Why doesn’t Brookswood Tint publish a ceramic coating price?
Because one package can be a short job on one car and a long one on the next. By the shop’s own account, most of a coating’s days go into correction and curing rather than into putting the coating on, so the paint you arrive with decides the bill more than the bottle does.
Every package opens with the same prep: a wash that strips bonded contamination, clay, then one or more rounds of machine polishing, so the coating grips clean, levelled paint rather than locking grime and swirls beneath it. Picture two owners asking for the same package: one with a two-year-old car only ever washed by hand, the other with a daily driver that has spent five winters in brush washes. The second car needs far more polishing before the first layer goes on, and the quote reflects that time.
What changes the price of a ceramic coating?
Five things move the quote: the package, the state of the paint, the size of the vehicle, the surfaces you want coated, and any film already on the car. The table shows what each one does and what to send so the first figure is close to the final one.
| Price factor | How it moves the quote | What to tell the shop |
|---|---|---|
| Package | One, two or four layers, each with its own prep and its own list of surfaces | Which package you’re leaning towards |
| Paint condition | Swirls, haze and wash marring are polished out before coating; deeper defects need more stages | Daylight photos of the worst panels |
| Vehicle size | A full-size SUV or pickup has far more paint to polish and coat than a small coupe | Year, make and model |
| Extra surfaces | Wheels, calipers, glass, trim and the interior each add surfaces to prepare and coat | Which of them you want done |
| Film on the car | PPF is coated along with the paint on the top package; a vinyl wrap raises a film warranty question | Whether the car has PPF or a wrap, and who fitted it |
Paint condition is the biggest swing
The polishing under the coating runs from one enhancement stage up to full correction, depending on the package and the paint. Paint that needs multi-stage restoration is priced only after the shop has inspected it, and that work brings days of its own. The shop takes thickness readings first and picks the lightest stage that removes the marks. What each correction level costs, and why, is set out on paint correction cost.
Wrapped cars are a special case
If the car wears 3M 2080 vinyl, read the film maker’s terms before paying for a coating over it. 3M’s 2080 product bulletin says coatings, “such as, but not limited, to ceramic coatings”, are excluded from its MCS warranty. The trade-off is laid out in can you ceramic coat a vinyl wrap.
What’s included in a coating price, and what’s added?
The price covers the prep, the polishing stage the package names and the coating on that package’s surfaces. Anything outside that list, from deeper correction to interior protection, goes on the same quote as a separate line.
| Part of the package | Added to the quote when you want it or the car needs it |
|---|---|
| Decontamination wash and clay | Correction beyond the stage your package includes |
| At least one machine polishing stage; a two-stage correction on Performance; full correction on Signature | Wheel and caliper coating |
| The coating itself: a single layer, two, or four | Glass coating |
| Paint only on Essential; paint, wheel faces and glass on Performance; paint, PPF, wheels, glass and trim on Signature | Interior leather and fabric protection |
| Keep-dry instructions for the first 24 hours | Paint protection film, which is its own service |
Tax is the other line to check. For why one package has a single layer and another has four, read how many coating layers a car needs.
How long does a ceramic coating keep the car at the shop?
One to three days in the bay, then a full day of keeping it out of the rain once it’s home. The package and the polishing your paint needs decide where in that range your car falls.
A one-layer coat on paint that needs only its first polishing stage sits at the short end. Four layers over full correction sit at the long end. If paint protection film is going on as well, the film is fitted first and the coating follows, so add the film’s own days to the plan: about a day for a partial front, up to three to five for full-vehicle film. Ask for the days alongside the figure; they show how much work the quote pays for.
Do you pay PST on a ceramic coating in BC?
Yes. The province treats applying a protective coating to a vehicle as a taxable service at the 7% PST rate, while waxing a vehicle is exempt.
The wording is in Bulletin PST 118, Vehicle Services and Parts, revised December 2021: “Protective coatings and services to apply them (vehicle waxing services are exempt)”. The bulletin adds that when a detailing package mixes cleaning with polishing or a protective coating other than wax, “the full purchase price” of the package is subject to PST.
Two things follow for you as a buyer:
- A wax quote and a coating quote aren’t taxed alike, so compare them after tax, not before. How the two finishes differ in upkeep is in ceramic coating vs wax and sealant.
- A bundled detail is taxed as a bundle. A wash sold on its own can be exempt, but once it shares a package with a coating, the whole package is taxable.
Why do ceramic coating quotes vary between shops?
Because “ceramic coating” covers very different jobs. Line up the product, the prep, the surfaces and any promises before you compare totals.
The product and the layer count
Coatings differ from maker to maker, and each maker sets its own layering rules. Ask for the product’s name and how many layers the price includes. The shop’s own is a graphene-ceramic sold by layer count, from one up to four.
The polishing underneath
A low quote may cover a wash and a panel wipe before the coating, with no machine polishing at all. Ask how many polishing stages are included and whether the paint’s thickness is measured first.
The surfaces covered
One quote may mean painted panels only; another may include wheels, glass and trim. Ask for the list.
Lifespan promises
Brookswood Tint doesn’t publish a coating lifespan in years. If another quote names one, ask what washing routine it assumes, what happens if you don’t follow it, and what is put in writing.
What doesn’t a coating price buy?
It doesn’t buy stone chip protection, and it doesn’t buy a car that never needs washing. A coating is a thin bonded layer that adds gloss, lets dirt release more easily and resists UV and chemical etching, but a flying stone goes straight through something that thin.
If chips from winter highway driving are what you want to stop, the money belongs in paint protection film, and the two can be combined, with the film fitted first. The difference between the two is set out in PPF vs ceramic coating, and film prices are listed on PPF cost. A coating also can’t fix scratches that go through the clear coat; those need touch-up or body shop work.
How do you get an exact ceramic coating quote in Langley?
Use the coating quote form for the details below; phone or text 604 534 6433 if you’d rather talk it through.
- Year, make, model and colour.
- Two or three daylight photos of the paint, close up on the worst marks.
- The package you’re considering, or how long you plan to keep the car.
- Any add-ons: wheels and calipers, glass, interior.
- Whether the car has PPF or a wrap, and any respray history you know of.
You’ll get a figure for your car and a time in the shop between one and three days. Drop the car at 20560 Langley Bypass (Unit 312) on any day except Sunday. Choose a pickup day with a dry forecast, or have a garage ready for the first 24 hours. The three packages are described in full on the ceramic coating page.
