For this winter I plan to coat my car with a sealant for some immediate protection, but as the weather breaks I plan to have a professional detail shop ceramic coat the car. I spoke with a reputable shop in the area and they mentioned that they have options that will last between 4-5 years. I did mention to them that this was a daily driver that would be parked outside, but washed at least once a week.
I did some research and it seems like there are varied opinions on how long ceramic coating actually lasts. Many believe it will not last over a year. If it will only last a year or so I don't believe the cost is justified, but if i can get 4-5 years out of the coating than I think it is worth doing.
Can anyone comment on there experiences with this?
You'll never know for sure how durability will really turn out until you actually try it in your climate and your situation. Some things can be estimated by finding others experiences in similar conditions and usage but that's still just an educated guess.
We have 2 cars with considerably different usage patterns; both protected with same set of products and getting the same maintenance.
Car 1 was at 3 years and coating performance was probably 85% 'like new' when I removed and redid it. Likely easily coulda gone another 2 years barring any changes to usage patterns. About 17k miles at time of redo.
Car 2 wass at 2 years and was recently redone as coating had reached it's functional endpoint with regards to hydrophobic/self cleaning performance. About 43k miles at time of redo.
Car 1 is about 5500 miles a year, no freeway, sits outside from April thru November but only really driven daily November thru April, short trips, no freeway.
For 1st 2 years it sat outside 24/7, 365 days a year. We live on a wooded lot so it would spend weeks in Spring and Fall covered in debris from Maple, Oak, Cottonwood and all manner of other trees, mixed with frequent rain, snow and frost.
Car 2 is year round daily driver, generally always garaged, 20k miles a year, 95% freeway.
All are in NE Ohio.
Same protection, varying usage far different likely outcomes. Freeway use, especially during winter, is very, very hard on a vehicles finish. Merely sitting static outside as Car 1 has done most of its life seemed to have relatively little detrimental effect on coating.
However, I once had an exchange with a coating user in Arizona who pretty much observed the exact opposite; cars that sat stationary in Arizona had coatings that degraded quicker than cars that were frequently driven...effects of the nuclear sun in AZ, I'd guess. Last time I was in AZ I couldn't believe how toasted the hoods, roofs and trunks of cars were.
Point being, no claims listed on a box can even begin to adequately predict longevity.
It's the ultimate YMMV scenario.
