Longer-lasting than car wax: While waxing gives your car a beautiful glow, it only lasts three to six months. Some of the best ceramic coatings for cars last more than a year. Applying a ceramic car coating may be more labor-intensive, but you don’t need to reapply it as frequently as traditional carnauba wax. Buffing can help with paint correction and remove swirl marks, but adding wax for sheen and shine is a job already done by the ceramic coating. With so many outstanding ceramic coating options out there it can be tough to narrow it down to just one. Not only that but with them offering so many benefits and perks, how much of it is legitimate and are ceramic coatings even worth it in the first place?

If you compare the cost of ceramic coatings to other waxes and polishes, you’ll notice that they almost always cost significantly more. While they provide superior looks and protection, these are features you’re paying for with a higher price tag.Ceramic coatings sit on top of the existing finish of your bodywork or wheels. Ceramic might conjure up images of your nan’s old tea set, but this coating is scientifically engineered to provide premium protection. How to apply ceramic coating

Ceramic car coatings protect your car’s clear coat from environmental damage and UV rays, so, yes, they are good for your car. How much does it cost to get your car ceramic coated? Waxes, sealants & ceramic coatings have distinct advantages and are specifically suited for different applications. In this write-up we’ll go over some of the common misconceptions, the definitions of each and hopefully help establish an understanding of how these terms are different and when it’s best to use each of them.

Want to give your car great appearance and protection? Ceramic car wax is faster to apply than traditional paste wax and offers better protection.

If you want protection against stone chips and the like, a paint protection film is what you need. As for washing your car, dirt will still accumulate over time. A ceramic coating will mean less frequent cleaning, but it won’t eliminate it. Ceramic-based products vary greatly First, you need to thoroughly prep the surface so you don’t trap any contaminants that you’ll have to deal with for years. Anything that’s on the vehicle when you apply the ceramic coating is going to stay on the vehicle, and since it’s under the coating, you won’t be able to get it off without removing the coating. Let’s start by breaking down the cost of the products needed for your ceramic coating and car waxes.

The first thing to note is that wax you apply to your car is never in its 100% wax form. You’ll frequently see marketing messages that claim a product to be 100% carnauba wax, but this is a little misleading as it’s typically referring to the purity of the wax in a specific product. See the image below – this is what 100% carnauba wax looks like in its raw, refined form. As you can see, it’s too hard to be spreadable and provide the protection we’re looking for. To achieve the desired result we have to add solvents that the wax is soluble in. We’ll also blend in oils that provide lubrication along with scents & colorants. By blending different types of waxes together we can achieve different results like ease-of-use, clarity and color enhancement. Most detailers will recommend using a clay bar first if you're wanting to apply wax to your car. This will keep your paintwork free of any contaminants so you get a better overall finish. If you want to know more about this process, we've written a guide to clay barring. There are some products marketed as ceramic spray coatings, and others that are designed as paste wax. Some are infused with Silicon dioxide and others are simply chemical polymers that bond to clear coats. Regardless of their exact composition, it is safe to say that a ceramic wax is basically a paint sealant on acid that is applied to your clear coat. Moreover, Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions is easy to apply and provides tons of water-beading properties to help protect your vehicle and keep it looking great between washes. Turtle Wax Hybrid works on all the hard surface your vehicle has so you don’t need to worry about fenders, bumpers, or even windows – it works on it all!For decades, natural wax products, especially those formulated with carnauba wax, were the standard choice for adding a warm glow, improved shine and a certain measure of protection to any car’s paint. The Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating is affordable, offers exceptional performance, and is easy to apply. Regardless of which method of paint protection you use, it's important to reiterate that durability will vary depending on your specific storage conditions & the environment your vehicle lives in. There’s a reason so many people consider putting ceramic coatings on their vehicles. While it’s not a standard automotive finish, it comes with quite a few advantages. We’ve highlighted some of the most notable advantages for you here. UV Protection

Since the first time someone spread wax on a car’s surface, before detailing was even called detailing, enthusiasts have loved a freshly waxed car. There’s just something about the look of wax on paint, especially when the product was formulated with carnauba wax. In fact, more than 75 years after Turtle Wax was founded, the appeal of that aesthetic still runs strong, and that’s why wax remains the #1 coating for cars today. Whether it’s a paste, liquid or spray, an all-natural formula or infused with synthetic polymers, car wax is and may always be your best choice for creating that beautiful, wet-look shine. All natural wax will need reapplying every six weeks or so and will protect your paintwork from UV rays, water and other contaminants. The ceramic coat application is much more extensive than a DIY application. Professional detailers begin with a primer polish in a contained area away from the dirt and water spray around. A more recent development in detailing technology has been ceramic-based paint protection. (You’ve probably heard numerous terms/names, most commonly ceramic coating, silica, quartz, silicone-dioxide or even SiO2). This new ceramic material acts very differently from a wax in the sense that it will actually generate a curing property once applied to a surface. This curing creates a chemical bond with the surface on which it’s being applied, in this case our car’s paint. Once they’re applied & cured, ceramic-based protectants are extremely resistant to water, soaps, and of course environmental pollutants.One of the best ways to see the difference between traditional carnauba wax vs ceramic car wax is shown above. On the left is a car with a single coat of traditional car wax. The right has a coat of a leading ceramic car wax. Our appearance score is based on how the ceramic coating looks once it is applied. To receive high marks in this category, a ceramic coating should have no swirling, leaving only a glossy shine if it is noticeable at all.