Did you contact gtechniq when you had concerns over the scratching? PM me the gist of what they said?
A ceramic coating should at worst be offering you some resistance to swirling and hydrophobic properties that should definitely be noticeable even over a waxed car. I'm not saying a ceramic coated car cant become caked, of course it can, but if a car becomes caked in 20 miles of your regular drive I would expect it to be noticeable cleaner for say 50 miles. A car with regular wax or sealant will give some very noticeable results over a short period, but a ceramic should be offering it over the lifetime. Some factors can affect this though. Applying the wrong products over the coating, thus clogging the nano links and nullifying its ability to be hydrophobic; but that is relatively easy to restore and doesnt affect its durability or ability to resist swirls. It's a 9 year coating so I wouldnt expect to see any noticeable drop off in performance for at least 3 years and should still be performing well for another 3 years.
So, in short the coating doesnt seem to be offering you anything. It's a warranty covered application so I would certainly raise the issue...definitely if it's not offering hydrophobic properties. It's worth noting that an effort should be made to ensure the coating is cleansed properly and assessed then, before outright saying it's doing nothing. It would be worth contacting the approved installer and I would expect that it would be their suggestion to do the same. I would want to ensure that in that process that there isnt something quick and easy to apply, a quick detailer type product that will give the appearance of restoration and thereby kicking the can down the road in effect.
I can advise further if you PM me gtechniq's response.
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