Ceramic Coatings
Can a Car keep Looking New for Years?
If you mention the word “Ceramic”, one of the first objects people tend to think of is a bowl. This is funny because they would be right – and wrong. See, the sheer range of products and applications that can be connected to ceramic is so wide that it could fill up an entire book. Ceramic is used in everything from window tint, flooring, ornaments, bricks, glazes, missiles, space shuttles, and dental implants, to synthetic bones, turbines, and -drumroll- CARS!
There is admittedly a need for some specificity here. Ceramic, because it is lightweight, thermally insulative, and corrosion resistant, is generally considered to be a safe and reliable material in automotive manufacturing. The average person probably has a car with components made from ceramic, whether that is his cam roller, injector pump, brakes, bearings, spark plugs, or even his car sensors. While the sheer range of uses for ceramic is truly incredible, the amusing thing is that the make-up of car components is not exactly fascinating to the average person.
Instead, car owners are typically very concerned with car exteriors. Everyone wants their car to look like it just rolled off the assembly line. Unfortunately, no one can wish away the constant assault from time and the elements that our cars must endure. Washing and waxing are only good fixes for a limited time and succumb to the elements in a relatively short amount of time. Hence the new craze for modern polymer “skins”, especially ones made from you get one guess…Ceramic.
What is Ceramic Coating?
Off the bat, Ceramic coating is a great way to block contaminants and the elements and prevent their onslaught against the exterior of your car. Used to minimize effects such as high-temperature degradation, corrosion, erosion, and wear; ceramic coatings are, today, a very popular form of paint treatment/protection for car owners. The term describes a liquid polymer that is applied by hand to a car’s exterior, that creates lasting chemical bonds with the car surfaces as it cures, forming a non-metallic, water-repellent layer of protection. Ceramic coating is typically composed of a Resin (usually silicon, as the polymeric material that forms the base for coating), a Solvent, and an Additive. The most commonly used resins are silicon-based polymers such as Silica Sol, silicon dioxide (Si02), and polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS). Some products and brands also use titanium dioxide (titania, Ti02) as an additional hardening agent. With ceramic coatings, “Ceramic” actually means “nanoceramics” which are nanoparticles that lack the rigidity or brittleness of macroscale ceramics. So, you don’t have to worry about the layer breaking or cracking. Ceramic coatings are a commercial success and well-established for use on car exteriors both home and abroad. Sometimes, they are marketed and described as “glass” or “quartz” coatings. This is because there are so many brands, and in reality, the lingo is to distinguish products that are not materially different from others in the market.
What Does Ceramic Coating Do?
In a sense, ceramic coatings take the benefits of a poly sealant and amplify them exponentially. Along with their impressive durability, Ceramic coatings offer a relatively comprehensive repertoire of important functions
Surface Protection
Ceramic coatings provide relatively competent protection against acidic contaminants, oxidation, UV damage, light scratches, chemical stains, micro-marring, and etching.
So, you do not constantly have to worry about your car’s paint dulling/fading due to constant exposure to sunlight. Thanks to the chemically resistant surface that ceramic coating provides, you also do not have to worry about naturally occurring acidic contaminants. You may still have to worry about that kid on the block who won’t stop touching your car though, but more on that later.
Cleaning is Easier
The fact that ceramic coatings are water-repellent does not mean you won’t be able to clean your car. So, no dice Harry! Your car won’t clean itself. Fortunately, ceramic coatings eliminate the need for professional, hard-labor washing. In fact, the experts recommend good old-fashioned car washing by hand using the two-bucket method. They also say you should do your car washing here on a regular basis.
Enhanced Look/Gloss
Ceramic coating helps your car keep that showroom, candy gloss appearance all the time. A coated car just always looks incredible. It can be such a blast especially when you experiment with custom liveries, or fiery colors before applying the coating. Even dull colors take on new life with a proper coating.
Enhanced Durability
Over time, ceramic coatings harden to the strength of quartz. This helps give your car surfaces their own armor against contaminants and humans alike, making your car itself last longer and endure more. You have some protection in the annoying and likely event of something coming in contact with your car.
The coating acts as a sacrificial layer on top of the paint. If a material that would have marred the paint such as bird poop, berries, sap, or even some form of paint hit the surface, they are only hitting the coating and not affecting the paint in any way. Each coating varies but most are rated anywhere from 2-5 years.
What Does Ceramic Coating NOT Do?
Ceramic coating will make your car exterior resistant to a whole host of things, but it does not become dummy-proof. Contrary to the claims by some brands and detailers, a ceramic coating is not a cure-all product for any and every problem with your car.
It won’t absolutely prevent damage from scratching and rock chips like paint protection film will.
The resistance of ceramic coating is often misinterpreted in this regard. Ceramic coatings, though they offer protection against naturally occurring damage, do not bullet-proof your car from rock chips and scratches that come from applied force. Only paint protection film has this ability. The coating is very hard and resilient, so it does in fact provide a solid degree of protection. But know that it not a magic coating that eliminates the risk of rock chips, scratches, and scrapes. It also does not eliminate scratching that can occur due to negligence like using drive through car washes with brushes. The best protection is to use paint protection film and ceramic coatings together for complete coverage for many years to come.
It does not take away the need to wash your car.
A Ceramic Coating means that your car can continually look new with relatively lower maintenance, not none at all. Even if you go outside every day in a hermetic suit, you still have to shower every day, don’t you? The situation is very similar with ceramic coating for cars.
Although water, dust, dirt, slide off a coated surface with little-to-no effort, residual contaminants can still stick to the surface. Over time, these can accumulate and begin to layer. With ceramic coating, of course, cleaning the car becomes a lot easier, and you will no longer need to wax the car every few months.
It does not completely remove mineral spots from rain and water.
Water spotting can occur when standing water sits on your car surface. As the water dries, the minerals in the water form crusty, flaky spots on your car. If you live in regions with water that has heavy mineral content, water spots are almost inevitable – whether they occur as a result of rain, or after car washing. Water spotting is however greatly minimized by the hydrophobic properties of Ceramic Coating.
It does not replace maintenance.
While Ceramic coating does make your car hydrophobic, shiny, and keeps it clean for longer, regular maintenance is still a necessity. You still need to clean and rub down your car regularly with proper solutions. What Autobahn Ceramic Coatings does is makes this process very easy and quick, but it does not replace it.
What Are People Saying?
You have choices for window tinting and paint protection in New Braunfels and the surrounding area, but our reviews speak for themselves. We strive for impeccable service with a guaranteed product. We hope you will take a look around our website and ask any questions you might have via an email or phone call. We know online reviews are not the sole source of a business’ reputation, but our 5 star status on Google and Facebook both sure make us proud!
It’s been 4 years since Integrity Window Tinting tinted my house in Canyon Lake and I still love it. They also tinted my cars 4 years ago and the tint is still perfect. Since they did such an awesome job on my house and cars here, I asked them to my house in Rockport. Again, a fabulous job. I can’t say enough great things about David and Tonya.
Just tinted my van, did a great job!
Took my husbands Challenger and my Tahoe to get window tint. They were AWESOME! Tint looks amazing. Great quality work and was able to get me scheduled very quickly. They also offer very competitive pricing. We will continue to send them business! No one else provides service like they do!
I want to write as a small business owner (Westpointe Village Orange Leaf) on the absolute pleasure of working with David Pierce – the owner of this family owned local business in NB! David was professional, reasonable….and when a change had to be made – he went OUT OF HIS WAY to ensure cost savings!! I would give a 10….but 5 stars is all that is allowed.
David and Tonya tinted our restaurant and we love it. They were professional, honest and reasonable. We had an issue with glare and our indoor furniture and signage was fading due to the sunlight. Plus it was brutally hot next to the windows during the summer. I would definitely recommend Integrity Window Tinting.
What Are
People Saying?
You have choices for window tinting and paint protection in New Braunfels and the surrounding area, but our reviews speak for themselves. We strive for impeccable service with a guaranteed product. We hope you will take a look around our website and ask any questions you might have via an email or phone call. We know online reviews are not the sole source of a business’ reputation, but our 5 star status on Google and Facebook both sure make us proud!
I want to write as a small business owner (Westpointe Village Orange Leaf) on the absolute pleasure of working with David Pierce – the owner of this family owned local business in NB! David was professional, reasonable….and when a change had to be made – he went OUT OF HIS WAY to ensure cost savings!! I would give a 10….but 5 stars is all that is allowed.
David and Tonya tinted our restaurant and we love it. They were professional, honest and reasonable. We had an issue with glare and our indoor furniture and signage was fading due to the sunlight. Plus it was brutally hot next to the windows during the summer. I would definitely recommend Integrity Window Tinting.
It’s been 4 years since Integrity Window Tinting tinted my house in Canyon Lake and I still love it. They also tinted my cars 4 years ago and the tint is still perfect. Since they did such an awesome job on my house and cars here, I asked them to my house in Rockport. Again, a fabulous job. I can’t say enough great things about David and Tonya.
Took my husbands Challenger and my Tahoe to get window tint. They were AWESOME! Tint looks amazing. Great quality work and was able to get me scheduled very quickly. They also offer very competitive pricing. We will continue to send them business! No one else provides service like they do!
Just tinted my van, did a great job!
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