A couple Fridays ago I was out in the driveway cleaning up a Volvo XC90 as I noticed a truck driving slowly by my shop. They drove past, turned around and drove past the other way. It seemed like they were going to stop but then they kept on driving. I wondered if they lived nearby and I caught their attention.
A couple hours later I got a phone call from a gentleman wanting to book a ceramic coating service - my 7 year warranty option Pro +. He said it’s for a blue Honda Ridgeline. I told him that I just saw one of those driving past my shop a couple hours ago and he said that was him and his wife. He wanted to check out the operation after finding me online.
Fast forward a couple weeks and he’s picking up his freshly coated crew cab. He tells me how the dealership offered a protection package so he went to work and started researching. He found forums online sharing that dealership coatings are a scam. He decided to follow their advice and connect with a local ceramic coating shop and went with me.
A less experienced me would have said “yep, don’t trust the dealership to coat your vehicle” only thinking about their process, technique, and how it might be some high schooler spraying some random product on your $50K+ asset. But that isn’t the fairest assessment, and not all coatings are created equal. Some dealerships do have it figured it. Some young adults in the detailing department do fantastic work. So, what sets our coatings apart?
It’s simple chemistry. If you hear the words wax and sealant, know that chemically it will not form a lasting bond with your vehicle’s paint. That’s just not how those products work, and no matter how many years your warranty term lasts, the product will not stand the test of time, washing, and the weather.
When we hear the word ceramic from the dealership, we’re heading in the right direction - however; not all ceramic coatings are created equal either. There are two major ceramic products: Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) and Silicon Carbide (SiC). SiO2 requires resins to adhere the coating to the paint. We can expect these coatings to last at best 2-3 years. SiC creates a permanent, covalent bond with your clear coat. This is how we can expect the coating to give 5, 7,
and 10+ years of protection for your paint.
Most dealerships offer waxes and sealants as their protection package. Hopefully they’re at least ceramic infused. With easily voidable warranties they might give you a little extra shine leaving the showroom but after a few washes you’re basically back to bare paint. There’s $700-800 down the drain. You might even find a dealership package ranging from $1500-2500 with this kind of product. Yikes!
If you want protection that lasts and your money not to go to waste, the words you’re looking for are: Silicon Carbide. Even still, SiC can be added to SiO2-based coatings which will extend the life of it but the best of the best is SiC-based which is why I use Opti-Coat Pro coatings. They are the most permanent, resilient, lasting-shine coatings money can buy. Some dealerships in the US have a high ceramic IQ - they are partnered to install Opti-Coat coatings by hand (inside and out). So if you don’t see the words Opti-Coat and Silicon Carbide you may as well take that money you’re setting aside for the Dealership Protection Package and light it on fire. At worst you’ll get a few weeks of protection against bugs, bird droppings, salt, raildust, tar, and sun damage. At best, maybe 2-3 years.
If you want the best treatment for your vehicles for the long haul, choose Opti-Coat and choose Silicon Carbide. You’ll be thanking yourself 5-7, even 10+ years from now.