Is paint coating and paint correction worth your money after buying a new car?
We often get asked these questions from people that buy new vehicles. The answer is, it depends on your expectations. If you want your paint perfect, and as glossy as possible and protected once it is - then my answer to both questions is yes. However, to some, perfection is not expected and just a clean car is enough. I would say, worry less about the paint correction but seriously consider a ceramic coating.
A ceramic coating will provide you with better protection than any sealant or wax while enhancing the gloss and keeping your car cleaner longer. Ceramic coatings (or nano coatings) work better for a few reasons. Sealants and waxes sit on top of the paint as a sacrificial layer that breaks down pretty quickly, is not chemical resistant and offers no additional strength to the paint. Nano coatings are different, as they are nano particles of either quartz (most) or ceramic (few). Through the use of carrier fluids, (fluids that work into the pores of the paint to 'carry' the nano sized particles), these nano particles are able to work into the pores of the clear coat and cross link with the paint. Thus, infusing quartz or ceramic into the paint increases the slickness of the paint, and improves resistance to chemical etching.
These traits are what you'd want with any protection on your paint, Best part is they last 1 - 7 years depending on the coating you select. So In summary, ceramic coating your new car is highly beneficial to your paint's protection, gloss and longevity.
However, we must be realistic of what our expectations are and how we care for our vehicle to make the decision if you should coat your new car. Coatings are not rock hard surfaces that prevent scratches, nor are they an impenetrable barrier on your paint, and they will not magically keep your car perfectly clean all the time. They require you to properly care for your vehicle, which many just don't have time for. Some like to run their car through the car wash and go about their day. If this is you, I'd say don't invest in a coating, spend your money on another part of the car you may enjoy more.
If you are the kind of person who will properly wash and regularly keep up with the maintenance of your vehicle's appearance and want it looking good; coatings will make this much easier for you. Proper hand washing your coated car will reward with a car that always looks clean, with extremely glossy and deep paint. If this is what you desire with your new car - coatings are an excellent option for you.
Why should you paint correct a new vehicle? Well, dealerships are not in the business of paint preservation. Dealerships wants to move the vehicle through the process quickly so the washing and care process is brutal on new paint.
How Is a Coating Different To A Sealant?
A true coating is going to offer a significantly thicker layer of protection on your car than a sealant or wax. But this thicker layer of protection is still microscopic. It will last significantly longer than a sealant or wax, but will degrade over time like any other form of protection. This degradation is accelerated with car care neglect. Although a good quality sealant offers some chemical resistance, this is another category where coatings really stand out. True ceramic coatings offer relatively superior level of chemical resistance. They create a relatively harder barrier, which contributes to your painted surface being easier to clean. That does not mean your car does not need to be regularly washed properly! The paint will water spot if you neglect your car. If you do the same things on your coated car that you have done before to get swirls, scratches, and water-spots than you will continue to accumulate the same defects on your paint. A ceramic coating rewards honest effort and affords us time to be human. Also an easier to clean car, due to debris not sticking, is the real meaning behind the term (commonly thrown around) ‘scratch resistance’.
Dealership claims which never live up to real world results.
Our experience working in a dealership helped me realise the lack of quality and results from the paint protection applied to sold cars. The gloss and water beads created from a well applied coating are impressive to some customers, but the longevity of this “lifetime” coating is vastly overrated. I saw customer cars coming back for a groom or service months later with it looking like the coating has been stripped away.
Yes any coating or protection needs to be properly maintained, but the coatings sold through most dealerships I learnt later to best be described as more of a wax.
These coatings were sold as lifetime coatings, help with beading, scratch resistant, chemical resistant and water spot resistant. The truth was it was only a short term layer of protection that was no more effective as a coating than your typical bottle of wax bought at your local automotive store.
Understand the coatings sold through dealerships
Not every business that sells cars has dishonest salespeople. There are many people in dealerships that communicate honestly and ethically with respect to their car care protection offerings. Some of the coatings you find sold only through dealerships tend not to be a ‘true’ ceramic coating and don’t last nearly as long as they claim, their high price tags don’t relate to the quality of the coating. For many of you reading this, there may be some value in the protection plan offered at your local dealership.There are also some dealerships that are hiring professional detailers or outsourcing new car prep to reputable businesses and empowering them to use high-quality products and perform detailing at a very high level.
Get an understanding of what products they are selling you and do some research and call around some professional detailers to understand what a fair price for coatings to be applied to your car are, and the claims and longevity of the coatings they are using.
What is a coating good for?
If you want a high level of long lasting protection for your new cars paint, ceramic coatings are the way to go. Their beading and gloss levels are unmatched among the market while the uv and chemical protection are what will help prolong your vehicles “new car” appearance. It will last for 5 years or longer with the right washing techniques, while creating amazing water beads which you will notice while its raining or while you are washing the car. The hydrophobic qualities help in the washing steps preventing dirt from sticking to the paint.
We recommend a coating for your car as its an extra layer to your paint that you won’t need to wax every few months, while frequent washes will help the glossy appearance of the paint remain for years.
If you bought a new car and are considering how you want to protect it or you are looking to perfect it, reach out to us. We can talk through all of the options to find what's best for you.
