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Service 02Ceramic Coating
A liquid glass layer that cross-links to your clear coat and stays there for years — not months. Deeper gloss, water that sheets off, and a surface that road film, bugs and bird droppings struggle to bite into.
What a coating does — and what it doesn’t
There is a lot of nonsense marketed around coatings. Here is the honest version.
What it does
- Adds real gloss and depth on top of corrected paint
- Makes water bead and sheet, so the car dries cleaner and faster
- Resists chemical etching from bugs, bird droppings and industrial fallout
- Blocks UV fade on paint, trim and wheels
- Cuts wash time dramatically — dirt has far less to hold onto
What it does not do
- Stop rock chips — that is paint protection film, see the wraps page
- Make the car scratch-proof; it raises resistance, not immunity
- Hide existing swirls — it seals them in, which is why correction comes first
- Mean you never wash again; it means washing is easier
- Last forever without maintenance — annual inspections keep the warranty valid
Three durability levels
All tiers include decontamination and correction appropriate to the package — there is no version of this where we coat over dirty, swirled paint. Prices shown are for a coupe or sedan.
- Full decontamination & clay
- Light polish / gloss enhancement
- Single-layer coating on paint
- Glass treated, trim sealed
- 3-year written warranty
- Everything in Guard
- One-stage machine correction included
- Two-layer coating on paint
- Wheel faces & exhaust tips coated
- Annual inspection included
- 5-year written warranty
- Everything in Signature
- Two to three stage correction
- Multi-layer coating with topper
- Wheels off — barrels coated
- Interior fabric & leather coated
- 9-year written warranty
Trucks, SUVs and vans add roughly 15–30%. Heavily defected paint may need additional correction hours, quoted before we start.
Why it takes two days, not two hours
Coating chemistry needs a clean, dry, temperature-stable surface and time to cross-link. Rushing it is how you get high spots, streaking and a coating that fails in a year.
Strip & decontaminate
Old wax and sealant removed, iron fallout dissolved, paint clayed until it is glass-smooth.
Correct & panel-wipe
Machine polish, then every panel wiped with a solvent so nothing is left to sit between coating and clear coat.
Apply & level
Applied panel by panel under dedicated lighting and levelled inside the flash window, before it can flash-cure unevenly.
Cure indoors
The car stays inside overnight. Keep it dry for the first 7 days — full hardness takes about 2–3 weeks.
Coating aftercare
First 7 days
No rain if you can help it, no washing, no covers. The coating is hard to the touch long before it is fully cured.
Ongoing
pH-neutral soap, two buckets, clean microfibre. Skip the tunnel washes with spinning brushes — they put swirls back in faster than anything else.
Yearly
Bring it in for the inspection. We decontaminate, check coverage and apply a booster. That visit is what keeps the warranty alive.
Is a coating worth it on a daily driver?
Usually yes — a daily gets washed more often than a weekend car, and most swirl damage comes from washing. A coating means less contact, easier cleaning and fewer marks over the life of the car.
Can you coat a leased vehicle?
Yes. It protects the paint through the lease term and comes off with nothing more than normal wear. It is one of the more common jobs we do at the start of a lease.
What about ceramic spray products from the store?
They are fine as a top-up. They are not the same chemistry and last weeks to months, not years. If you already have a spray on the car, tell us — it has to be stripped before a real coating goes on.
Do you coat matte or satin paint?
Yes, with a coating formulated for matte finishes. Never let anyone put a gloss coating on matte paint — it will turn the finish blotchy and it does not come off easily.
Can I combine a coating with a wrap?
That is a common pairing: wrap the car, then coat the vinyl. The coating makes the wrap far easier to clean and slows UV fade on the colour.
Recent coating jobs
A Porsche Cayman and a Toyota Tacoma, both coated in the bay. More of each on the gallery.
Book a coating consultation
Bring the car by for a paint inspection and a firm quote. Takes about twenty minutes and there is no obligation.