WAX? Polymer Sealant? or Ceramic Coating?
There is a ton of information that can be found online about each type of paint protection you can have on your vehicle. Simply put we have done years of testing in real world situations and these are the results we have found and what you can expect to see as well. Wax will typically give you 1-2 months protection. Polymer sealant will typically give 4-6 months of protection. Ceramic coatings will typically give you 2-5+ years.
What makes ceramic coatings so much better than waxes or polymer sealants is they will actually bond to your paint's finish giving added protection against the sun's harmful UV rays, bird droppings, water spots, and harsh chemicals that may be used by automatic and touchless car washes or others during the auto detailing or washing process.
Not only will the ceramic coating provide your vehicle with superior protection, it also adds an incredible deep glossy shine and has a self-cleaning effect, making it tougher for dirt and other contaminants to adhere. It also makes washing and maintaining your vehicle a breeze.
Before having Cruising California Auto Detailing apply the ceramic paint coating, it is highly recommended that the paint correction service be performed, as any swirls and scratches will be sealed in and locked under the ceramic coating.
Here at Cruising California Auto Detailing and Ceramic Coating, we offer a variety of ceramic coatings for your vehicle. We carry a line of ceramic coatings for your vehicles paint, glass, wheels, as well as coatings for leather interior.
Ceramic coatings are truly amazing and here at Cruising California Auto Detailing and Ceramic Coating we have personally tested all of the ceramic coatings we offer our clients and educate our clients on what they can expect to see. We only offer our clients true genuine ceramic coatings that need to be applied and cured in a controlled environment. The BEST part about the ceramic coatings we offer is they come with a WARRANTY that is also backed by a 3rd party. We should also mention that the ceramic coating we use and offer do not require a yearly service in order to maintain your warranty unlike many other ceramic coatings. However we do still recommend a yearly maintenance be done to help prolong the life of the ceramic coating.
Benefits of Ceramic Coatings
1. Provides great protection that last for years “NOT” months!
2. Gives an incredible gloss and shine
3. Extremely hydrophobic
4. Self cleaning properties
5. Resistant to chemicals
6. Resistant to very light swirls and scratches
7. Resistant to water spots and bird droppings
8. Makes washing and cleaning your vehicle much easier and enjoyable
9. Can be applied to many parts of your vehicle for protection
Our pricing
Small / 2 Door Cars
$395-495 3 Year Ceramic Coating
$495-595 5 Year Ceramic Coating
$695-795 7 Year Ceramic Coating
Mid-Size / 4 Door Cars
$495-595 3 Year Ceramic Coating
$595-695 5 Year Ceramic Coating
$795-895 7 Year Ceramic Coating
Truck / SUV / Exotics
$595-695 3 Year Ceramic Coating
$695-795 5 Year Ceramic Coating
$895-995 7 Year Ceramic Coating
Ceramic Wheel Coating
$175-195 Wheel Faces
$295-395 Full Wheel, Calipers, and Exhaust Tips
Ceramic Exterior Windows and Glass Coating
$195-295 All Exterior Glass Windows, and Mirrors
Myths and FAQ About Ceramic Coatings
There are many ceramic coatings on the market now a days that offer 2 year, 3 year, 5 year, and even LIFETIME WARRANTY! The truth is like with any warranty read the fine print. Many warranties require you to jump through all these hoops, or pretty much don't cover things that should be covered.
Here at Cruising California Auto Detailing we offer both ceramic coatings with warranties and without. BUT more importantly we educate our clients on what they can realistically expect to see with each coating we offer.
Feel free to give us a call and will be happy to talk with you and get you set up with the right ceramic coating for you.
We recommend and suggest your paint be polished before having a ceramic coating applied as any imperfections such as swirls and scratches, bird drop etchings, water spots, etc… will be under the ceramic coating.
Now if a client comes to us and only wants us to apply a ceramic coating and not perform any polishing or paint correction we are happy to do so but we still inform the client that any flaws or imperfections in their paint will remain. The ceramic coating will not fill in or hide swirls and scratches or flaws in the paint.
Now a days the "term" ceramic coating is being used pretty loosely. There are over the counter spray bottles of ceramic coating that are not a genuine ceramic coating. Those over the counter ceramic spray coatings will only last a few months.
Now genuine ceramic coatings that will last for years should be installed by a professional auto detailer who knows how to properly prep, use, and level the ceramic coating to ensure there is no high spots and that the coating is installed correctly.
Despite what some crazy videos you may have seen online has shown you most of those videos are all smoke and mirrors and not real. We know because we have tested it.
However there are some amazing benefits that ceramic coatings do have to offer which will get too in a second. Some ceramic coating companies or detailers out there want you to think that coatings are this indestructible shield of protection that goes on your vehicle and it will provide protection for a lifetime. This is simply not the case. Before we offer our clients a product we personally thoroughly test our products in real world situations so we can educate our clients on what they can expect.
There are companies out there who will sell you a “lifetime warranty ceramic coating” but what they usually won’t tell you is that in order for that lifetime warranty to be valid the vehicle needs to be brought in once every 6 months or a year to maintain that coating which usually costs a few hundred dollars.
Also read the fine print as there are a lot of exclusions that the detailer may not inform or educate you about the "LIFETIME WARRANTY".
No matter how many layers of ceramic coating are applied you're not going to protect your paint against rock chips. If you’re looking for protection against rock chips contact us about our clear bra services we offer that will protect against rock chips.
The Ceramic coatings we offer will not turn yellow or discolor over time.
Typically the way we determine if a ceramic coating is still there is when you’re rinsing down the vehicle after washing you should see the water on your paint beading up. Over time the coating will start to break down and you will noticed the water beading action is not like it once was. Then you will know its time to have your vehicle ceramic coated again.
It is not recommended waxing your vehicle after it is coated as that will limit the anti-static characteristics of the coating. What we suggest is using a dedicated Si02 based ceramic spray sealant every few months if you want to boost the life of the coating.