Ceramic Coating Cost: 5 Reasons Why It Can Cost So Much.

Ceramic Coating Cost

by ASD | Oct 20, 2020 | Blog, CQuartz Ceramic Coating, Gtechniq Ceramic Coating

One of the most common questions received here at American Shine Detailing is…

“Why does ceramic coating cost so much?”

This is not an easy question to answer simply because there are many factors involved when pricing this service. If you are still in the research gathering phase, hopefully this blog post will help you feel confident in understanding some of the price quotes you may have received. We will break down the top 5 factors that we use to price out a ceramic coating job.

1. New vs Used Ceramic Coating Cost

Majority of businesses that are serviced based operate off an hourly labor rate, detailing being no different. The single largest contributing factor that will drastically affect cost will be the condition of the vehicle which correlates directly to labor time. Is it a:

New car? Used car? Used car with re-paint?

Brand new vehicles generally will be much cheaper because they generally require less work. It would come as no shock that a vehicle that takes 10 hours to complete will be much cheaper than one that takes 30 or even 40 hours.

With regards to pricing used vehicles, we always recommend that you take your car into get an estimate vs trying to get one over the phone or email. Reason being, without seeing the vehicle in person, it is nearly impossible to know the condition, however, an experienced detailer should be able to gather enough information to come up with a high-side and a low-side estimate for you.

But if you want the most accurate quote, taking your vehicle in so that you and your detailer can observe the condition together will provide you with the most accurate pricing, and also generally eliminates any avoidable surprises.

2. Vehicle Size Will Affect Ceramic Coating Cost

Another noteworthy point that we take into consideration is vehicle size. This is important because it will play a role in how much ceramic coating will be needed, as well as surface area to polish/correct. The larger your vehicle, the more time it will take to complete the work. Also, a larger vehicle requires the use of more product and supplies which are factored in as well.

3. Vehicle Color Can Affect Ceramic Coating Cost

Color can greatly affect cost because it will affect labor time the most. Darker vehicles generally require more paint polishing to achieve an optimal finish. This is not because dark vehicles have a different clear coat, it is simply because the defects are easier to see than a lighter color such as white or silver. With that said, it is quite common for light colored vehicles to be riddled with the same defects, but because swirl marks and scratches are light in nature, they are far less visible to the average onlooker.

If you are shopping around for estimates, make sure to ask the potential detailer if you can come by for a free estimate. During the estimate, you should ask your detailer to clean off a panel (a door usually works well) and point out any defects in your clear coat. You may be surprised at what you see, even on a brand-new vehicle!

4. Paint Hardness & Ceramic Coating Cost

Hardness refers to how strong the clear coat is. Modern vehicles have a clear coat that protects the color underneath, referred to as the base or color coat. In the detailing world, when we say the words “polishing paint”, we are actually talking about polishing the clear coat. Believe it or not, your clear coat is slightly thicker than a piece of printer paper!

Before a ceramic coating can be applied, your detailer will have to polish the clear coat to make it as perfect as possible. Depending on the vehicle manufacturer, your car might have a soft clear coat or hard clear coat. A harder clear coat is in most cases better, as it will not scratch as easily.

However, this type of clear coat is harder to correct so your detailer will be spending more time perfecting the surface. Softer clear coat will pose issues as it wears, is harder to maintain, and after several washes you will start to notice a few more defects. Although this type of paint is easier to correct, it requires a trained eye and a skilled set of hands to be sure the clear coat is finished to a mirror like reflection.

New Car Swirl Marks 

Before & After Paint Correction

5. Calculating Labor and Materials 

Every professional automotive shop should have a labor rate. Our shop labor rate is $85/hr. Let us quickly go over some factors that affect labor hours. Below I will put a number which represents the time each step could take. At the end, we will add it all up, multiply by $85, and show you what the labor time looks like on the average job!

Visual Inspection for Damage (20 minutes) Remove License Plates and Place Screws into Bag (5 minutes) Clean Engine Compartment (20 minutes) Clean Door Jambs, Trunk Jambs, Gas Tank (20 minutes) Clean Wheels, Wheel Wells, and Tires (30 minutes) Iron X Decon (5 minutes) Foam Cannon Pre Wash (Bug Sponge Front Windshield, Wheel Arches, Brush Grills, Underside of Rocker Panels, and brush hard to wash areas) (5 minutes) Rinse Vehicle (3 minutes) Thoroughly Wash Vehicle (10 minutes) Remove All Bugs (5 minutes) Clay Bar Vehicle (30 minutes) Clean Exhaust Tips (10 minutes) Towel Dry Vehicle (5 minutes) Blow Out All Cracks, Crevices, and Jambs (20 minutes) Double Check Prep Wash (10 minutes) ***On a really dirty vehicle, prep can take up to 3 hours to complete***

Wipe Down/Dress Engine Bay Evenly (5 minutes) Panel Wipe Vehicle (20 minutes) Remove Tar (Especially from lower part of vehicle) (20 minutes) Tape Off Any Sensitive Trim and Molding (30 minutes) PAINT CORRECTION (10-40 hours) Polish Hard To Reach Spots With by Hand (30 minutes) Deep Clean & Dress Exterior Plastics/Grills (5 minutes) Wipe Down Door Jambs, Trunk Jambs and Gas Tank Compartment With Spray Wax (10 minutes) Wipe Down Wheels/Dress Tires (10 minutes) Metal Polish Exhaust Tips (10 minutes) Panel Wipe Paint( 2 times) (45 minutes) APPLY CERAMIC COATING (3 hours) Clean Exterior/Interior Windows (20 minutes) Double Check/Final Inspection (30 minutes)

If you factor in 20 hours of paint correction and 3 hours for the ceramic coating application, that’s another 23 hours. In total between prep, exterior detail, polishing, and ceramic coating, your detailer could be spending 30 hours. If we multiply 30 x 85 that equals $2,550.

Now, these are just labor hours and are not factoring in any material costs. Generally speaking, a job of this nature could involve as much as $500 in material costs.

With all of that said, we have calculated the price range to be from $2,780-$2,950 for a multi-stage correction at 20 hours with a professional ceramic coating applied on top. If you get a quote for much less, chances are corners will be cut and you may not get the result you want.

In closing, if you are wanting to know how much it costs to have your vehicle ceramic coated, I would strongly advise contacting your detailer and making an appointment for an inspection. As you can tell, there are many factors that go into pricing and a lot of work that goes into preparing a vehicle for ceramic coating.

If you are located in the DC/VIRGINIA/MARYLAND region and would like a quote, feel free to contact us to set up your FREE estimate.

We are Northern Virginia’s exclusive installer for CQuartz Professional Level Ceramic Coatings and accredited Gtechniq installer.

Contact: [email protected] 22135 Davis Dr. Ste 107 Sterling, VA 20164

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