Ceramic Coating
in San Francisco.
ESM Motors applies ceramic coating in San Francisco, in-house, to paint, wheels, calipers, trim, glass and interiors. Ceramic coating is a chemical coating that bonds to your paint and protects it from bird droppings, tree sap, UV and everyday contamination, while making the car easier to keep clean. Every coating starts with a full decontamination in our indoor wash bay and a one-step polish.
FINISH
High gloss
WATER
Hydrophobic
PROTECTION
1, 4 or 8 years
MAINTENANCE
Easier washing
What ceramic coating protects against.
Ceramic coating protects your paint from the things that etch and fade it: bird droppings, tree sap, UV exposure, water spots and road contamination. Coated paint releases dirt and grime more easily, so it stays cleaner and is easier to wash.
Contamination
It’s the heat, not the acid.
It isn’t the acid that does the damage. Research by Autoglym found that the clear coat softens in the heat, molds around the dropping, and sets that way as it cools, and the longer it sits and the hotter it gets, the worse the mark. A coated surface releases droppings more easily, so they are easier to remove before that happens.
How a bird dropping damages paint
- 01
It lands
A dropping sits on the clear coat.
- 02
The sun heats the panel
The clear coat softens and expands around it.
- 03
It cools and sets
The clear coat hardens in the dropping’s shape, leaving a dull mark.
“
Ceramic coating is not a physical barrier. It won’t stop rock chips or scratches; that’s what paint protection film is for.
This is the most common misconception we hear. Clients often expect a coating to act like a protective layer against impacts. It doesn’t. It protects the paint’s surface chemically, which is why we recommend ceramic coating on every car, and paint protection film on the areas that take rock chips.
The limits
Why a coating can’t stop a rock chip.
A professional ceramic coating is only a few microns thick, about 7 µm for one leading coating. Paint protection film is around 200 µm. That’s why a coating protects the surface from contamination and UV, but only film stops rock chips.
How thick is each layer · 0–250 µm
~200 µm
Paint protection film (8 mil)
110–150 µm
Your entire factory paint
~7 µm
A professional ceramic coating
Sources: Coating manufacturer spec sheet · 8-mil film · Paint standard
Our process.
A coating is only as good as the surface under it. Anything left on the paint gets sealed in, so most of the work happens before the coating goes on.
(001)
Indoor wash bay
Every vehicle is washed in our indoor wash bay with pH-balanced, filtered water, so no new water spots go down before the coating does.
(002)
Full decontamination
We remove the bonded contamination a normal wash leaves behind, so the coating bonds to clean paint.
(003)
One-step polish
Every coating service includes a one-step polish to refine the paint before it’s sealed.
(004)
Coating application
The coating is applied in-house by our own team, and the vehicle is inspected before it’s returned to you.
Your paint
You only get so much clear coat.
Factory paint is built in layers, about 100 to 110 microns in all, and the clear coat on top is only around 45 microns. It’s the layer that gives the paint its gloss and protects the color underneath from UV.
Every polish removes a little of that clear coat, and it doesn’t grow back. That’s why we’d rather protect paint than keep correcting it: film or coating takes the wear, so your clear coat doesn’t have to.
Inside your factory paint · about 100–110 µm in total
45 µm
of clear coat: the layer that protects your color from UV, and the layer polishing removes
Sources: Mark Nichols, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering, “Paint materials and processes from an automotive OEM perspective”, via NIST · PPG, OEM film builds
Ceramic coating price calculator.
What we can coat.
Ceramic coating isn’t only for paint. We coat every exterior surface and the interior.
Paint
Protects against bird droppings, sap, UV and contamination; easier washing
Wheels and calipers
Brake dust and road grime release more easily
Trim
Protects exterior trim from UV and staining
Glass
Water beads and sheets off
Interior
Protects interior surfaces from spills and staining
Interior
Yearly maintenance.
Your ceramic coating warranty requires a maintenance visit once a year. Keeping up with that yearly visit is what keeps your coating covered.
Each visit includes a wash in our indoor wash bay, decontamination, an inspection of the coating and a top-up where it’s needed.
Water spots
How a water spot forms.
In a field study of automotive finishes, Bayer MaterialScience and BASF found that acidic dew drying on sunny days was the biggest cause of etching, with minerals building up on the panels as water evaporated. That’s why we wash indoors, out of the sun, and dry the car before water can sit.
How a water spot forms
- 01
A droplet sits
Rain, sprinklers or tap water, carrying dissolved minerals.
- 02
The sun evaporates it
The water leaves; minerals and acidity concentrate.
- 03
A spot or etch is left
A mineral ring sits on top, or the clear coat etches below it.
Source: Bayer MaterialScience & BASF, Etch Damage to Automotive Coatings (2005)
Water spots
Does ceramic coating stop water spots?
It makes them far less of a problem, but it doesn’t make paint spot-proof. A ceramic coating is hydrophobic, so water beads and rolls off instead of sitting on the surface, and any minerals that do dry leave their mark on the coating rather than etching into your clear coat, where they’re much easier to remove.
What it won’t do is stop a droplet that’s left to dry in the sun. That’s why we pair coating with the right care: wash out of direct sunlight, dry the car properly, and keep up with regular washes. Our detailing memberships do exactly that, in our indoor wash bay with pH-balanced, filtered water, and include the yearly ceramic booster that keeps your coating warranty valid.
Illustration
Uncoated paint
A flat, spread-out droplet; after drying, a mineral ring etched into the clear coat.
Coated paint
Round beaded droplets roll off; after drying, a small spot sits on top of a thin coating layer.
Why ESM Motors
Woman-owned. Enthusiast-led. Built in San Francisco.
Every ceramic coating is prepped in our indoor wash bay with pH-balanced filtered water, fully decontaminated, polished and applied in-house by our own team. We give clear recommendations and clear pricing, and we stay involved after the job.
ESM Motors was founded by a lifelong car enthusiast with a clear vision: create a shop where vehicles are treated with care, clients receive honest guidance, and every detail is held to a higher standard.
