A new car isn't a flawless car. We correct what the factory, the transport truck and the dealer lot left behind, then seal it with a 5-year ceramic coating — at your home, parkade or office.
Yes, a new car is worth coating — and most need at least a light correction first.
Factory paint leaves the plant with imperfections baked in at production speed. The transport truck and the dealer lot add more. This page covers what we find at inspection, when to book, and how what we do compares to the package the dealer offered you at F&I.
Book before the first automatic wash, not after — swirls often appear in the first few months.
Almost always yes — at least a light one-step. The misconception most people bring to this conversation is that fresh paint is flawless paint.
Factory paint is applied by robots at speed and inspected to a production tolerance, not a show-car one. The surface that leaves the plant already has fine micro-marring worked in during machine application. Then the car gets shipped — on a transport truck, often on a rail car — sitting in weather with other vehicles for days or weeks. It arrives at the dealer lot, gets parked outside, and is washed by whoever is on the lot that week with equipment maintained to a lot standard.
By the time you take delivery, the paint has history. A ceramic coating bonds permanently to whatever sits underneath it — correct first, and you seal in perfection; skip it, and you seal in what the lot left behind.
These are the six most common defects we find on brand-new cars before we correct and coat them.
Adhesive left behind when the protective shipping film is pulled at the port or dealer.
Metallic particles from rail and truck transport that embed into the clear coat during transit.
The single most common defect on a new car. Dealer lot washes are fast, not careful.
From weeks or months parked outside on the lot waiting to be sold.
Left behind when price stickers and dealer badges are removed from the paint.
From being rinsed and left to air-dry in the sun on the lot — mineral deposits baked into the surface.
Before the First Wash
Send us the year, make, and model. We'll tell you the correction level it needs — and if it only needs the light one-step, we'll say so.
It depends entirely on what's in it. Before saying yes at the F&I desk, ask these five questions:
1. Which product, and what is its rated durability?
"Ceramic" covers everything from a spray sealant lasting a few months to a professional multi-year coating.
2. Is paint correction included?
This is the one that matters most. A coating locks in whatever finish sits underneath it, so applying over lot-wash swirls preserves those swirls for years.
3. Who applies it, and where?
In a prep bay by lot staff between deliveries, or by a dedicated installer with proper lighting and time?
4. What does the warranty actually cover — and what keeps it valid?
Many dealer paint protection warranties are insurance-style products that require paid annual inspections. Miss one and coverage lapses.
5. What happens if I decline?
It is an optional add-on, not part of the car. You can always get it done independently, at a higher standard, after you drive off the lot.
What Crystal Gloss includes as standard:
See the full package details on our ceramic coating page.
Usually the one-step. New paint typically has light lot-wash marring and contamination, not years of accumulated swirls — so the one-step correction and 5-year coating is the right call for most new cars. We confirm the level at inspection rather than selling up by default.
The right choice for most new cars — new paint typically has light lot marring, not years of accumulated defects.
Everything in One-Step, plus:
For new cars that arrived with heavier handling damage, or dark colours where every micro-scratch shows.
Not ready for ceramic coating? Paint correction packages all include a professional 6-month sealant as standard — starting from $600 for one-step, $900 for full multi-step. The right option if you're on a shorter lease or want to experience corrected paint before committing long-term.
New Car Coating
Paint correction included, 5-year warranty, applied at your home, parkade or office. We confirm the correction level and price after inspection.
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The right choice depends on how long you're keeping the car.
The 5-year ceramic coating is the clear choice. You get years of dramatically easier maintenance, UV and chemical protection, and a surface that holds its gloss through Vancouver winters.
Correction with the 6-month sealant may make more sense, topped up before you hand the car back. Protected paint is easier to maintain and helps avoid paint-related lease-return charges.
See correction and sealant packagesarrow_forwardWe come to you — home driveway, condo parkade, office parking structure, or anywhere in between, year-round across Metro Vancouver. No shop, no drop-off, no leaving your new car somewhere overnight.
If you live in a condo or apartment building, we work in underground parkades every week — covered, sheltered, and ideal for coating work. If you want it done at your office, at-work detailing works the same way. Once the coating is applied, it needs 24 hours without water and 7 days before an automated wash — details are in the ceramic coating aftercare section.
Almost always yes — at least a light one-step. Factory paint is applied at production speed and leaves the plant with fine micro-marring baked in. Transport, outdoor lot storage, and dealer prep add swirl marks, iron contamination, and water spots on top. A ceramic coating bonds to whatever surface sits underneath it, so correcting the paint first is non-negotiable.
Immediately, as long as the panels are factory original. Factory paint is baked at high temperature and fully cured before the car leaves the plant — there is no outgassing wait for new paint. The exception is any panel that was refinished before delivery; that paint needs 30–60 days to outgas before coating. Tell us if the car had any damage repaired before delivery — that's the most reliable way to catch it, and we'll look for signs of refinishing at inspection.
It depends entirely on what's included. Ask the dealer: which product and what is its rated durability, is paint correction included before coating, who applies it and where, and what does the warranty require to stay valid. Many dealer paint protection packages are finance-office products with paid annual inspection requirements — miss one and coverage lapses. Our packages always include full paint correction, name the product (Adam's Graphene, SystemX, or Gtechniq), and carry a 5-year warranty with no annual fees.
Only if a panel has been refinished. Original factory paint is fully cured — it is baked at the plant, not air-dried. If your car was repaired before delivery, that repainted panel needs 30–60 days to outgas before coating goes on. Tell us if any repair was done before delivery — that is the most reliable way to know. We also look for signs of refinishing at inspection. Factory panels can be coated the week you take delivery.
One-step correction with 5-year ceramic coating starts from $1,700. Two-step correction with 5-year coating starts from $2,200. Most new cars only need the one-step — new paint typically has light lot marring, not years of accumulated swirls. We confirm the correction level and exact price at inspection and recommend the lighter package when it's the right call.
No. A ceramic coating is measured in microns — it hardens the surface and resists chemical etching, UV fade, and wash marring, but it will not absorb a stone impact at highway speed. Rock chip protection is PPF's job, applied to the high-impact zones like the hood leading edge and bumpers. Ceramic coating and PPF work well together.
Depends on the lease term. If you are keeping the car four or more years, the 5-year ceramic coating is the clear choice — protected paint is dramatically easier to maintain and helps avoid paint-related charges at lease return. For a two- to three-year lease, correction with the included 6-month sealant is often better value, and it can be topped up before you hand the car back.
Yes. We coat cars in underground parkades across Metro Vancouver every week. Parkades are actually ideal — no rain, no wind, steady temperature. We carry our own water and equipment; all we need is your parking stall and a standard 120V outlet within cord reach.
More questions? See our full pricing or send us a message.
Tell us the year, make, model and colour. We'll confirm the correction level and price — and recommend the one-step if that's what it needs.