Will a ceramic coating hide scratches and swirl marks?
Quick answer: No. Ceramic coatings are very thin and optically clear, so they won’t hide scratches or swirl marks. If applied over defects they seal them in -- machine polish first, then coat.
There is nothing in a ceramic coating to hide scratches. Ceramic coatings are extremely thin and optically clear. Applying ceramic coatings over the top of swirl marks will seal them in, so it's important to machine polish them out before applying a ceramic coating.
One of the quirks of traditional waxes and some polymer sealants is that they often contain fillers and light diffusers. Instead of removing scratches and swirls, they work by softening the edges optically. The wax sits in fine scratches and levels the surface microscopically, while diffusers in the formula scatter light so the defects don’t catch your eye as easily. The result is a car that looks deeper and glossier, with swirl marks seemingly reduced, but it’s really a temporary illusion. After a few washes, the fillers wear away and the marks are back, which is why waxing can give a short-term cosmetic boost but doesn’t actually fix the underlying paintwork.
Because ceramic coatings are extremely thin and optically clear, there’s nothing in them that will hide scratches or swirls. No fillers, no diffusers, just ceramic. What they can do, when applied properly, is lock in whatever condition your paint is in at the time. That’s why applying a coating over overlooked defects is risky - it seals the flaws in, making them permanent to the naked eye. You’ve got to get the surface right first with decontamination, machine polish, and paint correction, before coating, or you’re essentially preserving the imperfections.
Over time, though, ceramic coatings don’t heal or mask new damage: fresh scratches, stone chips or deep swirls will still show through the coating. Coating is not a substitute for paint correction, it’s a finishing step. So the rule is, polish first, coat second. The clearer your starting point, the better the final result will look.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 26/09/2025 15:33