Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) vs Silicon Carbide (SiC) Ceramic Coatings
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) vs Silicon Carbide (SiC) Ceramic Coatings
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) Ceramic Coatings
If you’ve never heard of silicon carbide or silicon dioxide, that’s ok because not many people have. The terms that float around are usually three year coating, five year coating, etc. The number has, sort of taken center stage and the actual coating itself has been pushed to the back burner.
You are looking to get your vehicle coated and you see all of these numbers and decide based on how long the warranty runs. That number is actually quite irrelevant. I will explain why. Most ceramic coatings are made of a silicon dioxide base. Silicon dioxide is similar to high quality glass or quartz. It does create a strong bond between itself and the clear coat. The bond is held by the resins in the coating. These resins are like glue or velcro holding the coating in place.
The “glue” breaks down over time. The sun’s UV rays, chemicals, and environmental film break it down. Most SiO2 coatings only last about one to three years. More than likely, you were given instructions of how to clean your exterior by the detailer after your vehicle was coated. They told you to wash it every few weeks and that you must bring it back in once a year for a “refresh.” If you fail to wash it and bring it in once a year the warranty will be voided and the coating will cease to exist on the vehicle or be drastically depleted.
A coating “refresh” actually puts more “glue” back onto the surface strengthening the bond. They are putting a sealnt or a diluted version of the originall coating back on to “top it of.” It’s kind of like restoring the coating back to day one. The reason they tell you that you must come back in for this service or your coating will fail. They are right. If no intervention is performed your coating will last three years or less.
Most detail shops use SiO2 coatings. They are more readily available, cheaper, easier to install and offer a warm, wax-like glow. They are super popular in the non-pro consumer market. Most coating companies make SiO2 coatings because they are easier to make. Everyone in the pro detailing world knows and talks about these types of coatings.
The Truth About SiO2 Coating Warranties
First, let me say that having warranties longer than the coating will last is ok. That’s why the detail shop tells you that you must follow these instructions, or else. It is a lot of work to maintain an SiO2 coating. It’s certainly less work than a wax or sealant. If you have a 5 year warranty on the vehicle you must come in every year and after year five they will not make you come back in every year. That will be up to you.
Now, if you continue to get the once a year detail after year five then the coating will remain intact and on the exterior. When you stop getting that detail performed then the coating will be advancing toward ceasing its function.
The issue for me is that the focus is more on the coating and preventing it from failing. rather than the coating protecting and preserving your vehicle and making your life easier in that regard. It, kind of seems counterintuitive to focus on the coating rather than the coating focusing on the preservation of the car.
I’m not saying you wasted your money with an SiO2 coating. You probably have no clue what brand or type of coating you have. That’s ok if you don’t know. A coating is a premium service and should be quite expensive. $1,000 for a five year warrantied coating is not a high price. The average cost for a five year warrantied coating in York County Pa. is $1,500.
If you have this type of coating just keep trucking along. Don’t worry about anything. Just follow their instructions and take your vehicle to them at the recommended intervals and wash it frequently.
Silicon Carbide (SiC) Ceramic Coatings
Again, I do realize that the topic of what type of coatings exist is new, maybe hard to understand, etc. Most pro detailers don’t even know what their coating is made of. They may know some words and terms, but they don’t understand it. That’s not a criticism. Some don’t need to know or it’s just something they’ve never thought of.
Most coatings are silicon dioxide. With that being said, silicon carbide is a different animal altogether. Silicon carbide is a carbon similar to the carbon in a diamond. SiC is considered industrial diamond. Also, the atoms in SiC are similar enough to the factory clear coat that they actually share electrons. This means that it has a covalent bond. This bond is the strongest in chemistry. This is the reason diamonds are so hard.
The silicon carbide make such a strong bond that when an SiC coating is applied it is integrated into the clear coat. This means that it becomes part of the clear coat. The coating is “welded” to the clear coat.
Here is a quick illustration for an SiO2 bond and an SiC bond. An SiO2 bond is like paint on a wooden fence. It’s strong and lasts a while. Eventually it will flake off, peel or need to be repainted. SiC bond is like wood stain for wood. The stain penetrates the fibers, integrates into it and becomes one with the wood and forms a new top layer.
The result of this bond is a decade or more of the SiC ceramic coating being attached to the clear coat. Regular washing every two weeks and reasonable care taken of the vehicle is recommended. No yearly detail is recommended or required.
On a side note, a warranty is great, but the main point in a coating is to protect the vehicle, preserve it and make it easier to clean. The warranty is just a back-up safety net in case your vehicle encounters some weird natural environmental event when you are properly caring for it.
Final Thoughts
As you can tell, I am SiC leaning. It is a superior compound by far. It is much more durable than SiO2 coatings. SiO2 coatings tend to have a warner, wax-like glow. Whereas SiC coatings tend to produce more depth of color and gloss. SiC coatings lasts longer with less cleaning needed compared to SiO2 coatings.
SiO2 coatings tend to be more prevalent because most companies use that compound in their formulas. That’s because it is easier and less expensive to produce. SiO2 coatings tend to be better for older vehicles or lease vehicles due to their shorter life span. SiC coatings are better for newer or more expensive vehicles and for those who want to dedicate less time to cleaning their vehicles. The SiC formula costs more and uses more expensive, safer solvents.
The reason that Silicon dioxide coatings need to be in a glass bottle is because of the solvents they use. It would eat through plastic. An SiC coating using safe solvents can be put in a syringe or plastic container because it won’t be able to eat through it.
My goal is to educate my clients and potential clients so that you KNOW that there is better vehicle appearance preservation that endures. I want you to know that we use an SiC coating that is far different than the other coatings that other detailers use. When your vehicle is coated by us you will have a vehicle that is the easiest to maintain and will look better over time than any other coating your vehicle could have.
You don’t really need to waste your time researching who uses what and how it all works. Find a detailer you trust and be loyal. If you want your vehicle to have the most durable premium defense against nature (for the interior and exterior), then choose us. If you are ok with a mediocre defense against nature than choose someone else.
My name is Tug Bankert. I own and operate Wax On Wax Off Pro Detailing and Ceramic Coatings since 2013. I have been a nerd for much longer than that. I have always loved digging into the details to understand how things work. I’m average intelligence, so I have to work really hard at learning things. When I was a little kid I used to sleep with an Encyclopedia. It was the letter “T” because of the Titanic. I am fascinated by facts. I know a lot of facts about that subject. I love learning from those who know more about a topic than I do.
On a side note, I’m going to be candid for a minute. There is a great online detailing community. Facebook groups, videos on YouTube and private chat groups, etc. My recommendation for my clients is to stay out of that world. It can send you down rabbit holes that you’ll never find your way out of. There is a strong sense of community in the detailing space. Most of this space IS controlled and influenced by the consumer market and the hobbyist detailers (prosumers).
With that being said, I’m not satisfied with consumer market influencing the pro market. The result of this influence is that the information given to you as a client is from the perspective of a hobbyist detailer. This is a negative because the focus is not on you, the client. the focus is on the detailer. Also, words like “paint correction,” foam cannon, Graphene, 10 year coating, yearly decon washes, etc., are used and then you are told that these thing are all good and that this is what you want.
Some of these ideas are new and some are old. I have seen a lot of new detailers pop up recently. They watch YouTube and learn everything they know from there. Well, other prosumer detailers are on YouTube making content saying all of these same terms. These new detailers just repeat what they hear and now educate you. I have no hate for those who are new, old or in between. I want to educate, not criticize. I am not trying to educate a detailer I’m trying to educate you properly. I can only influence those who walk through my doors or watch my stupid videos.
I want you to trust the detailer that you have chosen. Buy whatever he is selling and believes in and don’t doubt it. When you come across a more seasoned and experienced detail shop, buy what he’s selling and believe them as well.
Until we meet, keep your vehicle clean the best you know how and don’t settle for mediocre! thanks for reading all of this super nerdy stuff!
Written by:
Tug Bankert-Owner/Operator of Wax On Wax Off Detailing Since 2013
Detailer since 1999
Opti-Coat Podcast Host since a few weeks ago
Idiot since birth
Dad since 2011
Husband since 2009
This wasn’t Ai, by the way. It was all me.