Protection divides into three honest tiers, and the marketing around them is unusually dishonest, so here is the plain version. Wax is carnauba or a synthetic blend that sits on the paint. Warmest look, least durability — weeks to a few months. Sealant is a synthetic polymer that bonds chemically. Months, sometimes a year, easy to apply, forgiving. Ceramic coating is a silica or silicon-carbide layer that cures into a semi-permanent film. Two to five years, real hydrophobics, and completely unforgiving of a poor prep. A coating over uncorrected paint locks the defects in.
Nothing in this category is a substitute for correction, and nothing here fills scratches. If a product claims both, read the specification.
Protection divides into three honest tiers, and the marketing around them is unusually dishonest, so here is the plain version. Wax is carnauba or a synthetic blend that sits on the paint. Warmest look, least durability — weeks to a few months. Sealant is a synthetic polymer that bonds chemically. Months, sometimes a year, easy to apply, forgiving. Ceramic coating is a silica or silicon-carbide layer that cures into a semi-permanent film. Two to five years, real hydrophobics, and completely unforgiving of a poor prep. A coating over uncorrected paint locks the defects in.
Nothing in this category is a substitute for correction, and nothing here fills scratches. If a product claims both, read the specification.
