Paint Protection Film

It depends. Ceramic coatings do tend to have a higher upfront cost but for many people the benefits outweigh this initial investment. For those who want to protect a new vehicle, bring life back into an older one, or generally take pride in something as expensive as a vehicle, they can be a great choice for protection. Many times, our services are also eligible for Afterpay to allow you to make smaller payments over time to ease some of the stress of a higher end service.

Ceramic coatings are great products. When properly installed, properly cured, and properly maintained, they work fantastic! They make maintaining your vehicle quicker, easier, and more enjoyable, but in order to enjoy them to their full potential, they do need to be cared for properly. Your detailer will walk you through proper care of your coated vehicle and provide you with materials to reference.

When referring to actual ceramic coatings, not just ceramic infused products, there are 2 main categories; consumer grade and professional grade. Professional grade coatings are not available to consumers because of the difficulty to install them without proper training and experience. This difficulty comes from higher concentration of “solids” (the active ingredients in coatings) which allows for a more robust coating.

Beyond being professional grade, a large majority of the decision comes down to the installer and support. You should choose an installer that you trust. Look for reviews, have conversations, check for references, and see how long a shop has been in business. Many detail shops do not last more than a couple years so you have no one to go back to if you have trouble. Established shops that have been around usually have access to higher end products from companies who will back their warranty nationwide. Choose to support and installer who is confident, competent, and customer focused.

Generally, no. Many dealerships will try to sell you a coating, ceramic or otherwise, with a paint warranty. Most of the time there is very minimal protection, if any, applied quickly by someone who has little to no training in the products, banking on you never returning for a warranty claim and oftentimes denying it if you do. The dealer inflates the cost for this service by many thousands of dollars to maximize their profits, capitalizing on the market for ceramic coatings with little care for the customer. Most professional ceramic coating brands will not sell their products to dealerships because of these practices.

A professional shop that specializes in ceramic coating installs has the proper training, experience, certification, equipment, environment, procedures, and standards to ensure a far superior product and a true warranty from a real manufacturer. This is why the process takes shops multiple days, oftentimes 20-40 man hours or longer. If you need to protect a new vehicle, don’t allow the dealer to add it. Save your money and spend it at a professional shop for a superior experience.

Yes and no. Ceramic coatings are much harder, therefore much more resistant to scratches and swirls than a regular automotive finish. That being said, they are not scratch proof. They will resist normal swirls and marring from proper washing procedures but can be scratched themselves if abused or impacted. One of the most common causes of scratches to a coated vehicle is the use of automatic carwashes. The soaps and brushes in automatic washes are extremely aggressive and will accumulate dirt, bugs, rocks, tar, chemicals, and a multitude of other contaminants from vehicles all day and then grind them into your finish. This is why your warranty is voided if you go through an automatic carwash.

No. Ceramic coatings are resistant to many things but rock chips are caused by impact. A ceramic coating does not offer any additional impact protection to your vehicle. Mechanical abrasions like impacts and scrapes can cause damage through your coating and to the finish underneath.

The cons of coatings depend on the end user. Coatings do require maintenance such as regular washing with proper washing methods. Coatings should be washed regularly by hand with ph neutral soap, proper washing methods, and dried without allowing water to dry on the surface which can cause spotting. Coatings still need to have things like bird droppings, tree sap, excessive bugs, or chemicals like fuel cleaned up quickly to avoid damage. Automatic carwashes, even touchless, can void your warranty. These washes use harsh chemicals and often dirty brushes which can harm or scratch your coating. Coatings do not stop things like scratches from driving too close to bushes or trees, rock chips, or dents. A coating does require periodic maintenance and inspections by your installer to keep the warranty intact. Almost all of these things are true for the proper care of a vehicle’s factory paint as well, however, it is generally made simpler with a coating. Some people may view these limitations as cons.