Ceramic Pro coatings for West Seattle cars: salt air, bird droppings and sun off the Sound. Bronze from $900, installed in one day in Tukwila.
Every coating is cured in the shop under infrared lamps, the same kind body shops use to cure fresh paint, before you leave. Many shops keep a freshly coated car overnight; we invested in IR curing so you can take yours home the same day. IR curing speeds up the same cure; it doesn't skip it. Your car is safe to drive and fine in the rain right away, and the coating keeps hardening over the next 7 to 10 days, so hold off on washing until then.
Salt film is gritty. Wiping it off dry, or running it through brushes at an automatic wash, drags that grit across the paint and leaves swirl marks. Coated paint lets go of salt with plain water, so you can rinse first and touch the paint less. The coating also resists the acid in bird droppings long enough for you to get them off before they etch. Every package includes Glass coating on the windshield, which helps rain bead up and blow off when you're crossing the bridge at speed. ION packages coat every window. Bronze starts at $900 for a car and $1,100 for an SUV or truck, Silver is $1,200 and $1,400, and ION packages start at $1,500 and $1,700 while our current ION inventory lasts. Sprinters and other oversized vehicles are handled at our Monroe shop.
Head south on SR-509 or SR-99 to Tukwila; neither route goes through downtown. Drop the car off in the morning and pick it up that evening at 1050 Industry Drive.
The closer you live or park to the water, the more a coating earns its keep. Cars along Alki, Beach Drive and Admiral see the most salt and the most gulls, and so do ferry commuters waiting in the Fauntleroy line. Farther inland, in the Junction, Delridge or High Point, there's less salt but the same tree fallout as the rest of the city.
Yes. Salt still lands on the car, but it can't bond to coated paint and rinses off with water. Rinse the car more often if you park near the shore; a hand wash is best, and a touchless wash is the next best option.
Get them off the same day if you can. Soak them with water or a quick detailer for a minute so they soften, then lift them off. Don't scrub. The coating gives you time, but it isn't a reason to leave them.
Yes. Water beads up and blows off at speed, which helps visibility on the bridge and the highway. It doesn't replace your wipers, but you'll use them less.
Bronze is $900 for a car and $1,100 for an SUV or truck. Silver is $1,200 and $1,400. ION packages start at $1,500 and $1,700.
Salt spray Salt settles on cars parked anywhere near the shoreline. On coated paint it rinses off instead of being scrubbed in.
Gulls and bird droppings Droppings are acidic and etch quickly in the sun. A coating buys you time to remove them before they mark the clear coat.
Sun off the Sound Reflected sun doubles the UV on cars parked facing the water. Ceramic Pro adds UV resistance that helps paint hold its color.
The bridge in the rain Glass coating on the windshield helps rain bead and clear at highway speed, so you can see better on the West Seattle Bridge in a downpour.