Q&A
Is ceramic coating worth it? What's the point in it?
With the correct preparation and a quality ceramic, having a coating is definitely a sensible solution for preserving your vehicles paintwork. Ceramic can provide a barrier against winter salt, temperature cycles, bird etching sunlight and many other nasties, however, I would like to share with you my predominant reason for ceramic coating. A true ceramic layer can actually prevent wash marring/swirls. It's the typical washing and loving of one's car that leads to aging. As swirls become and more and more abundant they catch the light to create an unpleasant reflection. It is almost unbelievable how easy it is to impair a vehicle's finish, often it has to be seen to be believed. You might think you are so gentle when washing your car, and you might not notice you've done any damage when the car is wet and the sun isn't out, however, cars are being tortured every day by their loving owners every day. With a true ceramic coating, you stand a chance of maintaining that new car look.
The above being said, i'd also like to point out that ceramic coatings are often over hyped and please don't expect an inch thick layer of glass to be protecting your paintwork.
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At the end of the day, a properly applied ceramic coating offers you the best possible defence.
Does my coating protect against stone chips?
The protection against stone chips is negligible, the only real way to defend against this is (ppf)paint
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How do I look after my coating?
All that is required is a safe wash regime. If someone is doing your car for you, it's ideal that they have a safe wash option. If you are doing your car yourself then you are in full control of the wash and we can help give you pointers with that as well as supply products. please check out this video we made which covers some of the most important aspects of safe washing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ion5WW_ErvI&t=123s
Don't worry too much about the type of product as far as the coating is concerned as our high end coatings are very durable and chemical resistant, however certain cars have sensitive materials and it can be good practice to find products that are ph neutral.
When should i come back?
There's no straight forward answer here as there are so many variables. How often/hard is the car used, how safe is your wash process etc. A coating of our Ballistic can last 2-3 years or more. Although the coating will prevent minor wash marring, your car may pick up slightly deeper scratches from every day use as it's very hard not to touch the paint when its dirty or pull in to bushes to let someone past on a country road, you may want a clean slate after 1,2,3 or more years and it's really down to how you feel about the cars appearance, we are certainly happy to appraise any time you like.
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When we have cars come back to visit, the most important thing is for us is typically there are zero/little swirl marks, thanks to the coating, as mentioned before, that's what will quickly make the finish look ugly. Customers usually come back for a clean slate every 1-2 years, however, we've had client's come back after 3 and their car still looks incredible.
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The dealership has offered me a life time coating, is that the same thing?
This is a completely different service to what we offer. The dealership will usually offer some kind of lifetime shine for your car. There are a few problems here. First of all, there is no machine prep done, and the prep that is done often makes the car look worse under the light than if they'd left it alone. The box of goodies is typically worth less than a tenner and can be found on ebay. The coatings on offer need to be very user friendly so if it is a ceramic, you;ll find it's a very low ceramic content. Our Ballistic coating in the wrong hands could take days to reverse if applied by an amateur.
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NB I can't talk for all dealerships, I mean mainstream new car dealerships where margin is everything and they just bang them through. I'm seeing more and more prestige independent dealerships with real detailing options.
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What is the best condition for you to receive a car in?
Less is always more. We prefer to see a car with the sticks still on it, covered in road grime the lot. It's better we safely remove all that for you. It would need to be seen to be believed, the condition we see brand new cars in, utterly shocking, however, I'm not complaining as it keeps us in business. I'm not completely knocking the dealerships. We have all grown more discerning over the years. 20 years ago we didn't know what a swirl was and detailing was just the American word for valeting. It's a big ask for your new car to roll off the production line and not be bothered in someway. You buy a new car and expect it to be brand new, however, here are some typical findings that you wouldn't want to ahead and trap in with a ceramic. preparation is vital....
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1. car has brush marks all over it
2. sensitive areas like gloss black pillars are very swirly
3. random fine scratches, bird poo etching
4. holograms where scratches or etching removal has been attempted by rotary polisher.
5. adhesive residue from protective vinyl/transport wax has been aggresively removed leading to marring
6. car has marring where strapping has made an impression
7. trade plates have flapped around the boot area or bonnet
8. car has sat near a railway for months and is covered in fallout/transporters kick up iron as welll
9. blurry paint, we see it more and more, cars have a distinct lack of clarity and reflectivity.
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Where can i find out more about Absolute valeting?
You can learn more about Absolute Valeting here www.absolutevaleting.co.uk/about