Ceramic Coating

Ceramic Coating information

Welcome to Reflections Ceramic and Detailing

Ceramic is a super slick, thin, flexible, permanent layer with previously unachievable gloss, slickness, and hydrophobic properties.

This top-of-the-line self-cleaning coating is slick to the touch and imparts a deep, wet gloss to paintwork. Ceramic's unparalleled paint protection against environmental factors will keep your paintwork looking better than new as long you own it.

Ceramic technology is more durable and environmentally resistant than ever before. Ceramic features a stronger, tougher shell up to four times thicker, 2x stronger, and 2x more durable than previous coatings. Ceramic increased strength makes it more resistant to harmful water spotting.

This highly advanced coating is still super slick and extremely glossy. Combined, Ceramic is perfect for trucks, Powersports, Rvs, aviation, fleet vehicles, and more!

A new coating will take about 4-7 days to cure to its full strength. During that time, some precautions should be taken.

Curing time is 2-3 days depending on environmental conditions such as humidity and temperature. Take special care during this time period. The coating will help prevent your clear coat from getting water spots as it is hydrophobic, however, it can still get hard water spots. Be especially diligent during the curing process to prevent water spots, which may be costly to remove.

During the curing process avoid:

Parking under trees especially if there are shedding. You don’t want tree sap on a fresh coating.
Allowing bird droppings, sap or pollen to sit on the car and bake in the sun.
Washing or abrading the paint.

If you notice that your car gets water spots, bird droppings, bugs, tree sap, or other contaminants during the first few days, immediately remove it following our care instructions. Keep in mind the coating is still curing. Be gentle when working on the paint.

Car Washing Techniques

Wash on a bi-weekly basis to avoid excessive contamination build up.
Avoid washing in direct sunlight to minimize streaking and water spotting.
Wash from the top down leaving the dirtiest sections for last to avoid cross contamination.
Use the “two bucket” method – one bucket for rinsing your sponge/mitt and one for soapy water.
Use separate soap and sponge/mitt for wheels.

Drying

Always dry completely and never leave to air-dry. Tap water contains minerals that may leave deposits creating water spots.
Use quality microfiber towels for best results and avoid aggressive wiping, allowing the material to absorb the water.

Waterspot and dropping Removal

Never use aggressive products to polish the coating or remove surface contamination.
Never use excessive force to remove water spots.
Bird droppings, tar, sap, etc. should be removed as soon as possible to avoid temporary staining or hardening on the coating. Any staining left behind from the bird droppings will break down over a few days without affecting the coating.

A Few Last Care Tips
After Curing is Complete

Removing Contaminants

Ceramic is extremely slick; this means most things will dissolve and be pulled off by it's self-cleaning effect. Use water or a little vinegar to remove bird droppings, bugs, and tree sap. Followed by wiping it off with a soft edge-less microfiber towel.

Washing schedule

For best results the car should be washed on a bi-weekly basis to avoid excessive contamination build-up. Use only recommended mild soaps. Avoid high volume brush style car washes, high PH detergent style cleaners, and bug/tar removers. Avoid washing in direct sunlight to minimize streaking and water spotting. Wash from the top down leaving the dirtiest sections for last to avoid cross-contamination. Use separate soap.

Washing methods

Standard home washing

Use a foam gun (optimal) or microfiber wash mitt to soap down the car. Rinse it off with a pressure washer (optimal) or hose. Dry with clean microfiber towels.

Spray ‘n wash self car washes

Select the high-pressure soap. Soap the car down (never use the provided brushes especially on the paint!). Rinse car off with the high-pressure rinse. Dry with clean microfiber towels.

Car washes

Touch-less car washes only. Never use a car wash with brushes! Never select the “spray wax” option.

Spot Removal

Never use aggressive products to polish the coating or remove surface contamination.
Never use excessive force to remove spots.
Bird droppings, tar, sap, etc. should be removed as soon as possible to avoid temporary staining or hardening on the coating. Any staining left behind from bird droppings will break down over a few days without affecting the coating.

After Washing

Do not wax the coating, many products contain solvents and abrasives. Ceramic is the recommended maintenance and aftercare product.

Automated Washing

Always go to a touch-free wash! Using an automated car wash with brushes will void your warranty. Please handle with care and do not wash the vehicle for the first 2 weeks.

Annual Inspections

Annual Inspections are the recommended process for ensuring the coating is maintained and care for the vehicle is properly executed. Annual inspections should be carried out by an approved applicator within 30 days before the anniversary date of the last service to ensure peak performance and warranty validity. Although durable and long-lasting, annual inspections ensure maximum gloss and protection from System X® coatings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at info@ceramic-coated.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

What is Reflections Ceramic and Detailing?

Reflections Ceramic and Detailing is a professional auto detailing service that provides high-quality ceramic coatings and detailing services for your vehicle.

Do i need Paint correction before ceramic coating even on a new vehicle?

You’re going to get your car’s paint ceramic coated for the first time. You’re prepared to pay the quoted price until you get hit with a shock — you also need to pay for paintwork correction before the installation! “Why do I need a paintwork correction before a ceramic coating?” you may ask. After all, you take care of your car’s paint, it’s not in bad condition at all. What’s there to correct? You just want to protect it further! There are two main reasons why you need paintwork correction before ceramic coating:

Ceramic coatings and PPF lock-in the appearance of the paint they’re applied to. If your paint has scratches, etches or bonded stains they will be visible underneath and you won’t be able to remove them without removing the protection, too.
Ceramic coatings and PPF require a perfectly clean surface to durably adhere to the paint. Otherwise the protection will fail prematurely or it won’t adhere at all. Paintwork correction cleans paint by removing embedded contamination through a process called claying.

That might not make sense at first glance, so let’s explain further.

REASON 1 — TO MAKE THE PAINT LOOK AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE BEFORE LOCKING IN THE APPEARANCE WITH PROTECTION

The whole point of ceramic coatings is to preserve the pristine appearance of clean, blemish-free paint. In order to preserve that appearance, though, your paint needs to be pristine to begin with — while ceramic coatings do enhance gloss or color, they don’t remove surface imperfections. Do you really want scratched and stained paint showing underneath your expensive new ceramic coating ? Once you’ve locked that surface in, you can’t go back and clean up the underlying paint without totally removing the coating beforehand. It’s best to take care of that before putting on protection to save yourself the time, money and hassle.

REASON 2 — TO ENSURE THE CERAMIC COATING OR PPF WILL ACTUALLY BOND WITH THE PAINT

Have you ever used a 3M Command Strip before? If you read the installation directions, you’ll see they require you to clean the area you’ll be affixing the strip to prior to installation. Otherwise, the strip won’t adhere properly and it’ll fall off the surface. The same principle applies to ceramic coatings and paint protection film — if they aren’t applied to perfectly clean surfaces, they won’t stick.

Contamination destabilizes the bond that keeps coatings on the paint, and it’s not just surface dirt and grime that inhibits that adhesion. Contaminants from the road, the environment and nearby industrial emissions can embed themselves deep inside the paint’s surface. Only decontamination as part of a comprehensive paint correction process can remove this contamination, so it’s a necessary step when applying a ceramic coating or installing paint protection film.

MY CAR IS NEW OR WELL-MAINTAINED — DO I STILL NEED PAINT CORRECTION?

Yes! New cars are often scratched, dinged and/or contaminated before the owner gets the vehicle. Even regularly detailed vehicles will still require some level of paint correction. You may not need multiple stages of compounding and polishing if the paint is in good condition, but if you truly want a long-lasting bond between the paint and the protection, a light polish is needed at the very least.

THE VERDICT ON PAINT CORRECTION BEFORE CERAMIC COATING

Simply put, you need paint correction before installing a ceramic coating for two reasons:

To ensure scratches, stains and other blemishes aren’t locked-in under the protection.
To ensure the protection forms a durable bond with the surface.

If you’re looking for a ceramic coating or paint protection film in the Brunswick, Medina or Cleveland area, our shop has a team of dedicated paint correction specialists ready to prep your vehicle before protection.

How long will my appointment take?

The time it takes to detail a car , boat, RV or motorcycle. This depends on the type and level of service required. Typically, a basic detail can take a few hours, while a full paint correction and ceramic coating can take upwards of a full day. Boat and RV.s generally take 2-3 days depending again on the level of service.

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