Anyone else less than impressed with the scratch resistance offered by ceramic coatings?

I always enjoy these type of threads. The people on this forum are on the front line and cutting edge of vehicle detailing and we have to keep the records straight and call it like we see it. Manufacturers are out to make a profit so they may exaggerate their claims, but those who step over the line don’t stay in business for long. It’s up to us to test products and give honest reviews. Honesty makes manufacturers improve their products, that and competition.

Coatings are very good and are getting better every year, but nothing will ever be scratch proof. You can scratch a diamond.
 
rimccarty2000... I completely agree. That is what I am getting at by starting this thread topic. At first, I was unsure if it was just me or if there was a more wide-spread consensus as to the "scratch resistance" claims of coating manufacturers.

I still think (as do most of us) that ceramic coatings have much to offer the average consumer. It does frustrate though when their marketing claims cause the installer to have to "let the customer down" as they try and explain that its not quite what they thought.

I am kind of walking a thin line here. Like I said, today's ceramic coatings do seem to offer significantly more protection and enhancement to a vehicles appearance. Much more so than conventional waxes and/or sealants. So, they do deserve some credit for their technological developments.
I just wish they would resist the temptation to over-hype product performance in an effort to beat out the competition. There seems to be little regard for credibility when it comes to marketing. Get the buck...no matter what seems to be the overriding motive.
 
Sonic Pilot said:
Like I said, today's ceramic coatings do seem to offer significantly more protection and enhancement to a vehicles appearance. Much more so than conventional waxes and/or sealants.
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Significantly more? Can you be specific?

-Can’t hide swirls
-Can’t protect against them either

-At least a good sealant can do 1 of the 2.
 
Eldorado2k, The "significantly more" I was referring to was that ceramic coatings, when properly installed, can last for years as opposed to waxes and sealants which typically last a matter of weeks to a couple of months at best.

I agree they cant hide swirls, but they were never designed to nor have I seen any claims of their ability to hide any defects. That is why the paint correction process is so important prior to applying the coating.
Like I have previously said, I do think ceramic coatings offer many customers a certain value. I just think their ability to resist even light scratching/marring is very disappointing to detailers and customers alike.
 
I've never understood why coating manufacturers even bother with hardness claims and wondered how it came to be. When you apply a coating, the product that remains is extreamely thin and I can't imagine any product that thin being able to stand up to the forces which could scratches/swirls. For those reasons alone I've ignored the hardness claims completely when shopping for coatings.

I will say I really like coatings and will probably never go back to sealants. My vehicles need far less maintenance to keep them clean and looking nice. They do actually have fewer swirls over time than a comparably sealed vehicle, BUT I do not attribute that to any hardness of the coating. The coating simply makes grime easier to remove and my wash media glides over the surface much easier which leads to less potential opportunities for marring.
 
To be honest I was somewhat disappointed in scratch resistance. Happy with the shine, just doesn't seem to hold up any better than a good sealant. Especially with all the maintenance sprays, washes etc that are required.
 
mmhammer, interesting viewpoint regarding durability of shine in your experience. The more I read these responses, the more skeptical I am becoming with regard to ceramic coatings. At the moment, I am still convinced that they are the most durable when compared to other "conventional" paint protection (waxes/sealants).
I am increasingly surprised at the number of experienced detailing professionals and consumers who have posted their disappointments and concerns as well with the promise of ceramic coatings.
 
One thing that I will add on is that the coatings I have used and tested have all done pretty well with the typical wash induced marring. Also the better self cleaning effect and the ease of cleaning. Not to mention that I don't have to constantly worry about putting a layer of wax or sealant every few months which is a time saver for me.

mmhammer said:
Happy with the shine, just doesn't seem to hold up any better than a good sealant. Especially with all the maintenance sprays, washes etc that are required.
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I agree that some coatings are hit or miss. The ones that are a miss are not any better than a sealant. As far as the maintenance sprays, washes that you mentioned are recommended but not required. It is all personal preference. I am not a spray sealant user and don't really top the coating on personal cars unless it is for testing purposes. Why? Because they take away the base layers behavior and better water behavior.

Budget and I sure seem to have fun trading messages back and forth on the likes of coatings and what we experience with the same coatings.
 
The Guz said:
One thing that I will add on is that the coatings I have used and tested have all done pretty well with the typical wash induced marring. Also the better self cleaning effect and the ease of cleaning. Not to mention that I don't have to constantly worry about putting a layer of wax or sealant every few months which is a time saver for me.



I agree that some coatings are hit or miss. The ones that are a miss are not any better than a sealant. As far as the maintenance sprays, washes that you mentioned are recommended but not required. It is all personal preference. I am not a spray sealant user and don't really top the coating on personal cars unless it is for testing purposes. Why? Because they take away the base layers behavior and better water behavior.

Budget and I sure seem to have fun trading messages back and forth on the likes of coatings and what we experience with the same coatings.
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Always good to have someone else to compare notes/experiences with.
 
So my view and what I push most about coatings is the uv protection, I think that while we all might want the hydroponics and gloss and shine and all that magical jazz, for me it's mostly about the paint protection from the UV. I feel in the long term that does most of the damage to the paint so as long as it's there protecting from the sun's damage and for years instead of months it's worth it.

Now I know that surface contamination can cause damage as well but in most cases that's taken care of often enough to were the sun is something you generally can't avoid

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Cruzscarwash said:
So my view and what I push most about coatings is the uv protection, I think that while we all might want the hydroponics and gloss and shine and all that magical jazz, for me it's mostly about the paint protection from the UV. I feel in the long term that does most of the damage to the paint so as long as it's there protecting from the sun's damage and for years instead of months it's worth it.

Now I know that surface contamination can cause damage as well but in most cases that's taken care of often enough to were the sun is something you generally can't avoid

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
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I am with you on that. I think having a coating as a base protection and topping it off with a ceramic sealant used as a drying aid each time you wash will offer the best possible protection and be the easiest to do.
 
Ok I’m a bit curious about where you’re coming from...


Sonic Pilot said:
Like I said, today's ceramic coatings do seem to offer significantly more protection and enhancement to a vehicles appearance. Much more so than conventional waxes and/or sealants. So, they do deserve some credit for their technological developments.
Click to expand...

Right here you speak like someone who’s convinced based on experience.[because who would say that if they weren’t]

Sonic Pilot said:
The more I read these responses, the more skeptical I am becoming with regard to ceramic coatings. At the moment, I am still convinced that they are the most durable when compared to other "conventional" paint protection (waxes/sealants).
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But right hereit kinda sounds like someone who’s maybe looking to dive into coatings for the 1st time? Otherwise who cares what other people say or think? It’s your own experiences that matter, and if something works for you then who cares if it doesn’t work for others or even less what they think?

“Find what works for you and use it often”

But don’t hold yourself back simply based on what other people say or think...
 
Eldorado2k, upon seeing several cars that have been coated come in with many scratches and marring (almost as if they were never coated) I couldn't help wondering if what I was seeing was isolated or more widespread. So, I decided to come here to the detailing community and see what others were experiencing. That was the motivation behind my initial post and this thread.

After reading many responses, it was becoming clear to me that what I was seeing was pretty much in line with what others were also experiencing.

I do care what other people think about a certain products, especially those in the detailing business as well as consumers who have used the product. Just doing a little research to see what others were experiencing.
 
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