Best Ceramic Coating for Professional Auto Detailing

Ceramic coatings are here and customers are now aware of them more than ever. I know some detailers do not offer ceramic coating services, they are worried that there are a lot of false advertising on some of these products. Below is a list of the best ceramic coatings for professional auto detailing. These products will last and are true ceramic coatings.

If you are a professional car detailer and you are not offering ceramic coating services, you are potentially missing out on a lot of business, referrals, recurring maintenance income, and happy customers.

When applying any coating, make sure that you are following the manufacturers instructions for installation and any potential curing time required. You don't want to mess up a potentially expensive service for your customers. Get training and certifications if necessary.

Best Entry Ceramic Coatings

The starter coatings are geared more towards the DIY crowd, but are perfectly acceptable ceramic coatings for professional car detailers as well. Most of these ceramic coatings state how long they should last, but that is normally under perfect conditions and if the manufacturer specifications are followed exactly.

As part of your service offering and discussions with your customer, you can walk through the maintenance of a ceramic coating and hopefully you have that laid out in your service offerings as well so you can maintain the customers investment on the coating.

CARPRO CQUARTZ UK 3.0

The first on the list of best ceramic coatings is the CARPRO CQuartz UK 3.0 coating. This coating is considered to be one of the best and very commonly used by professional detailers. It is beginner friendly and doesn't require certification to apply. As with other ceramic coatings, you want the surface to be prepped according to the specifications.

The downside of this coating is it is recommended to apply multiple layers (2-3 maximum) after 60 minutes which can cut into your time, especially if you are mobile. If you have a shop and have the room for the car to stay while you work on another for that hour then this shouldn't be as much of a problem.

You can sometimes get away with saving interior work to do during that hour, but you need to be especially careful not to disturb the coating while going in and out of the car.

The duration of CQuartz UK 3.0 is 18-24 months. Also, CQuartz UK 3.0 can be used on multiple hard surfaces like:

• Painted surfaces
• Wheels
• Plastic trim
• Bumpers
• Glass
• Aluminum and chrome surfaces

The price for a 30mL is $69.99, this also comes with the CARPRO Reload which is like a sealant applied after the coating. Without the Reload included, it costs $59.99.

Gyeon Mohs EVO Q2

Gyeon Mohs Evo Q2 is another great starter / DIY ceramic coating. The Mohs is another easy to apply and remove ceramic coating and will be easy to learn the application process to apply for your customers.

The Gyeon Mohs contains fluorine which is said to improve the usability and performance. You will actually get great longevity with this product as well, it is advertised as a 36 month protection which is really great and most will agree that it will last this long if applied correctly. If you apply two coats, you may see up to 48 month protection.

The downside with this coating is the instruction to not drive the vehicle for 12 hours after application and to keep it away from the elements. This might be an issue for some who may be mobile detailers and not able to keep the customers car for that long. If you own a shop this is an easier task to accomplish for your ceramic coating process.

The Mohs also needs you to not wash the car for 14 days after application. This shouldn't be an issue for you if you are able to communicate that correctly to your customer and to get them on your maintenance program.

The Gyeon Mohs EVO Q2 MSRP is $64.99 for a 30 ml bottle and $89.99 for a 50 ml bottle.

AvalonKing Armor Shield IX

AvalonKing Armor Shield IX is another great starter ceramic coating. This coating is very easy to apply and get to level. It is marketed as a DIY coating so this makes it more forgiving to allow for a wider margin of error.

AvalonKing Armor Shield IX can be used on:

• Painted surfaces
• Wheels
• Plastic trim
• Bumpers
• Aluminum and chrome surfaces
• Any solid surface, no soft surfaces

The guides and help section on their website is great to help answer any questions you may have, they also have great tutorials there as well. For the best results, allow it to cure from water for 48 hours and wait 5-7 days for the next wash or any chemicals.

The AvalonKing Armor Shield IX advertises at least 2 year protection. One 30ml bottle should be plenty for a sedan, but you will probably want two for a truck or van.

The AvalonKing Armor Shield is $69.99 for a single 30 ml bottle.

Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating

Adam's Polishes make good products and their Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating is another great ceramic coating for starters. This coating is another easy to apply solution for professional detailers who are providing a coating service for customers.

This coating also has a nice feature that makes it show up in UV light, which you can get with the package. This allows you to very easily see where you may have missed coating on the car. After each section, you can check your work under the UV light and make sure you are getting full coverage before moving onto the next section.

The Adam's Graphene coating has a 24 hour cure time which will need to remain free from water or harsh elements and weather. Adam's Graphene coating advertises a 7+ year protection which is the highest of these beginner ceramic coatings. This is also a good selling point for you when talking with your customers.

The Adam's Graphene coating can be used on:

• Painted Surfaces
• Glass
• Headlights
• Chrome
• Trim
• Rims

The Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating is a great option and is priced the highest but the bottle is 60 mL instead of 30 mL as the others, which actually makes it the cheapest per mL so far. The MSRP is $89.99 for the Adam's 60 mL, but can be found for $79.99 or less sometimes.

Gtechniq - Crystal Serum Light (CSL)

The Gtechniq CSL Crystal Serum Light is the lesser version of the Crystal Serum Ultra we will get to below. The CSL version is made more toward the DIY crowd to allow for a greater margin of error when applying compared to the Ultra.

The CSL is probably the hardest to work with out of these DIY coatings because it is recommended to top it with EXO Ultra Durable Hydrophobic Coating, or C2 Liquid Crystal after 2 hours. It is also a recommendation to keep the car indoors for 12 hours after application.

This makes it less friendly for the starter level of ceramic coatings but it can also have really good results. The lifespan is stated as up to 5 years which is the second highest in this starter ceramic coating list.

The Gtechniq can be used on non-painted surfaces but it isn't advertised heavily to be. They have other trim restore products which may be why it's not advertised in that way, but it can be used on solid surfaces like the other coatings above.

The Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL) MSRP is $75.95 for a 30 ml bottle and $109.95 for a 50ml bottle.

Best Entry Ceramic Coatings Summary

Below is a high level overview of the best entry ceramic coatings, I did not include ease of application, slickness, glossiness because each manufacturer has its own metric and it can be rather subjective.

Best Professional Ceramic Coatings

The best professional ceramic coatings are generally made to last longer and provide that extra protection for your customers. They will generally be harder to apply and be less DIY-friendly, so practicing and making sure you know how to apply these coatings correctly is important. This will ensure you are providing a good service for your customers without causing damage to their car or to your business reputation.

With some professional coatings, you may require training or certification in order to get the coating and to apply it. Just because a ceramic coating doesn't have a certification program, doesn't mean that it is not a good coating that you can use for your customers.

Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced

To start off the professional coatings, we have the Adam's Polishes Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced. It is very similar to the non-advanced version but has 50% more coating resin than the regular graphene coating. It also has more silicate resin for durability and longevity.

With the Adam's Graphene Advanced version it is advertised that you will get a 9+ year protection. This is a great selling point for your customers and will allow you to maintain your customer for a long time if you are able to get them on your maintenance wash program.

The Adam's Graphene coating has a 24 hour cure time just like the non-advanced version which will need to remain free from water or harsh elements and weather.

Applying the advanced Adam's coating follows the same process as the non-advanced. You still get the UV reaction and are able to clearly see where you have coated to ensure a full coverage of the ceramic coating on each section you work.

The Adam's Graphene Advanced can be use on all hard non-porous surfaces like painted surfaces, glass, plastic, rims, etc.

The Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced is a great professional coating option and has a MSRP of $129.99 for the 60 mL, but can be found for less sometimes. It also has a kit and kit with UV light, which is recommended for your first purchase of this product so you can ensure full coverage. The price of the kit + UV light is $169.99.

The kit contains:

• 1 - 60ml Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced
• 1 - 4oz Ceramic Boost
• 1 - 4oz Surface Prep
• 2 - Single Soft Towels
• 2 - Suede Removal Towels
• 2 - Suede Applicators
• 1 - Pair of Gloves
• Optional 1 - UV Flashlight

The greatest benefit of this professional coating is you do not need to be certified by Adam's in order to purchase or to apply this coating. The following ones you will need to apply and be selected and certified for application.

Modesta

CARPRO CQUARTZ Finest Reserve

The CARPRO CQUARTZ Finest Reserve is another one of the best professional ceramic coatings available today. This coating is another that requires an application and approval to be able to purchase and apply as a certified detailer from CARPRO.

The CQUARTZ Finest Reserve is made to be hydrophobic and resistant to extreme environmental weather, bugs, sap, etc. This is a great selling point for your customers.

The duration of this coating is said to be 3-10 years, which is a huge window and not acceptable to have such a large range in my opinion. I know they are trying to cover themselves in case it "only" lasts 3 years, but they should have a smaller range of durability expectation.

Nonetheless, this coating is still a great coating and very popular for professional car detailers. It is as easy to apply as the others we have discussed here as well.

The CQUARTZ Finest Reserve has a 3-10 year protection and 3h hardness.

Gtechniq - Crystal Serum Ultra

The Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra is another great professional ceramic coating. This coating requires becoming an accredited detailer in order to have access to purchase and to apply to your customers cars.

There are a few requirements needed in order to be eligible and an application needs to be submitted, there is more information here if you are interested in applying.

I would recommend that you become comfortable using the Gtechniq line of products, especially the Crystal Serum Light that was discussed above, before attempting to apply to become a Gtechniq accredited detailer.

The Gtechniq Ultra is a very popular option that is used by a lot of detailers, you can see the social proof yourself by looking at the accredited detailers in your area on the Gtechniq map.

The Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra has a 9 year protection and 10h hardness.

Best Professional Ceramic Coatings Summary

Below is a high level overview of the best professional ceramic coatings, as above I did not include ease of application, slickness, glossiness because each manufacturer has its own metric and it can be rather subjective.

Conclusion

We have gone through the best ceramic coatings for professional car detailing. As a detailer, you have the opportunity to make a large impact on your customers enjoyment of owning and maintaining their cars. If you aren't already using ceramic coatings in your business, you should take what you learned here and apply it today!

If you are uncertain if you are going to be able to provide quality service with these coatings, it is best to try it out on your own cars first, just as you would when testing out any other product or technique.

For your first time, you should definitely use one of the best beginner ceramic coatings we listed above, they are more DIY oriented and will be easier for you to get the hang of.

Good luck deciding on which ceramic coating is best for you and your business! As always, keep serving, learning and growing!

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