Ceramic coating can be a blessing for people who are very worried about chips and scratches in their car's paint. The coating isn't invincible, and a hard-enough impact will of course scratch the coating. But for everyday door dings and other minor scratches, ceramic car coating is a great way to protect your car from minor damage. You can add ceramic coating to any car, but you'll need to make some decisions and take a few actions first if you've got an older car.

Paint Only or Windows, Too?

Ceramic coating can be added to the paint on the car's body, and it can be used on windows, too. The coating is clear and easy to clean, and it can block some UV rays. It won't stop windshield cracks and the like, however. You'll want to have the coating professionally applied to the windows and windshield. DIY jobs aren't always the smoothest, and you need that layer of coating to be smooth when it's on your windshield, or you're more likely to avoid having a coating that makes windshield wipers "skip" as they travel across the windshield

Having Chips and Scratches Fixed

If you're applying the ceramic coating to a car that's been around for a while, you'll want to get all the current scratches and chips fixed. You could add a ceramic coating to paint that's been chipped, but why would you want to? One of the advantages of ceramic coating is that it makes the car's paint look sleek, and chips and scratches would mar that image. If you have a vision of your car looking shiny and clean due to the ceramic coating, get current flaws in the paint patched up.

Where You'll Go for Car Washes Afterward

An odd thing about ceramic coating is that there are certain types of car washes that you'll need to avoid. The classic roller-type of automatic car wash is one; the roller can actually scratch the ceramic coating. The same goes for any car wash that uses rough, abrasive brushes. The rollers and brushes being abrasive are only part of the issue; dirt and debris can get stuck in those rollers as they touch other cars, and that debris can then scratch your car when you go through the car wash. Touchless car washes that use different water and soap sprays are better; just be sure to go to one that doesn't use very harsh chemicals.