Ceramic coatings on cars are a growing trend among car owners, and it’s not without benefits.
It makes cars shiny, easy to clean, corrosion-resistant, and protects against harmful UV rays, chemical stains, bird droppings, and more.
Furthermore, it lasts longer than car wax and gives your car an even smoother finish.
With these many benefits, ceramic coating cars look enticing; however, it isn’t without disadvantages.
One would think that a ceramic coat is perfect; however, it’s not.
Sure, they’re great, but you shouldn’t rely too much on them; there’s more to them than you think.
Find out why you should rethink applying a ceramic coat to your car.
Disadvantages Of Ceramic Coating
A ceramic coating is a protective, hydrophobic barrier between your paint and the elements.
This will prevent debris, dirt, UV rays, and rain from damaging the car’s painting.
In addition, it makes your car scratch-resistant to an extent and easy to wash.
However, is ceramic coating all that great without downsides? Better think again.
In total, the disadvantages of ceramic coating include the following:
Ceramic coating isn’t without downsides, and the earlier you know about them, the better for you, as it can help you decide if you should get it for your car.
You can weigh the following disadvantages with the advantages to help you decide:
Potential Scratches
Nano-ceramic coating isn’t as scratch-resistant as claimed.
Of course, ceramic coating protects against scratches but not completely because rocks and other items can scratch it.
The worst part is that it may be difficult to fix the blemish.
For example, someone running a sharp object over your car will affect it.
This shows that most protective layers can hardly protect against scratches, ceramic coating, wax, or other sealants.
Knowing this will save you from beating yourself up from scratches that appear on your car.
Susceptible To Water Spots
Water spots can be frustrating, and coating your car with ceramic isn’t stopping that from happening.
However, the good side to this is that ceramic coats can make it easy to remove them from your car.
Furthermore, you must take preventive measures to stop water spots on your car.
For example, if the water in your location is hard, you should avoid washing your car under sunlight.
You should also use water-softening products to mitigate the effects of the water on your car and clean it with a microfiber cloth.
Needs Professional Installation
Ceramic coating is a bit more complicated than painting and waxing that you can DIY.
Therefore, you may need to speak to a professional for help, which you’ll have to pay for.
If you decide to ceramic coat your car, ensure you go to a reliable detailer shop for a quality finish.
Of course you can also try to apply a ceramic coating yourself, but this is very difficult to do right.
As you will read later on, applying a ceramic coating is not easy and needs a lot of preparation. This is why I recommend you to go and see a professional if you think a ceramic coating is the right fit for your car.
Can Be Expensive
Ceramic coating is expensive, whether you want to DIY or hire a professional.
The manufacturing process involved in creating quality ceramic coatings is long and complicated.
Therefore, the major material you need will be expensive.
Your bill increases if you hire a professional for the application.
The cost is why some people don’t have ceramic coatings on their cars, but if it’s something you can handle, you should go for it.
Needs Maintenance
You need to maintain the coating on your car.
It’s not a once-in-a-lifetime application. This involves washing your car more often than you would without the coating.
Then, you must wax your car.
It’s worse if you live in a place with harsh weather; you’ll need to double on that.
In addition, you will need to reapply the coat more often because the weather won’t be nice to it.
The Paint Job Must Be Perfect
You can’t apply ceramic coatings on an oddly painted car or a car with imperfect or faded paint.
This is because all these imperfections will be sealed under the coating.
Therefore, you must fix the scratches, dents, and paint. This adds to the expense and stress of ceramic-coating your car.
Difficult To Remove
Cars look shiny after a ceramic coating application.
However, removing it might be difficult if the excitement washes over and you decide to get a change, or you notice a fault in the application.
Removing it is time-consuming and difficult; you may just give up on it if you DIY.
You can take it to an auto shop to avoid the stress of removal or just paint it over.
Not Suitable For Everyone
Anyone can get a ceramic coating for their cars.
However, some people may be more disadvantaged than others due to location.
If you live in a location with harsh conditions, you may not enjoy the full benefits of ceramic-coating your car.
In addition, if you don’t have a garage to park your car, it will be exposed to harsh elements, and the coating will need more maintenance than normal.
Applying wax or a sealant on the car may be the best option if you’re in this situation.
Difficult Application
Unless you’re a professional or DIY pro, you may experience difficulties applying a ceramic coating to your car.
You may even get undesirable results in the end, and it’s hard to remove.
However, if you’re sure, you must clean the car surfaces and fix the scratches before applying.
Moreover, you should apply it in a well-ventilated area to prevent bubbling that can make the application imperfect.
Not Permanent
While ceramic coatings are great, they are not permanent.
Over time, the hydrophobic elements and gloss will fade; therefore, you will need to reapply the coating.
You have to prepare for reapplication every few years, depending on how long it lasts.
Will Ceramic Coating Hurt My Car?
Nano-ceramic coating is a safe way to protect your car paint.
It is a liquid polymer that is applied by hand or machine to the exterior of a vehicle, forming a chemical bond with the paint.
The coating creates an additional layer of protection against environmental contaminants such as dirt, dust, and UV rays.
This protective layer can help keep your car looking newer for longer.
Correctly applied ceramic coating won’t hurt your car’s paint and it won’t damage the underlying surface either.
In fact, it will actually help protect it from scratches and other damage caused by everyday wear and tear.
The only risk when it comes to applying a ceramic coating is the extensive preparation that is necessary before applying a ceramic coating.
If you are looking for a great and long-lasting paint protection, it is mandatory to decontaminate and polish the car’s paint beforehand.
If not done properly, polishing can damage car paint. The ceramic coating itself is harmless, though.
Can You Remove A Ceramic Coating For Cars?
Generally it is possible to remove a ceramic coating, but it is not an easy task.
Removing a ceramic coating requires the use of a polishing machine and abrasive polishing compound to break the chemical bond between the paint protection and the surface.
The polishing process will remove the ceramic coating, but it is time consuming and requires multiple passes with different polishing compounds.
It is important to use caution when removing a ceramic coating as too much pressure or using an abrasive that is too aggressive can cause damage to the underlying paintwork.
Additionally, it is important to ensure that all residue from the polishing process is thoroughly removed before applying a new ceramic coating or any other paint protection like car wax.
Conclusion
You have to weigh the pros and cons of ceramic coatings before deciding whether to get them.
If the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, then you should get it.
In addition, if you’re unsure about your prowess in applying it, you should let the pros handle it to prevent imperfections.
Key Takeaways:
References:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AutoDetailing/comments/6lm6h0/ceramic_coating_pros_and_cons/
https://www.reddit.com/r/AutoDetailing/comments/af00ki/any_downside_to_ceramic_coating/
https://shinycarproject.com/full-list-of-all-ceramic-coating-benefits/
https://workshopinsider.com/ceramic-coating/
https://discover.hubpages.com/autos/Disadvantages-Of-Ceramic-Coating
