We are sure you've heard at one point that by Ceramic Coating your car, you will never have to wash your car ever again. Or that once you Ceramic Coat your vehicle, it is permanently protected!
Grandiose claims like that make people like you - the interested reader, doubt anything you read or hear in the future once you find out that those claims were not precisely accurate.
Well, we are here to bust some of those ceramic coating myths so that you may get more clarity on how ceramic coatings work and what they can and cannot do.
Well, we can't stop people from saying things they say, and we aren't really some sort of Ceramic Coating Warriors who fight for what is true and correct. We are really here to educate those interested in Ceramic Coatings, Car Paint Protection, and Automotive Detailing.
We share the knowledge and experiences that we have acquired over many years of working in the industry and working on cars under different circumstances and under other conditions.
So! Today we will shed our view on some wild myths running around the internet and that some customers who came to us came with. We have heard many different things regarding Ceramic Coating that are simply not true or are at least stretched out so much that they would barely come out as possible.
Contents:
Let us sum up the best myths we have heard of so far in a Top 15 list!
Here goes!
You Will Never Have To Wash Your Car After You Ceramic Coat It
It seems only natural to start with this one since it comes up the most. Some people might even say that Ceramic Coatings require zero maintenance. That is, you've guessed it, also not true.
To keep it short - you still have to maintain a Ceramic Coated vehicle as you would any other. The critical difference is that the car will be less dirty from the get-go as the slickness of the coating prevents dirt from sticking as quickly onto the vehicle's surface. The other thing is how much easier it is to clean whatever managed to stick onto the car.
You can learn more about how to maintain a Ceramic Coated car here.
Ceramic Coatings Make Your Car Rock Chip Resistant
This one pops up pretty often as well. Sometimes people are under the impression that once they go through the whole lengthy and costly process of Ceramic coating their car that they will have a car that is impervious to damage. Well, some people do think that way, while others tend to be more realistic and go with this- they will be resistant to those nasty rock chips. Unfortunately, that one is also rather flimsy.
Rock chips are usually caused by a vehicle in front of you picking up a small rock at high speeds and launching it toward your car at high velocity. Of course, all those variables can differ in many ways, and sometimes Ceramic Coating may help soften the damage because of its hardness rating. Still, realistically, it will not do much. The forces involved in the impact are so high that the rock often goes through all the layers of paint all the way to the metal plate.
So to summarize - ceramic coatings will not make your car rock chip resistant.
Ceramic Coatings Make A Car Resistant To Chemicals
Uh, also a juicy one!
People even claim that Ceramic Coated cars can use any type of car shampoo or soap.
While this one has some truth to it, it is usually advertised so that consumers are led to believe that a Ceramic Coated car can resist any type of strong chemical without being damaged at all.
Ceramic Coatings can resist strong chemicals to a certain degree. Still, it will weaken and degrade the more it is exposed to such chemicals. The stronger the chemical, the faster it will eat up the coating.
It is advisable to use pH Neutral Car Shampoo or Soap to maximize the lifetime of the coating.
If you want to learn more about pH-neutral Car Shampoos and strong chemicals, here.
Ceramic Coatings Are Guaranteed To Last For Years
Nothing is eternal but time.
- Ceramic Coat Expert
Probably some physicist said that at one point, but that is the first thing that popped into our mind when this claim came to us.
People even say that Ceramic Coating is permanent. Some even go so far as to say that Ceramic Coatings are for lazy car owners. Once you do it, you are free of any obligation regarding maintaining the car's appearance. It will, from now on, be permanently beautiful!
The only way to get the most out of Ceramic Coating is proper maintenance. Technically it can last forever if it is garaged, for example, a showroom car or a valuable vintage model that is not driven at all. But those are not realistic options for a daily driver, which is why you get that 'ceramic coatings last 2-5 years' note on many products. It can last that long, but it can also really last 30 minutes once you attack it with some industrial-grade chemicals and a very abrasive sponge.
It all depends on how well you look after the car.
A Ceramic Coated Car Is Scratch-Proof
Scratch-proof means that it cannot be scratched. That is false. Period.
Now, if you want to know whether it is scratch resistant - meaning it can resist scratches to some degree? Yes, they can, of course. But what is the threshold? Is it something you can rely on?
Well, a Ceramic Coated car will typically resist the usual scratches you would get from driving, washing, or drying the car. Swirl marks are usually a thing of the past once you coat a vehicle with a quality Ceramic Coating product.
It will not, for instance, resist keying a car. As long as the toughness and hardness rating of the coating is higher than the toughness/hardness rating of the object affecting the paint, the Ceramic Coating will most likely protect the paint.
Ceramic Coatings Have Self-Cleaning Properties
A Ceramic Coated car does not magically clean itself. It will, however, be due to the slickness of the coating, and its hydrophobic properties make it hard for dirt and grime to stick to the car's surface. That means that while you drive your car, a large portion of particles that would usually stick to the car would fall off due to wind resistance just by driving the car a bit faster ( e.g., highway speed ).
So yes, a ceramic-coated car will have a form of self-cleaning, but you need to be more specific when saying that for it to be true.
Ceramic Coatings Can Make A Car Fire Proof
No, it cannot. Do not try that on your own car. You will regret it. Do not believe what you see on the internet or whatever a Ceramic Coating products manufacturer might claim regarding one of their products being fireproof.
Ceramic coatings will improve the performance of the surface to resist high temperatures, but that does not mean that it will not be damaged.
Washing A Ceramic Coated Car In The Sun Is Ok
Well, this one is a no-no. But you just might even ask whether leaving those water beads on the car after a wash or after rain is ok. That is also a no-no for the same reason. Let us explain why!
Almost all water, unless it is distilled, will contain minerals. Once the water dries in the sun and the water evaporates, it will leave all those minerals baked into the paint. These we know as water spots.
Most water spot stains you will be able to wash off if the car is Ceramic Coated. Still, some will remain visible and will require compounding or polishing. That process would also eliminate the Ceramic Coating, meaning you would need to recoat the affected area.
Ceramic Coating Is Extremely Expensive
It can be, depending on whether it is being done by a professional or you. It depends on the product used. It depends on the part of the world you live in.
But basically, why it gets so expensive is the time, the processes involved, and all the tools used in them. Plus, the experience you get from a professional is likely not close to your own if you are an Average Joe.
Ceramic Coatings Offer Better Gloss Than Any Sealant or Wax
In our opinion, a good quality Automotive Wax will give the paint the most substantial shine and gloss out of all the paint protection methods. Ceramic Coating can also provide a crazy gloss to your car, but in the end, it all depends on the product used. And then, in the future - personal preference.
For more info, you can check out our Ceramic Coating VS Wax VS Car Sealant VS PPF.
All Ceramic Coatings Are The Same
While they may seem the same to an untrained eye, they definitely are not. Anyone who has worked with multiple brands of Ceramic Coatings and is experienced with them will know that almost all Ceramic Coatings individually offer something unique to them.
Check our product reviews section to see different Ceramic Coating products and how they perform in the real world.
You Can Skip Preparation Work On A New Car
You can, but once you put Ceramic Coating onto a car like that, all you will be doing is eternalizing its current condition for the duration of the Ceramic Coating. Apart from a higher shine, it will not help make the paintwork look better. You will need to detail a car if its paint is in bad condition prior to applying the Ceramic Coating.
Follow the link if you want to learn about the whole process that goes into applying Ceramic Coating from the prep work stage all the way to a finished, successfully coated car.
A Ceramic Coating Heals Damage
We sometimes get asked this question, and our response is usually, 'What do you mean?' - Do you mean a Ceramic Coating will remove all existing damage on the car by 'filling' the damaged area, or do you mean that once you Ceramic Coat the car the existing damage underneath the coating will not be visible anymore?
Both things are not true, but we tend to get curious.
Some people might even say that Ceramic Coating dull, faded paint will restore its shine. Same answer - not true.
Some might say that Ceramic Coatings Have Self-Healing Properties - they do not. What they were likely thinking of was Paint Protection Film, as it can 'heal' some minor damage by applying heat to the damaged area. Ceramic Coating has no such properties.
A Ceramic Coating Easily Peels Off
Ceramic Coating will not peel off but usually degrade and lose some of its strength and other properties as it is exposed to the elements, maintenance, time, etc. A human eye cannot see that degradation by physically seeing it, but instead, you will know that it is weakening by noticing a more unsatisfactory performance in its hydrophobic test.
Applying Ceramic Coatings Is Easy And Simple
Do not believe everything you hear or read. If the information you've got came from a trusted, reputable source - then yes, it probably is true. But consider the word reputable - we do not mean someone famous. We mean someone with a reputation behind its name, known for giving out good quality and truthful information in the past.
Read and learn more about other Frequently Asked Questions about Ceramic Coatings.
Let us finish with this one because we feel this one is, in fact, the biggest myth of them all.
Someone might say something like, 'You Don't Need Professional Help In Applying Ceramic Coating'. Well, you do not, you can do it DIY style, and we encourage everyone to do so. We even educate people on how to do it. But if you are a novice in this area, then getting advice or help from a professional surely won't hurt!
Don't get us wrong. While the process of Ceramic Coating a car is complex, it is not hard - once you know how to do it. And that is key, that you have experience actually Ceramic Coating a car, not just reading about it, watching tutorials and things like that, but actually doing it in the flesh to a real car. Then, once you have put all the things you have learned into practice and seen firsthand what it actually takes and what it feels like, and how you go about doing the whole process - then it becomes easy, or at least not hard anymore. Until then, it is hard, no matter what you think of it or how confident you are. Even if you are a first-timer and perform excellently without error, most people will fail and be discouraged by it.
And that is the harsh reality. Once you know that what you are doing is not simple or easy. You are open to the idea of failing and learning from your mistakes so that the next time you do it, you will surpass the previous attempt and do better.
You can click here to learn how to apply Ceramic Coating in detail.
So do we have to say to all of this?
Do not believe everything you hear or read or hear. If the information you've got came from a trusted, reputable source - then yes, most likely, it is true. But consider the word reputable - we do not mean someone famous, but instead, we mean someone that has a reputation behind its name, known for giving out good quality and truthful, unbiased, and unsponsored information in the past.
Cheers!