What is a ceramic coating?

These are a true wonder of science and there are now literally thousands of ceramic protection products/brands on the market, which pretty well all fit the guise of being a semi-permanent paint protective coating that is applied to your paint, wheels, lights, glass and other exterior surfaces. They are made using multiple highly engineered ingredients, all blended smartly to create a very thin, yet strong surface coating, adding an additional layer of protection that when looked after correctlycan last for many years. Don't look after it and they can fail just as easily.  

Is a ceramic coating worth it?

The short answer is; yes.

A ceramic coating gives you a great, super hydrophobic surface that will make your every day driver easier to wash and maintain, and help it keep a nice shine. It's not a magic force field though, and will require regular maintenance to keep it looking and performing its best. It will also degrade over time and require top ups, or perhaps even re-application after a longer period of time.

Ceramic coatings are best applied by reputable professional detailers. The applying of the coating itself is quite simple, but the crucial preparation process before application is something very laborious and time consuming. It's something that many regular enthusiasts don't always have the time, knowledge, equipment and patience to do. So, getting an experienced detailer to do it for you makes a lot of sense.

What about 'ceramic' sprays? 

There are a lot of consumer products now using the name "ceramic", (it's become a strong marketing buzz word) especially in water based SiO2 or TiO2 sprays. They might offer similar initial effects of a coating, but they don't have the long-term protection a true professionally applied ceramic coating will exhibit. From our talks and numerous dealings with scientists, chemists and manufacturers, a true coating is scientifically associated with a specific set of highly engineered (and expensive) ingredients that are currently only used in professional coating formulas. And this is what we will be talking about looking after and maintaining in this guide.