Ceramic Coatings are some of the most popular aftermarket protection options for automotives, but many consumers don’t quite know what these coatings are or what benefits they can provide. In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to ceramic coatings and their most exciting features.
Ceramic coatings are a high-end aftermarket protective option, primarily used on vehicles, that deliver a myriad of benefits. Most car owners look into ceramic coatings for their water repellency, seeking to protect their vehicle from the wide range of damages water can directly or indirectly cause. Ceramic coatings also prevent some scratching, swirling, and other physical paint damage. From rust and chemical damage to paint discoloration and sheen failure, ceramic coating can prevent some of the worst aesthetic and functional issues before they begin. When investing in higher-end ceramic coatings, vehicle owners can expect to see these protections hold up over multiple years, even up to a decade, of daily use. Ceramic coatings are completely safe for all vehicles, and are even used occasionally in non-automotive items, such as electronics, household appliances, cookware, and luxury clothing accessories like watches and other jewelry.
When used to protect a vehicle, ceramic coatings essentially replace the top layer of your factory paint known as clear coat. Clear coat is a finish automotive factories use to protect your vehicle’s paint. Most clear coat is thin and cheap, and can’t really be relied on to protect your paint for more than a few months. In fact, many vehicles leave the factory already scratched.
When installing a ceramic coating, installers will even out top layers of the clear coat, with different steps and processes depending on the depth of the damage and the quality of the clear coat. It’s important to seek out quality, certified installers, as amateurs and low-quality shops could seriously damage your paint during this step.
Installers then encase the clear coat with ultra-strong ceramic coatings. Coatings are almost always applied by hand using a specialized suede coating pad. Coating applications vary by brand and by model, but usually need quick, even application to spread the coating before it hardens. Most coatings need a day or so to set before the vehicle is ready for the road.
Ceramic coatings offer some great benefits, such as ceramic protection, aesthetic enhancements, hydrophobic performance, ease of maintenance, boosting your vehicle’s value, and more.
Ceramic coatings offer subtle aesthetic boosts to help your paint look its very best. Most people won’t be able to tell when a vehicle is or isn’t ceramic coated. However, discerning automotive enthusiasts will notice the smooth, soft-touch texture ceramic coatings finish out with, and will pick up on the enhanced color depth, clarity, and sheen. With ceramic hard-coats replacing your clear coat, your vehicle will look freshly polished for months at a time.
While some of the aesthetic nuances will only be apparent to detail-oriented car lovers, the hydrophobic performance will be incredibly obvious. Your vehicle’s water repellency when coated will reject any kind of water sheeting, even in the heaviest rain. Some installers are even able to dry coated vehicles with a stream of water.
Maintaining coated vehicles is incredibly easy. Once coated, vehicles will reject and repel many contaminants that would usually stick to their surface, meaning most maintenance washes are quick and easy. Coated vehicles can go longer between washes while still looking their best, and washing takes a fraction of the time it takes on an uncoated vehicle. If consumers are dedicated to their coating’s longevity, they can even purchase ceramic-infused maintenance products, which reinforce the coating and extend its lifespan.
Ceramic coatings can be a financial asset too. Not only do the protective coatings help vehicles retain their value, but coatings from warranty-backed companies like Fireball can actually add to the vehicle’s value. Fireball uses Carfax to integrate the ceramic coating and our warranty into the vehicle’s overall history. When your car has a Fireball coating, Carfax will recognize that, and increase the resale value accordingly.
At this point you should have a decent grasp on the basics of why you should get your car ceramic coated. If you feel you need more information, you can always contact your local Fireball Coatings Installer. Fireball Installers are all hand-selected, vetted, and certified in extensive training regimes. We only offer our product to knowledgable, skilled professionals, so that no matter where you are, you know your Fireball Ceramic Coating will be of the utmost quality. Our installers are friendly and customer focused, and would be happy to discuss ceramic coatings with you! You can use this page to request our headquarters match you with an Installer in your area.
