Ceramic coatings have been around for a while now and as of late, ceramic coatings have been gaining a lot of lot of popularity amongst detailers and car owners but, there are many things a detailer must know while buying ceramic coatings and many things that car owners must know before applying ceramic coatings on their vehicle. Through this informative article, Wavex Auto Care will aim at providing you with the most appropriate answers that will dispel all your doubts regarding the things you must know while buying ceramic coatings.

Ceramic coatings are a sort of semi-permanent clear coatings that have been developed to protect the clear coats of cars. A car’s exterior is made up of four layers with its base metal being the 4^th layer and the clear coat being its top most layer.

As mentioned earlier, ceramic coatings provide protection to a car’s exterior clear coat. Ceramic coatings such as the Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coatings are multi-surface compatible ceramic coatings that can be applied to a car’s exterior painted surfaces, headlight, plastic, trims, windshields, chrome components, wheels etc. Ceramic coatings especially 10H ceramic coatings are extremely hard, sturdy and resilient coatings that when applied appropriately by a professional detailer, can last for a couple of years. Ceramic coatings provide a high gloss mirror-like finish, provide the coated areas with an impressive hydrophobic layer, prevent the formation of minor swirls/ scratches and frost, provides heat resistance, frost resistance, fouling resistance and more. Ceramic coating that has been correctly applied and cured will make a car look new and shiny for a very long time.

An auto detailer must focus on quality over quantity. From a detailer’s business perspective, selecting a ceramic coating really just boils down to three major aspects namely: quality, results and value for money.

Determining the quality of a ceramic coating is only possible as per a couple of features. The first is its hardness. The hardness of ceramic coatings is determined as per Moh’s scale. The Moh’s scale of material hardness is a scale that was invented by the German Scientist Freidrich Mohs. This scale is from 1 to 10 with 1 being the substance with the lowest hardness and 10 being the substance with the greatest hardness. Today, thanks to scientific advancements in the field of auto detailing, we now have ceramic coatings with 9H and 10H hardness. Thickness of coatings is another aspect which is closely monitored by professional auto detailers which is good however, isn’t always that big of a deal because ceramic coating thickness doesn’t necessarily mean it better than others that aren’t as thick, the main point is a coating’s hardness. Thickness can also be achieved by applying multiple coats.

So a ceramic coating can have great results and can also be extremely durable but from a business perspective, what is the point of having ceramic coatings which are just too expensive? Think about it, a detailer at the end of the day has to look at their businesses’ profitability but at the same time, cannot charge exorbitantly high sums from their clients because let’s face it… there’s too much competition in the detailing industry and every detailer is competing in the market with great services, products and service charges. That doesn’t also mean that a detailer should use cheap quality, non-durable ceramic coatings on their client’s cars. The happy median is only possible with one brand at the moment which is Wavex Auto Care’s 9H Quartz Ceramic Coating and 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating which are both, durable, high quality and reasonably priced.

Well, the real answer is that ceramic coatings are for every car owner but its application should only be done with the assistance of a professional detailer. As stated earlier, ceramic coatings are a sort of semi-permanent coating that last for a couple of years. If applied incorrectly, it could leave behind quiet an unpleasant look on a car which is why, a seasoned detailer with experience in ceramic coating application should apply ceramic coatings to a vehicle owner’s car or bike.

There are many car owners who have many years of experience in DIY detailing and take care of their cars themselves. Some car owners even have appropriate tools like dual action polisher machines and detailing equipment and can even correctly use rubbing compounds on their cars if it requires paint correction however, would it be right for them to apply ceramic coatings? Honestly speaking, even if a car owner has the knowledge of paint prep and ceramic coating application, it still wouldn’t be advised that a DIY user apply ceramic coatings to their cars because, ceramic coatings require appropriate lighting, equipment and space all of which is sometimes not possible in an average residential setting. Irrespective of how knowledgeable a car owner is, they must still seek the help of a detailing professional. The most that a car owner can do is purchase Wavex’s 9H ceramic coating kit or 10H ceramic coating kit and hand it over to the detailing professional so that they can apply it to their car.

Ceramic coatings are very strong and durable chemicals that bond with the car’s surface. Ceramic coatings should be handled with utmost care. A professional detailer must always wear detailing gloves while applying ceramic coatings and should avoid the ceramic coating’s contact with skin. Ceramic coatings can also be flammable in some cases which is why it is advised that one keeps them away from direct heat or sunlight and store them in a cool and dry place. After ceramic coating application, if a certain amount of ceramic coating is left over, a detailer must always properly close its container’s lid as the ceramic coatings could also evaporate. Ceramic coatings should always be kept away from the reach of children and should not at all be ingested. In case of accidental ingestion, one must drink copious amounts of water and seek medical assistance.

That is absolutely wrong. Irrespective of how carefully you drive your car, it is bound to get dirty. Even if you simply keep your car parked in an empty, isolated garage, dust is still bound to settle on your car’s ceramic coating. One cannot just use any ordinary car wash shampoo to clean their ceramic coated cars as it could potentially do more harm to ceramic coatings than good. It is always advised that a car owner or even an auto detailer uses a dedicated ceramic coating cleaning shampoo such as the Wavex Graphene Ceramic Wash Shampoo that is infused with SiO2 and graphene polymers. This shampoo safely lifts dirt and dust off of a ceramic coated car and keeps the ceramic coating on a car looking absolutely fresh and new for a really long time.

Ceramic coatings cannot be applied to leather or fabric components and neither should they be attempted to be applied to such surfaces. For leather components, a leather dresser such as the Wavex Leather Conditioner should be used and for interior fabric components, a fabric cleaner such as the Wavex Upholstery and Carpet Cleaner Should be used. Ceramic coatings cannot and should not be applied to a car’s tyres. Using tyre polishes such as the Wavex Tyre Guard Tyre Polish should be applied to a car’s tyres for a high shine, super hydrophobic effect. Besides the aforementioned areas of a car, ceramic coatings should not be applied to matte cars and bikes. Matte vehicles have a satin finish and any gloss creating auto care product will severely damage a matte car’s or bike’s matte finish over time. We’ve seen a lot of detailers use ceramic coatings on matte vehicles but, it isn’t advised that a detailer do so.  

There are many myths that revolver around ceramic coatings. One such myth is that after ceramic coating, a ceramic coated car or bike will not get dirty. That’s not true! Dust or dirt can settle on any surface however; the benefit of ceramic coating will be that it will not damage a car’s exterior finish since it will be protected with the ceramic coating furthermore, dust and dirt will be easy to clean since it will not settle on the car’s clear coat. Ceramic coatings do not naturally attract dust and dirt so you shouldn’t worry about your car becoming a ‘dust magnet’ either. Another myth surrounding ceramic coatings is that after ceramic coating, a car owner doesn’t need to use any auto care products. That isn’t entirely true! A car owner has to use only two primary products after their car’s ceramic coating has completely cured- They are the Wavex Graphene Ceramic Wash Shampoo (in the bucket wash method) and the Wavex Maxximus Graphene Ceramic Paste Wax. A professional car detailer can use Wavex Auto Care’s Advanced Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating as a ceramic coating booster or topper bi-annually or even annually on a client’s car which will keep their ceramic coating looking fresh for many years.

Well yeah, an auto detailer can apply ceramic coatings to a car’s engine when it has been completely cleaned and is absolutely cool to touch. Some engines have a chrome finish whereas other car engines can have a fibre-like outer layer on which the Wavex 10H Graphene Ceramic Coating too could be applied. For effectively cleaning a car’s engine, one should use the Wavex All Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser. As far as the underbody of a car is concerned, yes, ceramic coatings can be applied to them as well provided the underbody of the car has been effectively cleaned as well.

We’re sure that reading this article will help you clear any sort of doubt that you have before you purchase ceramic coatings. For any other technical queries related to Wavex Auto Care products, you could speak to Wavex’s technical product advisors on our toll free number 1800 274 0076