Clarification about ceramic coatings ???

[wantboost]

So so they last 3 to 5 years?
Can u still get the glossy look like a three stage ?
I know u guys don t like touchless washes but will they hold up to them and winter months with salt on the road ??

[Hammer77]

1. I have read that some of the pro offerings will last 5 years, hopefully an authorized installer will chime in. I have Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Coating on mine since July 2016, still doing good, however it is coming off this spring. I have topped it with products such as Hydro Blue, GTechniq C2v3, and Ech2o as a QD. I feel I stretched it long enough.

2.The glossy look. I think that is based on personal opinion, I like both, for me I prefer the look of the coating. Really what makes the gloss is the finish polish step that really sets the mood. Coatings in my opinion have a nice candy look to them, and yes very glossy. Look into my albums here on AGO, 2016 photos are Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant topped with Fuzion, 2017 is all Wolfgang Coating.

3. I use touchless washes every winter here in Michigan, no problems or worries!

[Desertnate]

I don't know of any consumer grade coating claiming a durability beyond a couple years. Gtechniq CSL might claim 3+ years. I've had a coating on my vehicles for over a year now, and my plan is to remove it at 18 months are re-apply. I could probably go a little longer, but I feel it's time to give them both a good detailing and refresh everything.

Gloss is like Hammer77 stated. It's all in the eye of the beholder, and I'd bet each coating has a slightly different look.

Coatings do like to be kept clean. I touchless wash mine in the winter and I do notice the beading/sheeting drops off along the lower doors where they get covered in salt spray. However, once Spring rolls around and I start hand washing again, the beading soon returns to it's normal form which tells me the coating is still holding up.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Typically any coating is going to require some form of abrasive to remove them. To pinpoint that in years is going to be impossible.

Another thing people always forget with coatings is two things:

1.) Is this for a show-car or garage queen that is infrequently driven? >>>> If so, the coating will almost be certain to last for indeterminate amount of time.

2.) Is this a daily driver? >>>>> Longevity really doesn't come into play because my daily driver has been spot buffed so many times that 100% of the original coating no longer exists. As long as the car will take a daily assault of things that frequently need buffing/repairing, obviously you will re-apply a coating to that spot buffed area.

The longevity really comes into the horizontal panels (less apt to get hit with shopping carts, kids on bikes, etc...) and are more exposed to constant UV, thus less likely to get spot buffed and coatings re-applied. In that event, it's really not a question of how long the coating will last, it's a matter of when you will be doing your next annual sprucing (Clay, light polish, re-application).

3.) Yes, coatings offer a "candied" look.

As stated, there are many, many, many forum posts questioning longevity. The bottom line is, any and all coatings will require some form of "action" or "abrasives" to remove them. I'm sure on a molecular level they deteriorate over time (just as we humans do), but what that time span is, who knows....

Pro-Coatings with 5 to 10 year warranties require certified installers, which buy into radius protection (i.e. can install a particular product within an x-mile radius), and the company backs the coating against defects. With that you have to return to the said installer every x-times for their "sprucing" and they can be pricey.

Consumer products will offer near, like, same, kind of protection, and the question really is, where will your car be in 5-10 years anyway, which goes back to the items #1 & #2 above.

I would say, prep it yourself, do the coating. If you're going to keep the car for any length of time, get a full frontal of Expel or Suntek Ultra, and coat the rest of the car.