Electric Vehicles

Hyundai IONIQ ceramic coating on the Gold Coast

Chips at 5,000km that most cars do not see at 100,000.

The IONIQ range is one of the sharpest-looking things on the road and one of the most frequently complained about for paint durability. If you have just taken delivery of an IONIQ 5, the window to get ahead of the damage is now, not after the first long run up the M1.

PhotoHyundai IONIQ after coating

Paint profile

What Hyundai IONIQ paint is actually like

IONIQ owners describe the finish as both thin and soft, with detailers' gauges backing up the thin part. The clearest illustration comes from an owner who reported nearly as many stone chips on the front of an IONIQ 5 at 5,000 miles as on a Honda Civic that had covered 140,000. It is part of a broader move to thinner, lower-solvent paint systems across the industry, but the IONIQ range attracts more of these reports than most.

IONIQ 5
IONIQ 5 N
IONIQ 6
IONIQ 9

Common issues

What we see most on Hyundai IONIQ

Severe stone chipping, very early

Owners report the front bumper, bonnet and leading edge of the roof collecting chips within the first few thousand kilometres. The upright nose on the IONIQ 5 puts a large flat area square-on to everything the road throws up.

Door handles and their recesses

Flush handles look superb and create a painted pocket that fingernails, rings and keys reach into every single day. Owners have reported chipping and paint defects right at the handle.

Painted plastic trim

The painted plastic around the bumpers and lower body chips as easily as the metal panels, and it is the hardest area to repair invisibly afterwards.

Not much clear coat to correct into

A thin system means a full machine correction can cost more clear coat than the defects are worth. On many IONIQs the right answer is a light refine and a good coating rather than chasing every mark.

Our process

How we prep a Hyundai IONIQ before coating

Preparation is the job. The coating is the last hour of it.

01Full inspection under LED and swirl-finder lighting, with paint depth readings recorded panel by panel.
02Two-bucket hand wash, wheels and arches degreased, badges and shuts cleaned out.
03Chemical iron and industrial fallout removal, then a clay treatment to lift bonded contamination.
04Tape-up of trim, rubbers and sensitive edges before any machine work.
05Readings taken before a pad touches the car, and the correction scaled to what is there. On an IONIQ that usually means refining the finish rather than fully correcting it - protecting a thin system matters more than removing every last swirl.
06Extra attention to the front bumper, bonnet and roof leading edge where chipping concentrates, plus the door handle recesses.
07Panel wipe with a coating-safe solvent to strip polishing oils and reveal the true finish.
08Fireball ceramic coating applied by hand, levelled panel by panel under controlled lighting.
09IR / controlled cure, then a final inspection and handover pack with aftercare instructions.

What we'd recommend for a Hyundai IONIQ

New Car Paint Protection

The right call for a fresh delivery - corrected properly before anything goes on top.

Paint Correction

Clears the wash swirls and transport marks the factory finish arrives with.

Nano-Ceramic Window Tint

Real heat rejection for a vehicle that lives outside in Queensland.

Other Electric Vehicles

Hyundai IONIQ enquiry

Get a quote for your Hyundai IONIQ.

Tell us the model, colour and condition and we’ll come back with the right preparation and coating plan. Inspections are done at our Gold Coast workshop — no obligation.

Reach us through

1/2 United Road, Ashmore, 4214