No fine print. No disappearing after the coating is installed.
I want owning a ceramic coating to feel simple. Follow three basic rules, take reasonable care of the vehicle, and if you ever feel like the coating installation has let you down, reach out to me.
Take reasonable care of it and I will stand behind my work.
Ceramic coating is not indestructible. It still needs to be washed correctly, maintained, and inspected.
In return, I do not want you worrying about warranty loopholes or wondering whether I will answer the phone if something does not seem right.
Owner & Installer
I try to keep this as simple as possible.
There are not twenty pages of conditions. There are three basic things I ask you not to do.
Do Not Set Your Hood on Fire
Yes, this is intentionally a little ridiculous.
Setting a coated hood on fire was once a popular ceramic coating marketing demonstration. Being able to wipe soot away afterward does not make intentional heat or fire damage a reasonable use of your vehicle.
Ceramic coating does not turn automotive paint into an indestructible surface.
Avoid Abrasive Wash Methods
Repeated brush-based automatic washing can scratch and dull ceramic coating just like it can scratch clear coat or paint protection film.
Avoid tunnel washes with brushes and avoid the shared brushes found at self-service wash bays.
Hand washing is preferred. A touch-free automatic wash is a reasonable Wisconsin winter option when hand washing simply is not practical.
Learn how to wash a coated vehicle →See Me Once a Year
My standard 5-year and 8-year ceramic coating packages require one annual inspection. Beginning in 2027, Concierge clients also receive one scheduled annual maintenance and coating inspection visit each year, but that service is already included in the Concierge package.
Spring is an ideal time because Wisconsin winter salt and road contamination can build up on lower doors and rocker panels, temporarily reducing the hydrophobic behavior you see from the coating.
The annual service lets me thoroughly clean the exterior, inspect the coating and apply a ceramic topper.
Schedule annual inspection & maintenance →The annual appointment is maintenance, not a five-minute warranty check.
Concierge clients do not pay the standard annual inspection rate for their scheduled yearly Concierge visit because that service was already included in the package.
Ceramic coatings installed by Coatings by the Bay on or before December 31, 2026 are eligible for the grandfathered $150 annual inspection rate as long as the required annual inspection schedule remains current.
Standard Coatings by the Bay ceramic coating installations beginning January 1, 2027 use the current annual inspection rate of $250.
Labor, products and operating costs have simply increased over time, and the new rate reflects those higher costs. Clients who purchased their coating under the previous $150 inspection structure can keep that rate for the existing installation by staying current on the required annual inspections. If the inspection schedule lapses, future inspections are charged at the then-current published rate.
The annual service includes an express exterior detail, inspection of the coating and application of a ceramic topper.
Wisconsin vehicles also accumulate salt, iron, road film and other contamination that can sit above the coating and reduce the hydrophobic behavior you see from the surface.
Cleaning that contamination away lets me evaluate the actual coating instead of judging what happens to be sitting on top of it.
Your scheduled annual exterior maintenance and coating inspection visit is already built into your Concierge package.
- One scheduled annual visit each year
- 5 annual visits with 5-Year Concierge
- 8 annual visits with 8-Year Concierge
- No additional $150 or $250 annual-service charge
This rate remains available for that qualifying Coatings by the Bay coating installation only while required annual inspections remain current.
- Express exterior detail
- Coating inspection
- Ceramic topper
- In-shop service
Applies to new Coatings by the Bay ceramic coating installations beginning in 2027.
- Express exterior detail
- Coating inspection
- Ceramic topper
- In-shop service
If I coated your vehicle in 2026 or earlier, that existing installation can keep the $150 annual inspection rate as long as the required yearly inspections remain current. If the inspection schedule lapses, future inspections move to the then-current published rate. Vehicles coated beginning in 2027 follow the current published rate unless the service was purchased as Concierge, where the scheduled annual visits are already included.
A standard annual appointment includes real detailing labor, contamination removal and coating maintenance. I would rather publish that cost clearly before you purchase the coating than hide a required annual service inside warranty fine print. Concierge is different: those scheduled annual visits are prepaid as part of the Concierge package, so they are not charged again at $150 or $250.
Concierge clients can text me directly for their included service. Standard maintenance clients can review pricing and book through the maintenance page.
What I stand behind and what ceramic coating simply cannot do.
The craftsmanship of my installation.
During the term of your selected coating package, if you believe the coating installation itself is not performing the way it should, contact me.
My goal is not to find a technicality that lets me avoid helping you. I want to inspect the vehicle, understand what happened and make reasonable workmanship issues right.
If something does not seem right, the first step is simply reaching out.
Damage ceramic coating was never designed to prevent.
- Rock chips
- Scratches
- Dents
- Collision damage
- Improper or abrasive washing
- Intentional abuse
Ceramic coating improves gloss, makes cleaning easier, provides chemical resistance and eliminates the need for traditional wax.
It is not paint protection film and it does not make the vehicle scratch-proof or impact-proof.
Ceramic coating vs PPF →What happens if you believe the exterior coating installation has let you down?
The promise is about the craftsmanship of my installation, not pretending ceramic coating can prevent every kind of damage that happens to a vehicle.
If something connected to my exterior coating installation does not seem right during the term of your selected package, contact me.
I want the opportunity to inspect the vehicle, understand what happened, and determine whether the issue is installation, contamination, maintenance, physical damage, or something else entirely.
I cannot predict how your interior will be used.
One client may drive to church on Sundays. Another may drive 60,000 miles a year. Those two interiors are not living the same life.
That is why I do not offer a blanket durability or performance warranty on interior ceramic protection. The amount of use, contamination, friction and cleanup an interior sees can vary dramatically from one vehicle to the next.
This is simply another part of keeping the service transparent. I would rather explain that limitation before installation than promise a fixed result while ignoring how differently vehicles are actually used.
The video version of why I do not offer a blanket interior warranty.
Interior protection still has real value. The issue is that no installer can control what happens after the vehicle leaves. This video explains why I separate those two ideas instead of promising a fixed warranty that ignores how differently interiors are used.
It helps protect the surface and gives you more time to clean it.
A coffee spill should still be cleaned, but interior ceramic protection can make contamination easier to deal with and buy you time before cleanup. In other words, you generally do not need to treat every spill like a roadside emergency.
One of my favorite benefits is simply how the interior looks.
On darker interior materials, the finished result can have a clean, even sheen that makes the cabin look freshly detailed without the greasy appearance associated with some traditional dressings.
It means I am separating what the product can realistically help with from variables no installer can control after the vehicle leaves the shop.
If an accident requires bodywork, I will recoat up to three repaired panels at no charge.
Once the body shop has completed the repair and the new paint is ready to receive coating, contact me and we will schedule the reinstall.
The goal is simple: I do not want a minor accident to leave you paying for the coating twice.
Reduced hydrophobics do not automatically mean your coating failed.
Hydrophobic behavior is one of the easiest ceramic coating characteristics to see, but it is also easily affected by contamination.
Road film, salt, minerals and other buildup can sit on top of a perfectly intact coating and make the surface appear flat or less water-repellent.
This is one reason the annual inspection includes proper cleaning and a ceramic topper. We want the vehicle to leave performing the way you expect it to.
Learn how hydrophobics can be restored →Refer someone who becomes a coating client and earn a $100 credit.
When someone you refer moves forward with a qualifying 5-year or 8-year ceramic coating package and mentions your name, a $100 credit is added to your account.
No points system, complicated reward chart or referral portal. They mention you, they become a coating client, and you receive a $100 credit.
Do not spend three weeks wondering whether you should contact me.
Text, call or email me and explain what you are seeing.
Sometimes the answer is contamination or maintenance. Sometimes I need to see the vehicle.
If it is an installation or workmanship issue, my goal is to make it right rather than search for a loophole.
Take care of the vehicle. Let me take care of the coating.
Ceramic coating should make ownership simpler, not give you another complicated warranty to worry about.