Is it necessary to coat a new car?
3 Answers
It is necessary to coat a new car. The benefits of car coating include: 1. Protecting the car paint from UV damage: During sunny summer days, prolonged exposure to UV rays can slowly alter the chemical structure of the car paint. 2. Scratch resistance: Coating increases the surface hardness of the car body to 7H, which is higher than the 2H to 4H hardness provided by wax or glaze, thus reducing scratches caused by road debris. 3. Protecting the car paint from rain damage: With increasing industrial development, the acidity in rainwater has also risen, leading to occasional acid rain. Rainwater contains sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, salt, and other substances that adhere to the car paint, causing continuous damage to the surface.
When I first got my new car, I also struggled with the idea of getting a coating. To be honest, the paint on a new car is actually in its most perfect condition. Applying the coating when there are no fine scratches yet gives the best results. Last year, I had an inorganic glass-based coating applied to our family sedan. Now, six months later, every time it rains, water beads just slide off the car like on a lotus leaf, and much less dirt sticks to the body. I've cut my car washes in half, and the money saved is enough to buy two tanks of gas. Once, I parked under a tree for a week, and bird droppings didn't corrode the paint—they wiped off easily. If I had to choose again, I'd definitely get the coating on the very day I picked up the car.
Personally, I don't think it's necessary to rush into coating a new car. Waiting six months before considering it is perfectly fine. My SUV didn't get ceramic coating until it had been driven for almost four years, and the results were still noticeable. New cars already have clear coat protection, and regular waxing is sufficient for daily maintenance. While coatings can resist minor scratches, they're useless against deeper ones—driving habits matter more. Do the math: a basic ceramic coating costing over a thousand yuan could buy years' worth of car wax, plus you'd need to make a special trip for the application. If you're concerned about preserving the factory paint, a color-changing wrap is more practical—it offers protection while changing the color, killing two birds with one stone. There's no harm in waiting until the factory clear coat starts aging before getting a coating.
