I read that ceramic coating is no better than a decent quality wax?
We have also seen it argued that it no better than a wax coating. Such arguments often occur on places such as Reddit and usually call for proof, and when proof is provided, they call for hard data. All evidence is rejected, and they carry on insisting that wax is just as good as ceramic coating.
There are many ways in which a ceramic coating is far superior to a quality wax, and we will list them in the order of importance that they seem to have to customers.
Your car stays clean
Even if you have just waxed your car, if you drive down the motorway on a rainy day, it will get dirty. With a ceramic coating, the rain will just wash that dirt off. You could argue that a car with a ceramic coating is still dirty, but it isn't nearly as dirty, and people who have had ceramic coatings know this. Many will have had that experience when their spouse says, "Did you wash the car? It looks very clean", and this is because it has rained and all the dust washed off.
Many of our customers are returning customers having another car done. And although they might have had their first car coated because they were sold on the idea of protection, they reason they want their next car done is because their car stays cleaner for longer, it needs cleaning less often, and when they do clean it, it's quick and easy.
Ceramic coatings last years
A wax coating under the best condition will last about nine months before you need to reapply it. If it is a hot summer or harsh winter with salt on the roads, it probably won't last that long before needing a top-up.
People who argue that wax is just as good would say that that's okay, because they enjoy waxing their car and do it at least once a month. Most people don't see it that way, maintaining their car is not therapeutic, it's a chore and time that could be better spend doing something else. A ceramic coating will last years with minimal maintenance.
Extra Protection
While ceramic coatings aren't bulletproof or provide a magical force field, they do toughen up your paintwork enough to make a significant difference, reducing scratches and wash marks.
We are carrying out an experiment where we have treated half a car with ceramic coating and left the other half bare. At the time of writing, we have not yet published the video of this, the reason being is that even we were surprised by the results. After just one month, the untreated side of the car had picked up stone chips and bug splatter which had scored and stained the paint, that would not come off. As each month goes by, the difference between the two halves of the car are even more stark. This has led us to keep putting off doing the video, but keep an eye on our video pages.
Is it worth it?
Many of the people who make the argument that a ceramic coating is no better than a wax are detailing enthusiasts. That has to be made clear, because they are arguing for a unique perspective.
It is true that having a ceramic coating will cost you many hundreds of pounds, and a bottle of wax is about £20, making wax much cheaper on the face of things, and begging the question, is the cost of ceramic coating worth the extra money?
When you have a professional ceramic coating, most of the cost is the preparation, all the detailing and polishing, hours of work. And then once the ceramic coating is applied and the finish sealed in, you are pretty much done. As we have shown, you can clean a car with a ceramic coating in less than 10 minutes, even if you do take the extra time to give it a buff up with your fluffy microfibre towel. Three years or five years later, when you come to sell the car it will be in excellent condition, meaning you will sell it more quickly and make more money. It is highly likely that you will make your money back on a ceramic coating at this point.
While a bottle of polish may only cost £20, what these detailing enthusiasts fail to factor in, is the cost of all the other equipment they use when they are detailing their car every week, and the dozens, if not hundreds of hours they spend working on their cars. It's a hobby for them, so they will spend at least a couple of hours a week cleaning their car. They would also argue that their cars will be in just as good condition when it is time to sell. We would probably dispute this, but even if true, they don't factor in the time and effort they put in to keep the car in that condition.
If you would rather spend your weekends watching football, going fishing, or doing anything other than detailing your car, then we think you would agree that ceramic coatings are worth the money.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 16/02/2023 15:13