We hate to break it to you, but that “ceramic coating” sold as a finance-office add-on has a very high chance of being the same level of protection as the SiO₂ spray toppers you’ll find at a big-box store. Yes, they contain some ceramic properties—but they are not true ceramic coatings.

More importantly, there’s virtually no chance the paint was prepped correctly before it was applied. Unless you waited in the office for 7 hours while they applied it.

A professionally applied, true ceramic coating takes 5–8 hours, minimum. The process includes:

• Proper wash

• Full chemical decontamination (iron removal and stripping oils, grease, and films)

• Complete drying

• Paint correction (even brand-new cars have swirls and marring)

• Careful coating application in small sections to allow proper flashing and curing

Skipping these steps means defects are sealed in—and durability is compromised from day one.

The other issue is who applies it. Dealership “detailers” are often underpaid, high-turnover employees working for speed, not precision. While there are exceptions, they are exactly that—exceptions.

A true ceramic coating isn’t about the word ceramic.

It’s about prep, patience, and proper application.

Absolutely! Every vehicle benefits from receiving a ceramic coating, especially new ones because it protects your vehicle from the start. Another benefit is that it usaully costs less due to the minimal paint correction needed.

While we advise against taking your vehicle through automatic car washes in general, if you absolutely have to, then the touchless versions are your best bet.

The drive-through washes with brushes do create scratches, swirls, and marring.

The touchless ones use strong, high-pH soaps. This alone will not strip the coating with one wash, but these washes are usually required to conserve water by recapturing and recycling the used water. The quality of the water being used will only be as good as the filtration design and the maintenance on the system. And then there are all of the unknowns — grease, oils, and other contaminants (possibly physical) from the hundreds of vehicles that have gone before you — being jetted at your vehicle.

Your coating will self-strip itself out of protest.

All joking aside, your coating will remain intact for many years depending on the condition and age, but its life will more than likely be diminished, or seem to be diminished, as coatings get “clogged” from contaminants (iron, hydrocarbon fallout, hard water, etc.) and need to be maintained by a professional detailer.

You will forfeit our warranty on the coating, though.

No. But it should reassure the potential buyer that the vehicle was well-maintained if there are other supporting documentation to support the ceramic coating reporting.

We can, but we won’t. We fix the paint first (included in every package) so the coating looks mirror-perfect, not like it’s magnifying every flaw.

Because wheels get absolutely punished by 700 °F brake dust and iron fallout. We use Jade Graphene (the toughest stuff made) and it lasts 2–4 years easy, but we’re not gonna lie and promise “lifetime” on something that gets that abused.