Five-year paint protection, applied on site in one day
Ceramic coating, done in your garage
A ceramic coating is a thin, hard, glass-like layer that bonds to your clear coat. Water beads and rolls off, dirt has less to grip, and a wash takes ten minutes instead of an hour. We polish the paint first, so what gets sealed in is the best your paint can look.
$899 sedan$1,049 SUV$1,149 truck
What it does, and what it does not
It does
- Make water bead up and roll off, taking dirt with it
- Keep road salt, bird droppings and tree sap from etching the clear coat as fast
- Keep the gloss from the polish for years instead of weeks
- Make washing quicker, and winter salt easier to rinse off
It does not
- Stop rock chips or door dings. That is paint protection film.
- Mean you never wash the car. It means washing is easier.
- Survive automatic brush washes. Touchless or hand washes only.
- Fix deep scratches. If a fingernail catches, it needs a body shop.
Where the coating sits
Car paint is a stack of thin layers. Swirl marks and water spots live in the clear coat on top, which is why we polish before we coat. The coating itself is far thinner than a human hair, so it does not change the colour. It changes how water behaves.
Without a coating, water lies flat, spreads out and dries into mineral rings. On a coated panel it pulls into tight beads that roll off when you drive.
No coating: water spreads flat
Coated: water stands up in beads
Wax, sealant or ceramic
All three add gloss and make water bead. The difference is how long they last on a Wisconsin car that sees salt every winter.
| Feature | Carnauba wax | Spray sealant | Ceramic coating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lasts about | 4 to 6 weeks | 3 months | Up to 5 years with the right washing |
| Stands up to road salt | Barely | One winter at most | Yes, rinse it off often |
| Paint polished first | No | No | Yes, one-step machine polish |
| With Gloss Lab | We do not use wax | Included in every Exterior Gloss | From $899 |
Coating day, start to finish
It is a full day, so the car has to be in a garage or under cover from about 8 am until the next morning. You can leave as soon as we start.
- 8 am
Wash and decontaminate
Foam, hand wash, iron remover and clay bar until the paint feels like glass.
- 10 am
Polish, panel by panel
Masking tape on trim, then a machine polish checked under a handheld light.
- 2 pm
Panel wipe and coat
An alcohol wipe strips polish oils so the coating bonds. Then the coating goes on one panel at a time and is levelled by hand.
- 4 pm
Wheels and glass
Wheel faces get coated, the windshield and side glass get the rain coating.
- Overnight
Cure
The car stays dry and under cover until the morning. You can drive it the next day.
- 2 weeks
Free maintenance wash
We come back, wash it the right way and check every panel. Then you know how to keep it like that.
Keeping it like new
- No soap for the first two weeks. Rinsing with plain water is fine.
- Hand wash or touchless car wash, never brushes.
- In winter, rinse the salt off every week or two, even in the cold.
- Bird droppings and sap: wipe them off within a day or two.
- A maintenance Exterior Gloss once or twice a year keeps the beading strong.
Ceramic coating questions
Can you coat a car in winter?
Yes, if it is inside an attached garage that stays above about 50°F for the day. A space heater is fine. We will ask about it when we confirm.
My car is brand new. Does it need polishing?
Usually a light one. New cars pick up swirls at the dealer wash and on the transport truck. We check every panel with a light first and tell you what we see.
Is it worth it on an older car?
If the paint is solid and you plan to keep the car three years or more, yes. If the clear coat is peeling, no coating will help. We will tell you before we start.
What does the 5 years depend on?
Washing it the right way and not running it through brush washes. Five years is what the coating is rated for when it is looked after. A neglected coating wears faster.
See your coating price
Sedan $899, SUV $1,049, truck $1,149. Add-ons and condition in the builder. Pay on the day.
