So in this article I want to address the elephant in the room so to speak, Is ceramic coating and car paint protection a scam? Like everything there are two sides to the story so the answer is no but in some cases yes. Some of us in the industry remember the 80’s and before where products were sold mostly by car dealers offering claims such as life time warranty and other bold claims of keeping you car scratch free for life. These claims left new car owners feeling cheated when the coating didnt live up to the promises made and thus was the birth of the sceptics and bad vibes towards paint protection in general.

Ceramic coating although invented in the 60’s for aerospace industry wasnt really popular in the detailing industry until 2010 and has been evolving its silicon dioxide SiO2 base into its many variants. So is there still any validity in it being a scam? Yes and here’s why…. It comes down to marketing and greed in the end. So, i will start with the most common place for the yes vote, car dealers.. Picture this, you buy your new car from a dealer who is delivering multiple cars a day and have employed detailers. To ceramic coat a car takes many hours to do properly, there is just no way a dealer employed detailer has the resources to deliver each car to a high standard. This again leaving customers feeling deceived.

The next port of call is the rest of us, the professional coating installers right down to the 16 year olds trying to do applications on weekends and all the side hustlers in between. This industry is interesting and as a consumer your probably not aware that behind most installers is marketing company creating meta and google ads. At Infinity Auto Protection, we have had a few with varying degrees of success. Some of these companies operate also in the American market and like to offer bold claims, click bait, catch cries. They also try to hook with pain points and varying degrees of un truths. This might be ok in America but here its just not legal. Their systems are designed to sell at all costs, push the customer into making a decision they may not be ready for. We are told we need to do p.o.v advertising and postion as the expert by quite often talking down competition and chest beating. Unfortunately, in todays society, this works in many cases and has led to an explosion of marketing companies who “specialise” in detailing without actually knowing anything about it. It has also fostered into some detailing companies transitioning into coaches making a whole new level of claims for gullible small business owners. In some cases it may work but in many it wont.

Where does this leave you as a consumer? Id imagine with your head spinning listening to 1000 “experts” and being bombarded with meta ads the second after you first talked about or searched “ceramic coating”. At Infinity Auto Protection, we are not claiming to be the all knowing expert but rather an honest voice through all the noise. In writing this, i realise that I may be seriously limiting our customer base but I must stay true to my belief that honesty and integrity must be the most important factors in life and business.

There is a lot of noise as previously stated and we like to think most installers are doing a comparable job and not intentionally trying to a substandard job. In closing, I think rather than getting stuck in noise, super long term warranties with more holes than the titanic and chest beating. The most important consideration is trust and after sales contact. Some basic truths as we see it.

1/ All cermaic coating should be applied after a paint correction in varying degrees and if not the bonding process just cannot be the same. Its not just about removing scratches its about preparing the surface correctly. If as a customer you could physically touch a freshly paint corrected surface vs just a clay bared surface it would be easier to explain or demonstrate.

2/ It will take many hours to complete but can be completed in 1 day.

3/ Installing at your house or in a mobile setting is completely acceptable providing some basic checks and balances are in place, such as adequate cover and weather factors.

4/ Warranties of 10 years and often above is just complete rubbish. 9h and 10h ceramics have only been developed since 2018 so how can they know it lasts 10 years plus? Tested in a lab is just not the same. Warranties in all their forms have disclaimers and requirements but common sense would say it really depends how the car is used and maintained. It is just a coating not a miracle cure.

So are ceramic coatings a scam? If applied correctly absolutely not. A coating applied correctly can and does make washing your car a breeze, protects from road grime, uv rays , water spots, bird poo and light abrasion due to the surface being far more slick, this also aides in maintaining resale value when compared to a non coated vehicle. Its important to remember though that all of this though is dependent on maintenance. For my last word on warranties as a consumer i think the most important factor is trust and ensuring your dealing with a professional installer and that you have personal contact with the company in case of issues that may arise. If you have any questions at all please feel free to reach out.