When it comes to making sure your car looks great, taking care of the paint job is one of the most important things you can do. As permanent as the paint may seem, there are a lot of things that can wear down the paint on your car and make it look bad, which is why so many drivers choose to invest in ceramic coating for their cars.
If you’re thinking about purchasing a car but you’re wondering if it has a ceramic coating, there are a couple of things to look for. For example, droplets of water tend to bead up and roll off the surface of a car with a ceramic coating, while it simply runs normally on regular cars. If you’re not sure if a car has a ceramic coating, here’s how you can tell.
What Is Ceramic Coating?
First things first, you need to understand what a ceramic coating is and why these coatings are used for cars. Paint may seem like it stands up well to rough weather and wear and tear, but that’s only the case if there’s a solid protective coating over the paint. In fact, the paint that’s used on cars is highly susceptible to damage from UV rays, rain, and dirt and grime.
In order to protect their car’s paint jobs, some people choose to have a ceramic coating applied over the top of the paint. This ceramic coating uses nanotechnology to effectively coat the surface of your vehicle, which means the paint on your car doesn’t come in direct contact with sunlight, rain, or rocks. Instead, your ceramic coating is damaged over time, so you simply need to have a new ceramic coating applied every few years.
How to Spot Ceramic Coating
If you’re considering buying a car or you’ve recently purchased a car and aren’t sure if it has a ceramic coating, there are some easy ways to tell. Perhaps the biggest tell giveaway when it comes to ceramic coating is the way water behaves on a car with ceramic coating vs. a car without a coating. With a ceramic coating, water tends to bead up and run off your car without leaving it wet, whereas that water will leave a wet look on your car if it doesn’t have a ceramic coating. You can test this out by driving in light rain.
Another thing to keep an eye on is the shape and consistency of water beads on your car. Ceramic coatings usually cause water to bead up in a more consistent way, so your car probably doesn’t have a ceramic coating if the beads of water are different shapes and sizes depending on where they’re located.
You can also figure out if a car has had a ceramic coating applied by feeling the surface of the vehicle with a plastic bag covering your hand. The plastic bag makes you more sensitive to slight bumps, scratches and other inconsistencies in surfaces, so you’ll be able to tell if your car has a smooth ceramic coating or a dinged-up paint job that’s covered by a thin layer of clear coat.
One thing that you need to remember is that ceramic coatings do wear down a bit with time, so it’s possible your car has a worn-down ceramic coating on it. A ceramic coating will typically last for two to five years before it starts to thin out and wear down, at which point you’ll need to have a new coating installed.
What to Do If You Have No Ceramic Coating
You might be a little worried if your car doesn’t have a ceramic coating on it, especially if it was advertised as a ceramic-coated car. First things first, you should take your car back to the place you purchased it and file a complaint if there doesn’t seem to be a ceramic coating on the car. Ask for proof that this coating was applied sometime in the last few years and show the dealership or seller the tests you used to determine there was no ceramic coating. In some cases, it might be best to simply get your money back and choose a different car.
The good news is, you can get a ceramic coating installed for a relatively affordable price if your car doesn’t have one. Applying a ceramic coating to your car only takes a few days, and it costs about the same as a new paint job. Instead of paying for a paint job that’s going to steadily wear down until you get it repainted, you can get a ceramic coating that looks great until the day you need to have a new coating applied.
How Long Does Ceramic Coating Last?
Installing a ceramic coating isn’t especially cheap, but it’s worth it when you consider the longevity of these coatings. On average, a ceramic coating on a car will last anywhere from two to five years, depending on the quality of the coating and what you expose it to. The more often you wash your car and keep it out of the harsh weather, the fewer ceramic coatings you’ll have to invest in.
Get a Ceramic Coating Today
When it comes to protecting your car, it’s hard to beat a good ceramic coating. Ceramic coatings help protect your car’s paint job so it looks great for miles and miles. If you’re not sure if your car as a ceramic coating or needs one applied, contact Bob Moses Ceramic Coating to learn more today.
