How to Choose a Ceramic Coating?

You've done your research, you know what a Ceramic Coating is and you've decided that you want the convenience, the durability and the shine that Ceramic Coatings offer. I'm going to guide you on choosing the right coating for your vehicle.

The demand for Ceramic Coatings have exploded in the last couple years and a lot of different brands have been popping up on the market. We are consistently working to find the best Ceramic Coatings. Since 2007, we have been testing hundreds of different brands including popular ones such as Ceramic Pro, CQuartz, Opti-Coat, IGL and Feynlab. Even meeting the chemists and creators of these fantastic Ceramic Coatings to dig deeper and study the science behind it.

There are a lot of very good Ceramic Coatings in the market but we've chosen to carry just three brands (Modesta, Nanolex Gtechniq) that we think are the best and works well with Houston weather. This may seem a little biased, but the most important thing you can do when choosing a Ceramic Coating is finding the right installer. Similar to a good quality paint job by a body shop, it's not just about the quality of the paint that is important, but it's the skill level, experience and the execution of the job that's going to determine the end result.

Anyone can apply a Ceramic Coating. You can buy a consumer-grade coating on Amazon, watch a couple of YouTube videos and you'll have a coated car. But it might not look great and it might not last as long. Prepping the vehicle before you apply the Ceramic Coating is going to determine the quality of the results. In most cases, most of the time and money spent on a coating job, is the labor to prepare the paint for Ceramic Coating.

If you don't have the tools or the skill to do a proper Paint Correction before the Ceramic Coating, it's like putting lipstick on a pig or painting a dirty house. What's the point?

Newer cars can sometimes get away with very minimal Paint Correction, but if you want a deep wet gloss, you're going to have to do some Paint Correction or Polishing to remove marring, swirl marks or the scratches before it gets coated when choosing a Ceramic Coating.

All the Ceramic Coatings are going to protect your vehicle the same way. All Ceramic Coatings are durable, shiny and they are going to last a whole lot longer than any wax or sealant.

Ceramic Coatings vary on their thickness, slickness, durability, longevity and the gloss. There are only two types of Ceramic Coatings, you have Professional Grade Ceramic Coatings and then your Consumer Grade Ceramic Coatings. Pro Ceramic Coatings are thick, super-glue like, and often include multiple steps to cure it into a hard thick layer, these Ceramic Coatings provide the best durability and looks.

Consumer Grade Ceramic Coatings (Ceramic Pro, CQuartz, Gtechniq) can be bought online and are typically a single level application. They are much more forgiving to apply, but they don't cure as hard, so you really don't get a deep shine and durability associated with the Professional Grade Ceramic Coatings (Modesta, Nanolex, CQuartz Finest).

When you call into our shop, we're going to ask you a series of questions to determine what Ceramic Coating is going to be right for you. One of the first questions we ask is, “How long are you going to be keeping the car?”

If it's two years or less then you probably want to go with Consumer Grade Ceramic Coatings, unless you really want the durability and shine that Professional Grade Ceramic Coatings offer. If it's more than three years, it's worth considering a Professional Grade Ceramic Coating.

The second question we're going to ask is “What are your expectations for the appearance of the car?”

If you love your car and you walk away from it backwards, and you tend to stare at the shine when no one's watching, then a Professional Grade Ceramic Coating is probably what you want to go with.

If you just want any protection to save time and a little bit of money but don't obsess over the little stuff, then go with Consumer Grade Ceramic Coatings. If a Professional Grade Ceramic Coating is right for you then we have a few options.

If you love your car and you want the best protection money can buy, you will want to go with Modesta Private Label or Modesta BC-04. It is the thickest, most durable, longest-lasting Ceramic Coating that the market has to offer plus the candy-like gloss is simply incredible. With proper maintenance, Modesta Private Label or BC-04 can last for a very long time.

If you have a garage queen or a weekend driver, then Modesta BC-08 is for you. Modesta BC-08 has a very low water contact angle, meaning the water forms a nice tight bead and can barely stay on the vehicle. The entire Modesta line of Ceramic Coatings offer a very sharp, diamond-like gloss to it and it's the enthusiast’s Ceramic Coating of choice.

For the daily drivers that are going to see all the elements like the rain, salt and sun go, go with Nanolex Si3D HD. This Ceramic Coating has the ultimate in slickness, plus it's durability is backed by a great warranty program.

If you're on a budget or are only keeping the vehicle for a short while, we recommend going with an entry-level Ceramic Coating we offer, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light.

Nanolex Si3D HD and Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light are both great coatings that are going to last 12 to 24 months. The prices are very similar and our client enjoys them both, but I would recommend Nanolex Si3D HD or Modesta BC-08 as the good all-rounder if you want an extra bit of shine or durability.

These are just the coatings we use here at Vivë. Even if you don’t let us work on your car, there are plenty of really good shops in the Houston area. Do some research, find somebody with a good reputation and they are going to steer you in the right direction. It can be a lot cheaper paying for a good quality job, than fixing a bad quality job. Not to mention a waste of your time, effort and just the hassle of going back and forth.