Straight answers

Different jobs. Ceramic bonds to the clear coat for gloss, UV and salt resistance and easy washing, but it is too thin to stop stones. Film is a thick, self-healing skin that soaks up chips. Plenty of owners film the front end and coat the rest, film included.

Almost always a light single-stage polish. New cars pick up rail dust and transport swirls on the way to you, and dealer prep wipes leave marks. Polishing first means the coating bonds to bare, glossy clear coat.

Please don’t. Spinning brushes drag grit from the last twenty muddy cars across your paint and put the swirls straight back. A coated car rinses so easily that a 20-minute two-bucket wash, or a touchless wash in freezing weeks, does the job.

Interior restorations take 3 to 4 hours and the Signature Reset 4 to 6, so morning drop-off means afternoon pickup. Ceramic stays about a day and a half to cure indoors; two-stage correction and film take 2 to 3 days. Card and contactless are accepted, and please give 24 hours’ notice to move a slot.

Take out valuables, child seats and bulky boot clutter so we can reach every cubby and the spare-wheel well. For safety we don’t unbuckle or refit child seats, but we clean the seat itself and underneath once it is out.

Twice a year suits most: a spring reset to flush winter salt from carpets and arches, and an autumn visit for fresh sealant and leather care before the cold. Coated cars usually need one decon wash and inspection a year.