Ceramic coating, Panama City

What it changes

• Gloss. A deeper, more reflective finish than fresh wax, holding the colour and clarity the paint had when it was new.
• Water. Rain beads and rolls off instead of sitting on the panel, so spots and streaks get less chance to set in.
• Washing. Dirt, brake dust and tar have far less to grip. Most washes become a rinse rather than a scrub.
• UV and chemicals. A barrier between the clear coat and the sun, the salt and the bug acid that dull a finish over a few seasons here.

What it does not do

It does not stop a rock chip, and it is not scratch-proof. A coating is a chemical barrier, not an impact layer, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling. If what worries you is the stone off the truck in front, that is paint protection film, and we would rather tell you that than take the money for the wrong product.

The prep is most of the job

A coating is only as good as the paint underneath it, and once it is on, whatever was under it is sealed in. So the order matters and we do not skip down to the part that looks impressive:

• Wash and decontamination. A full wash, iron and tar removal, and a clay pass to pull what is embedded out of the clear coat.
• Paint inspection. Every panel looked over for swirls, water spots and light oxidation, so you know what condition the paint is actually in before anything is sealed over it.
• Hand application and cure. The coating goes on by hand, panel by panel, and then it needs time to flash and cure before the vehicle leaves. Rushing the cure is how a coating ends up not performing.

How long it lasts

We use Feynlab coatings, and there are two of them: a three-year coating and a five-year coating. The application is the same either way, the same prep and the same hand work; what differs is how long the coating lasts on the paint. Wax, for comparison, is a few weeks.

Which of the two is right depends on how long you are keeping the car and what the paint is doing now, and Keith goes through that with you when he quotes it. Washing it in a way that does not undo the coating is part of that conversation.

What moves the number

We do not publish a coating price, and we are not going to make one up on a page. Which of the two coatings you want is most of it, and the rest is the car: its size, the condition of the paint going in, and whether you want the wheels, trim and glass done as well as the paint. Keith quotes it himself once he has seen it.

What we can tell you is what moves it. Paint condition, because swirls, water spots and light oxidation all add correction time before a coating can go on, and clean paint costs less to prepare. Correction itself: a wash and clay pass is standard on every job, but machine polishing to take out real defects is extra labour and it shows up in the price. Which coating, the three-year or the five-year. And the size of the vehicle, plus how many surfaces you want covered. Anything we price separately we tell you about before we start, not after.

Tell us the year, make and model and what you want coated, and we come back with the figure and a time. Call or text 850-785-8468 or use the quote form.