How to Determine if a Car Has Undergone Crystal Coating?
2 Answers
Crystal coating gradually crystallizes when exposed to air. After crystallization, the crystals become transparent and colorless. The transparency of the crystals can be used to roughly determine the authenticity and quality of the crystal coating solution. You can perform a water test. If water droplets do not adhere to the paint surface and exhibit a lotus leaf dewdrop effect, it indicates the presence of crystal coating. The hydrophobic effect can help determine the authenticity and quality of the crystal coating solution. After crystal coating, the car's paint surface becomes much harder. Using a hardness testing instrument, you can assess the authenticity and quality of the crystal coating solution.
I remember paying special attention to this when helping a friend inspect a used car last month. If the car has been ceramic coated, the paint will have an exceptionally bright and transparent luster under strong light, and water droplets will bead up into round little pearls and roll off. On regular paint, water droplets will spread out flat. Focus on feeling the edges of the hood—after ceramic coating, the surface feels as smooth as glass. Also check the edges of plastic parts and rubber seals for any white, foggy residue. Proper application involves taping off these areas, so poor workmanship will show visible demarcation lines. Try spraying water from the windshield washer and then splashing some water—the speed at which water beads roll off a ceramic-coated car is noticeably different. Factory-new cars rarely come with this kind of treatment; it’s usually done afterward. On older cars, the effectiveness of the ceramic coating weakens after about two years.
