Car Paint Protection

What is 9H Ceramic Coating?

We, GreenZ Car Care had introduced ceramic coating products in India when much heard about them. But now the name “ceramic coating” is very popular in car care market and is almost misrepresented as “detailing”, let’s check what’s ceramic coating.

CERAMIC COATINGS

Ceramic Coatings are synthetic chemical based product made of a Silica or a Quartz-Silane-based compound. They are considered as permanent coatings because they cannot be removed easily unless you remove them by compounding/polishing. True ceramic coatings can provide long-term exterior automotive paint protection that is applied in liquid form and cures to form a hard glass-like layer on top of the surface which it’s been applied. They create a solid transparent, slick and highly self-cleaning protective layer once cured.

Nano coatings are sealants with better chemistry thus they form stronger bonds at the molecular level and last longer with a durability > 12 months. Ceramic coatings are the most difficult to apply but will last the longest and are typically harder and more durable than your car paintโ€™s clear coat, but they can still be scratched and swirled and if that happens, they must be compounded and polished like a normal clear coat. Ceramic coatings are extremely chemical resistant and  has excellent UV resistance, which prevents the paint from oxidation.

They are also known as quartz coating or nano coating or glass coating. They may have different formulations or features, but basically they all create an SiO2 (silicone dioxide) coating on the surface when cured.

What Is Ceramic Coating Made of?

Nano ceramic coating is typically composed of silicon dioxide (silica, Si02), which is sourced from natural materials such as quartz and sand. Some types and brands also use titanium dioxide (titania, Ti02) as an additional hardening agent. When applied to a car’s paint, the two create a chemical bond with hydrophobic, aka water-repellent, properties which is hard and resistant to normal real-life scratches.

Layering

Most of the ceramic coating products can be layered as well, these layering may help to have even-layer of coating and get more thickness. You can have a maximum of 3-4 layers and  more layering beyond this may not make much sense and proved as a waste of product and hence your money, now there are new generation coatings available in the market like GreenZ Infinity Coatings  which can achieve better thickness even in single layer.

The the actual point here is that how much thickness you get on the paint? More layers may not actually make much sense if itโ€™s not a substantial thickness and it may be a drawback of a coating to add more thickness to the payment rather than any advantage,  often the layering is used as a marketing gimmick by many brands.

Types of Glass Coatings

Glass-based coatings can be broadly divided into two categories: quartz-silane based coatings and silica-based coatings. The quartz-silane-based glass coating provides very high gloss and strong durability. It protects the car body by creating a cured coating of silica on the carโ€™s surface. However, it takes about three weeks for the coating to be fully cured, which is a drawback.

The silica-based glass coating is fixed to a silicon polymer molecule. Its durability and water repellency is inferior compared to the quartz-silane-based.

Ceramic Coatings Benefits & Advantages

Best ceramic coatings endures the look of your car by giving a glossy look and enhance the intensity of the paint work. These protective coatings are extremely chemical & scratch resistant which help to prevent swirls and scratches. These glass coatings have excellent UV resistance, which stops the car paint from oxidation and hence the fading. A quartz coating can seal your car from external abuse and prevent any contaminants from bonding into the paint surface.

These nano coatings can repels water and all water-based dirt and grime will bead on the surface and gets slide off hence your car gets dirty much slower and reduce frequency of the usual maintenance wash. Ceramic coating also adds more gloss and enhance the intensity of the paint.

Applying nano coating on car’s paint & plastic surfaces can slow down the ageing process and protect the surfaces from scratches & swirls. Ceramic coating price for cars can vary based on the type of coating you choose and based on that the durability can also vary. Car coating price can vary from few thousands to more than a lakh as well.

Quartz coating your bike can reduce the risk of scratches & swirls due to constant rubbing of the painted panels against your cloth while riding, it can also substantially reduce the risk of oxidation and other paint defects. Ceramic coating for bikes are no different from the coating for cars.

How long does ceramic coating last?

Ceramic coating protection can last from 1-7 years based on the coating, the process of application followed and the maintenance. All these three factors (product, application process and maintenance) are equally important for getting the best durability. Life of the ceramic coating on bike might be lesser compared to the coating on car because of the more chance of wear & tear. Most of the glass coatings come as ceramic coating kit with all necessary applicators, maintenance products along with the coating.

Ceramic Coating Disadvantages, Benefits & Limitations

May not be a disadvantage, probably some myths or over-hypes around ceramic coatings exist in the market. Many claims that once ceramic coated, your car never need any maintenance! It’s absolutely wrong and your car might need less frequent washes and it will be more easy to clean than before, but it still needs maintenance and a good maintenance with a. SiO2 based sealant or shampoo, the life of the coating will improve and you get the best ROI on your spend. Another claim is that your car will become scratch-proof, which is also not true. Though glass coatings can prevent or reduce the impact of scratches, it cannot completely makes your car scratch proof.

A best quartz coating may not be able to protect your car paint from stone chips and you might need to use a PPF (Paint Protection Film) for that. And Ceramic protection is also prone to water-spotting, so proper drying is required to avoid water spots.

How to remove water spots off ceramic coating?

Never use any aggressive acids to remove water-spots from coated surface. We have Special water-spot removers marked as coating-friendly to use on coated surface. Please check our premium ceramic car coating range for better protection for your cars & bikes. We are also Indian distributor of GYEON from Korea.

9H & 10H HARDNESS

Ceramic coating hardness on Mohs scale

Whatโ€™s 9H?

The 9H & 10H hardness is now one of the most talked term in ceramic coating to attract the customers not just in India but across the world. But in some matured markets, sellers stopped mentioning about hardness of their ceramic coating because people over there are more educated on this, it may sound funny but itโ€™s the truth. Hence the term โ€œ9H hardnessโ€ will be continue to be (miss)used until we all get educated. And, yes we are trying to do that for you with this blog. 

Please read our blog on ceramic coating marketing hypes for more on this. To know more on the protection, please read our article on waxes, paint sealants & ceramic coatings.

Whatโ€™s Mohs?

It’s a unit of hardness on Mohs hardness scale of minerals.

The Mohs hardness scale of minerals is named after a famous German geologist, Friedrich Mohs, who created this scale in 1812 to determine which mineral is harder than the other. A simple test, which only shows which piece of mineral is harder than the other. 

Diamond is having 10H hardness on the Mohs scale.

9H Certificate?

All of us use pencils. You surely recognise nice and soft 4B pencils, the most common HB pencils and the thin, sharp lines of 4H. 

Here, it certifies the hardness as the capacity of a given surface to resist scratching or marring with a pencil. When expressing the measurement of pencil hardness, itโ€™s done with a value that ranges from 6B (softest) up to to 9H (hardest). The value is recorded as the hardest pencil that does not scratch or mar the surface. 

A fully dried and cured coating applied to a steel plate is being scratched with a variety of pencils at an angle of 45′ with a weight (500g to 1kg). That pure metal has completely different hardness and characteristics than automotive paint. And what does this test proof? It’s just a certificate which proves that the coating can achieve the 9H hardness, thatโ€™s all. 

How important is the Hardness?

Almost every quartz/ceramic/glass coatings can reach 9H in the pencil hardness scale. In real life conditions, there are far more important factors than the hardness! The slickness and structural integrity of a coating is the crucial and main factor, that influences the real, every-day experience with a coating. And this is exactly what the famous cigarette lighter test proves, the way it helps in real life is that it can reduce the impact of any scratches.

CERAMIC COATING COST

Ceramic coating price in India is depending on various factors, namely the quality of the detailers or installers, the ceramic coating brand use and the durability & warranty the installer offers. The main factor which decide car coating price is the ceramic coating brand use and the cost of the preparation products. Many ceramic coating installers near your place may offer cheap costs, but it’s better to check the coating brand they use and the process they follow.

Is ceramic coating good for car?

Ceramic coating is definitely good for car surface protection and to control ageing process. Itโ€™s relatively simple process to apply ceramic coating compared to PPF installation.

Is there a downside to ceramic coating?

There is no downside to ceramic coating, only thing to take care is to use genuine coatings from branded such as GYEON.

What does a ceramic coating do?

Ceramic coatings are in the form of liquid while applying and will turn into a glass-like hard surface upon curing and thus offer a hughly scratch resistant surface which will be long-lasting.

What is the real cost of ceramic coating?

Cost of ceramic coating majorly depends on the coating used and other products used as part of the application process. Many detailers may skip some processes and save you few bucks, which might not be a real saving as the life of the coating might get affected by these shortcuts.

Is ceramic coating worth it

Ceramic coating is definitely worth to have it on your car, provided you get it from a quality detailer near you who uses quality product and follow the right process.

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