Man Puts Mercedes Through Hell Testing Ceramic Coating

You've likely heard of ceramic coating, not the stuff used on exhaust and inlet manifolds, but the final step of a car detailer's regimen when it comes to restoring and protecting paint after polishing, paint correcting, and sealing. But it's often the most expensive aspect of detailing your car. When it comes todetailing a $5.8 million Bugatti Divo, or perhaps even anAston Martin Vulcan, it makes sense to spend as much as possible to protect the paint, but what about yourToyota Corolla?

Does ceramic coating actually warrant the expense? Does it even work? Putting his own personal Mercedes-Benz through hell to see how well ceramic coating works, if at all,Warped Perceptionreveals some interesting results.

In the 20-minute YouTube video, we get a before and after demonstration, starting with donuts in the dirt, followed by mud being quite literally poured onto the hood of theMercedes-Benz E-Classbefore being rinsed with water. Without soap, water seems to only take off the surface dirt, but much of it remains entrenched in the paintwork. After that benchmark, the presenter cleans the car and sets about polishing off the excess dirt, splitting the hood with tape so we can compare treated and untreated paint.

After a wash and polish, he applies the ceramic coating, noting the different sheen it gives the paint, and even a slightly different sound when tapping on the hood. He then subjects the car to the same dusty donuts and mud bathing experience, but this time around, there's a noticeable difference. Dust is taken off easily by air, and the mud washes off with just water, highlighting just how much the ceramic coating protects the paint.

To get a better scientific understanding of how it works, he then shows us what ceramic coating does up close. He applies the coating to a piece of aluminum, before cutting it and placing it under a microscope. Even after a beating, the ceramic coating forms a solid barrier on top of the metal, not just creating an extra coating, but filling in dimples in the paint to create an even exposed surface. This prevents dust from getting into grooves and crevices, and even improves the appearance of the paintwork.

下的陶瓷涂层是清晰可见icroscope, and even after cutting through metal, it remains bonded. It's a fascinating, if not brutal and simplistic way of analyzing it, but one that shows it might well beworthwhile using a ceramic coatingon your own car.