Ceramic coatings offer a range of benefits, many of which we’ve covered in other guides.
However, another point that a lot of car owners wonder about is the effectiveness of a ceramic coating in preventing paint oxidation and surface fading over time.
Well, right off the bat, it does. It’s a little more complicated than that when you dive into the specifics, though.
How a Ceramic Coating Protects Against Fading
Fading is one of the bigger issues because it’s something that affects practically every car owner at some point. Ceramic coating is very effective in preventing scratches, but what about fading?
Fading is caused primarily by light dulling the color and shine of the paint. This is like when you leave a plastic item out in the yard for a long time, and the next time you look at it, it just simply doesn’t look as shiny and new as it once did, even though it doesn’t look damaged.
That’s a pretty big deal when you’re talking about a car worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Scratches can also cause the appearance of fading. In hot, dry climates, sand damage often causes micro-scratches that accumulate over time, gradually diminishing the paint’s shine. It’s a lot like having a highly polished wedding band that dulls after a year or so. This isn’t usually what people consider fading, but if you have a very glossy car, it will look similar.
A ceramic coating helps with both of those.
Ceramic coating is extremely heat and UV-resistant. While a car can easily fade in a couple of years with bare paint, it can look brand-new for years if you keep it coated. The UV rays simply can’t penetrate the coating to any worthwhile extent, and the coating isn’t damaged by the UV light, either.
A ceramic coating also provides light protection from micro scratches. So, the glossy look won’t fade over time. Instead, the coating will absorb that damage. Plus, the coating adds a glossier look than the car’s natural finish.
How a Ceramic Coating Protects Against Oxidation
Oxidation is very similar to fading, but it’s a major issue on a molecular level. Oxidation happens when the paint breaks down at the molecular level and starts to fall apart. It will change colors, peel, and generally look much worse in the long term compared to simple fading. However, oxidation can lead to fading, as well. As the paint oxidizes, the pigment breaks down.
Oxidation occurs as paint is exposed to the elements. UV light helps, but water and various chemicals all help oxidize your paint.
A professional paint protection service is your best defense against oxidation, but ceramic coating also helps by forming a durable, protective barrier against the elements.
It blocks UV light from breaking down the paint, but it also seals the paint against water, chemicals, and debris that all contribute to oxidation.
How Long Do Ceramic Coatings Protect Against Oxidation and Fading?
When professionally applied and properly maintained, ceramic coating can last quite long. While many coatings are rated for two to five years, exceptionally well-kept finishes have stretched beyond a decade, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
With fading specifically, your ceramic coating will protect the paint for the coating’s entire lifetime. The exception to this is if you allow small bare areas to form. Those areas will become faded. Also, if you don’t maintain the coating’s surface, more UV light will get through as the coating ages, and some fading can set in.
With oxidation, you really can’t afford to have the coating compromised. Elements can get in through holes created by scratches or impacts, and the coating can become contaminated and slowly work down to the paint.
This is expected when you get your coating, and you’ll be informed that you have to get the coating maintained regularly.
Professionally, this typically means that you’ll have to take the car in, they’ll remove the top layer of the coating to get rid of contaminants, scratches, and similar things, and then they’ll apply a booster. A booster is essentially a thin coating of new ceramic material.
This is done semi-regularly. It’s optimal to have the coating inspected every six months to a year to see if it’s necessary. Whether or not it is necessary largely depends on your driving habits, the elements to which the coating was exposed, and how well you cleaned the coating since getting it. Don’t worry. A booster is much cheaper than the initial coating process. So, you’re not constantly dumping money into it.
DIY ceramic coating boosters are widely available, but we don’t recommend applying them yourself. For the best results and long-term protection, it’s a task best left to an experienced car detailer. You can sand too far down and ruin the bulk of the coating, improperly apply the booster, or any number of other things.
Either way, keeping that coating maintained will ensure that it provides peak UV protection and stays sealed against the elements. So, it will keep protecting your paint job properly.
Why are Ceramic Coatings Important in Carlsbad?
Ceramic coatings are all but essential for Carlsbad’s drivers.
We’re on the coast. We get lots of sunlight, and that means that cars are constantly exposed to more UV light than they would be in a place like Wisconsin. It’s not uncommon for a brand-new car to fade in a year here in Carlsbad if it’s bare and left in the sun.
There’s also the more contaminated air due to our proximity to the ocean. Along the coasts, saltwater makes a humid day much worse for a car than a rainy day in the Midwest. That salt can speed up oxidation a lot, and may even cause salt corrosion. That’s not counting unexpected chemical exposure from cars on the road and other issues.
If you want your car to look great for years in Carlsbad, you need a ceramic coating.
Get the Best Ceramic Coating from Finetactic Detailing
The benefits of ceramic coating in preventing paint oxidation are especially important for Carlsbad drivers, where unrelenting sun and salty coastal air can quickly wear down a car’s finish.
As we’ve covered, ceramic coatings help protect against both fading and oxidation by forming a durable barrier against UV rays, moisture, chemicals, and fine scratches.
At Finetactic Detailing, we provide expert ceramic coating applications, mobile detailing, and complete paint correction services tailored to the challenges of our local climate.
Call us at (760)6916483 or send us an email to schedule your appointment and keep your car looking its best for years to come!