and enhanced gloss to hydrophobic magic and minimal maintenance.
Consider ceramic coating as an investment in the future of your car. It's a surefire way to keep your vehicle looking its best, increase its resale value, and enjoy the satisfaction of driving a truly remarkable automobile. So why wait? Explore the world of ceramic coating and give your car the love and protection it deserves.
For Professional Ceramic Coatings in Tyler, Tx
Call or Text 903-871-5042
