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  4. Do I need the full ceramic package?

Do I need the full ceramic package?

You probably don't need the full package, depending on what the full package is. There are a wide range of coating products available, to protect virtually every area of your car. Different companies will bundle them together in different ways or offer them as extras. But you probably don't need them ALL in addition to the coating for your paintwork.

The Ceramic Coating

Firstly, let's acknowledge that the basic ceramic coating product can be applied to paintwork, plastic and glass. But just because it can, doesn't mean it will be included. Make sure you know what you are getting.

When we sell a ceramic coating, we will coat both glass and plastic lights as standard. We do not coat windows and wheels as standard, this is because we have special coatings for wheels, and not everyone wants their windows coated. Our customers will probably want their wheels done, but there are options.

We generally have special offers which mean you will get your wheels done at no extra cost anyway, but you can see how things start to get complicated, especially when comparing one company's services to another.

Helios Shield

This is a coating we provide which is thicker and more flexible than a standard coating. We can put this on the nose of your car, and it provides additional protection against small chips caused by bugs and stones. Other companies may offer similar products, and we would highly recommend this product, especially if you do many motorway miles.

Wheel Coatings

We have been recommending wheel coatings for over twenty years, long before ceramic coatings. Brake dust is very hard to clean from wheels, and any coating which can prevent it sticking is a god-send, as it will make cleaning them so much easier. A standard ceramic coating will help, and there are special ceramic coatings which are especially made to resist high temperature from hot brake dust. Some products go on once, others need to be reapplied. There is also the question of if you want the whole wheel done or just the face. We suggest you have a talk over your options, but a wheel coating is definitely something we would recommend.

NOT CERAMIC!

The coatings that follow on this list, while they may be offered to you by a company which specializes in ceramic coatings, are not usually ceramic. They may be the same brand as your ceramic coating, but they are probably not ceramic coatings, and so are not anything particularly special or different to coatings that have been around for years. There may be some exceptions to this, some companies may offer products which do contain ceramic, but we cannot vouch for the efficacy of this. 

Some people get the impression that they are having their entire car coated in ceramic, but this is not the case. 

Leather Coating

The problem with leather is that if it becomes worn or gets a snag, it can be expensive to repair. There is also the problem of staining from things like hair gel or the dye in your blue jeans. If you have a leather interior, especially if it is light coloured, we would certainly recommend a leather coating. If you don't have a leather interior, you probably aren't going to need this.

Upholstery protector

Upholstery protectors provide a hydrophobic coating for your seats. How useful is it? In reality, not very, and the hydrophobic effect soon wears off. It does however prevent stains, which is far more useful on light coloured upholstery than on a black interior. We would only recommend this for specific reasons. The fabric on your car is usually made of plastics and not very prone to permanent stains. It will still get dirty and still need a clean periodically. If you have very light coloured seats, they can dry unevenly after a clean, and a protector can help with that. It might also be useful if you have animals or small children in the car. There are also products you may consider if your interior has Microsuede, Suedette, fuzzy-leather, or Alcantara.

Interior Plastic

This is probably the point in which we give you our top tip, and say that you should have a think about your last car. Everybody uses their car in a different way, some do short journeys, some do motorway miles. Some people are heavy on the brakes, some people have muddy boots. Cars have specific problems related to how their owners use them. If on your last car you got lots of stone chips, and you had black stains on your wheels, you may want to have Helios Shield and a wheel coating. So now cast your mind back and ask yourself if you had any specific problem on your last car that having your interior plastics would solve. 

You can have it done if you want, but it's not something we even have on our price list. With that said, if you happen to have a vintage Triumph Stag that has just been restored with new dashboard and walnut panels, there is plenty of good reason to protect it, and you could put a ceramic coating on it.

Cabriolet Fabric Protector

We absolutely recommend protecting the fabric on your cabriolet hood, although on a brand-new car it will probably have a protector already on it. So if you have a brand-new car, you will probably not need this.

On a used car, we definitely will need it, and we believe it to be very important.

Can you do better?

We believe so. There are companies that specialize in coatings for fabric and leather who have their own products which may be better. For example, Renovo's products for cabriolet hoods are superior to the spray on protectors from ceramic coating brands. On the other hand, GTechniq's leather protector is one of the best on the market.

What do you need?

If you are offered a good deal on a full package, then you may as well take it, but otherwise, have a think about your last car, have a think about its problems and consider what you actually need. You really don't need it all and there should be opportunity to save money.

 

Written by . Last updated 07/06/2024 15:07