CERAMIC COATING: BUSTING THE MYTHS
Will ceramic coating suit your car, and the way you maintain your vehicle?
In the past the best, and only, way of putting a LSP (last stage protection) coating on your paint work was by using one of the many waxes on the market.
These waxes sold on the back of making your paint work shine and added a sacrificial layer against the like of ‘acid rain’ (remember that?). Their main problem was that depending on the ingredients used was how long they would actually stay on the paint.
The term used was a Carnauba wax which, in its purest form, is impossible to spread onto a car and is indeed very hard.
However, realistically, the best would last a maximum of 6 months. In recent years synthetic waxes have been made and combinations of these with carnauba are widely available but the longevity is still very similar.
Ceramic coating is primarily the use of Sio2 Silicon dioxide used as a LSP. It forms a layer of protection much the same way as wax but is much harder and much more durable.
WHAT MAKES IT SO EXPENSIVE?
Firstly, the cost of the actual product is approximately 50 times that of a premium wax.
Secondly, and this is the main one, it is much more fussy about the conditions in which it is applied.
Designed in a sterile laboratory, it really needs to be applied to squeaky clean paint work Don’t be fooled by your new car being straight out of the factory, when it’s been sat in storage docks then transported around the world. It is why clay bar cleaning after shampoo along with tar and glue removal and a isopropanol alcohol final wipe should be the minimum before application.
The application has to be done in the correct way so as to achieve the best adhesion and gloss. Once set any smears would have to be either wet sanded or polished out.
Then the conditions. It really needs a period of time in a dry stable environment to fully cure whereas wax is good to go straight from buffing.
SO, IS IT FOR ME?
If you are the type of owner who enjoys having a clean car and wants to make the future maintenance easier while ensuring its continued protection and appearance, then yes.
However, if your car receives a wash periodically and will be done with an abrasive machine at the supermarket or at the side of the road using cheap strong alkaline pre sprays – then it simply will not last and be a waste of money.
Also consider our lovely Cornish roads. Driving through overhanging hedgerows will still scratch the coating off and once machine polished will need to be reapplied (although we can quote for coating roof boots and bonnets).
Ceramic coatings are an incredible product and advancement in technology. When applied correctly and treated fairly, they will last for years, not months, providing a strong protection and ease of maintenance.
Ceramic coating helps keep a car’s appearance, holding its residual value.