Do I need the full ceramic package?
Quick answer: Not always. How long you are keeping the car and how you use it both matter. If you want long-term protection across paint, wheels, glass and interior, the full ceramic package usually works out better value than bolting on extras later.
You probably do not need the full package -- depending on what the full package actually is. There is a wide range of coating products available to protect nearly every area of the car, and different companies bundle them differently or offer them as extras. You very likely do not need all of them on top of the coating for your paintwork.
The ceramic coating
A basic ceramic coating can be applied to paintwork, plastic and glass. Just because it can be, does not mean it will be -- so make sure you know what you are getting.
When we sell a ceramic coating we coat exterior plastic and lights as standard. We do not coat windows and wheels as standard: we use special coatings for wheels, and not everyone wants their windows coated. Most customers want their wheels done, and there are options.
We usually run offers that include wheels at no extra cost, but you can see how comparing one company's package to another quickly gets complicated.
Helios Shield
This is a coating we provide that is thicker and more flexible than a standard coating. Applied to the nose of the car, it adds protection against small chips from stones and bugs. Other companies offer similar products, and we highly recommend it -- particularly for cars that cover a lot of motorway miles.
Wheel coatings
We have recommended wheel coatings for over twenty years, long before ceramic coatings existed. Brake dust is very hard to clean off wheels, and any coating that stops it sticking makes cleaning far easier. A standard ceramic will help, and there are special ceramic coatings made to withstand the high temperatures from hot brake dust. Some go on once, others need reapplying. There is also the question of whether you want the whole wheel done or just the face. Worth a conversation about options -- but a wheel coating is something we definitely recommend.
Some companies that specialise in high-end cars coat wheel callipers as standard. On cars where the callipers are a bright, visible feature, that is worth doing. On most cars you cannot see them, you are not going to clean them, and there is little point in the added expense of jacking the car up and removing the wheels to coat them.
Not ceramic
The coatings that follow, while often offered by companies that specialise in ceramic coatings, usually are not ceramic. They may share the brand name of the ceramic coating but they are not ceramic coatings themselves -- so they are not particularly special or different from coatings that have been around for years. There are exceptions; some products do contain ceramic, but we cannot vouch for how effective that is in practice.
Some people get the impression their whole car is being coated in ceramic. It is not.
Leather coating
Worn or snagged leather is expensive to repair, and it can stain from things like hair gel or the dye from blue jeans. If you have a leather interior -- especially a light-coloured one -- a leather coating is worth having. If you do not have leather, you probably do not need it.
Upholstery protector
Upholstery protectors add a hydrophobic layer to the seats. How useful is it? Honestly, not very: the water-beading effect wears off fairly quickly. It does help resist stains, which matters far more on light-coloured upholstery than on a black interior. Most modern car fabric is plastic-based and is not particularly prone to permanent staining -- it still gets dirty and still needs cleaning periodically. Very light seats can dry unevenly after a clean, and a protector helps there. It can also be useful if you carry animals or small children. If your interior has Microsuede, Suedette, fuzzy-leather or Alcantara there are specific products worth considering.
Interior plastic
This is the point where we give the real top tip: think about your last car. Everyone uses a car differently -- short journeys, motorway miles, heavy braking, muddy boots -- and cars develop problems specific to how they are used. If your last car picked up stone chips and black stains on the wheels, Helios Shield and a wheel coating make sense. So cast your mind back: did your last car have a specific problem that coating the interior plastics would have solved?
You can have it done if you want, but it is not something we even list on our price list. That said, if you happen to have a freshly restored vintage Triumph Stag with a new dashboard and walnut panels, there is every reason to protect it -- and yes, you could put a ceramic coating on it.
Cabriolet fabric protector
We absolutely recommend protecting the fabric on a cabriolet hood. On a brand-new car it will usually have a protector on it from the factory, so you probably do not need this. On a used car you almost certainly will, and we believe it to be very important.
Can you do better?
We think so. There are companies that specialise in coatings for fabric and leather whose own products often beat the spray-on protectors offered by ceramic coating brands. Renovo's products for cabriolet hoods are an example we have used and rate. For leather, dedicated leather-care brands generally outperform the leather protectors that ceramic-coating ranges sell as add-ons -- the specialists are formulating for the material, not bolting an accessory on to a coating product line.
What do you need?
If you are offered a good deal on a full package, take it. Otherwise, think about your last car, think about its problems, and pick what you actually need. You really do not need it all -- and there is usually money to be saved.