(CLAY BAR DETAILING) Tips for Ceramic Coating Prep
Keeping your car's paint in excellent condition will take money and time, but it makes a huge difference in the overall quality and appearance of your car or truck. Several products have hit the market in the last few decades that claim to keep the paint of your car in excellent condition, and some are claiming to be the best.
I'd say for the past ten years or so, ceramic coating continues to be one of the most important technologies in all of this. We'll discuss ceramic coatings and if they're worth the money. During the last few years, ceramic coatings have grown in popularity, providing some of the best paint protection offered.
The technology is being endorsed almost everywhere, from your neighborhood detailing shop to car YouTube channels, and everywhere in between. Almost everyone swears by this stuff. The first time people see the price tag, they are usually discouraged. Here's a quick breakdown of what ceramic coating is about. A ceramic coating is generally known as a nano coating and has the key ingredient silicon dioxide, or usually, silicon carbide.
The product is available in a liquid form so it can be applied to a car and protect finish of the vehicle.
Once solidified, the Silicon dioxide and other characteristics of the coating combine to produce an additional protective layer that repels water and provides some protection from the sun's UV rays and other harmful rays. Waxes dominated the paint protection and auto detailing world for a long, long time. Using animal fats and animal oils to clean horses' carriages in the 1800s and 1900s soon evolved into using plant-based products. Throughout the 1900s, several waxes were used to detail cars and give them that beautiful glossy sheen that their owners desired.
If you wanted to keep your paint looking good, repel water and add just that good little bit of layer of protection, adding a good layer of wax was your solution.
Using nano-ceramic technology, 360 Products (found at ADSO stores) has a series of products that help protect your vehicle's painted surface. Due to this, everything changed in a big way. But like, why?
How did this new product change the game? Why is a ceramic coating so expensive compared to car wax? What are the factors that distinguish ceramic coatings from car wax? Ceramic coatings are distinguished from wax coatings by their longer lifetime. A good wax will last anywhere between like three or six weeks, before you're gonna have to do a re-application. Ceramic coating on the other hand will typically last anywhere from two to five years depending on the application and the quality of the product.
Ceramic coating also does a better job of protecting against UV rays and other natural things that can harm your paint.
In general, it works excellently, and I don't have to sit here and tell you, you've seen mud fall off cars and then they can rinse it out with a hose. In the end, though, sometimes people just like to over-hype things. It is my understanding that some detailers and people who promote ceramic coating tend to stretch the truth just a bit because it is so popular. I'm saying there are a few misunderstandings out there about ceramic coatings.
In the first place, it does not eliminate water spots. Unfortunately, it is the truth, even though it does help. Since the ceramic coating has water-repelling properties, the water and water droplets run off much, much easier than a regular paint, which is why you see it in the videos. That reduces the possibility of water spots. Thanks to the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating, water and water droplets easily run off the surface, which is why it appears on the videos, which lowers the chance of water spots appearing. Number two, a ceramic coating will not prevent rock chips and scratches.
I would not consider it a scratch-proof solution, even though it may provide some protection from light scratches. For something like that, you're gonna wanna look at investing in some protective film or Clear Bra or something like that. Finally, it isn't as expensive as it seems.
It was pretty expensive when ceramic coating first came out, costing upwards of $1500 However, you can now have your car or truck professionally ceramic coated for just under $700 by a professional detailer.
Many times, if you intend to have your car coated, you first need to have the paint of your car corrected (remove light scratches), which is where a lot of the extra cost comes from. Then you can do it yourself, learn the process, maybe mess it up once or twice.
Ceramic coating is likely to be quite expensive when it first hits the market, but check here it will eventually come down in price over time, that is just how it works. However, a lot of the cost that is involved in getting your car ceramic coated is paying for that application process and paying someone to do it for you. In the end, you have to decide if it is worth it for you and your vehicle.
A nice paintjob on your car is something you ought to protect. Spend a few hundred dollars on a ceramic coating for your car. The coating process is not restricted to just your car. One of the most popular types of wheel coatings today is ceramic coatings. There's so much demand that we've started offering packages as an add-on when you check out. We'll ceramic coat them for you before you head out the door, and it makes cleaning so much easier.
Also, people get stuff like their seats and other interior parts ceramic coated, so they don't have to worry about scrubbing them off, and it's just so much easier.
It's up to you if it's something worth it to you. A lot of people here have ceramic coating done to their cars because they swear by it. Therefore, it has to be worth it to you to put on a car or part of your car that you want to protect.
It's an investment and you wanna protect your investment. Would you mind sharing your thoughts on ceramic coating and whether you've had it done in regards to any of your cars, wheels or seats.