Any invention or discovery made is for all the sectors and though it began as a test keeping specific interests into account for increasing the efficiency of a particular industry. The name that buzzes in our ears is “Ceramic Coating”. The scientific inventions amaze everybody how one product could serve several sectors which were not a part of the original plan in the beginning. The successful projection and execution make way for other industries to see how they can stay benefited and tackle some crucial issues in the respective fields. In the automobile sector, people have a lot of questions about maintenance. Their primary concern is managing the sheen over the years and handles scratches without making the patch look like an eyesore. The ceramic car coating offers relief to an extent, but we should keep our expectations realistic or lower down due to the myths associated with them.
A Brief Introduction of Ceramic Coating, Impact and Performance
Consider ceramic coating a secondary layer to protect the original clear coat of your car. The nanotechnology forms the basis of ceramic coatings. A pair of naked human eyes cannot detect the thin layer making it non-existent. The particles fill the pore, which otherwise becomes the source of the car losing its sheen over the years. The surface turns hydrophobic, making it anti-dust, water-repellent, protection against seasonal damage and harsh weather conditions, graffiti scars and fine scratches etc. Can you spot the difference? It’s probably hard as the layer is transparent in appearance.
The layer creates a protective shield to protect the exteriors from any known threats such as heat, rain, washing etc. The marks you’d experienced (in cars) would have disappeared suddenly.
The myths have stopped people from doing things that would increase the lifespan of ceramic paint for cars and kept them going on under a false sense of security. The myths about ceramic paint became so dominant that people started asking questions based on it and expected positive replies in return. We have identified five myths plaguing the mindset of car owners about the ceramic coating for car.
1. Stop Washing the Car
The car owners think the unique coating would help to resolve the cleaning issues. They think it would make their cars look as new as they’ve bought and brought it today. Unrealistic expectations soon turn into legitimate ones. It became the source of discontent when they found the results below expectations. The ceramic layer has an advantage, but it doesn’t offer an excuse to stop washing or cleaning it. The maintenance is the crucial part. You still have to wash, clean it. The daily toll it takes given the pollution and environment situation, it puts you on a cautious mode. The troubling part is your negligence would affect the ceramic layer too. To have a ceramic paint protection on your car is a wise move but stop taking care of it doesn’t do any good and equals the balance.
To give you more realistic expectations, have a look at images below. You can see, the surface stays much cleaner if it is super-hydrophobic. We should also pay attention on the detail, that car starts to stick dirt step-by-step more and more. In other words, good ceramic coating keeps your car cleaner for longer time but you still need proper car wash.
Filtered water. It turns out, the other way around, to wash your car very often and not drying it would cause water drop stains on the paintwork. You have to be aware if the water is filtered or not. Not too rare is the case, when car owner has protected his/her car with ceramic coating and enjoys simple pressure wash at home and finds later water stains that can’t be removed safely. In many cases these water stains can be fully removed by polishing and reapplying the ceramic car coating only.
2. Turn Your Car into a Scratch-Resistant Machine
A ceramic layer has several benefits. The scratch-proof feature isn’t one of them, to put things across. It’s the truth. As a car owner, you should know and accept it. The sooner you accept the reality, the better it is to have your attention on the road than relying upon some features which aren’t there. Minor scratches are an exception. The fact is you do have to worry about scratches and take as much care as you did earlier. The common reasons for scratches are that you don’t know how much water pressure is required, condition of brushes and dirty towels etc. There are several ways a car could pick scratches, and you wouldn’t have every one of them on the list.
The myths associated with the ceramic coat have done more damage which means the benefits have not been able to serve the masses or justify the potential. People talk about everything about the ceramic paint that’s wrong or based on a myth. Under the skin of the popular myths, there’s a level of truth and reality in it. Let’s take an example. People think ceramic paint coat is for a lifetime. The truth is it has a life of several years. You need to get it done again at some point. The truth is there, but lack of knowledge defeats the purpose.
3. The Myth of the Ceramic Coat Lasts Forever
The ground reality of myths, in any field, is based on the expectations of the people. It’s about how they look and perceive things. You doubt whether it is about lack of knowledge or information at all. There’s a nagging doubt if people wanted to believe in them for the sake of satisfaction it brings. They want to feel good without thinking much or verifying it first. The ceramic coat doesn’t last forever. Does that shatter your dreams? Does that make you feel cheated?
Who would you blame? The ceramic paint has a long life. Like any other protection, it starts wearing out at some point. Car owners who have got a plan to sell their car after a couple of years, they need to clarify their doubts. The term ‘Permanent’ or ‘Forever’ casts a shadow of doubt in their minds. These are marketing gimmicks, and you need to play well. Whether you want to sell or keep the same car for some time, you should consider the ceramic coat.
4. Ceramic Coatings Peel During the Later Stages.
People associate the qualities of clear coat with ceramic coats. They think the ceramic coating for cars would peel, just like the clear coat does, when it’s old and during the last stages of life.
The actual case is more like this. When painting of the car has done properly it won´t peel off. If paint (or clear coat) is peeling means that repainting has done improperly. Likewise, in case ceramic coating is properly applied it won´t peel off.
How could we know if the ceramic coating has worn out? Unfortunately, there is no bulletproof methodology. The reason is, that all portable paint thickness gauge meter devices that are able to measure in microns have error base 3% (+/- 2-3 microns). Since the ceramic coating layer itself is 1-3 microns it can’t be measured and checked with handy tools.
This is why we need to consider the car ceramic coating like motor oil. When the manufacturer has stated, you have to change the oil after every 10000 miles, then just do it. Don’t try to measure or evaluate oil if you could drive 5000 extra miles or not.
You would not even notice the difference between the layer being there and not until you see the vehicle getting dirtier again. That’s how you would know about it. Your car would start acting like any other car, and it’s a damn sure sign to get the new ceramic layer on the machine.
5. Your Car would Shine Brighter with a Ceramic Coat than Wax
Actually, when talking about shine, everything depends on many-many details. For instance, there are involved:
- the amount of light,
- the ankle of light,
- the type of light etc.
In case of natural light, the direct sunlight exposes more scratches and swirls. When talking about not natural light sources then we can point out street lights and lights in gas station.
Also, there are involved:
- the type of the paint,
- the color of the car
- the condition of the clear coat.
How much exactly protective layer gives extra shine depends on certain products itself. Could even say that it doesn’t matter if the protection is ceramic coating or wax.
Dealing with the scratch hiding property I really think there is no big difference between ceramic car coating and proper paste wax. Both are hiding scratches but only on certain light conditions.
Also, this property is only to be taken into account for full view from distance. When taking a closer look, all scratches are still visible under the wax or ceramic coating. Image below can explain it well.
How many times have you seen people applying the ceramic coat before working on the underneath layer? The presence of old scratches cannot stay hidden under it. What you need to do is to manage the clear coat before raising your expectations. The ceramic paint would enhance the work done on clear coat and make things look brighter like a Sun.
Car owners could increase their chances by using the ceramic coat. It can hold off the elements associated with color fading or causing scratches to the car. The maintenance and washing techniques would decide for how long it could keep the car shining and brimming with confidence. You should always take the services of an experienced professional. The maintenance guidelines should be followed to have the desired results. The ceramic layer is an added security shield, and you should not take things for granted in the absence of precautionary measures. Your car deserves the right look and care, and you’re the one who could make it happen. You cannot escape the scratches the cars pick while on the road, but you can make a difference by cleaning it the right way.
MUM Sports is a well-respected authority in premium automotive upgrades based in the San Francisco Bay area.
Author Bio:
“Marko has been in a car wash and detailing business since 2006. Has been the manager for 7 car wash and detailing shops. Also is been a reseller of multiple car chemistry brands. As a former top athlete (2006 WKF heavyweight world champion in karate), he is always targeting the highest goals and quality.”