Ceramic coating - what happens when it starts wearing off in a few years?

[jaruss01]

Hey guys. May drop off the bronco on Monday to get ceramic coating to protect AMB paint. I’ve read that the 5 year lifespan could effectively be less than that. Maybe 3 years. But what happens when it reaches the end of its useful life? Does it start to look splotchy at all? I’ve also read that professionals could remove it using chemicals (without mechanically removing) before reapplying a new coat. Is that true? And how costly is that?

im on board with 1k for professional ceramic coating. But plan on owning very long term. I’m not sure if I’m now locking myself into this cycle of reapplying every 3/4/5 years that could be more.

so what happens at the end of its lifespan? Does it have spotty characteristics and your hand is forced to spend 1k to remove it and then you could decide if I want to reapply for another 1k (2k total)? Just throwing out rough numbers

Sponsored

 

[RagnarKon]

It is very much like waxing your car. The only real difference is ceramic coating is a lot more durable and usually lasts 1-3 years, whereas wax usually lasts 2-6 months.

If the old coating is damaged, there is water spots on the car, chips/scratches the coating, pollutants in the coat, etc... you basically have to bar/polish it out and re-coat it. If you are diligent about washing your car properly 2-3 times a month, and keeping it parked under shade or in a garage... then all that needs to be done is a good wash and they can start coating again.

I guess the most important thing is that ceramic coatings are not a substitute for routine, consistent vehicle maintenance. Those steps still need to be followed. It just fundamentally comes down to if you felt like waxing 3-4 times a year, or coating once a year.

---

Personally, I think ceramic coatings are absolutely fantastic, and I use a ceramic coating on my daily driver.

BUT, most of my vehicles are still getting the traditional paste wax treatment simply because it is cheaper, it is a lot more forgiving during application, and they aren't getting the abuse my daily driver is getting. Also helps that wax it is a lot cheaper.

 

[BroncoAZ]

I had my Raptor ceramic coated before I sold it. The shop offered an annual touch up service for $150 that I planned to use to freshen it up once a year. One big thing to extend the life of ceramic, don’t use wash mitts to wash or towels to dry the truck. Any abrasive things will wear the coating. I used a foam cannon to wash, electric leaf blower to remove most of the water, then a microfiber towel to get the drips.

 

[jaruss01]

Good to know. I purchased an EGO 650 blower right before delivery. So pretty touchless. Bronco won’t be garaged but will be parked in the shade although will see snow in NJ. Which is more of the appeal of ceramic. Plus I could spend more time on my Sunday drives than sitting their continuously waxing it.

 

[JonD79]

When the coating is close to end of life. You will not see anything with the naked eye. You will just see after washing it’s beading and sheeting properties will die off and it will act like a car with no protection on the paint.

 

[JonD79]

Ceramic coatings are not that hard to apply.
I tell everyone if youn can do it yourself. It just takes time and elbow grease for the prep work.
You would want to clay and decontaminate the paint when you start. If its brand new it wont take much. Polishing is NOT needed and if you are ok with how the paint condition is you can skip polishing. Make sure when you wash it younuse something that is like a coating prep wash that leaves zero residue. After that I wipe down my paint with a mix of 3 parts original windex and 1 part pure acetone you can get at target.
Once that is done the paint is surgical clean. You just need to make sure its 100% dry with zero drips

The easiest coating to apply is Optimum gloss coat. I have used it on a few of my cars.
https://www.autoality.com/store/pc/Optimum-Gloss-Coat-10cc-New-Ceramic-Formula-407p8537.htm

My current Tacoma has Gtechniq CSL topped with Gtehniq Exo v4. They dont apply as easy but are still very easy. The one thing I liked about optimum is zero VOC so you did not need to have to worry about having fresh air to clear the fumes.

I have been an advanced enthusiasts detailer for the past 15 years. So if you have any questions I can probably answer it.

Sponsored