Why Should I Apply a Glass Coating?
by Reece @ DI
Ceramic coatings provide a strong, protective barrier to the surface of your vehicle that works to not only protect from dirt and grime, but also UV rays. If you think these coatings are just for your painted surfaces, you may want to think again. There are many coatings on the market that exist to protect your glass surfaces, providing several benefits exclusive to these unique glass surfaces. Below are four benefits of glass coatings and why this type of protection should be on your shopping list for your next detailing supply pickup.
Visibility
When driving there can be times that we are caught in rain storms and while our windshield wipers do a great job pushing water from the surface, a glass coating can greatly increase this benefit. This is due to the hydrophobic nature of these coatings, which causes rainwater to bead up on the surface. Water will not cling, but more easily slide off the glass, especially when hit with the wipers. You may even find water beading up and pushing off the surface in lighter rain and at higher speeds you may not even need to use your wipers. Glass coatings can really increase your visibility, in turn aiding in safer driving!
Clarity
When glass surfaces are new, they will be flat and smooth. This means no swirls, scratches, chips, etc. Just a nice, clean, clear piece of glass. However, over time you can see some imperfections creeping in even though glass surfaces are hard. These imperfections, while hard to see on their own, can cause light to refract when rays hit the surfaces at certain angles, causing a decrease in clarity. Many glass coatings will actually fill in very light imperfections that are hard to see, greatly increasing clarity of the glass surface overall. While you might only notice this on your windshield, clarity will be increased on side windows and all other glass surfaces.
Cleaning
Glass cleaning is something that as a detailer we all hate, but glass coatings can help make this cleaning process easier. This is due to coatings protecting from dirt, grime, bird bombs, and more. Less will stick to the surface due to the hydrophobic properties and anything that does happen to stick or dry, will be resting on top of the coating rather than onto the glass surface itself. When it comes time to clean, most contamination will be removed during the wash process with minimal effort. I mean, who doesn’t like making their cleaning process easier!?
Protection
Just like ceramic coatings for painted surfaces, glass coatings will aid in protecting your glass from imperfections. This means protection from anything like wash induced swirls to light scratches from dirt, grime, rocks, etc. While the protective layer is not strong enough to stop heavy rock chips, you will breathe easier knowing that you are protected from lighter imperfections. Less imperfections means increased visibility and clarity overall, so you will find that all of these benefits tie in together in some way.
Suggested Glass Coatings
There are many great glass coatings on the market and below you can find a few of our favorites. For all of the glass coating items we carry, check out our glass coatings page.
Ive applied some ceramic coatings to glass that are intended for glass coating. My problem is that they are prone to scratching when a client doesn’t keep their wipers in the cleanest condition possible. Any thoughts to this induced risk besides telling the client of the risk and needed maintenance?
There are often misunderstandings that coatings are cure all protection products that do not require or require minimal maintenance steps. For glass coatings in particular, I do recommend a good maintenance routine and I have found that coating the wiper blades as well as the glass surface helps keep dirt and grime from sticking to these blades.
Love glass coating however I’ve seen a lot have wiper chatter which is why I’m hesitant to apply on customers vehicles. Any suggestions or reasons as to why the wiper chatter?
Anthony – Wiper chatter can happen when any form of protective layer is on the surface, if the surface is dirty, or if the wiper blades are bad (wipers need replacing when the rubber no longer “flips over” when they are on the return stroke). Generally this is due to friction between the wiper blades and the protected surface, which is seen more when dry then when there is rain or wiper fluid on the surface to be pushed away (i.e. no water left on the wiper downstroke in light rain).
To combat this, make sure the surface is clean from any dirt or debris and that your wiper blades are still good. If they are, thoroughly cleaning your wiper blades and coating them will reduce chatter when in use.
That’s Great!! I appreciate your response and feedback!