Car Owners Watching Ceramic Coatings Deteriorate
12 posts in the last 90 days, all from r/AutoDetailing.
“The benefit of ceramic is supposedly care free long life protection. The ceramic sprays cannot provide that, so what's the difference? If you have to do it every few weeks, how is that any different from a spray wax or sealant? I am not saying to NOT use ceramic coatings. I am…”
“I have gtechnic CSL on my vehicle and its still going decent as after almost 3.75 years. Started with full polish and correction, 1 coating CSL, then 1 coating of EXo v4, Beading was bananas for 1.5 yrs easy. I've topped it 3 times a year with Gtechnic C2 spray after a deep…”
“Most ceramic coats are busted up after 3 months. Don't fall for any of the promises. [re: Is there such a thing as 1-year professional ceramic coating?]”
Several posts express frustration with ceramic coatings on vehicles, detailing issues like premature wear, the cost of boosters, and concerns about maintaining the coating's effectiveness. Users are seeking advice on DIY solutions or alternatives to expensive professional treatments.
SOURCES (20)
“Most ceramic coats are busted up after 3 months. Don't fall for any of the promises. [re: Is there such a thing as 1-year professional ceramic coating?]”
“I agree, ceramic coating does help with UV damage. You don’t have to put a five-year or a seven-year coating coating on your car to get good protection. There are plenty of products today that you can put on your car that help keep the paint in good shape. [re: Actually Upset and need advice]”
“Sharing word of warning for anybody looking to use Optimum Hyper Shine ceramic coating. I applied this about six months ago, following the standard prep (iron remover, clay, light polish, panel prep wipedown). I am not a pro, but have been detailing cars since the days of Collinite 845 and Zaino, and have ceramic coated about a half dozen cars so I'm generally familiar with how to do it right. I topped it once with Optimum Ultra Ceramic Seal spray. This car has a very easy life--garage parke”
“A true ceramic coating should last multiple years. There are far too many variables for precise estimates but two to four years is a typical range. In more rare instances they can last five to eight years. Most of the spray on ceramic sealants are good for three or four months. Soft 99 Fusso Coat which goes on like a paste wax but is 100% synthetic usually lasts nine months plus.”
“My black car was ceramic coated about 6 months ago and I tried my best to take care of it by washing it every week. But unfortunately there are still water minerals baked into it. I’ve tried Gyeon water spot remover, Koch Chemie Reactivation Shampoo and CarPro Descale, none of them work. Is there any other way than polishing to remove them? Since polishing will take away the coating I don’t know if I should do that. Thanks in advance! (Video was taken right after wash and dried with towels)  ”
“The benefit of ceramic is supposedly care free long life protection. The ceramic sprays cannot provide that, so what's the difference? If you have to do it every few weeks, how is that any different from a spray wax or sealant? I am not saying to NOT use ceramic coatings. I am just saying, for me, I don't see the cost/benefit of doing it.”
“I applied GYEON Pure Single Layer High Performance Pro Grade Paint Ceramic Coating on my car in the spring. When I wash it (with ONR) can I use a spray on ceramic such as Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Wax Coating after? Will it hurt anything if I do? When I finally feel that I need to re-coat the ceramic coating (with Griots or another brand) do I have to clay the car? If I don't clay it will the new ceramic coating stick to the original coating? Please no lectures about this. I”
“Of course you need it , since coating itself is a scam. The only thing that will work for 5 years is this top coat, if you apply it monthly. Basically no coating and just topcoat does the same job. I bought this for 20 bucks, lasts for 5 to 10 years if you apply monthly after wash https://preview.redd.it/kvc5t1nhqnkh1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0a2c64ff3122d8e8ee0ab7439c7a4c3f718973c”
“Periodically applying some sort of ceramic top coat or booster is recommended by virtually all ceramic coating brands. The idea is that you can drastically extend the longevity of the base coating by applying an additional sacrificial layer of protection so the underlying coating layer(s) do not wear down as quickly. Some manufacturers require this sort of top up service to maintain the warranty, others simply provide a recommended topper interval as part of the maintenance for maximum hydrophob”
“Got my car ceramic coated in April with an Osren 5 Year ceramic coating. Detailer wants me to come in and get it washed, decontaminated and ceramic topped for $120 AUD. Is it worth it? or more importantly... is it even necessary? I paid $1500 AUD for the initial coating and now i'm being asked just a few months later to come back in and pay nearly 10% again. submitted by /u/Interesting-Elk-4133 [link] [comments]”
“You can just reapply water-based spray every month and get the exact same functional benefits. The primary functional difference between the two is better bonding of more "ceramic" so you get longer lasting coating. ALL coating will eventually weaken and then wear away, it's just with a good water-based polymer coating this happens faster, so re-applying monthly overcomes that. No boiling required.”
“6-12 months is normal durability for ceramic coating on PPF. They never last long. Re application is very easy Good wash Spray iron fallout remover Remove any tar with Tar and Glue Remover Then a good rinse then put on your coating :) It takes about 3-4 hours and you can easily do it at home You can use any good ceramic, I'd reommend HPC 2.0 or Gyeon MOHS Evo.”
“I found an expired 3M ceramic coating kit (39901) on my shelf of coatings, and the plastic bottle cap is cracked. There is some hardened residue on the dropper of the bottle, but there's still liquid inside it. Is this coating kit safe to use since it still contains liquid, or is it junk? Would it cause damage to any paint I use it on? Will it even work at all? What are the risks? Has anyone used a ceramic coating that was expired or exposed to atmosphere from a cracked cap for extended time”
“I have gtechnic CSL on my vehicle and its still going decent as after almost 3.75 years. Started with full polish and correction, 1 coating CSL, then 1 coating of EXo v4, Beading was bananas for 1.5 yrs easy. I've topped it 3 times a year with Gtechnic C2 spray after a deep clean. I did recently have to use the Gtechnic Tar remover to remove a bunch of bonded tar and contamination, that stuff is amazing but smells terrible so don't know if it stripped the last of the CSL I can't deci”
“I am a Labocosmetica trainer. Am I reading this right that the PPF and the coatings were done in April 2025? What PPF and what coatings was installed? What does your wash process look like? The shop that installed the coating should have given you clear instructions including an overview of 3ph wash cycle. (Primus, Purifica, Semper/Revitax) I’d also question the warranty as well as the 300$ “booster” treatment. What does this treatment entail?”
“I did labocosmetica ceramic coating on my car in April 2025. So I got a new car, went for PPF entire car and then next day labocosmetica ceramic coating. I havnt done any booster treatment after that, looks like ceramic coating is wearing off. I do have 8 years of warranty. What should I do? Shop is charging 300$ for booster treatment. Is there an alternative I can do myself? Thank you in advance. submitted by /u/RemarkableExtent9543 [link] [comments]”
“Thoroughly impressed with Punch It ceramic detail spray by Shine Supply. I usually apply it about once a week but life’s gotten in the way lately and it’s probably been at least 3 weeks since its last application. Still going strong! submitted by /u/Savings-Security-476 [link] [comments]”