Prep is where coatings are won or lost
A ceramic coating is a very thin layer. It's great to have, but it is not body armor and it does not hide what is underneath it. If somebody coats over water spots, grime, or swirl marks, now you have protected water spots, grime, and swirl marks.
Just getting a car ready for coating can take four to six hours even when we're not doing correction. Once polishing and full paint correction get involved, the whole job can turn into ten or eleven hours. That's why two coating quotes that sound the same can be completely different jobs.
We see bad coating jobs come through the shop
We recently had a gray Tesla come in that had been sold a nine year coating somewhere else. It had been less than a year and the owner could already tell something was wrong. There were water spots etched into the glass that had simply been coated over, and some panels looked like they had barely been prepped at all.
We stripped it back, corrected what we could, and did it again. The owner was excited enough when he picked it up that he made us a video. That's the difference prep makes. It is not as exciting to talk about as a big year claim, but it is the truth.
What we will promise
I'll promise that we'll prep the paint correctly for the job you bought. I'll tell you what product we're using and how to take care of it. What I won't promise is an exact number of years, because I don't know how many freeway miles you drive, whether you live on a gravel road, where the car sleeps, or how it gets washed.
Our current package starts at $395 for most sedans. It includes the decontamination wash, panel prep, a quick one-step polish, and an entry ceramic coating. If the paint needs more correction or you choose a different coating, the price goes up because the work and product cost go up.
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Questions we hear about Ceramic Coating
How many years will it last?
There isn't one honest answer for every car. The product has an expected range, but driving, storage, weather, washing, and maintenance all affect it. We would rather explain that than hand you a big number.
Does it stop scratches?
No. It can help with cleaning, gloss, water behavior, and environmental protection. It is still a very thin layer and the paint can still be scratched.
Do I still have to wash a coated car?
Yes. It should be easier to keep clean, but it still needs to be washed. We can help you with maintenance if you don't want to handle that yourself.