The Story Behind Our October Ceramic Coating Event: Eight Years of Giving Back
From eleven unexpected ceramic coating kits in 2018 to an industry partnership that helped reshape our 2026 event. It Started With a Simple Question: Why Not Give Something Back?
Pro Auto Detailing began offering ceramic coatings in 2013, long before they became the household term they are today. By 2017 and 2018, ceramic coatings were gaining mainstream attention, but there was still plenty of skepticism. Some people considered them little more than expensive snake oil.
Meanwhile, our Ultimate Exterior service had become one of our most popular offerings. Through social media, customer reviews, testimonials, and before-and-after photographs, we showed what professional paint correction could accomplish.
A vehicle didn’t necessarily need a repaint to look new again. With the right preparation, correction, and protection, we were regularly achieving results that rivaled, and sometimes exceeded, the appearance of a new vehicle. And we worked hard to make those results approachable.
From the beginning, I wanted Pro Auto Detailing to be different from the elitism and unnecessary ego that sometimes surrounds professional detailing. You shouldn’t need to understand paint chemistry, own an exotic vehicle, or spend thousands of dollars just to be treated with respect. I wanted clients to feel comfortable asking questions, understanding their options, and making informed decisions.
I also wanted to find a meaningful way to reward the people who supported my business. I just hadn’t figured out how.
Eleven Bottles and an Unexpected Opportunity
In the summer of 2018, a detailing shop within my professional network was closing its doors. The owner had eleven 50 mL ceramic coating kits remaining from a manufacturer I knew and trusted. He offered them to me for the cost of shipping and snagged them up.
At the time, Pro Auto Detailing already offered Opti-Coat and Modesta ceramic coatings. I had no intention of adding another coating brand to our regular lineup. So the kits sat on a shelf, but I kept coming back to one question.
“If I’d received these coatings for practically nothing, why should I turn around and sell them at their normal retail value?”
Technically, I could have… But that wasn’t why I’d accepted them. Instead, I started thinking about how I could pair them with a service that would genuinely benefit our clients. Our Ultimate Exterior was already a popular service. It involved the preparation and correction work that made ceramic coating worthwhile. What if, for a limited time, I included the coating with the Ultimate Exterior at no additional charge? That’s how our October Ceramic Coating Event was born.
The First Event Wasn’t Exactly a Sellout
In October 2018, we sold five coating packages. Not exactly a runaway success.
We also learned an expensive lesson about managing coating quantities. With the amount of product required per vehicle, portions of opened kits went unused.
But something interesting happened afterward. The event introduced more people to professional ceramic protection, gave existing clients another reason to discuss their vehicles with us, and generated interest that continued well beyond October. In 2019, we sold more ceramic coatings than we had in any previous year. That October, we brought the event back and used the remaining kits.
What started as a simple gesture of appreciation had become something worth continuing.
How the Event Evolved
The years that followed weren’t always easy, but we continued looking for ways to make the event worthwhile.
- 2020: We secured ten kits of a trusted professional coating that was being discontinued. All ten sold.
- 2021–2022: The pandemic and its aftermath changed how we operated. In 2022, we completed six event coating packages.
- 2023: In August, our shop suffered a devastating flood. The months that followed were extraordinarily difficult. Both Aquatek and Modesta stepped forward with coating products to help us generate business during recovery. We passed that assistance along to our clients through complimentary and discounted protection opportunities.
- 2024: We continued with Aquatek Select and introduced prepurchase options, allowing clients more flexibility in scheduling their vehicles.
- 2025: We completed eight event packages in October and another six in November because October’s schedule was already full. Additional clients took advantage of prepurchase opportunities.
Through all of it, the purpose remained the same. Find a way to offer something meaningful, without compromising the preparation or quality of the work.
2026: When the Original Plan Changed
As we approached this year’s event, I had originally planned to continue using Aquatek Select. Unfortunately, it was no longer available through our usual wholesale supplier at a price that made including it complimentary financially practical. I began evaluating other professional coatings that could deliver dependable protection while keeping the event affordable.
Around that time, I was speaking with our longtime professional representative for Modesta and Aensō. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about them is that he approaches relationships with installers much the same way I approach relationships with my clients. He checks in. He listens. He offers guidance when it’s useful. And when he can help, he does.
During one of our conversations, we discussed the October event, the challenges of keeping it affordable, and some ideas for how to approach it differently. He offered feedback, and we continued with our respective days.
A short time later, he called me back. He had an idea. And an offer.
I won’t get into the specifics of that arrangement, but it gave me the opportunity to bring a newly released professional ceramic coating into the event while keeping the additional expense manageable. That coating was Aensō PRO.
It also opened the door to another idea that came to mind during our discussions: creating an event package for vehicles that didn’t need extensive correction. With some further development, that idea became Refresh + Protect. Two Packages, Because Not Every Vehicle Needs the Same Work
For years, the October event had primarily centered around our Ultimate Exterior service. And while Ultimate remains an excellent choice for vehicles requiring substantial paint correction, many of our returning clients don’t need that level of work every time. A vehicle that’s already been corrected and properly maintained may only require thorough decontamination, paint refinement, and renewed protection. So this year, we’re offering two approaches.
Refresh + Protect
Designed for previously corrected, previously coated, or well-maintained vehicles that don’t require extensive paint correction. Built around our Signature Exterior service, Refresh + Protect provides professional preparation and Aensō PRO ceramic protection at better than 20% savings compared with purchasing the services separately.
Event pricing begins at $545 for cars and small SUVs, compared with a regular combined price of $690.
Restore + Protect
Designed for vehicles with more substantial swirl marks, oxidation, haze, and correctable paint defects. This package builds on our Ultimate Exterior service, allowing significantly more correction work before the coating is installed. With Restore + Protect, Aensō PRO ceramic protection is included at no additional charge with the applicable Ultimate Exterior service.
And the same principle applies to both:
I’ll recommend the preparation your vehicle actually needs, not automatically the most expensive option.
Introducing Aensō PRO: An Unexpected Upgrade
When we first announced the 2026 Ceramic Coating Event, the planned protection was a two-year ceramic coating. Thanks to the opportunity that came together with Aenso, we’ve been able to upgrade that protection to Aensō PRO, with an expected service life of three to five years when properly maintained. Without increasing our advertised event prices.
Aensō PRO is designed to provide durable, hydrophobic protection that helps reduce contamination adhesion and makes routine vehicle maintenance easier.
For vehicles driven through New England winters, where road salt, brine, grime, and environmental contamination are unavoidable, quality ceramic protection can be particularly beneficial. Of course, no ceramic coating makes a vehicle maintenance-free, prevents every scratch, or eliminates the need for proper washing. And coating longevity depends on environmental exposure, mileage, storage conditions, and maintenance.
But combining appropriate paint preparation with a quality professional coating provides a strong foundation for preserving your vehicle’s finish.
What If You Can’t Make It During October?
We originally offered prepurchase opportunities during September, with October intended for scheduled appointments. But given the unexpected upgrade to Aensō PRO, we’ve decided to make a limited exception. Clients can now prepurchase the ceramic coating portion of their event package:
- Cars and Small SUVs: $295
- Large and XL SUVs: $395
When the vehicle comes in, we’ll evaluate its condition and determine whether Refresh + Protect or Restore + Protect is appropriate. The prepurchase payment is credited toward the applicable event package. To receive the promotional pricing and protection benefits, the service must be completed by June 1, 2027. Your paid value, however, does not expire.
If you’re unable to complete the service by that date, the full amount paid remains available toward a qualifying future service at then-current pricing. Clients who participated in September’s original presale retain their original terms, including the longer redemption period through December 31, 2027.
Gift purchases are also available, with the full package paid upfront.
More Than a Ceramic Coating Promotion
Looking back, it’s interesting how much this event has changed since 2018. It began with eleven ceramic coating kits from a fellow shop owner who was closing his business. It grew into an annual tradition. It continued through the pandemic, a devastating flood, and years when operating a small business became increasingly challenging. And in 2026, another relationship within the detailing industry helped us improve it again.
There’s something fitting about that. The original event came about because someone helped me. And this year’s event improved because someone helped me again. In both cases, I had the opportunity to pass that goodwill along to my clients. That’s what I want this event to represent.
- Not simply another promotion.
- Not a race to offer the cheapest ceramic coating.
But an opportunity to provide professional preparation, quality protection, and meaningful value to the people who continue supporting Pro Auto Detailing. After all, that’s what this business was supposed to be about from the beginning. Thank you for being part of it.
Will Castro – Owner & Operator
Pro Auto Detailing
Honesty • Passion • Quality • Respect
Interested in this year’s Ceramic Coating Event?
Contact us with your vehicle’s year, make, model, and current condition. We’ll help determine which preparation and protection option makes the most sense for you.
Call/Text: (978)590-5028 | Email: Info@proautodetailing.net
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