Ceramic Coatings – Dealership vs. Detailer

Ceramic Coatings – Dealership vs. Detailer

You’re at a dealership sitting with your salesperson as you prepare to purchase a vehicle.  You may have agreed on a price of the vehicle, the trade-in value of your current vehicle, negotiated a few little add-ons, and you’re getting excited and maybe even a little scared as the thought of potentially having a car payment again looms over you.  That’s when the salesperson starts going into their spiel about protection for the interior and exterior and they hit you with a price in the range of an extra $800-$1,500 or more.  You ask the salesperson what you would be getting, and they reply that it is a ceramic coating (or just, “a coating”) for the exterior of your vehicle and a Scotch Guard type product for the interior and a warranty.  You think to yourself, “I’ve heard of ceramic coatings before, but I don’t know much about them.”  At this point you either dismiss it and carry on with the purchase process, or you may decide to suspend the process so you can do some research for yourself away from an obviously biased salesperson doing their best to increase the overall sale value for the dealership and maybe boost the size of their commission if that’s how they work.  This is a scenario that plays out every time someone goes to purchase a vehicle from their local new car dealerships (Ford, Chevy, Toyota, Subaru, etc.) and maybe even some used car dealerships.  

So, what are you really getting from a dealership if you decide to purchase their protection package instead of going to a local detailer who is most likely an accredited installer of professional grade ceramic coatings?  When you purchase the protection package from the dealership the bulk of what you’re paying for is a warranty.  While it’s helpful, the product physically applied to your vehicle does not last for years like a professional grade ceramic coating.  Why is that?  The biggest reason is preparation.  Dealerships work on volume and speed of sales, especially new car dealerships.  As soon as the signatures have been put to paper, they want to get the customer into the driver seat and rolling off the lot in as little time as possible.  That means support operations like the detailing department (in most cases) doesn’t have ability to take time to do the thorough and highly detailed preparation process needed to ensure the vehicle exterior is free of contamination at the very least, so the product has a clean surface to bond and adhere to properly.  Having worked for dealerships and a company that directly supported dealerships with these products, it was usually expected to have the vehicle out the door within an hour or so.  What happens is the vehicle is brought in and maybe vacuumed to pick up any stray debris in the cabin.  It is then sprayed down with the interior protectant if it was purchased.  After that, it is quickly washed.  Sometimes an iron and fallout remover is applied to help rid the painted surfaces of some of the contamination, but a clay bar to remove the rest is very rarely used.  Once the fallout remover has been rinsed off and the vehicle is still wet, the product which is a thin, fragrant liquid put into a canister attached to the water hose spray nozzle is sprayed over the vehicle quickly to get complete coverage.  Once that is done the canister is removed and the vehicle is then rinsed again, thoroughly.  The vehicle is dried, tire dressing is applied, and the vehicle is sent out the door to the expectant customer.  In addition to the rushed process, most dealerships don’t take time to follow up with customers to maintain and reapply the product applied to the vehicle’s paint per the manufacturer specifications.  The fine print in most of these warranties that lasts up to seven years states the product must be reapplied every six months or the warranty is void. Only a small percentage of people who purchase the protection package return to have the product reapplied and dealerships are counting on that to be the case as this becomes almost pure profit with no responsibility if issues are experienced in the future.

But why does it matter if the dealerships are applying the product as fast as they can to get it out the door?  I bought my vehicle and I want it now.  That’s a valid point.  However, you just spent quite a bit of money to have your vehicle protected, not to mention the amount of money you’re most likely spending on the vehicle itself. Why would you want them to rush through the application process just to get it to you quicker?  The reason you don’t want this process to be rushed is any sealant or ceramic coating needs a completely clean and properly prepared surface so the product being used will bond as it should.  

The preparation and installation processes are the biggest differences between dealerships and detailers/professional ceramic coating specialist.

As I explained above the process at a dealership in most cases is quick and noncomprehensive, leading to a shorter effective product life.  When you have a professional ceramic coatings specialist install a ceramic coating onto your vehicle the process is not a quick process in most cases and is most often quite a bit more detailed.  A ceramic coatings specialist should always be conducting a complete decontamination of the vehicle having a coating installed.  This includes a thorough wash of the exterior, the application of an iron and fallout remover, and performing a clay process on the paint and glass at the very least.  At this point provided a panel prep is used to make sure any greases, oils, or residue have been removed so a ceramic coating could be applied as the paint is clean, but not necessarily free of defects.  Most detailers will strongly suggest a paint correction to make sure the paint is as free of defects as possible.  I don’t disagree as it’s satisfying to look upon a vehicle that has little-to-no scratches, no swirls, and no holograms in the paint sealed in by a ceramic coating that leaves a rich, wet looking luster.  In my own experience taking time to do a light polish (paint enhancement) to remove swirls and halos is most often the most popular option as it won’t necessarily remove deeper scratches, but it will reduce their appearance and enhance the gloss of the clear coat on the vehicle.  This will still definitely take time, but not as much as a proper paint correction leading to the client getting their vehicle back quicker.  

Another difference between dealerships and professional detailers is the number of options available to a client.  Too many choices can be confusing and off-putting.  However, well-educated detailers will take time to qualify your purchase by finding out how you use your vehicle, how long you may wish to keep your vehicle, and what your budget may be.  Most ceramic coatings manufacturers have coatings with variable durations and hardness levels.  Dealerships in most cases offer only one option.  

Along with being more methodical and detailed in performing a ceramic coating installation, professional detailers and ceramic coating specialists will also make sure they work with their clients to ensure the coating is performing as it should for as long as can by offering maintenance programs.  Some can be bi-weekly, monthly, semi-annually, or perhaps annually.  They will also suggest compatible after care products clients can apply at home to help ensure the performance of the coating for those who wish to directly take part in caring for their vehicles.  

In closing, any protection you can obtain from a dealership, or a detailer/ceramic coatings specialist has its place in the industry. However, all protection is not created or used in equal terms. Professional SiO2/TiO2 based ceramic coatings almost exclusively offer far superior protection and value to the vehicle owner. When you’re in the market for a new vehicle or looking to have your current vehicle protected, look to Eagle Custom Detailing for all of your automotive protection needs.