Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car?
By Timothy Tibbetts |
Ceramic coating is getting a ton of attention, especially with Facebook ads, and you have too many choices, especially if you want to do it yourself. Because of this, it's hard to know who to believe when you research ceramic coating. I decided to have mine professionally done and to share my experience with you.
We have updated our final thoughts. See our Conclusion at the bottom of this article.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - What is Ceramic Coating?
So, what is a ceramic coating? Ceramic coating creates a chemical bond and cures to your clearcoat. The result is a hard coat of protection on your vehicle. You can expect a wet look, better protection against environmental hazards, and even protection from minor scratches. A ceramic coating typically needs to be checked or touched up once a year. Wax, on the other hand, only sits on the surface of your paint or clear coat. While waxing provides some protection, it can't compare to the curing, hard process of ceramic. Ceramic coating can withstand heat, meaning you can apply it to your wheels and even calipers.
Do it yourself kits can be had for as cheap and $20, and professional applications can be $300 to $1,300 because of preparation, application, and curing time. We opted for the top-end Ceramic Pro $1,300 application with a 5-year warranty.
The best way to help you decide is to do a pro and con style article to consider what works for you. Because of price, brand confusion, and effort, we feel you should know what to expect.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - Traditional Waxes
We can't discuss ceramic coating without briefly discussing traditional waxes and making recommendations if you prefer wax.
If you decide to wax, most car enthusiasts and detailers will recommend Meguair's.
I recently used the Meguiars Synthetic Paste wax on my wife's 7-year old Mazda CX-5, and the bead and brilliance were almost as good as ceramic on my brand new F150. That's pretty impressive, considering the age difference. One noticeable difference is how smooth the ceramic coating is compared to the wax. The ceramic coating gives your car a glass-like feel. You might consider purchasing a random orbital buffer if you stick with a wax. The buffer won't damage your paint and help you remove minor scratches, bugs, and saps. Many cars can benefit from using a clay bar before waxing to get a smooth feel.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - Pros
Never wax again. Wax won't bond to a ceramic coating, so your waxing days are over.
Wet look. The ceramic coating not only shines like traditional wax, but it also gives you the elusive wet look many people want.
Bugs come off quickly. Many of the bugs that stuck to my paint come with a swipe of a finger.
Less washing. While not perfect, after my first drive in the rain, I found my paint looked cleaner than usual.
You can coat and protect your wheels, brake calipers, plastic trim, and glass. There is even ceramic coating for the interior.
Feels as good as it looks. Everyone wants that smooth feel, and the ceramic coating does just that.
Warranty if done professionally. Whether a two, or five-year coating, you return the car after a year or every year. They can remove any blemishes and touch up the coating.
Below is my 2014 Mazda CX5 on the left, 2020 F150 on the right after a rain. The Ceramic coating did cause slightly larger beads that roll off easier. While impossible to show super-sized pictures, hopefully, you get the idea.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - Cons
Cost or effort involved. Ceramic coating is expensive professionally done, but you get a warranty. Do it yourself, and you need to be sure you get the right product (whatever that is), wash and clay bar your car, then apply.
The ceramic coating requires "curing." You must let each coat sit for at least 8 hours, and your car must be indoors. For my application, they had my truck for almost three days for two coats. You can't wash your vehicle for two weeks after completing the curing process. You should wipe off any bugs, tar, sap, bird poop, etc.
You must use only touchless car washes. Any car wash with brushes is known to be rough on your paint, and it's the one thing that could damage your ceramic coating and void your warranty.
Below is my 2014 Mazda CX5 on the left, 2020 F150 on the right after waxing the Mazda with Meguiars Synthetic Paste wax. The Ceramic coating does give the paint a more wet look and a little more brilliance or shine.
Conclusion
You might be wondering if I would do it again?
I have spent months after this review discussing the pros and cons of ceramic coating with other car enthusiasts, and the answer is always the same - a resounding no.
The list of pros outweighs the cons, but the cons seem to keep people away—actually, just one con - the price. A 1-year application could cost $600, while high-quality waxes are available for less than $40. For most consumers, that's the cost of two car payments.
Ceramic coating, in my experience, beads better, lasts longer and can be applied to plastic, glass, and rims. If $600 or more isn't a deal-breaker, then you might consider ceramic coating.
Keep in mind that products that claim to contain ceramic wax are gimmicks. There are no shortcuts to applying a ceramic coating. As discussed, it can take hours to apply with eight hours of curing. It's impossible to add ceramic coating into a wax product or automatic car wash, which is now jumping on the "ceramic" bandwagon. That said, all of the ceramic "hybrids" we've tried do leave a nice shine.
I hope my pros and cons list helped you decide if the ceramic coating is for you. If anything changes, I'll upgrade the article as needed.
1-Year Update (August 2021)
I have traded in my vehicle that was ceramic coated. I have decided not to do it again. Not taking my truck to the car wash was and removing any contaminants immediately were deal-breakers for me. My truck also has the same few stone chips that I usually get on the front of my vehicle from the NY - Florida drive I take twice a year. If it can't protect the paint, why bother? This time around, I used the Meguiars Liquid Hybrid Ceramic Wax (see links below).
Feel free to explore car waxes and ceramic products on Amazon. We do get an affiliate commission if you purchase using our links.
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We have updated our final thoughts. See our Conclusion at the bottom of this article.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - What is Ceramic Coating?
So, what is a ceramic coating? Ceramic coating creates a chemical bond and cures to your clearcoat. The result is a hard coat of protection on your vehicle. You can expect a wet look, better protection against environmental hazards, and even protection from minor scratches. A ceramic coating typically needs to be checked or touched up once a year. Wax, on the other hand, only sits on the surface of your paint or clear coat. While waxing provides some protection, it can't compare to the curing, hard process of ceramic. Ceramic coating can withstand heat, meaning you can apply it to your wheels and even calipers.
Do it yourself kits can be had for as cheap and $20, and professional applications can be $300 to $1,300 because of preparation, application, and curing time. We opted for the top-end Ceramic Pro $1,300 application with a 5-year warranty.
The best way to help you decide is to do a pro and con style article to consider what works for you. Because of price, brand confusion, and effort, we feel you should know what to expect.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - Traditional Waxes
We can't discuss ceramic coating without briefly discussing traditional waxes and making recommendations if you prefer wax.
If you decide to wax, most car enthusiasts and detailers will recommend Meguair's.
I recently used the Meguiars Synthetic Paste wax on my wife's 7-year old Mazda CX-5, and the bead and brilliance were almost as good as ceramic on my brand new F150. That's pretty impressive, considering the age difference. One noticeable difference is how smooth the ceramic coating is compared to the wax. The ceramic coating gives your car a glass-like feel. You might consider purchasing a random orbital buffer if you stick with a wax. The buffer won't damage your paint and help you remove minor scratches, bugs, and saps. Many cars can benefit from using a clay bar before waxing to get a smooth feel.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - Pros
Below is my 2014 Mazda CX5 on the left, 2020 F150 on the right after a rain. The Ceramic coating did cause slightly larger beads that roll off easier. While impossible to show super-sized pictures, hopefully, you get the idea.
Should You Ceramic Coat Your Car - Cons
Below is my 2014 Mazda CX5 on the left, 2020 F150 on the right after waxing the Mazda with Meguiars Synthetic Paste wax. The Ceramic coating does give the paint a more wet look and a little more brilliance or shine.
Conclusion
You might be wondering if I would do it again?
I have spent months after this review discussing the pros and cons of ceramic coating with other car enthusiasts, and the answer is always the same - a resounding no.
The list of pros outweighs the cons, but the cons seem to keep people away—actually, just one con - the price. A 1-year application could cost $600, while high-quality waxes are available for less than $40. For most consumers, that's the cost of two car payments.
Ceramic coating, in my experience, beads better, lasts longer and can be applied to plastic, glass, and rims. If $600 or more isn't a deal-breaker, then you might consider ceramic coating.
Keep in mind that products that claim to contain ceramic wax are gimmicks. There are no shortcuts to applying a ceramic coating. As discussed, it can take hours to apply with eight hours of curing. It's impossible to add ceramic coating into a wax product or automatic car wash, which is now jumping on the "ceramic" bandwagon. That said, all of the ceramic "hybrids" we've tried do leave a nice shine.
I hope my pros and cons list helped you decide if the ceramic coating is for you. If anything changes, I'll upgrade the article as needed.
1-Year Update (August 2021)
I have traded in my vehicle that was ceramic coated. I have decided not to do it again. Not taking my truck to the car wash was and removing any contaminants immediately were deal-breakers for me. My truck also has the same few stone chips that I usually get on the front of my vehicle from the NY - Florida drive I take twice a year. If it can't protect the paint, why bother? This time around, I used the Meguiars Liquid Hybrid Ceramic Wax (see links below).
Feel free to explore car waxes and ceramic products on Amazon. We do get an affiliate commission if you purchase using our links.
comments powered by Disqus
