Is it necessary to apply crystal coating for a new car?
3 Answers
It is necessary to apply crystal coating for a new car. Crystal coating refers to providing a reliable paint surface sealing technology for the car paint, offering efficient and long-lasting protection to prevent environmental impacts on the car paint's color. The process of crystal coating includes: 1. Covering the front windshield, license plate, and gaps; 2. Using polishing agents and ultra-fine swirl removers to eliminate fine scratches on the paint surface; 3. Degreasing the car paint surface; 4. Polishing the car paint surface with a professional crystal coating wipe. The benefits of crystal coating are: 1. The car surface is isolated from the external environment, reducing oxidation and effectively preventing acid rain from corroding the paint surface, thereby extending the lifespan of the car paint; 2. Making it easier to clean various dust, mud, and foreign objects on the car surface; 3. Reducing external damage to the car surface; 4. High resale value retention.
When I first got my new car, I also struggled with the idea of ceramic coating. A friend suggested waiting three months before considering it for better cost-effectiveness. New cars actually come with a factory clear coat, so applying ceramic coating immediately would waste this original protective layer. If you really want to do it, I recommend driving for half a year first, allowing the original paint to naturally oxidize before polishing. Ceramic coating involves applying a liquid silica solution to the car's paint surface, which hardens into a transparent shell—it’s genuinely effective against bird droppings corrosion. However, the claim that water beads up into perfect little droplets and rolls off after rain is exaggerated; the actual effect isn’t as magical as advertised. Prices range from 1,500 to 7,000–8,000 RMB, depending largely on the technician’s skill—some shops don’t even dry the water stains in the car seams before application, leading to bubbles within months. By the way, white cars look especially glossy after coating, while black cars tend to show fine scratches more easily.
Last year, I spent 4,800 yuan on ceramic coating for my new car, but looking back now, it wasn't really worth it. The experienced technician at the detailing shop told me that ceramic coating lasts at most a year and a half, and needs to be reapplied annually. The application process is also quite tedious, requiring six or seven rounds of polishing over the entire car, which reduces the paint thickness by about half the thickness of an A4 paper. The upside is that washing the car becomes much easier—tree sap rinses right off. But don't believe the nonsense about scratch resistance; when my neighbor's door dinged my car, it still left a mark. The most frustrating part is that you can't wax the car after ceramic coating, or the coating layer will be ruined. It might be worth it for car owners in northern regions to protect against corrosion from road salt on wheel arches. But for cities in the south with heavy rainfall, it's really unnecessary—you'd be better off spending that money on a tire pressure monitoring system for more practical benefits.
