Will The Real Ceramic Coating Please Stand Up! Are You Focused On What Is Important?

It must be good stuff, right? It has the word ceramic in it! Yes this is a real coating (pictured below), of my car over the 2 in half year mark. This is with no toppers at all, and what I would consider basic washes. It is a professional only ceramic coating. But my experience with this car did not begin and end with the application, there was a prep process to get it surgically clean, and ofcourse (not perfect) getting the paint presentable to MY LIKING. There was also window to keep the coating protected from moisture. There was a process to find the right company partnership that went deeper than being told how many years it would be on my paint.

You do not have to have a professional coating, to get a respectable performance. The car (for example below) coated with Gyeon Pure, albeit garaged kept, I can vouch for it pushing close to 3 years.

This is an old photo (below) of me applying a traditional (non-spray) paint sealant to a car. This was during a time before the word ‘ceramic’ became common in the detailing industry. This was definitely before so many people judged whether a product was good because the product had the word ceramic in the name. A similar product, in terms of performance to what you see here is Jescar Powerlock. It has been a very popular product for several years, that can easily outperform some ceramic spray products. An updated version, that has some of the ceramic labeled ingredients without including Ceramic in the name is Jescar Ultralock. That is an exceptional product that will outperform most spray on products with the name ceramic in it.

Collinite Ceramic Spray is also a product that I enjoyed, although like the other products mentioned, preparation and some cure time help significantly with performance.

UNFORTUNATELY, MANY PEOPLE SEE SPRAY ON PRODUCTS WITH THE WORD CERAMIC AND MAKE THESE TWO MISTAKES. They convince themselves that the word ceramic means it is the same or similar to what is in a tiny glass bottle. The second even more common issue is that people choose spray on products with the intentions of taking the easy way out detailing. Essentially doing a basic wash and wax, with the hope of getting six months or more durability. That is not realistic without proper prep. Traditional or spray on sealants and REAL ceramic coatings, perform better on a clean surface. Yes, I am equating prep to detailing! That often means not skipping a claybar treatment if appropriate. In some cases, light polishing to remove invisible oxidation, that can form very early on.

There is some truth to the simple wash and spray on methodology. Depending on the ceramic spray on product chosen, you can get something out of it. Real durability is often going to require a thorough decontamination process (ex claybar). If the car is aged, likely some polishing is needed (the real reason why polishing and coating are linked to durability). You should also ask yourself, what does protection mean to you?

Does it mean water beading? I like how it looks too! But I can clean and polish a car, leaving it with nothing on it to see it bead water. I can put something on your car that may not be good for your paint, that can create a water beading effect. Technically you are just creating surface tension. Now there is a benefit, but it is part of a comprehensive paint protection process. YOU are part of that process, no matter what you pay to have on your car. Also NO water beading doesn’t necessarily mean lack of protection. I think people are obsessed with anything with the word ceramic because it is the quickest and easiest path to water beading, even if the product does not last long.

Here is a list of some solid products I have used personally and professionally.

Consumer Level Ceramic Coating:
Gyeon Pure Evo

Paint Sealant:
Collinite 100 Beadcoat Ceramic Sealant
Jescar Ultra Lock Plus

A long time well received traditional sealant:
Jescar Power Lock Plus Polymer Sealant

Source: YouTube