What is a Ceramic Coating?
A ceramic coating is essentially either liquid silica (glass) or quartz nano-particles blended with various active binders and carrier solvents/flash agents to form a nano-composite solution. When applied it will create a very thin layer of ceramic nano-rods (crystals) which look almost like fingers standing vertically on the paint or surface. This creates pockets of air which actively lift dirt, water, liquids up off the protected surface resulting in what we term a “hydrophobic coating”. Depending on the quality of the ceramic serum will mean it has less or more physical ceramic / SiO2 content within it. The higher the content the better the coating should perform and last.
A ceramic coating is what we term an in-organic coating meaning that there are no organic ingredients/compounds/cross-linkers used in the make-up & cross linking (binding) of the solution and it is because of this that a ceramic coating such as GTECHNIQ C1, Crystal Serum Light and Crystal Serum Ultra is so highly resistant to high/low temperatures, abrasion and also acids.
What does a Ceramic coating do?
In a nut shell, a ceramic coating is applied to a surface whether it be glass, paint or plastic to create an invisible barrier layer between the substrate surface and the atmosphere. Its sole purpose is to create a uniform permanent surface layer that will provide a long-term easy-clean surface that will keep your car looking newer for longer. Premium ceramic coatings are highly heat resistant meaning the coating layer will be stable between -40ºC and +250ºC. It will resist most chemical substances and help defend against bird-drop, bug acid and also tree sap. A ceramic coating creates an extremely slick surface so when washed by hand the wash mitt will glide over the surface thus greatly reducing the chances of wash marring and swirling, an uncoated surface would grip and suck the mitt onto the surface increasing the risk of swirling and scratches.
What do the ‘H’ hardness levels mean? and why does it matter?
Coating hardness are measured upon a solidified amount of coating graded on the Mohs graphite pencil scale. On average the lacquer coat on cars is around 3-4H Hardness. Most DIY / Prosumer coatings are around 3-5-7H hardness meaning that some coatings at the lower end of the H-scale will not provide much if any marring/swirl resilience to an existing OEM clear-coat. However, we have access to the Professional-only 10H coatings.
Essentially the harder the coating the tougher it is. It will endure far more wash cycles than a lesser H-scale coating meaning far less wash marring and swirling. It will stand up to acid/alkaline solutions better, including bird drop and tree sap.
Can a ceramic coating layer be measured by paint depth gauges?
No, despite the fact we have seen from our own eyes other detailers/detailing companies professing that they have measured/recorded a difference between a surface uncoated and coated. Ceramic solutions/serums are all manufactured using Nano-technology, the resultant layer is a billionth of a micron thickness hence why it cannot be physically measured. A standard carnauba wax coat is not a nano layer, it is much thicker than a ceramic coating but that can also not be measured as it is still far too thin for a paint gauge.
Will a coating defend against scratches or even stone chips?
No, unfortunately the coating is far too thin and inflexible to defend against any levels of scratches/scuffs and stone chips. It will however reduce wash marring and swirls.
The only protection against scratches and stone chips is in the form of PPF – Paint Protection Film, which we can also provide.
Will I have to wash my car if its ceramic coated?
Yes, absolutely. Regular safe-washing will maintain the coating and its ability to repel dirt and grime. If left dirt and debris will build up on the surface and hinder the coatings performance. Regular washing (every week to 2 week intervals) will keep your coatings peak physical performance. A regular wash process should include: 1) Pressure wash to remove any debris from the car body. 2) Snow Foam the vehicle – to loosen any stubborn debris from the paintwork. 3) Pressure wash to rinse off the snow foam and loosened dirt 4) Hand wash with a decent wash mitt i.e. GTECHNIQ WM7 5) Pressure wash to rinse off the wash soap 6) Dry with a forced-air blower, a microfibre cloth or microfibre drying towel.
Why choose a ceramic coat over a normal carnauba/synthetic wax/hybrid-wax coat?
When we started out in 2008/2009 as Swissvax Approved Detailers, it was regarded almost world-wide as the highest accolade a professional detailer could achieve and we are still proud of our roots. In those days very little was known about detailing as it was a storm focussed mainly in the United States. It was only just creeping into the UK and then later into Europe.
Back then every customer wanted a premium carnauba wax coating and would have it re-applied usually every 5-6 months, but as long as every 8-9 months if coated with Crystal Rock – then the highest carnauba content wax on the market.
GTECHNIQ came about in around 2008/09 with C1 Crystal Lacquer and very little was known then about ceramic nanotech coatings and they were very mysterious and weird science. We experimented with it and were immediately impressed with its hydrophobic qualities and its longevity. It took some years however for news to reach the consumer market and initial uptake was slow. However in recent years Ceramic is requested by 99.9% of our customers as people have become educated and are aware of all the benefits the technology has over waxes.
Unfortunately a wax is not very long-lasting (upto 6 months if used every day in UK conditions). It also has a low melting point so in direct spring/summer/autumn sun on a hot day the coating will diminish due to heat and UV degradation. Due to its organic structure it is also not very chemical resistant so a quick trip to a hand car wash can remove entirely the coating layer and in the same stroke it is not resilient to abrasion so marring and swirling will occur quicker than on a ceramic coated car.
Wax is fine for say a pampered classic car that is housed in a garage and is used infrequently, but in the main, coating technology has moved on significantly in the past 5-10 years.
