Is It Time to Reapply Ceramic Coating?

When properly maintained, professionally applied ceramic coating offers many years of protection against UV damage, corrosion, and environmental hazards. 

The longevity of your coating will depend heavily on the quality of your aftercare, but it has no set expiration date. In general, reapplication is only necessary if your ceramic coating has stopped doing its job. Here is what drivers need to know about how to extend the life of ceramic coating — and when to recoat. 

Signs Your Ceramic Coating Is Breaking Down

The beauty of ceramic coating is that it repels water, shuts out the elements, and makes it much easier to remove dirt and grime from the exterior of your car. When your coating starts to fail, you’ll notice a decline in these properties. 

Loss of Hydrophobic Performance

One of the easiest ways to tell that a coating is beginning to fail is by how water behaves on the surface. When your coating is healthy, you’ll see water bead up tightly and roll off. 

If water starts to sheet instead of bead, that’s a sign your coating might be losing effectiveness. 

Failing Hood and Roof Panels

The horizontal panels of your vehicle (like the hood, roof, and trunk) get more exposure to UV rays, bird droppings, tree sap, and other environmental hazards. Because of this, they tend to break down before the rest of the vehicle. 

The good news? If only these panels are failing, it’s usually possible to reapply ceramic those areas instead of the entire vehicle. 

The Importance of Annual Maintenance

The best way to determine whether it’s time to reapply ceramic is to bring your vehicle in for regular maintenance visits. Not only can our automotive experts inspect your coating and make recommendations, but they can also maximize your investment by adding years to your ceramic’s lifespan. 

Here is what you can expect from your annual maintenance visit at ATD.

Decontamination Wash

Our specially formulated decontamination wash gently removes environmental contaminants, soap scum, hard water residue, and built-up grime from the surface of your vehicle. 

In some cases, this deep clean is enough to restore the coating’s hydrophobic behavior — no reapplication necessary.

Ceramic Boost Application

After the decon wash, we apply XPEL’s ceramic boost product to help rejuvenate and protect the coating. This boost improves water beading and gives your coating a fresh layer of resistance to contaminants.

Professional Inspection

During every maintenance visit, we thoroughly inspect the condition of your coating. This inspection lets us catch minor issues before they become major problems and helps us advise you on how to keep your coating at peak performance.

Full vs. Partial Ceramic Reapplications

Many automotive enthusiasts are surprised to learn that they don’t always need to reapply ceramic to their entire car. If only some areas of your vehicle are starting to fail, panel-specific reapplication can keep your car’s finish looking flawless without unnecessary work and expense.

Schedule a Ceramic Maintenance Appointment

Ceramic coating is a smart investment in your vehicle’s long-term appearance and value. Our annual ceramic maintenance service is designed to help you avoid premature failure, catch issues early, and stretch the life of your coating as far as it can go.

Reach out to our detailing experts to schedule your annual maintenance visit and we’ll help you get the most out of your ceramic coating.