The State of Ceramic Coatings…Do They Do What They Claim to Do?

Ceramic Coating Technology

A ceramic coating creates a slick & hydrophobic barrier on the surface. Modern ceramic coatings incorporate nanotechnology into their formulas. Tiny nanoceramic particles fill in minor surface imperfections, smoothing out the surface and leaving a layer of protection almost as strong as quartz (scoring above the 9H scale). With these tiny imperfections filled in, grime, oils, traffic films, and other contaminants have more difficulty sticking to a surface. This shields the surface and vastly improves cleaning. Read more on ceramic coating technology…

Ceramic Coating Technology in 2023

Ceramic coating tech has come a long way. It constantly evolves, resulting in more robust protection, enhanced visual properties, easier installation, and longer-lasting products. The best and most reputable ceramic coating brands will keep up with these new technologies to provide the best possible products they can with the available ingredients. The best ceramic coating coatings will offer excellent protection, easier installation, gloss, and last at least as long as they advertise (of course, following their maintenance guidelines). In contrast, the worst brands will not live up to their claims…and that’s a problem that has become more common in 2023. Any established ceramic coating shop can now comment on the increased failures they have seen on ceramic coating installations. If ceramic coating technology has improved, why are more failures being seen?

Hundreds of Ceramic Coating Brands?

We’re not sure how many ceramic coating brands are out there, but there are a lot out there. A simple Amazon search for “ceramic coating” will bring up many products and brands…and that doesn’t include products not offered through Amazon.

The truth is that only a small percentage of all these products contain the appropriate technology to stand by their claims. Some brands will tout years of protection with the reality of only weeks to months. Some can be easily removed with a panel prep wipe….whereas a true ceramic coating can only be machine-polished off. With the plethora of “ceramic” products out there, how can we know which ones are worth the investment?

The Best Ceramic Coating Brands…

To keep it simple - the best brands will offer a supportive community to their installers and will have proud community members touting the efficacy of their coatings through their own real-life experiences. On a personal note, the former is what we most value as an installer of ceramic coatings - it’s one thing to read a company website or social media or even listen to a company rep speak on the greatness of a coating. It’s another thing to hear real-life experiences from real people on how a coating actually performs. This is the most valuable information you can get. When a 1-year coating actually lasts one year, when a 3-year coating is still performing well beyond its 3-year mark. Real installations, real feedback…it doesn’t get better than that. Choose a brand with this type of community, and you don’t need to worry if the coating will last. It’s really that simple.

The best ceramic coating brands will do what they say they do…and do it very well.

Why are Installers Opting for those “Other” Brands?

There are several factors to this, and one big factor is price. A better ceramic coating will demand higher quality ingredients and processes, increasing the cost. A business that is not charging enough or does not manage cash flow well will look into less expensive products - not realizing the trade-off they are making. With this mindset, it’s really easy to focus on price without worrying about the end results.

Another reason is social and peer influence. If you browse Detailer Facebook groups, it is very common to see this question: “Which ceramic coating brand do you guys use?”. While this is a good starting point (as they are asking real people), many will not take the next step and deep dive into a recommended brand and simply start using it because someone else recommended it. This same thing may happen if a peer recommends a certain brand to use. For businesses especially, it’s important to take a deep dive into these recommendations and choose what is known to work (find that community) and works best with your business model.

An excellent product stands for itself. Here’s a controversial statement - a good product doesn’t need a special warranty. Yes, a company should support the rare “bad batch” or other failures. The point is that a ceramic coating failure should be a rare occurrence. Knowing this, it’s interesting how heavily some companies push warranties along with their products.

A Perfect Install…of a Bad Product?

A factor we have not touched on is installation quality. Yes, a bad installation can lead to an improperly bonded product or even premature degradation. Interestingly, this is not nearly as common as failure in the ceramic product itself. Ceramic coatings have become easier to install - with the latest technology offering single-layer applications versus aged multi-layer chemistries and overall ease of use, it’s the best time for an installer to become well-versed in ceramic coatings. Furthermore, the “industry” tends to push certifications and training. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the negative effect this can have on a business is a laser focus on the process and neglect of the product itself.

You can have a perfect install…of a bad ceramic coating.

This is what is happening in 2023. Many can achieve a great paint correction and a ceramic coating application; there are plenty of trainings and certifications for that….so then the difference lies in the product used. Businesses should be mindful of the products they are using to honor their customer’s investments. As a consumer, you can rest easy knowing your ceramic coating investment will perform as it’s supposed to perform - making it worth the investment.

A Note To The Consumer

It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of coating brands out there. Luckily, a knowledgeable and reputable installer should have already done the hard work for you. Hopefully, they chose one of the few brands that produce a quality ceramic coating. The next step is to gain the most valuable information - by searching out previous customers and asking how their coating is performing, you will obtain real-life testimonies on how their product is working…or not working. It can be that a heavily trained and multi-certified shop may be using a product that simply is not worth it - and they may know or not know it so. In contrast, you may find a smaller shop using one of the most reliable coatings on the market. Search out real-life experiences, and you will find the answers you need. Best of luck!

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