How To Extend The Longevity Of Ceramic Coating On Your Car
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People always ask if ceramic coatings are durable and long-lasting. They don’t want to spend hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on a ceramic coating, just to have another detailer re-coat their car six months later. In this article, I’ll talk about some steps that you should take in order to increase the longevity of ceramic coatings on your car.
To extend the longevity of ceramic coating on your vehicle, you should:
- Use high-quality ceramic coatings
- Let professionals apply it for you
- Properly and regularly wash your car
- Use ceramic coating spray boosters
- Keep your car in the garage
Ceramic coatings are the latest trend in the car paint protection market. They’re touted as being a very durable and easy way to maintain your car’s shine. Even if you have a car that is only garaged, or driven infrequently, there are a few steps you can take to extend the life of these coatings.
Tips To Get The Most Out of Ceramic Coatings: Maximum Longevity
A big part of the reason why ceramic coatings fail is that people don’t know how to take care of their cars properly. People think that if they can just get the coating on their car, everything will be fine. That couldn’t be further from the truth. So, here are a few tips to extend the lifespan of ceramic coating on your vehicle.
Related: How Long Do Ceramic Coatings Last? (Detailed Answer)
1. Use High-Quality Ceramic Coatings Only
High-quality ceramic coatings are 10x better than the cheap ones. When you buy a ceramic coating, you want it to do certain things. You want it to be durable, long-lasting, and easy to apply. The $30 ceramic coatings are not going to be perfect and long-lasting. If you want the best product, you have to pay the price.
The main reason why many ceramic coatings fail is that they are not high quality. In fact, they’re not really a ceramic coating at all. Ceramic coating is expensive to make, so manufacturers will use a polymer or acrylic sealant instead and add a little bit of nanoparticles to give you the impression that it’s real.
I recommend you the following ceramic coatings:
- Adam’s Advanced Graphene Ceramic Coating
- Gyeon Q2 Pure Evo Ceramic Coating
- CarPro Quartz Ceramic Coating
- Sonax Ceramic Coating CC36
2. Let The Professionals Do The Job
If you have spent good money on an advanced paint protection product, it makes sense to pay a professional to apply it. Ceramic coating your car is a simple process if you leave it to the professionals. Ceramic coatings, however, are tricky to apply. The consequence of applying the ceramic coating incorrectly is reduced longevity of the paint’s protection and gloss finish.
That’s why professional car detailers are the best for the job. They have all the necessary skills and experience in applying ceramic coatings correctly, ensuring your car has a high level of protection and a glossy finish that lasts for years.
Also, the curing time for ceramic coating is much longer than for waxes or sealants. While the ceramic coating cures, it should be inside a garage or some other area where it’s protected from outside elements such as wind, rains, etc. Professionals will always keep the car safe until the ceramic coating has bonded to the surface completely.
Of course, if you have the knowledge and the required equipment (especially a car polisher), there’s no need for spending extra few hundred bucks on paying for professional detailing services.
3. Regularly Wash Your Vehicle (Properly)
Ceramic coatings provide a tough, long-lasting protective layer against contaminants. However, it does not mean that you do not have to wash your car for a year. From dust, dirt, bird droppings, acid rains to harsh UV rays – the ceramic coating can resist all of these elements (for some time).
Once you’ve applied the ceramic coating to your vehicle, it’s important to wash your car regularly in order to maintain the durability of the coating. Why? Because even though this protective layer is capable of resisting all the external threats, it isn’t capable of preventing them from attaching to the surface of your vehicle.
The longer you let this dirt and debris sit on the surface of your vehicle, the more likely they are to degrade ceramic coating in one way or another.
It’s important to mention that you still need to follow some guidelines on washing vehicles. You can’t just go and use a sponge to wash your vehicle – it’ll scratch the ceramic coating.
I suggest you follow my guide and learn the proper way of washing vehicles.
4. Use Ceramic Coating Spray Boosters
Ceramic coating boosters are a fantastic way to extend the durability of ceramic coatings. They are often used in between washes to freshen up your car, but they can also be used as a way to apply for additional protection on top of your existing coating.
These spray coatings are some kind of “boosters” for ceramic coatings. With them, you’ll improve the durability of ceramic coating, which will also translate to ceramic coatings’ longevity.
Make sure not to buy typical spray detailers, since their purpose isn’t to boost the ceramic coatings. I suggest you try Chemical Guys HydroSpeed Quick Ceramic Detailer (check the price on Amazon now). It’s extremely simple to use and has great water beading properties.
You don’t need to apply them very often. Most of them (high-quality ones) also have great longevity, so there’s no need to re-applying them every few weeks. Mostly, they’ll have to be re-applied once or twice a year.
5. Keep Your Car In The Garage
One of the biggest enemies of ceramic coating is UV exposure; harsh sunlight can fade your car’s paint and break down the protective layer over time. Acid rains, bird droppings, road dirt, insects, etc. are also enemies of ceramic coatings, and car paints in general, and they degrade ceramic coatings with time.
To prevent that from happening, try to keep your car in a garage at all times.
I know that plenty of you don’t have a garage. However, you could at least move your car away from the direct sunlight when possible, and park it in some covered areas (public parking, etc.). That’ll help a lot.
Conclusion
Simply put, ceramic coatings are not indestructible; they’re not like the abrasion resistance of paint protection film. Even though they’re made to protect the clear coat and make the car maintenance easier, they’re not bulletproof. You should all understand that.
You have a 9H nano-particle layer that is chemically bonded to your paint. Clearcoat is 2H or 4H. The ceramic coating is 5-7H harder than a clear coat. Imagine that.
However, you can still scratch through it if you aren’t careful. It can also wear down over time if you don’t take good care of it. It’s not going to last forever, but by following the tips I showed you above, some of the highest quality ceramic coatings may even last for 7-10 years.
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