How To Maintain Your Ceramic Coated Car
Just like your car, the ceramic coating you purchased is an investment that will make your car look its best for as long as possible, but only if it is taken care of. Here's how you can ensure that any ceramic coating lasts as long as it possibly can.
The first thing is regular car washes, we recommend hand washing with good quality soaps, mitts and drying towels. Over time, the contaminants that build up on your paint eat away at the protection underneath. Even worse, improper washing (and drying) methods have a tendency to leave behind scratches, swirls, and water spots, which can only be removed by paint correction.
Washing is an effective start, but even afterwards there may be contaminants left behind on the coated surface. If not properly removed, they will continue to clog up the coating, hindering its performance. Typically, these contaminants can be easily removed with a clay bar, but in this case with a ceramic coated surface, the key is to use dedicated contaminant removers, such as iron and or tar removers, to chemically break down the contaminant, and bring the coating back to life. We recommend you to decontaminate your vehicle at least twice a year to ensure that your coating is performing its best.
Finish with a proper maintenance spray for your coating. After washing away contaminants and melting away iron particles, we recommend finishing with a ceramic spray sealant or ceramic detailer. This one may seem a bit silly, but applying a protectant to your protectant does two important things, especially while applying it during the drying process. First, applying it during the drying process allows the ceramic sealant or detailer to act as a drying aid, ensuring that all the water gets off your car and doesn't evaporate, causing water spots. Second, that ceramic sealant or detailer is going to leave behind a sacrificial layer on top of your coating, meaning that the weaker protection on top will wear down instead of the coating itself.
There are some ceramic paint coating products that will benefit from the application of a maintenance spray. These products are also called Boost Sprays, SiO2 ceramic spray, or DIY ceramic coating maintenance spray. The main issue with maintenance sprays is the inconsistency of formulations between them.
Some of them are simply hybrid wax sprays with some silicon dioxide (SiO2), some are polymer or Teflon based sprays (which replicate benefits of ceramic coatings without the 9H hardness) – and others are genuine ceramic coating sprays.
Regardless of the individual formulation, there are a few general rules to remember about using them for maintenance.
Always use it directly after washing the vehicle. Whether you use a hybrid spray, or SiO2 Boost spray recommended by your ceramic coating manufacturer, it’s critical to only use them once the car has been fully washed. Some can be used while the vehicle is wet and used as a drying aid, but make sure to follow the instructions.
Never use it in direct sunlight. Ceramic enhancers are formulated with polymers, and concentrated ingredients that will streak when applied to a warm surface or exposed to direct sunlight. This can damage the paint to the point it’ll require paint correction or polishing to fix. To avoid streaks, and the potential of high spots, apply the boost sprays inside your garage, or early morning/late afternoon.
Consider using an applicator pad. While many of these booster sprays can be sprayed on the surface easily, others are more concentrated than others – and will apply smoother, flash more consistently, and make it easier to remove with a soft microfiber cloth.
Tip #1 – Never Take Your Car to an Automated Car Wash
The quickest way to ruin any ceramic coated vehicle is to take it to one of those drive through car washes – especially if it has brushes or those curtain-looking mop-type cleaning rags. These car washes can wreck a ceramic coating in a matter of seconds. The soaps used are usually pH aggressive, kind of like an industrial detergent. Second, those washing media materials are built for longevity – not soft cleaning.
Tip #2 – Always Use a pH Neutral Car Shampoo with No Wax Added
Ceramic Pro products are going to harden to the strength of quartz. A glass coating will also block UV rays – like that of a paint protection film. Some spray coating products are not capable of this strength. However, once either does harden, it will leave a very flat or hydrophobic surface. This results in fewer contaminants sticking to the top layer of the coating, making it easier to remove debris like brake dust on the car paint surface. As such, there is no need to use an aggressive or harsh car shampoo or clay bar to clean the surface. Always defer to using a pH-neutral car shampoo that contains no added wax. The wax may leave a residue on top of the coating, which will reduce the hydrophobic properties, leading to more debris sticking to that wax – making it dirtier.
Tip #3 – Wash the Vehicle in Low Light Hours
When you wash your vehicle, it’s always best to do so in low sunlight conditions. Either a cloudy day, early in the morning or close to sunset is your optimal time to wash and dry the vehicle. Sunlight will quickly dry soap on top of the coating, can cause water spots, and lead to streaks.
Tip #4 – Use the Same SiO2 Boost Spray
Consistency is critical with any car care product. While many car enthusiasts like to try different products to use on their car, this isn’t a smart idea with ceramic boost or maintenance sprays. Before you buy, contact the manufacturers of the ceramic coating you had it applied, and ask them which product they recommend. Using multiple spray coatings can cause compatibility issues, leading to damaging the coating.
Tip #5 – Always Use Clean Media
Anytime you are washing, drying, or applying any product to a coated vehicle, it’s critical to avoid cross contamination of other cleaning supplies. As such, anytime you’re going to use a microfiber towel, wash mitt, even the buckets, make sure they are completely clean, and free of other cleaners, degreasers, or debris.
