Why need Ceramic Coating for your Car – Expert Guide 2019

Ceramic coatings square measure the best factor to happen to upkeep since the dawn of wax – they last for years, offer you nice gloss, shield against micro-marring, and repel liquids for simple cleanup. The matter is, many of us have it in their heads that a ceramic coating are some things you’ll be able to simply apply and ditch, and that’s not precisely the case.

Ceramic coatings do need occasional repairs to maximize their period, as a result of because it happens; they weaken slightly over time as they’re exposed to the weather. Therefore however will this weakening happen, and what are you able to do to resist it? Let’s digging down!

Loss of Gloss

When your ceramic coating initial cures, your paintwork’s gloss is nothing in need of exciting, sadly, this gloss dulls slightly over time, taking you from “breathtaking” to “decently shiny”. If you’re not a gloss fanatic, this isn’t an enormous deal, however if you attempt to keep up a showroom-quality shine, “decent” simply won’t cut it. Therefore what causes this dulling to occur? it’s to try and do with the approach your paint reflects light-weight.

Glossy surfaces shine as a result of they’re sleek. Once rays of sunshine hit the surface, all of them bounce off at identical angle. This makes the sunshine concentrate in an exceedingly single direction, leading to a high level of shine.

Protection Defection

As your coating is exposed to the atmosphere, it slowly and slightly wears away, largely through abrasion. Everything from high winds to your wash mitts abrades the surface at a microscopic level. You’d ne’er notice this sporting on a daily basis to day basis, however over time it will take its toll. This will cause small protection. Therefore what will that mean for you?

Let’s say a bug hits your hood as you’re driving, splattering everywhere the place. With a recent ceramic coating, this isn’t an enormous deal – it should print slightly into the surface however it won’t reach the paint. However if your coating’s been on for an extended time with none maintenance, the bugs’ insides might o.k. print straight through to your paint!

But it’s not simply small protection that wear-and-tear causes – it additionally affects your property.

Beading Depleting

Water beads on a hydrophobic surface are just about one of the coolest-looking things ever. Plus, all that hydrophobicity makes contaminants like hard water or mud slide right off, saving your coating (and your paint, for that matter) from staining or etching. Yet that hydrophobicity can be lost if you don’t keep up maintenance. Why is that? It has to do with something called surface energy.

Surface energy determines the behavior of a liquid when interacting with a given surface. The lower the surface energy gets on a surface, the more difficult it becomes for liquids to cling to said surface. Ceramic coatings are formulated for a low surface energy, which is what allows them to bead liquids.

Here’s the thing, though – surface energy isn’t static. It can actually rise if the surface becomes contaminated, reversing the hydrophobicity. Surface energy can also rise if the coating abrades too much, which takes us to our next section – how to maintain a ceramic coating.

Don’t Lose Your Patience, Practice Proper Maintenance

So if ceramic coatings aren’t invincible on their own, what can you do to make sure they last as long as possible? The answer lies in the practice of proper maintenance. There are two ways to keep your coating functioning properly – washing regularly and using booster products.

Regular Washing

Remember how I said layered contaminants on an infrequently washed ceramic coating are often the cause of hydrophobicity loss? Well, as you can guess, one way to maintain your hydrophobicity is to keep up a regular washing regimen. Most brands recommend washing every two weeks, which should take care of any contaminants layered on top before they have a chance to embed into the surface.

Maintenance Boosters

Beyond regular washes, maintenance booster products will be your go-to for keeping your coating in tip-top shape. What do these products do exactly? Well, they’re basically hyper-concentrated versions of the ceramic coating’s formula. So when you spray them onto a ceramic coated surface, they fill in any minor imperfections from abrasion to restore gloss and bring the surface energy back down so liquids can bead again. Applying every 3-4 months is usually enough to keep your coating in optimal condition.

Now, you may be wondering, “If I have to spray on a booster product every 3-4 months, why not just ditch coatings altogether and just apply a spray wax every 3-4 months?” Well, the frequency of application may be the same, but you’re not going to get the same level of gloss, hydrophobicity or protection that you’d get with a ceramic coating. If you’re serious about protection, wax won’t cut it.

Hopefully that helped clear up the myth of invincibility surrounding ceramic coatings and gave you a little background on what causes ceramics to fail. Now that you’re armed with this knowledge, make sure to protect your investment and practice regular maintenance on your coating!