A ceramic coating is a liquid polymer that bonds to your car's clear coat and cures into a hard, glossy layer. Unlike a wax that lasts weeks or a sealant that lasts months, a properly applied coating is measured in years — which is exactly why the prep underneath it matters more than the bottle it comes out of.
WashDash lists independent GTA detailers who post their real open times and come to you. The point of this page is to help you ask the right questions before you book a coating — because a coating locks in whatever is on the paint the day it goes on, good or bad.
The coating itself takes minutes to wipe on. What takes the hours is everything before it: a decontamination wash and a clay treatment to strip bonded grime, then — on paint that needs it — a correction stage to remove swirls and light scratches. Whatever isn't removed first gets sealed under the coating for years.
A coating amplifies gloss, so it also amplifies swirl marks and haze if they're left in. On an older or swirled car, a detailer may machine-polish the paint first. On a nearly-new car it may need almost none. It's worth asking a detailer to look at your paint and tell you honestly how much correction it needs.
Coatings bond best on a dry surface, out of direct sun, above a sensible temperature, and away from dust and rain while they flash and cure. A mobile detailer can do the wash, decon, and correction in your driveway, but many prefer to apply and cure the coating itself in a closed garage — yours or theirs. Confirm where the coating step will happen when you book.
A coating makes washing easier and helps water and grime sheet off, but it isn't fit-and-forget. It still needs regular gentle washes — no automatic brush tunnels — and some coatings come with a top-up or maintenance schedule to hold their warranty. Ask what the aftercare looks like before you commit.
It is not scratch-proof. A coating adds hardness and resists fine swirl marks and chemical etching, but it does not stop stone chips, curb rash, or a careless automatic wash. Anyone promising a scratch-proof finish is overselling it — treat that as a reason to book elsewhere.
The level matters, and so does the wording. 'Ceramic' covers everything from a spray-on ceramic sealant that lasts months to a multi-layer professional coating warrantied for years. They are very different jobs at very different effort levels — ask a detailer exactly which one a given service is, and how long they stand behind it.
Condition drives the price and the time. A clean, near-new car is a short job; a swirled daily driver that needs correction first is a much longer one. WashDash shows each detailer's own listed prices rather than a made-up average, and a quote after they've seen photos of your paint is far more reliable than any headline figure.
For longevity and ease of cleaning, yes — a coating lasts years where a wax lasts weeks, and grime releases more easily from a coated surface. But a coating costs more and demands proper prep to be worth it. If you want a quick seasonal refresh, a wax or sealant is perfectly reasonable; a coating is the long-term option.
Often, but with a condition. The wash, decontamination, and any paint correction happen fine in your driveway. The coating step itself cures best in a dry, dust-free, temperature-controlled space, so many detailers prefer a closed garage — yours or theirs — for that stage. Ask each detailer how they handle it when you book.
No, and be wary of anyone who says it will. A coating adds hardness and shrugs off fine swirl marks, bird droppings, and chemical etching far better than bare clear coat, but rock chips, curb scrapes, and deep scratches still happen. It protects against the everyday, not against physical impact.
It depends entirely on which product and how many layers. A spray-on ceramic sealant might last several months; a professional multi-layer coating can be warrantied for a few years with proper maintenance. Because the range is so wide, ask the detailer which coating they're using and exactly how long they stand behind it in writing.
It depends on the car's size and condition, whether paint correction is needed first, and which coating and how many layers you choose. WashDash shows each detailer's own listed prices rather than inventing an average, so the figure comes from the person doing the work — and a quote after they've seen your paint is the honest one.
Coating and correction work is high-value, repeat business that customers plan around. List your real calendar on WashDash, set your own prices and service area, and keep 100% of every job — no lead fees, no booking-software bill.
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