How much does ceramic coating cost?
Ceramic coating at SeaWraps is quoted per vehicle, because preparation drives the price, not the bottle. What changes your number: the size of the car, the condition of the paint, whether machine correction has to come first, which Gtechniq tier you choose, and whether wheels, glass or interior come along.
How are the ceramic coating packages built?
The packages below are cumulative rather than competing. Crystal Serum Light is the base, Crystal Serum Ultra swaps in a harder dual-layer system above it, EXO v5 adds a hydrophobic top coat over whichever of the two you chose, and the wheel, glass and interior coatings clip onto any of them. Pick a rung, then decide how far up you want to go. What none of them skip is the work underneath. The ceramic goes on at the very end; everything ahead of it is decontamination and, when the paint calls for it, correction. That is also the reason no number is printed on this page. The bottle costs what the bottle costs. The hours in front of the bottle are the variable, and they belong to your car alone, which is why the quote comes after we have looked at your paint with you rather than before.
What is in every package?
- Full decontamination wash before anything is applied
- Paint inspection under light, with you, before we quote
- Coating applied panel by panel and leveled evenly
- Aftercare in writing for the cure week that follows
What is quoted separately?
Machine paint correction, when the paint needs it. We keep it off the package price on purpose: some cars need a single stage to kill the haze, some need several, and plenty of well-kept cars need none at all. You see the panel first and decide where to stop.
How long does it take?
One to two days in the bay with prep counted in, and longer when the paint needs correcting before anything goes on. The coating then keeps hardening after you collect the car: no washing for the first week, hand washes after that.
Crystal Serum Light
The rung everything else is built on. A single layer of Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light goes down over decontaminated paint at 9H, carries a five-year manufacturer guarantee, and leaves a finish that beads hard and releases dirt without a fight. For a car that commutes, parks outside and gets washed when there is time, this is usually the right amount of coating.
- 9H hardness
- 5-year manufacturer guarantee
- Single layer
- Full decontamination wash and paint inspection
- Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light on every painted panel
- 9H hardness with a 5-year manufacturer guarantee
- Strong hydrophobic properties and gloss enhancement
- Contamination resistance across the finish
- Written aftercare for the cure week
Turnaround: One to two days in the bay, prep included. Longer when correction has to come first.
Crystal Serum Ultra
The step up is a second layer doing a second job. Crystal Serum Ultra pairs a flexible base that moves with the panel and a hard top coat that takes the abuse, reaches 10H, resists swirl marks, and is guaranteed for up to nine years. Gtechniq releases it only to accredited detailers, so the shop has to qualify before it can buy the bottle at all.
- 10H hardness
- Up to a 9-year guarantee
- Dual layer
- Accredited installers only
- Crystal Serum Ultra in place of Crystal Serum Light
- Flexible base layer under a hard top coat
- 10H hardness with swirl-mark resistance
- A manufacturer guarantee of up to 9 years
- Applied only by accredited Gtechniq detailers
Turnaround: One to two days in the bay, prep included. Longer when correction has to come first.
Gtechniq EXO v5 Top Coat
EXO v5 does not replace Crystal Serum, it goes on top of it. Underneath, the Serum handles hardness and chemical resistance. EXO is the ultra-durable hydrophobic outer layer that makes the surface slick enough for water, dirt and road grime to lose their grip and leave. Because it layers over Serum Light or Serum Ultra, it upgrades whichever rung you picked instead of replacing it.
- Hydrophobic top coat
- Goes over Crystal Serum
- Maximum water repellency
- Gtechniq EXO v5 layered over Crystal Serum Light or Ultra
- Ultra-durable hydrophobic top coat
- Maximum water repellency and self-cleaning behavior
- An outer surface slick enough to shed water, dirt and grime
Turnaround: One to two days in the bay, prep included. Longer when correction has to come first.
Wheels, Glass & Interior
Paint is not the only surface worth protecting. Wheel faces and calipers shed brake dust instead of baking it on, coated glass throws rain off at highway speed, and treated fabric and leather stand up to the spills and the UV that age a cabin. Each surface is its own piece of work, and any of them can ride along with any rung above.
- Wheels and calipers
- Rain-repellent glass
- Fabric and leather
- Wheel and caliper ceramic coating
- Rain-repellent glass coating
- Fabric and leather interior protection
- Quoted alongside any paint tier on the ladder
Turnaround: One to two days in the bay, prep included. Longer when correction has to come first.
- Wheels and calipers quoted per vehicle
- Glass quoted per vehicle
- Interior quoted per vehicle
Coating work is quoted per vehicle, and photos show real SeaWraps installs, not a representation of any specific price. Drivers coming down from the city can read the local version on our ceramic coating in Seattle page.
Which ceramic coating package is right for your car?
The whole ladder on one line each, with the specs Gtechniq publishes for every product we install.
| Package | What you get | Published specs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Serum Light | A single layer of Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light on every painted panel | 9H hardness, 5-year manufacturer guarantee | Quoted per vehicle |
| Crystal Serum Ultra | A flexible base layer under a hard top coat, accredited installers only | 10H hardness, up to a 9-year guarantee | Quoted per vehicle |
| EXO v5 top coat | An ultra-durable hydrophobic layer over Serum Light or Serum Ultra | Maximum water repellency and self-cleaning behavior | Quoted per vehicle |
| Wheels, glass and interior | Wheel and caliper coating, rain-repellent glass, fabric and leather | Added to any tier above, each surface its own line | Quoted per vehicle |
Turnaround is the same on every rung: one to two days in the bay, prep included. Longer when correction has to come first. Machine paint correction, when the paint needs it, is quoted on top of whichever package you pick. If you are weighing coating against film instead, our PPF vs ceramic comparison walks the whole decision.
What else do people ask about coating prices?
How much does ceramic coating cost in Kent and Seattle?
Every rung of the ladder is quoted per vehicle, because size and paint condition decide the work: a corrected two-seater and a swirled SUV are different jobs even when the same product ends up on top. What is fixed is the structure. Crystal Serum Light is the foundation, Crystal Serum Ultra is the flagship above it, EXO v5 is a top coat that goes over either, and the wheel, glass and interior coatings attach to any of them. Tell us the car and the quote is free.
What is the difference between Crystal Serum Light and Crystal Serum Ultra?
Layers, hardness and guarantee length. Light is a single layer at 9H with a five-year manufacturer guarantee, and it is a genuinely strong coating. Ultra is two layers, a flexible base under a hard top coat, at 10H, with swirl-mark resistance and a guarantee of up to nine years. Ultra is also restricted to accredited Gtechniq detailers, which is why you will not find it on a shelf.
Do I need the EXO v5 top coat on top?
It is an upgrade rather than a requirement. Crystal Serum is already doing the hardness and the chemical resistance underneath it. EXO v5 is an ultra-durable hydrophobic layer that sits over the Serum for maximum water repellency and self-cleaning, so the outer surface sheds water, dirt and road grime rather than holding onto them. In a climate this wet, it is the layer most owners notice week to week.
Why do ceramic coating prices vary so much between shops?
Preparation is the product. A coating locks in whatever is underneath it, so the real cost is in the decontamination and paint correction before anything is applied. Bargain coatings skip the prep and seal in the swirls; the price difference you see between shops is almost always a prep difference.
Does the price include paint correction?
Every tier starts with a decontamination wash and inspection. If the paint needs machine correction, we quote it separately based on condition, and we will show you why on the panel before you decide. Correction-plus-coating is the combination that makes a daily driver look better than delivery day.
Is ceramic coating worth it compared to PPF?
They solve different problems: a coating is chemical, UV and wash-day protection at a friendlier price; film is physical rock-chip armor. Our PPF vs ceramic comparison walks the whole decision, and the honest answer for many Puget Sound daily drivers is film up front, coating everywhere else.
How long does a ceramic coating take to install?
Typically one to two days including prep, longer if paint correction is on the menu. The rung you choose barely moves that, because applying the ceramic is the short part. It then cures over the following days, and we send the car home with straightforward care instructions: no washing for the first week, hand washes after.
How do I make a coating last its full guarantee?
Hand wash with pH-neutral soap, skip abrasive brush car washes, and let us do a maintenance inspection when you are in for anything else. Crystal Serum Ultra is guaranteed for up to 9 years when the coating is looked after, and the habits above are all it asks.