Professional Ceramic Coating Installers in
Santa Ana
Protect & Enhance your vehicles look all in 1
Why a Ceramic Coating?
Do you want the shine that a wax provides? Do you want the protection and durability of a sealant? Well You will be happy to hear that you can get both at a higher quality in 1 product with one of our most premium services.
Many people are not familiar with a ceramic coating or the benefits it provides. Now you can keep your car shining longer as well as give it an enhanced level of protection against rain and all the dirt & grime your car is faced with while you’re out there on the road.
The Only Ceramic Coating Experts you need in Orange County
At OTL Auto Care we offer an advanced ceramic coating service that provides a long lasting protection for your vehicles paintwork. This is the best solution to keep your car looking glossy, clean, & protected from environmental contaminants.
There are many detailers & ceramic coating distributors that make big claims about there products however at the end of the day if the coating is not properly applied then the product will fail to perform at the rate it’s supposed to or have the duration it’s said to have. And at that point you just wasted hundreds of dollars for nothing.
You HAVE to properly prepare the paint for Maximum results. Now, we understand that some customers really aren’t worried about it and they just want the hydrophobic properties on their vehicle even if its for a limited time and aren’t worried about paying the premium price for it. So although we strongly recommend every customer that wants a ceramic coating, to go through the prep. process, we also have a spray on alternative that is cheaper than the real thing. That will still do the job, just for a shorter period of time and without having to go through the prep process so naturally it will come out cheaper.
At OTL Detailing we put your paint through a prep. process before applying the coating which includes: washing, claying, & some form of paint correction to ensure the coating performs as intended.
This process can very depending on the condition of your car. For a properly maintained vehicle with the paint already in good condition, we could finish in a much shorter time period as it may only require a 1-step correction or light polish. For paint that is more heavily swirled and requiring a longer process, this can take up to 2-3 days of work.
Application Process
The application process for a ceramic coating is a much longer and much more tedious process than applying any wax or sealant. One part of this is you have to be able to know when the coating has set on the paint so you can then buff it off. And the amount of time it takes to “set” can vary depending on the conditions you’re working in and what coating you’re using as well.
This is why it is very important to work in sections so you can properly analyze the coating as your going and you don’t miss any spots. Because if you buff off the coating too early there’s a potential that the coating has not been allowed to fully set onto the paint, causing its durability to be compromised. And waiting too long can make it very difficult to remove.
Another big problem we see when people install ceramic coatings is “high-spots”. This is a clearly visible spot on the paint that was coated, but wasn’t thoroughly buffed off so you can see where it dried up almost leaving a smeared look.
If these “High-Spots” are caught not too long after the application then it might be simply be able to be buffed off. However if left untreated for days/weeks and it has already cured to the panel you now have to go over and polish that section again.
These are the major differences between a ceramic coating and a wax/sealant.
Benefits of a Ceramic Coating
Produces a long lasting shine that a wax or sealant cannot measure up to
Provides a sacrificial layer of protection on top of your paint lasting 2-5 years
Provides hydrophobic properties keeping your car clean longer and simplifying the wash process while also keeping you safer on the road during the rain
Can be applied on paint, glass, wheels, chrome, vinyl film, & PPF
Before we can apply a ceramic coating on your paint, we must first properly prep and correct it with one of our Paint Correction Services. While a lot of companies can offer you a ceramic coating without having you go through all the prep work if you’d like, it won’t give you the full benefits of the coating if you don’t do all the prep work.
Professional Installers will not leave your car with high spots which are smudges you’ll see along the vehicle that occur when the product has been left on the paint for too long without being wiped off.
Whats the Difference from a traditional Wax or Sealant?
When you apply a layer of ceramic coating your vehicle you’ve now also added hydrophobic properties to it which causes water to bead up whenever it comes in contact with the surfaces that you’ve applied it on. This makes it much easier and safer to drive in the rain because the water will bead up when it hits your windshield and then fly right off as you drive. It also simplifies the wash process which may even allow you to give it some more time then normal before you bring it back in for a maintenance wash.
Protect Your Vehicle From Orange County Sun Damage
Living in Orange County means dealing with intense, year-round UV exposure. That constant sun doesn't just dry out your clear coat; it oxidizes the paint, turns clear trim cloudy, and cracks leather interiors.
Standard washing isn't enough. To stop intense UV rays from fading your paint and cracking your interior, you need to create a physical barrier using ceramic coatings, high quality window tint & proper maintenance habits
Here’s a few examples of how to keep your car protected in this OC Climate:
Upgrade to a Ceramic Coating (The Ultimate Shield): Traditional wax melts off in the California heat within a few weeks. A professional ceramic coating creates a permanent, microscopic layer over your clear coat that contains massive UV inhibitors that act like SPF 100 sunscreen for your car, preventing oxidation and color fading.
Installing Ceramic Window Tint: Sun damage happens inside the cabin too. Standard tint just darkens the glass, but ceramic tint blocks up to 99% of UV rays and massive amounts of infrared heat. This keeps your dashboard, leather seats, and plastics from drying out, fading, and cracking.
Ditch the traditional Waxes for Ceramic Sealants: If a full ceramic coating isn't in your budget yet, skip the old school carnauba wax. Use a high quality ceramic or polymer sealant. These synthetics tolerate the high surface temperatures of a car sitting under the midday sun without breaking down. Our 6 Month Paint Protection Package is a great, budget friendly alternative for this specific purpose!
Never Wash in Direct Sunlight: Washing a hot car under the OC sun causes water and chemicals to evaporate instantly, leaving behind permanent water spots and mineral etching. Always wash in the early morning, late evening, or inside a shaded bay.
Protect Interior Trim & Leather: Use dedicated interior protectants that contain explicit UV blockers. Avoid cheap, greasy dressings that mimic a shine but actually attract heat and bake your plastic trim over time. If you're more concerned with protecting your leather interior, we can even apply a coating to all the applicable sections of your interior (seats, dashboard, steering wheel, etc.) with our coatings specifically tailored for leather interiors.
Prevention is infinitely cheaper than restoration. Once a clear coat oxidizes and peels from sun damage, the only fix is an expensive trip to a body shop for a full repaint.
Starting prices below include the prep process followed by a light polish finished off with the coating applied on all paint surfaces. Final pricing is dependent on size, condition & length of coating (your choice).
Ceramic Coating Prices
3 Year Ceramic Coating
Starting At: $699
5 Year Ceramic Coating
Starting At: $849
Ceramic Coating FAQs
Can you come to me for the ceramic coating?
While we did offer our ceramic coating as a mobile service at one point we have transitioned to keeping this service exclusively for drop offs only. Depending on the condition of the vehicle, the amount of work it requires can range anywhere from 2-5 days, which is why we request that the vehicle be left with us. Doing the application process in an open environment there can be too many variables that can affect the life of the coating so we prefer to do it in a more controlled setting so it can go onto your vehicle as intended and maximize the life of the coating
Is Ceramic Coating the Best form of protection I can get for my vehicle?
If your looking to add protection to your car without putting any type of film on it then yes, ceramic coating will be the best form of protection you can get. It is better than any glaze, wax, or sealant because it adds hydrophobic properties to your vehicle, making water bead up when it comes in contact with your paint so that it just slides right off as you’re driving. It also repels dirt, debris & road grime better than any other options and still gives it that beautiful shine that you get from the others.
What if I want the Ceramic Coating without going through the prep process?
We don’t apply the true, long lasting ceramic coatings without going through the prep process as you will not see the full benefits of from the coating without doing so. However if you still wanted to add some hydrophobic properties to your vehicle without investing the large amount of money or time into your vehicle, then our 6 Month Paint Protection Package is a perfect option for you as we do apply a spray on ceramic sealant once were done cleaning the vehicle. Our Premium Wash is also a great, much more affordable option for you as well. Although this doesn’t have the same protection it still gives your car a beautiful shine.