Hi All, It has been awhile since our last blog post and we apologize. It’s been very busy and I finally have had time to write about what many Clients have been curiously asking. Should I invest in a ceramic coating for my vehicle and is it worth the money? This is a complex question with many answers, depending on what you need.
What is a ceramic coating?
First off we need to clarify what a ceramic coating is and what it is not. A ceramic coating is a sacrificial layer that is applied and bonds to your paint’s clear coat as additional protection from road debris, UV rays, industrial fall out, bird droppings, etc. it allows for easy washes where monthly or bi monthly wax applications are not necessary. You can still apply a wax for added protection but usually this is not necessary. Coatings are formulated to be tough enough to withstand the daily grime and elements of everyday driving. Most coatings are silicon based (SiO2), and when properly applied serve to protect your paint under most environmental conditions against marring and micro-scratches. Yes I said micro-scratches, coatings are not invincible and they can get scratched.
Hardness of coatings.
There are many brands of coatings out there. We have consumer grade coatings, that last about 6 months, to professionally applied coatings, that last 1 to 7 years with annual maintenance. Yes coatings are not apply and forget. For coatings to perform their best they do need a maintenance regimen that consist of an annual coating boost. This could involve the normal decontamination of the surface before the coating boost or recharge is applied. That said, we also have different hardness specs for different brand coatings. I think we are all familiar with the 1H to 9H hardness scale we see on pencils. The average car has about 100-120 microns of primer, base coat, and clear coat on its surface. To put this into perspective, your average sheet of copy paper is about 80 microns thick. So the paint and clear coat that sits on your vehicle is about 1 and 1/2 sheets of paper thick. Most clear coats in the auto industry have a hardness of 4, so running a pencil of 1H-4H hardness along the surface of the clear coat would not scratch the surface. Some coatings boast a hardness of 9H, which is very good and can increase the scratch resistance of the paint. This does not mean the coating is scratch proof. Again to put this into perspective there are many objects that are harder than a 9H pencil. For example, if you place a can of beer on your coated hood and it slides across the surface, it will scratch the coating. If you run your car through an auto wash that will also scratch the coating; And even if you accidentally use a sponge to wash your car, instead of a microfiber wash mitt and high lubricant soap, you will scratch the coating. So coatings are not a silver bullet against all scratches. And coatings will not protect your car against rock chips. Their purpose is to increase scratch resistance and protection.
Protective properties of coatings.
To be clear, a ceramic coating is one of the tools you can take advantage of to keep your car looking its best, and protect the paintwork. Applying a coating to your vehicle will allow easier and faster washes. This is due to the fact that a coating makes it harder for debris and environmental fall out to accumulate on the vehicle. Some coatings also have the ability to self heal to a certain extent. What this means is that if you have very minor scratches on a coating, the micro-scratches can heal or self remove as the coating levels in the hot sun. This is of course minimal and not all brands of coatings have this ability.
How long does it take to apply a coating?
Applying a coating involves the same prep time as applying a paint sealant. Since you are locking the paintwork of the car under a protective coating, you want the paint surface to be as pristine as possible. You need to:
Wash the surface to remove all debris
Chemically and mechanically decontaminate the paint work
Inspect the paint for any micro-scratches, marring, spider webbing, etc.
If needed, perform a 1, 2, or 3 step paint correction which can take several hours to several days. This will get the paint work in a pristine condition.
Remove all the oils accumulated on the paintwork from the polishing process.
Apply a consumer or professional grade coating to the surface, making sure to advise your client that they should not wash the car for at least 7 days while the coating cures.
Schedule an appointment for a check up in 12 months to inspect and apply a coating recharge.
Pricing.
There is a broad range of coating prices depending on brand and performance. You can purchase a consumer grade ceramic coating for as little as $80, while professional ceramic coatings can cost upwards of $750. This of course does not include the labor involved for the professional detailer to get the paint ready for the application. As I mentioned earlier, the paint prep can take as little as 3-6 hours, in the case of a well maintained or new vehicle, to several days for a vehicle that has seen its share of daily driving without exterior car care.
The Answer.
Is it worth having your car professionally coated? In my opinion, this treatment makes sense for brand new cars; Since the coating will protect your vehicle better than just the clear coat alone, and it will add to the resale value of the vehicle down the road if you choose to sell it.
For vehicles that are more than 2 to 3 years old it will cost more in labor to prep the paint regardless of what brand coating you go with. Most of my clients in this position go with the normal wash and decontamination service. Afterwards we apply a glaze to fill in most of the micro-scratches and finish it off with a sealant, which protects the paintwork for 12 months.
Professional detailers are in the position to inform their clients best as to what is available and what they can provide given the clients desire and budget. Always ask questions, a detailer that has their client’s best interest in mind will always answer questions so their clients can make the right decision.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. 925-895-1327 or email at amontano16@comcast.net.
All Our Best,
Antonio at Montano Auto Detail.
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