FAQs

What exactly is ceramic coating?

Ceramic coating is a semi-permanent coating of clear liquid SiO2 (silicon dioxide). It is applied by hand and bonds molecularly with the clear coat or gel coat on your vehicle, boat, or RV. This bond creates an extremely hard, slick, wet-look, deep glossy shine that provides protection against oxidation, fading, UV damage, discoloration/yellowing, corrosion, and it creates an extremely hydrophobic surface.

What are the benefits of ceramic coating?

With proper preparation and application, professional ceramic coating will not only enhance the paint or gel coat on your vehicle, boat, or RV, but it provides protection from the elements and contaminants and will provide maximum longevity of the life of the paint or gel coat.

How is your ceramic coating different from wax or a coating I can buy at a local auto parts store and do myself?

Waxes and sealants are temporary and start to break down at 95 degrees fahrenheit. That’s why they need to be reapplied every month or so, which becomes time consuming and costly. Professional ceramic coating with proper preparation and application yields excellent results. Products, paint corrections, coating application, and environment all play a huge role in the success of a ceramic coating application. Paint and gel coat corrections are critical in achieving optimum results. Ceramic coating application is very tricky, it flashes differently in sunlight and heat, which means that it performs best in a controlled environment. Our 6,000 square foot indoor facility allows us to prep and ceramic coat your vehicle, boat, or RV away from the sun, wind, dust, and other environmental factors which can compromise the ceramic coating. Our knowledge, experience, and professionalism allow us to give our customers top quality results at competitive pricing.

Why are paint or gel coat corrections so important?

We In order to get that ultra-glossy mirror finish, paint or gel coat corrections are absolutely mandatory. Even if a vehicle is brand new, it will have tiny scratches or swirls that need to be corrected. When vehicles arrive at the dealership, they are washed and dried. We might add, *quickly* washed and dried. Dealership car washers don’t use high quality products and they use the same towels over and over and over again. This causes scratches and swirls even on brand new cars. Some new cars only require single-stage paint corrections. Most used cars have endured the wear-and-tear of daily life, dust and dirt, car washes, and people/objects brushing up against the car. Most used vehicles (over 2 years old) require at least 2-stage paint correction. These corrections reduce most, if not all, of the scratches and swirls. For vehicles with deeper scratches in the clear coat, we also offer wet-sanding/color-sanding options, which also revives oxidation and dullness. It is critical that we correct the paint or gel coat before applying the ceramic coating for two reasons: First, to achieve optimal shine before coating. And second, whatever scratches are under the coating get “sealed in.”

How long does ceramic coating last?

Ceramic coatings vary greatly from brand to brand, and the longevity of the coating depends on how the vehicle is prepped and how the coating is applied. We use all premium products, from start to finish. We use Rupes (Italian made) compounds and pads, and System X (American made) ceramic coatings. We offer several different levels of protection, ranging from 2-3 years, to 8 years, and even 10+ years. System X Warranties all of their products and we stand by their warranty and by our work 100%.

A few things can affect the lifetime of your ceramic coating. First, NO drive-thru car washes! The bristles or foam pads that rub against your vehicle also rub against every other vehicle, collecting dirt and transferring it (and rubbing it) on your vehicle. This scratches the heck out of your vehicle! Hand washes are best (with silica-infused wash and a professional who is familiar with washing ceramic coated vehicles.) Second, NO buffing or waxing! Although the ceramic coating bonds molecularly with your clear coat or gel coat, it can be buffed off with a buffer. And waxes will build up, then break down and oxidize, which will compromise the ceramic coating. Third, NO hard water! If you wash your vehicle, boat, RV yourself we highly recommend that you use filtered water or get a spotless water system that you can hook up to your hose. The tap water throughout Southern California is loaded with minerals that will leave residue on your ceramic coating. Hard water deposits can be extremely hard to remove without buffing and removing the ceramic coating.

How do I wash my ceramic coated vehicle, boat, or RV?

There are 3 options for washing… Drive-thru, Hire A Guy, or DIY. Let’s break it down by method, and remember that no matter which method, it’s always best to wash the vehicle, boat, or RV out of direct sunlight and dry immediately using recommended products and materials!

1. 1. Drive-thru: Not the best option, but if you find yourself in a pinch – Remember, NO BRUSHES or FOAM STRIPS! Touchless only! Keep some new tagless microfiber towels in your vehicle for drying. At the touchless drive-thru car wash select the wash that does NOT have any “wax” or “sealers” included. Those will build up and are not good for the ceramic coating. Once you drive-thru the touchless wash and through the dryer, pull out and park out of direct sunlight. Get out and finish drying the vehicle with the clean microfiber towels. Finish with silica-infused spray.
   2. Hire A Guy: Great option if you don’t want to get your hands wet! Make sure that the car wash guy is familiar with washing ceramic coated vehicles, and that he uses spotless (or deionized) water, a pressure washer, a foam cannon, and silica-infused wash and finishing spray (we recommend our brand or Chemical Guys HydroSUDS and HydroSPEED. Nothing else!) And for drying make sure he uses an air cannon/compressed air and clean tagless microfiber cloths. If your exterior windows have been ceramic coated, do not use any ammonia-based cleaners on them. A damp microfiber cloth or silica spray will work nicely on ceramic coated windows.
   3. DIY: For the Do It Yourselfer! There are 2 ways to DIY… The 2-Bucket Method or the Pressure Washer & Foam Cannon Method. 
   4. Bucket Method: You will need 2 – 5 gallon buckets, bucket grate or grit guard insert, clean fleece or microfiber washing mitt or pad, silica-infused wash and finishing spray, clean tagless microfiber cloths. Fill both buckets with (preferably filtered or deionized) water. Place the grit guard insert at the bottom of one of the buckets. Add 1/2 ounce to 1 ounce (or more for a boat or RV) of the silica-infused wash to the bucket without the grate insert. Rinse vehicle thoroughly. Dunk mitt into the soapy water, then run it over the vehicle, boat, or RV’s surface to remove contaminants from the surface. Then you take the mitt and dunk it into the water-only bucket and rub the mitt against the grit guard insert to remove as much of the contaminants as possible. Work in smaller sections at a time, rinsing often. Once all surface contaminants are removed, rinse well. To dry, you can use an air cannon, air compressor, or electric leaf blower to remove the majority of the remaining water. Use clean tagless microfiber cloths to finish drying. Finish with silica-infused spray and wipe with a microfiber towel.
   5. Pressure Washer & Foam Cannon Method: You will need a pressure washer (no more than 3,000psi), a foam cannon (any decent one will work), and we highly recommend using filtered water or a spotless water system (we can make recommendations on brands/models). You will also need silica-infused wash and finishing spray, clean tagless microfiber cloths, and an air cannon, air compressor, or electric leaf blower. Connect garden hose to spotless water system, then spotless water system to pressure washer, then connect pressure washer to foam cannon. Add 1/2 ounce of the silica-infused wash to the foam cannon. Completely rinse the entire vehicle, boat, or RV. Soap the entire vehicle, boat, or RV with the foam cannon and let the soap suds work their magic for about 5 minutes. Rinse. If contaminated areas remain, soap it again with the foam cannon, wait 5 more minutes, then rinse again. If stubborn contaminants remain, use a clean fleece or microfiber washing mitt or pad, wet and gently run it over the dirty area. Once all surface contaminants are removed, rinse well. To dry, you can use an air cannon, air compressor, or electric leaf blower to remove the majority of the remaining water. Use clean tagless microfiber cloths to finish drying. Finish with silica-infused spray and wipe with a microfiber towel.