Ceramic coating in Los Angeles
A hard, clear layer bonded to the paint, applied in your garage. Water beads on it and runs off, and dirt lets go at the next wash.
1 dayTwo days when the paint needs correcting first.
A ceramic coating goes on as a liquid and sets into a hard, clear layer over the clear coat. The paint turns slick, so a wash takes less rubbing. It goes on after correction, because it seals in whatever is underneath.
When a coating makes sense
- A new or nearly new car you mean to keep, before it picks up its first wash marks
- Paint we have just corrected, so it is easier to keep that way
- Dark paint that shows fine wash marks in the sun
- A car parked on the street, where sprinkler spots land overnight and street trees drop sap in spring
A coating doesn't stop sprinkler water or sap landing on the car. It makes both easier to wash off before they bake into the clear coat.
The order of the work
- The free inspection at your home. The report says whether the paint needs correcting before it is coated.
- We wash the car, then lift iron dust and tar with an iron remover and clay.
- Correction, where your report calls for it. A coating locks in whatever is on the paint the day it goes on.
- A panel wipe takes the polishing oils off, so the coating bonds to bare clear coat.
- We apply the coating a panel at a time and level it before it sets, then check each panel under the light for uneven patches.
About 30 minutes at your car. You keep the report.
Before we price anything, we look at the paint where the car lives, in your garage or driveway. We bring the lights and the gauge, and the inspection is free.
What we look at
Every panel under a low, bright LED light that shows the swirls a garage bulb hides. We measure the paint on each panel, so we know how much there is to polish, and mark chips and old repairs on the map.
What you keep
The report, filled in at your car, with a fixed price for the work you choose. It is yours whether or not you book.
at your car
| No. | Panel | Paint depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Front bumper | ||
| 2 | Hood | ||
| 3 | Left front fender | ||
| 4 | Right front fender | ||
| 5 | Left front door | ||
| 6 | Right front door | ||
| 7 | Roof | ||
| 8 | Left rear door | ||
| 9 | Right rear door | ||
| 10 | Left quarter | ||
| 11 | Right quarter | ||
| 12 | Trunk | ||
| 13 | Rear bumper | ||
| 6 to 13: the other doors, roof, quarter panels, trunk and rear bumper | |||
What sets the cost of a ceramic coating
- How much paint there is to coat
- Whether the paint needs correcting first, and whether that is a 1-step or a 2-step
- The coating we recommend for how the car is kept: in a garage, under a carport or on the street
The price on your report is the price. If the work turns up something the inspection couldn't see, it goes on the report as a separate line with its own price, and it is done only if you approve it.
What a coating doesn't do
A coating makes paint easier to wash and slows fine marks. It won't stop a stone chip. Film does that.
It doesn't fill scratches either. Anything in the paint on the day stays there under the coating, so the inspection and any correction come first.
The first week after coating
Keep the car dry and under cover for 24 hours, and don't wash it for 7 days. You get a care sheet with those dates and the wash rules, and your report, updated with the after reading on every panel we worked.
Asked about ceramic coating
How many years does a coating last?
It depends on the coating and on how the car lives. Full sun and brush car washes wear any coating faster than a garage and a hand wash. The expected years for the coating we recommend go on your report.
How do I wash a coated car?
Wait 7 days. After that, use a pH-neutral car soap and a soft mitt, and skip car washes with brushes. Your care sheet has the dates.
Is a coating the same as wax or sealant?
No. Wax and a hand-applied sealant sit on top of the paint and wear off with washing. A coating bonds to the clear coat and wears far more slowly.
Does a new car need correcting before it is coated?
Often a little, from transport and the dealer's wash. If the paint is clean, the report says so, and we coat it as it is.
If our work shows a fault, we come back and fix it.
Coating
If a patch of coating dries uneven or streaks within 30 days, we come back and correct it free.
Seen one? Call (310) 857-2520 and we book the visit.
See what your paint needs before you spend anything.
The inspection is free and takes about 30 minutes at your home. You keep the written report and the fixed price whether or not you book the work.
Inspections by appointment. Same-day replies Monday through Saturday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.