Length of ceramic coating

[newb001]

A couple of the professional detailers near me offer 1, 3, 5 or 10 year coatings. Do coatings these days (with proper care) really last up to 10 years, or is that likely a waste of money (to pay extra for a 10 year coating)?

Another one just offers either a 6 month or a '2 to 5' year (I assume depending on how well it's cared for).

I don't know what brand/type of coatings they offer.

I haven't been into detailing in a few years so I admit that I am not at all up-to-date on the latest products.

Thank you.

[Setec Astronomy]

I'm sure the coating is going to last for the amount of time specified if it's properly applied. The question is will it perform for that period? Coatings are kind of like paint, they get stuff stuck to them, they get marred, so periodically they need to be decontaminated, or even polished. A one year coating likely won't stand up to those processes, but a 10 year coating has a better chance.

I don't think anyone here thinks that a 10-year coating is still going to be performing like new even after a few years...but it all depends what your environment is.

[newb001]

Great, thank you. Can I get your thoughts on the following coatings? How well do they tend to hold up over 3-5 years?

1) Undrdog Pro

2) System X

3) G Techniq

Thank you.

[Setec Astronomy]

No idea.

[Desertnate]

I'm sure the coating is going to last for the amount of time specified if it's properly applied. The question is will it perform for that period? Coatings are kind of like paint, they get stuff stuck to them, they get marred, so periodically they need to be decontaminated, or even polished. A one year coating likely won't stand up to those processes, but a 10 year coating has a better chance.

In addition to performance over an extended period, they will not look as good as the years pass for the same reasons already given.

My general rule of thumb is I don't go more than 2~3 years on any coated vehicle before I polish it off and re-apply. Our vehicles are all daily drivers and they experience all sorts of environmental abouse and just general "life". The coatings I used typically still look pretty good after two years. However, at the three year point you can tell it's time to give them a good polish and correct the paint. The times I've gone three years, the cars looked substantially better after polishing. The difference was much more apparent than those I've cycled at the two year point.

Great, thank you. Can I get your thoughts on the following coatings? How well do they tend to hold up over 3-5 years?

1) Undrdog Pro

2) System X

3) G Techniq

Thank you.

I can't tell you anything about those coatings either. I've never heard of the first two and not used any G Techniq coatings.

I've used several coatings up to the three year point. Of those, CarPro's CQuartz UK holds up just fine if you take care of it. I had v2 on a car for 3.5 years and it was still performing really well (water beading/sheeting), though it didn't look all that great since it sat in a dorm parking lot. I've seen v3 go strong on a couple other cars up to the 3 year point as well.

Today my car wears Gyeon Pure EVO at 18 months and it seems to be still going strong. I'll polish it off in the spring at the two year point and re-apply.

[newb001]

Great, thanks so much everyone. Definitely seems I will not be opting for more than a 3 year coat at best, possibly even shorter.

Finally, do coatings, if not properly maintained, end up looking worse over time vs. a wax/regular sealant that isn't maintained?

[Willbeen]

After many years, I lost my enthusiasm for polishing and coating, mainly because I don't have the expertise or patience to do it right. In the spring of 2019, I purchased a new SUV for my wife. I is driven about 17-18k miles per year, in all four seasons. I didn't know much about ceramic coating at the time, and I had polished it in the spring and topped it with Wolfgang Si02 paint sealant (a hybrid ceramic coating good for 6+ months). In the late summer the White SUV got covered in tar spray...a whole bunch of black spots all over. I knew that the only proper way to clean it required a new polish and sealant...something that would have been needed anyway before winter, but that was the tipping point on losing my enthusiasm for doing it myself. Thus began my journey searching ceramic coating and installers.

I chose the installer based on reputation and reliability, rather than the product. He uses CeramicPro, a proprietary product that can only be installed by a professional. The offerings were similar to yours with 2, 5, or lifetime guarantees, all of which require an annual refreshment (and reasonable fee). I chose the two-year deal and faithfully adhere to the annual refreshments. I have yet to have it recoated and I am extremely happy with the results. I'm fussy maintaining it, and although I don't like regular automated washes in the winter, it does show some surface scratching due to the nature of the tunnel wash...but it's very minimal and not visible on a white vehicle except on close inspection. The annual refreshment (which is really a light polish) makes that all disappear.

In the fall of 2020, I purchased a used 2017 Audi for myself. It's black and I purchased the 5-year plan, which has 1 coating of 9H, and topped with Lite. Since it's black, I never take it through a regular car wash. I only take it to a touchless wash and usually followed by a rinseless wash in my garage. I also follow up with the annual maintenance.

I'm very happy with both cars and recommend it highly. I'm not convinced that the longer guaranteed options are any better...although I don't regret the more expensive option. I recommend the 1 or 2 year deal to see how you like it.

[newb001]

After many years, I lost my enthusiasm for polishing and coating, mainly because I don't have the expertise or patience to do it right. In the spring of 2019, I purchased a new SUV for my wife. I is driven about 17-18k miles per year, in all four seasons. I didn't know much about ceramic coating at the time, and I had polished it in the spring and topped it with Wolfgang Si02 paint sealant (a hybrid ceramic coating good for 6+ months). In the late summer the White SUV got covered in tar spray...a whole bunch of black spots all over. I knew that the only proper way to clean it required a new polish and sealant...something that would have been needed anyway before winter, but that was the tipping point on losing my enthusiasm for doing it myself. Thus began my journey searching ceramic coating and installers.

I chose the installer based on reputation and reliability, rather than the product. He uses CeramicPro, a proprietary product that can only be installed by a professional. The offerings were similar to yours with 2, 5, or lifetime guarantees, all of which require an annual refreshment (and reasonable fee). I chose the two-year deal and faithfully adhere to the annual refreshments. I have yet to have it recoated and I am extremely happy with the results. I'm fussy maintaining it, and although I don't like regular automated washes in the winter, it does show some surface scratching due to the nature of the tunnel wash...but it's very minimal and not visible on a white vehicle except on close inspection. The annual refreshment (which is really a light polish) makes that all disappear.

In the fall of 2020, I purchased a used 2017 Audi for myself. It's black and I purchased the 5-year plan, which has 1 coating of 9H, and topped with Lite. Since it's black, I never take it through a regular car wash. I only take it to a touchless wash and usually followed by a rinseless wash in my garage. I also follow up with the annual maintenance.

I'm very happy with both cars and recommend it highly. I'm not convinced that the longer guaranteed options are any better...although I don't regret the more expensive option. I recommend the 1 or 2 year deal to see how you like it.

Thanks so much for the detailed info, especially as it seems we're in similar situations (I used to try and do this myself, but just can't anymore). I just checked the cpro website and found someone not too far away with great reviews so I'll be reaching out to them.

[Optimus Grime]

Read the fine print on those 6+ year coatings. There’s a System X installer near me I spoke with just to get some intel on pricing in my area. All of their coatings are warrantied but are insanely overpriced. In addition to that, you have to come back for the yearly maintenance to keep the warranty intact. Here’s the catch. Every year they are going to apply a one year coating on top of your initial coating to get you to that 6+ year durability you paid for. You’re not truly getting a single coating that can last that long but a series of one year coatings. Over the life of the coating you will end up paying double the initial cost in maintenance visits and I’m sure System X is not the only company like that.

I personally install GTechniq and Gyeon coatings. I’d say that the average customer can expect about 60% of the life expectancy that is quoted before performance starts to drop off. If you are diligent with your maintenance routine you could potentially get something like Crystal Serum Light to last 4 to 5 years but most people just aren’t good at maintaining their coating. If you want a good coating I’d recommend someone that installs Mohs EVO. It’s a great all around coating and with decent maintenance you should be able to get 3 years out of it.

[Desertnate]

Finally, do coatings, if not properly maintained, end up looking worse over time vs. a wax/regular sealant that isn't maintained?

I think it would depend on how you define "neglect". If you define neglect as letting the car sit for months at a time and then run it thought a tunnel wash occasionally, any car will start to look bad because the automated car wash will swirl up the paint. If neglect means it just sits dirty for long periods of time, I think the coated car would all that different. Dirty is dirty, but I can say our cars don't seem to get dirty as quickly because pollen and dust don't seem to cling as much to a coated car and a good hard rain will knock dirt off a coated car better than one with a traditional sealant or wax.

I'll use my daughter's cars as my data point. Both are metallic gray and both sat in dorm parking lots in the midwestern US where they saw all four seasons. Both cars were only washed when they came home for a visit every 2~3 months. They knew better than to run them through an automated car wash. Both of those cars went 3+ years from when they were coated. When the cars got a good wash, they still looked pretty good. A sealant would have given up in the 6-month range and would have been re-applied so it isn't a good comparison.

After multiple years I've not thought a coated car looked bad, it just doesn't have the crisp shine of a new application and when you do polish it, there is a noticeable improvement to a keen eye. 95% of most normal vehicle owners would never notice the difference.