Does a CERAMIC COATING protect against scratches?

Realities of ceramic coatings

Howdy! You must be interested in a ceramic coating, and more importantly, the benefits of a ceramic coating. If you've done any sort of research and/or digging into the subject, you may have come across some hype: some videos overselling some of the common understood benefits, or some social media posts about how much they are "better than sliced bread!"

​Well, the funny thing is, a lot of what you'll find about ceramic coatings is just this: all hype. However, if you can discern the hype from the truth, you will soon understand that ceramic coatings are the real deal - that they are the best form of paint protection available on the market today (except for paint protection film). 

This particular blog post is not to shed good light on the products, but instead to debunk some of the hype, and to unveil some of the truth about what they cannot do.

It's obvious that a ceramic coating will not wash your car for you. Nor will a ceramic coating keep your car tucked away at night in the garage. Nor will a ceramic coating prevent you from driving in extreme weather - detrimental to the structure and the integrity of the coating.

The reality is, that you can do whatever you like. However, just because you can eat pizza every meal of the day, does not mean that you should. In fact, you should try to eat "healthier" and you should get some regular exercise. Just as you should wash your car properly by hand, keeping your car clean and cared for.

That being said, a ceramic coating will keep your car cleaner longer. The amount of dirt that will accumulate on a ceramic coated car will be a lot less when compared to an un-coated car in the same conditions. They will help prevent and protect against the damage caused by bird poop and bugs and other environmental paint killers, and a coated car will be a lot easier to wash. You will not have to spend as much time washing a coated car because it will release dirt MUCH easier. And thus, a ceramic coated car will have less scratches because of all these factors.

Okay, so.. scratch prevention?

Now, I did just write that a ceramic coated car will have less scratches than an un-coated car. You may be thinking, "this sounds like the BS that is all over youtube and facebook." Here's the thing: ceramic coatings will NOT protect against deep scratches, nor will they protect much against improper car wash techniques (wash brush, drive through car wash, aggressive car washing, etc.).

​Ceramic coatings will, however, keep a car cleaner longer.

How does this help keep scratches from cars? Well, if you can imagine, dirt (and other junk that sits on our paint) is like little microscopic rocks. Paint is durable, but if you move "rocks" across paint - that paint is toast! It will end up scratched and scuffed up and trashed. And to be honest, the only time cars pick up micro-scratches, is when we move these "rocks" from the paint, and we do that by washing and drying, and rubbing a towel on it, etc.

It doesn't matter how small dirt particles actually are. (If you shatter glass and step on it, it still cuts!) Dirt is harmful to our paint's surface, and since ceramic coatings help keep the dirt off, there will be less of having to move those "rocks" from your paint. The end result is a less scratched car.