Central Valley Options

(CLAY BAR DETAILING) Tips for Ceramic Coating Prep

Maintaining your car's paint in outstanding condition takes time and money, but it makes a huge difference in the overall quality and appearance of your car. Recently, many products have appeared that you can buy that claim to be the very best and that will protect the paint on your car.

In recent years, ceramic coating has really grown in popularity. We will discuss ceramic coatings and whether or not they are worth the cost. In the last few years, ceramic coatings have gained enormous popularity, providing some of the best paint protection offered.

You can find it advertised almost anywhere, from detailing shops to car content creators. Most detailers swear by it. People get turned off by the price the first time they look at it. Let's start with understanding what ceramic coating actually is. A ceramic coating is also referred to as a nano coating and contains the key ingredient silicon dioxide, or in many instances, silicon carbide.

Ceramic coatings comes in a liquid form so that it can be applied to a car or truck and adhere to the surface of the vehicle.

After it has hardened, the silicon dioxide properties of the coating form an extra layer of protection that repels water and provides some protection from the sun's UV rays. The paint protection and auto detailing industry was dominated by waxes 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 different waxes were used to detail vehicles and bring that nice glamorous shine that their owners sought after.

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.

One of 360 Products' (available at ADSO stores) products was developed with nano-ceramic technology in order to protect and enhance the paint finish of vehicles. Due to this, everything changed. 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? The biggest difference between a wax and a ceramic coating is its longevity. You'll need a reapplication after about three or 6 weeks with a good wax. Ceramic coatings, on the other hand, can last anywhere from two to five years, depending on the application and product quality.

In addition, ceramic paint protects better against UV rays and other things that harm your paint.

It works fine, you've seen the videos of people throwing mud on their own car and it just falls off and they can just rinse it off. However, sometimes people usually tend to overhype things. It is quite common for those who promote ceramic coating to stretch the truth just a tad. The reason is there are some common misconceptions about the product and about ceramic coating.

It doesn't get rid of water spots. Unfortunately, that's the truth, although it does help. With the hydrophobic properties that the ceramic coating has, it allows water and water droplets to run off the surface much, much easier, that's why you see it in the videos, which reduces the number of potential water spots. In the videos you'll see that the ceramic coating is extremely hydrophobic, so the water sticks to the surface of the coating, not the surface itself, so it runs off much, much more easily, hence reducing the likelihood of water spots. In addition, a ceramic coating cannot prevent rock chips and scratches.

The solution may protect against some light scratches here and there, but I wouldn't say it is scratch-proof. If something like that happens, maybe you should invest in some protective film or Clear Bra. Finally, it isn't as expensive as it seems.

It was pretty expensive when ceramic coating first came out, costing upwards of $1500 A professional detailer can now professionally ceramic coat your car or truck for right around $700.

In most cases, when you receive a quote to have your car coated, you might have to have your car's paint corrected first. This is where the extra cost comes from. You may even just get hold of a bottle from the stuff and test it on your own, learn the method, possibly mess it a couple of times.

Every new thing costs a bit at first, and over time, it'll eventually come down. That's just how it goes. Getting your car ceramic coated however involves paying someone to apply the coating. Let's face it, it has to be worth it for you and your car.

I would recommend protecting those paint jobs if your vehicle is really nice. You can ceramic coat your car for a couple hundred dollars. Your car isn't the only thing you can apply a coating to. The ceramic coating of wheels, for instance, has become extremely popular. 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.

Additionally, people have ceramic coated seats and other interior parts, a bunch of things that they don't like to have to scrub down to really remove all the dirt, so it makes the whole process very easy.

So, if that is something that you find valuable, then by all means, go for it. Honestly, the technology of ceramic coating has helped a ton of people and I know a ton of people here have it done to their vehicle because they just absolutely swear by it. All in all, it's gotta be worth it to you, it's gotta be worth it to be putting on your car or part of your car.

If your car is your second most expensive purchase, you should invest in something like a coating to keep it in good condition. So let us know your thoughts on ceramic coating down here below and whether or not you've had it done to any of your cars or your wheels or seats, cause that's a thing apparently.