# Ceramic coating vs wax?



## mattc2002 (May 11, 2011)

For my own car, I enjoy washing/claying/polishing/waxing it but I'm tempted to get it ceramic coated.

For all you pros out there, what are the advantages of ceramic coating - or any disadvantages over traditional waxing?

I know its costlier but is it much longer lasting and will it provide more protection over swirls and light scratches and whats the upkeep like?

My car is black btw and only done under 5k miles so bodywork is in pretty decent condition already and would get it done by a pro.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Advantages: 
Durability 1-3 years. 
Improved swirl resistance (only slightly)
You can wash it with harsher chemicals if needed.

Disadvantages:
Prone to water spotting more easily than waxes/sealants.
More expensive.
Not maintenance free like someone are marketing.


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## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

If you enjoy the polishing and coating as I also do, no point in the ceramic. I got into detailing after buying a new car which is my garage queen and getting it done. I now love doing it all myself on my wifes new car and my daily so I kinda regret getting my garage queen coated in Gtec Black Serum.
The benefits of ceramic over wax are marginal with the exception of longevity which is the real bonus of the ceramic. Protection / beading is the same as fresh coated wax IMO


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## mattc2002 (May 11, 2011)

RS3 said:


> If you enjoy the polishing and coating as I also do, no point in the ceramic. I got into detailing after buying a new car which is my garage queen and getting it done. I now love doing it all myself on my wifes new car and my daily so I kinda regret getting my garage queen coated in Gtec Black Serum.
> The benefits of ceramic over wax are marginal with the exception of longevity which is the real bonus of the ceramic. Protection / beading is the same as fresh coated wax IMO


Thanks and yes, I would miss doing things myself so may well stick to wax but getting my wheels and calipers ceramic coated as they are not easy to clean.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

From a professionals perspective, and this is assuming you have a good wash technique and appropriate equipment

Pros- 
Car stays cleaner longer
Car is easier to clean
Car will stay looking better for WAY longer
If it stays dirty for long periods, the coating will not be effected underneath.
The coating will have a level of swirl resistance which helps with a black car.
Time investment is not required on quarterly tidy ups
Save a lot of money on needless products

Cons- 
They are often miss sold as "scratch resistant", which is false
They don't allow you to drive like you are knight rider (often implied)
If you enjoy waxing, or use it as an excuse for time away from family or loved ones, you have just lost that.
They can suffer from water spotting if you aren't careful 
Boring to maintain except for beading perhaps


The reality is its a trade, and a fair one. You pay up front for a service, but save long term on less purchases. You invest less time throughout the year, but it still isn't a quick careless process like "manufacturers" will sometimes suggest. There is less to fix through out the life of the coating, but you kind of cant fix it yourself anymore with glazes and hand polishes without damaging the coating 

Coatings offer a LOT of upsides but are so often miss sold as something they aren't. So pick your installer carefully. If you feel like you have been slimed when he is explaining stuff to you, walk away lol


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## TonyHill (Jul 28, 2015)

My own personal opinion is that if you have little spare time to look after your car, then a coating is probably the way to go. But if you have time and enjoy the polishing and waxing process, especially as there are countless waxes to keep choosing from, then choose this option :thumb:


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## BarryAllen (Feb 3, 2017)

Not buying the "you no longer wax and lose that time to yourself" argument

Get the coating on for the job it's intended to do and wax as well..... there aren't going to be many that know it doesn't need to be done. And it extends your coating life !


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

BarryAllen said:


> Not buying the "you no longer wax and lose that time to yourself" argument
> 
> Get the coating on for the job it's intended to do and wax as well..... there aren't going to be many that know it doesn't need to be done. And it extends your coating life !


Wax will struggle to bond and you'll lose the better qualities of the ceramic coating so imo a massive waste of time for both the coating (if applied) and waste of wax.

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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

as above have you tried it before applying a wax to a ceramic coating?

correct use of products on a coating is crucial it needs to be maintained to see the properties it was intended for.

water spotting is a pain i have found out already

good thing ref ceramic is decon stages can be done with no affect on the coatingso you dont have to start again


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## v_r_s (Nov 4, 2018)

How long does the ceramic last? Does it have to eve proffesionals removed after a year or so when it's degraded. I have heard it's applied ends up like glass. But then you can't use a wax until it's been proffesionals removed or re applied?


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## MBRuss (Apr 29, 2011)

The main issue for me is the condition of the paint. If I had a brand new car with immaculate paint then I'd be inclined to go for a ceramic.

However, if you have swirled up paint then there's no point in getting it coated. Much better to apply a wax to the whole car, then just strip it off a panel and polish that panel, then re-apply until you've done the whole car.

I'll let you know if I ever get around a whole car. 

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## matty.13 (May 3, 2011)

I struggled myself with what to apply to my weekend car. In the end I decided to go half way with tac systems moonlight. I have had it on all winter and it’s been great I applied in October 2018 and will remove it with a nice finishing polish in April, after 7 months it will nearly have eroded away. I can then use a nice show wax and glaze for the summer months. Seemed like the best compromise for me.
My girlfriends Mini Cooper on the other hand will have a one coating applied this spring, something that will last 12-18 months durability. I just don’t have the time to detail this car as much. The same will apply when I get my new company daily next year.
If you enjoy detailing and trying new products then a full blown ceramic coating is very restrictive as you the lose the ability to use abrasive products.
Ceramics have their place in the market the same as waxes, on is not better than the other. It’s all down to what works for you and it may take you a while to figure that out.
Luckily for us the detailing market is full of different thing to try and more importantly have some fun with.


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

I made the switch to ceramic coat about 3-4 years ago, I've now just sold the car and it still looked show condition and I've done nothing else to it in that time. It's helped reduce the build up of stone chips I had about 7-9 when I coated it, and ended up with around 15 when sold, but my mileage when up from 6,000 to 12-14,000 a year in the last year and a half of the car. Proper wash technique meant I had no swirls in my paint. 

I love waxing cars and still do for others, but I can safely say I wouldn't go back to wax for my daily, ceramic coat offers so much protection it just makes sense for me, and for the length of protection it works out about the same price. Maybe more so for me as I applied my own ceramic coating ( Gtechniq ).


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## mattc2002 (May 11, 2011)

Well, my thread backfired and I'm even more on the fence on having it done now! :lol:

Seems to be great positives but the potential water spotting (on a black car) is the main kicker now.


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

mattc2002 said:


> Well, my thread backfired and I'm even more on the fence on having it done now! :lol:
> 
> Seems to be great positives but the potential water spotting (on a black car) is the main kicker now.


Generally maintenance sprays for the brand of ceramic coat you just take away water spotting, currently I use Gyeon wetcoat or Gtechniq C2v3 I had red and never had issues. Just dry it and you'll have no problems, it'll only really be a problem in summer when the car can dry very quickly.


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## washingitagain (Sep 11, 2018)

beatty599 said:


> It's helped reduce the build up of stone chips


I was always under the impression ceramic coatings had no impact in reducing stone chips?


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## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

washingitagain said:


> I was always under the impression ceramic coatings had no impact in reducing stone chips?


My car is coated with Gtechniq Black Serum and the front of the car is peppered. Mind you, I tend to drive it like I stole it:thumb:


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

washingitagain said:


> I was always under the impression ceramic coatings had no impact in reducing stone chips?





RS3 said:


> My car is coated with Gtechniq Black Serum and the front of the car is peppered. Mind you, I tend to drive it like I stole it:thumb:


Strange when I was shopping for coatings Gtechniq claimed it offered stone chip resistance. I also tend to give the car an Italian Tune-up every now and then, but I always try to sit a good distance from the car in front. I'll try as see if they still have the claim on their website.


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## washingitagain (Sep 11, 2018)

Out of interest I looked on the gtechniq website and (thankfully) they give an honest, accurate answer on their FAQ:

"As a side note on this: ceramic or any other type of paint coating, no matter how much their marketing claims tell you otherwise, cannot offer any meaningful protection against stone chipping as in order to absorb the impact of a pebble travelling at triple digit speeds, you need to have a relatively thick and relatively soft membrane."


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

washingitagain said:


> Out of interest I looked on the gtechniq website and (thankfully) they give an honest, accurate answer on their FAQ:
> 
> "As a side note on this: ceramic or any other type of paint coating, no matter how much their marketing claims tell you otherwise, cannot offer any meaningful protection against stone chipping as in order to absorb the impact of a pebble travelling at triple digit speeds, you need to have a relatively thick and relatively soft membrane."


I had a look on their website again and found no evidence to my earlier claim, obviously there's many factors that could have changed to affect stone chipping on my car.

But I'm not making it up that they had previously had it on there website a few years ago, since then their coatings have had 3 revisions in formula as well. Realistically the only coating that helps prevents stone chips is the PPF kind, which I got quoted £850 there for a full front end self-healing ppf


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## washingitagain (Sep 11, 2018)

Yeah, I wondered about ppf when I got my new car then saw what it cost!!


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

washingitagain said:


> Yeah, I wondered about ppf when I got my new car then saw what it cost!!


I'm still considering it, but don't like the more orange peel look. Especially at the price you could get the bonnet and bumper resprayed for the same price!


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

washingitagain said:


> I was always under the impression ceramic coatings had no impact in reducing stone chips?


Ceramic coatings have zero effect on stone chips, no matter how hard some manufacturers want to let people believe it. If you want to minimise stone chips a paint protection film is the only way in a real world scenario


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

beatty599 said:


> I'm still considering it, but don't like the more orange peel look. Especially at the price you could get the bonnet and bumper resprayed for the same price!


Modern quality films have no extra peel to modern clear coat. Honestly, don't let that worry you, if you don't tell anyone you have had it on, no one will notice (I personally think thats the goal)


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

stangalang said:


> Modern quality films have no extra peel to modern clear coat. Honestly, don't let that worry you, if you don't tell anyone you have had it on, no one will notice (I personally think thats the goal)


I'll go down and have a look at their wraps just to see if there is, if there is no orange peel I'll be getting it done as it's the only thing putting me off


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

beatty599 said:


> I'll go down and have a look at their wraps just to see if there is, if there is no orange peel I'll be getting it done as it's the only thing putting me off


There is orange peel, please don't miss understand what I said above, but its no more severe than the car paint itself. This is assuming they are using a quality film like xpel. A front end will cost you about £1500 installed (bumper, bonnet, wings, mirror housings and maybe even a pillars) If its substantially less than that find out what film they are using it might be a cheap quality one)


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## mattc2002 (May 11, 2011)

Decided to go for the ceramic coating now and booked in for later in month.
Hope it comes out nice!


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## beatty599 (Sep 18, 2016)

stangalang said:


> There is orange peel, please don't miss understand what I said above, but its no more severe than the car paint itself. This is assuming they are using a quality film like xpel. A front end will cost you about £1500 installed (bumper, bonnet, wings, mirror housings and maybe even a pillars) If its substantially less than that find out what film they are using it might be a cheap quality one)


They use SunTek Self Healing an equally high quality brand 



mattc2002 said:


> Decided to go for the ceramic coating now and booked in for later in month.
> Hope it comes out nice!


Black is going to turn out lovely and very very wet, hopefully you get the good weather to fully enjoy it straight away!


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## MBRuss (Apr 29, 2011)

stangalang said:


> Ceramic coatings have zero effect on stone chips, no matter how hard some manufacturers want to let people believe it. If you want to minimise stone chips a paint protection film is the only way in a real world scenario


I had Suntek self healing PPF on a previous car of mine. Even that isn't bulletproof. A stone put a hole in it and when I jet washed it the day I sold the car, water got into the stone chip hole and blew it up like a water balloon.

So if thick, soft PPF can't stop all stone chips, then a very very thin, hard ceramic coating definitely won't. In fact, I'd be surprised if a ceramic coating stopped any chips.

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