All About Ceramic Coating in Cars
Ceramic coating in cars can make life much easier without having to compromise time on maintaining car aesthetics. Apart from the sparkle shine, it will make it easier to clean your car as dust and water do not stay intact on the coating. Let’s delve a bit into how ceramic coating works and find out if its benefits are worth the effort.
Understanding Ceramic Coating
Ceramic coating is also referred to as hydrophobic coating, which is applied over the car body to give a clear semi-permanent coat. However, its application is not just limited to the car body, you can also coat other parts and surface like side and rear glasses.
The ceramic coating is made from a combination of solvents and additives with polymeric resin as a key ingredient. The resin is usually a silicon based polymer that is inherently non-toxic, optically clear and offers protection against ultraviolet radiations.
Resin on its own does not have adhesive properties to stick to car paint or metal. However, with the addition of additives like silane, silicon polymer goes under crosslinking to form a protective layer. On the other hand, silane also creates covalent bonds with the paint surface to increase coating adhesion.
Apart from automotive, this opens up application in other industries as well including marine and architecture, where protection against structural deterioration is often a primary concern.
Application of Ceramic Coating
Ceramic coatings for cars are available in a variety of packages from DIY ceramic coating car products to professional kits.
Precautions to Take Before Ceramic Coating Application
Although ceramic coating is not considered hazardous to health, it is still recommended to wear a face mask to avoid inhaling strong scented fumes.
Before the application of ceramic coating, ensure the car surface is clean. If the coating is applied on a dirty surface, it will result in irregular hardened coating instead of a smooth glossy look. Ideally the car should be washed thoroughly to remove dust, oil or any contaminants from the surface.
How to Apply Ceramic Coating
Normally a car ceramic coating kit will consist of coating fluid, silica spray, applicator cloth and a foam block. The coating needs to be applied in small sections as the excess coat must be removed within 30 seconds. The flash point of coating may vary for each brand, hence, look out for flashing effect when the surface begins to look oil slick.
Remove the excess coating with microfiber cloth, a car cleaning tip you should follow in all cases. Leaving excess coating for long will lead to darker areas known as high spots. The sooner you detect the high spots, the easier it is to remove them.
For instance, if you notice a high spot right after coating, use a towel or damp cloth to wipe off the excess coat. If it’s a couple of hours, you may need to reapply the coat, let it set and wipe off the excess. The problem arises if the excess coat is left for days. You can either polish it off to reduce the impact or in the worst case scenario, machine polish or recoat the whole panel.
Ceramic Coating Curing Time
Once the ceramic coating has hardened, avoid washing your car until it is completely cured. It usually takes one to two weeks to completely cure the coating. Although it is dry to touch, the silica catalyst remains active for days and can slowly react with water or humidity to distort the surface outlook.
Benefits of Ceramic Coating
For a coating that requires some dedication and focus to perform correctly, its benefits are worth the effort:
- Protect against UV damage
Ceramic coatings can prevent fading of car paint due to sun rays and reduce the rate of oxidation, one of the major causes of car paint damage.
- Protect against chemical damage
The coating layer makes car more resistant to chemical strains as it prevents direct contact of contaminants with paint surface
- Hydrophobic coating
One of the prime advantage is ease of cleaning as the water repels off and slides off the surface easily
- Glossy outlook
The coating enhances car reflective properties resulting in glossy and shiny outlook
Limitations of Ceramic Coating
There are various benefits of ceramic coating on cars but it has some limitations. It reduces maintenance needs but does not make your car invulnerable. Let’s take a look at some of the limitations:
- Risk of scratches
Although ceramic coatings are scratch resistant, it is still vulnerable to rock chips and swirl marks for which car scratch repair will be required.
- Risk of water spots
While hydrophobic properties reduce water spotting, minerals trapped inside droplets left behind can still create opportunities for water spotting.
- Need for car wash
Ceramic coating reduces maintenance needs but does not eliminate it completely. Regular car wash is still advised with little effort without the need for waxing.
Cost of Ceramic Coating in Cars
Ceramic coating is not cheap as it requires significant work in preparation. Depending on the quality of car ceramic coating products and size of the vehicle, on average the expenses can range from AED 3000 to AED 5000 for a professional job.
Ceramic coating can protect paint damage and fading. However, the car paint can still get damaged from scratches. Washing car with microfiber clothes is recommended as strong bristles from automatic car wash can still damage the harden ceramic coat. Also, find ways to restore a fading car.
If paint damage is not the only problem with your car and the maintenance and repair cost is exceeding your budget, it is time to buy another vehicle. Have a look at this wide collection of used cars for sale in the UAE to get a good deal.
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