Why Is Ceramic Coating So Expensive For Cars

The best type of protective coating for cars is ceramic coating. However, Clear Bra and wax are the most common coatings used by car owners. The reason is, ceramic coating is very expensive, not everyone can afford it. Why is ceramic coating so expensive?

Ceramic coating takes a lot of prepping, paint restoration, and skill to apply. A bottle of ceramic coating costs way more than other sealants. Labour, product price, and demand are the main reasons why ceramic coating is so expensive for cars. 

Because the ceramic coating is so expensive, most car owners think that they are being played by professional detailers. Although the price can be unreasonable, most of the time, the labor alone justifies the high price.

Expertise

First of all, you can’t argue that professional car detailing is the same as DIY detailing. Applying ceramic coating, and detailing, in general, take a lot of skill. The more experience you have, the better the coating will look.

Due to the high price of ceramic coating, many car owners try to apply it by themselves. Here’s where you can see why professionals charge that much for ceramic coatings.

DIY ceramic coating very often results in mistakes. When car owners apply the ceramic coating by themselves, they don’t do it properly. Even if they follow a guide and do everything right, their polishing skills are subpar.

That’s why they end up with streaks and high spots on their ceramic coating. More so, they apply the coating with contaminants and sealants trapped under it.

When professionals apply the ceramic coating, it looks flawless. There are no contaminants, no streaks, no high spots. The pores of the paint are squeaky clean, and the coating sticks to the paint without any issues.

So, you can see why professionals charge so much for ceramic coating. It takes a lot of work and expertise, something that DIY detailers don’t have.

[What is Paint Protection Film]

Prepping

Another thing that adds to the price is all the prepping ceramic coating requires. Any sealants and protective coatings require prepping. However, ceramic coating is a physical layer that sticks to the paint’s pore.

So, the ceramic coating requires a surface that has no sealants and no contaminants. To achieve that car detailers wash the car, clay bar it, and polish it with an electric buffer, on top of that, they use a surface cleanser, and a surface prepper.

You can do this all on your own, sure. Most car owners do not have the tools needed for prepping though. You will need a pressure washer and an electric buffer. Not only that but plenty of car cleaning and detailing product.

The tools and the products cost a lot as well. This only increases the price of professional car detailing.

[Pros and Cons of Paint Protection Film]

Paint Restoration

Clients that decide on a ceramic coating for their cars usually have some damage to the paint. Applying ceramic coating requires a nice and even surface.

So, car detailers will have to restore the damaged paint for the job to be successful. This is even more labor which adds to the price significantly.

That’s why most people that buy brand new cars, look for ones that have a ceramic coating on them. Or, immediately take the car to be detailed.

[How To Prep For Ceramic Coating]

Quality

Ceramic coating is highly effective at protecting the paint from UV rays. Cars paint with a layer of ceramic coating will not start to fade because of oxidation and direct UV rays.

It also provides hydrophobic properties that are excellent at protecting against rain and dust. [Source]

This also reduces dirt accumulation in the car. So, washing the car takes less time and fewer products. It’s a kind of lubricant that makes the car easier to wash.

Ceramic coating also provides the option of combining with another type of protective coating. When paired with another sealant it can be excellent at protecting against road debris scratches, and minor scratches in general.

Other sealants fade easily, ceramic coating lasts much longer. All of this means that you will visit the car detailer less often, by a wide margin. If everyone had a ceramic coating, car detailers wouldn’t have that many frequent visitors. [Source]

To make for this, they add to the price. It’s something business that doo.

Benefits Of Ceramic Coating

• Protects the paint from deterioration. 
• Keeps contaminants from sticking to the paint’s pores. 
• Protects the car from rain and dirt. 
• Reduces dirt accumulation.
• Can be combined with wax and Clear Bra.
• The car’s paint looks good.
• The car is way easier to clean.

Can I Do Ceramic Coating Myself

All of this begs the question: If ceramic coating is so expensive, why don’t I do it myself? Well, yes, you can do ceramic coating yourself. DIY car detailing is very much an option.

If you have the required equipment for cleaning a car thoroughly and for polishing a car, you can do this by yourself. But that doesn’t mean that you should do it yourself. Car detailing takes skill and experience.

If you don’t know how to handle an electric buffer, and if you have never detailed a car, you shouldn’t do ceramic coating yourself.

You will end up with a bad finish. The coating will have streaks and high spots. Most likely, the coating will be uneven on some panels. Worst case scenario, you will stick contaminants to the pores of the paint.

So, you will have to remove the ceramic coating and reapply it. So, this will end up costing you more money.

Conclusion

To sum it up, ceramic coating is so expensive because it requires a professional car detailer and a lot of tools. Car detailing is a lot of labor. Most of the time, car detailers have to prep the car and do some paint restoration work. 

Car detailing is also long-lasting and protects the paint for a long time. So, the high-quality increases the price. 

Not everyone can add a ceramic coating to a car. Car detailers know this, so they can set an unreasonable price sometimes. Be aware of this, although the ceramic coating is expensive, you don’t have to pay for an overpriced service.

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