Cons of ceramic coating - What potential issues can arise from ceramic coating on cars?
Out of all paint protection methods ceramic coating is by far the best. Wax and sealants do not offer as much protection for nearly as long as ceramic coating. But everything has its pros and cons. And you should know the pros and cons of every product that you use on your car. The are a lot of benefits of ceramic coatings but you should know the downside to decide if it is for you or not. So, let’s talk about the disadvantages of ceramic coatings.
1. Ceramic Coating Application Can Be Costly For Something That’s Not A Permanent Fix
The most obvious disadvantage is its cost. Many people see the cost of the bottle of the coating and think that’s it. But the products that are used to prep and polish the surface before the applying the coating is the main expense. It will costless if you do it yourself, but professional application is recommended if you don’t know much about car detailing. Not to mention that you must have a separate garage to apply the coating and let it cure after. But the longevity of the coating makes up for the cost. The actual application process is simple, its the added paint correction and detailing before that costs a lot.
2. Challenging to Apply Without Experience
The expensive nature of professional application can lead you to do it yourself. There are a lot of DIY kits available in the market but achieving professional results with such solution can be challenging. Even if you have all the tools available and a garage to work in, doing this can be challenging for you if you have never detailed a car before. You can end up with an uneven finish and the scratches can be sealed in the coating if you fail to correct everything. You can learn everything online but if you don’t have experience with paint correction and detailing it can be hard to beat an experienced worker.
3. Requires Extensive Paint Preparation
The application itself does not take long and is a fairly simple process. Its the paint prep before that consumes most of the time. Your car needs to be thoroughly detailed, scratches removed, and paint corrected wherever needed. Dirt and debris can be sealed underneath the coating if not detailed properly. So, ceramic coating a car without proper pain correction can make the imperfections in your paint permanent. Before opting for ceramic coating your paint needs to be in good condition, that’s why the best time to get ceramic coating is when the car is new, or it’s repainted. Its not for cars with worn out paint jobs. The coating itself will not bond with worn out paint surface.
4. Everyone Can’t Get Their Hands On Some Ceramic Coatings
Ceramic coatings can basically be divided into three types in terms of availability. First there are the DIY kits, they don’t last very long and are considered a cheap variety. The second one is consumer grade coatings that can be used by the people that have some knowledge about detailing cars, they can be used to be applied professionally if you opt for them. Then there are the professional grade coatings that aren’t available to everyone. You must be a certified installer or pass their course and have a certificate to work with such coatings. These are hard to remove if not applied correctly and are expensive.
5. Not Very Effective Against Major Scratches And Dents
It is important to know that ceramic coating is not an invincible shield. While it can protect against dirt, grime, bird droppings, tree sap and other major contaminants, you still must drive carefully. Your car can still get scratched and dented. It does offer protection against very minor scratches but against major scratches and dents it can’t do much.
An advantage of ceramic coting is its water repelling property, it makes water bead up on its surface which becomes very easy to remove or fall off by itself. It helps in the rain too and if the car is moving the water falls off by itself. But if the car is still and the beads dry off on its surface then removing these water spots can be challenging. Luckily with a ceramic coated car a waterless shampoo and a microfibre cloth does the trick.
6. Manufacturers’ Claims Can Be Misleading
Sometimes reading the advertisements can make you think that your car will somehow become indestructible. Clever marketing tactics and misleading claims by some manufacturers can be blamed for this. This can make you neglect the maintenance of your car. Most manufacturers care a lot about their reputation and do not promote falsely but some manufacturers can make farfetched claims regarding the protection that their products provide or their longevity. These claims are only true if you don’t drive your car and park, it in a garage. So, make sure you don’t get a false sense of invincibility and do your research.
7. It Deteriorates Quickly If Not Maintained
There is some care to ceramic coatings, you should not use dish soap or floor cleaner while washing a car, but you shouldn’t use those on a car anyway. Regular car soaps contain harsh chemicals and abrasive materials that really get the dirt off the surface of the car, but ceramic coatings don’t let such contaminants stick to your car anyway. Such materials can damage the coating, you should use a pH neutral car soap (they are cheap and easy to find) while washing a coated car if you want to make the coating last as long as marketed.
Another cleaning practice that you should avoid is cheap car washes, they use harsh chemicals that get the dirt off quicker but also damage that paint especially the trim and chrome parts and can decrease the life of the ceramic coating. If you don’t care for your car a good coating will only last about 2-3 years. And with regular washes and proper maintenance you can get 5 years but that’s about it no matter what the manufacturer claims and that’s good enough. (How long do ceramic coatings last?)
Note: Let’s be honest every car, coated or not requires maintenance. But people often think that ceramic coating is a magic shield. That once you get your car coated you never have to wash it again. It offers great protection, and you spend a lot of money to get it but you still have to have it maintained, that’s kind of a disadvantage.
Final Thoughts:
Ceramic coatings can be significant financial commitment. Understanding the downsides is important to decide whether it’s for you or not. In our opinion the pros of ceramic coatings far outweigh the cons. They provide protection against dirt, grime, UV rays and all other contaminants that dull the paint of your car our time and its far better than all other alternative like wax and sealants.
Ceramic coatings are not a good option in only a select few scenarios, like when the paint on the car is too old and worn out and you’re not going for a repaint before applying the coating or you’re only planning on keeping the car for a short time than paying for a ceramic coating that will last 3-5 years doesn’t make much sense. But now you know the disadvantages of ceramic coatings and make an informed decision about whether to go for it or not.
