How To Wash And Maintain A Ceramic Coated Car

A ceramic coating makes washing easier and more predictable. It does not make it optional. Almost every coating that disappoints its owner was either poorly prepared or badly maintained, and the second one is entirely in your hands.

Before The First Wash

A fresh coating needs time before it sees moisture and chemicals. Follow the curing advice you were given at handover rather than a rule you found online, because that window belongs to the product, not to coatings in general.

What You Need

• A hose or pressure washer, where water restrictions allow
• A compatible pre-wash for anything more than light dust
• A coating safe automotive shampoo, not household detergent
• Clean wash mitts, and separate tools for the wheels
• Two buckets, or a controlled rinseless setup
• Soft drying towels

Step One, Pick The Conditions

Out of direct sun, on cool panels. Washing a hot bonnet in the middle of a Sydney afternoon means water evaporating before you can dry it, which is exactly how you get water spots on a car you just cleaned.

Step Two, Wheels First, With Their Own Tools

Wheels carry brake dust and road grit. Anything used on a wheel should never touch paint afterwards. Do them first so the rest of the car is not sitting wet while you work.

Step Three, Pre-Rinse

Get the loose grit off before anything touches the paint. This single step prevents more swirls than any product on the shelf.

Step Four, A Controlled Contact Wash

Top down, straight lines rather than circles, rinsing the mitt regularly. Let the coating do the work. If you are scrubbing, something earlier in the process was skipped.

Step Five, Rinse Thoroughly

Shampoo left in shuts, mirrors and trim will run out later and dry as streaks.

Step Six, Dry Safely

Do not leave a coated car to air dry. The water goes, the minerals in it stay. Soft towels, gentle pressure, no dragging.

How Often Should You Wash It

When it is dirty. For most Sydney cars parked outside, every couple of weeks keeps things easy. A car parked under trees or near the coast needs more attention. Long gaps let contamination bond, and then you are cleaning rather than maintaining.

What To Do About Weak Beading

Wash the car properly first. In most cases the beading comes back, because the coating was fine and there was road film sitting on top of it. If it is still behaving oddly on clean paint, that is worth a conversation before you spend money on reapplication.

Products And Habits To Avoid

• Automatic brush car washes, which are the fastest way to swirl a coated car
• Household detergent, which strips and dulls
• Dropped mitts and towels, which pick up grit off the ground
• Dry dusting a dirty car
• Abrasive polish used as a cleaner, which physically removes coating
• Unverified waxes or sealants layered over the top
• Strong chemicals left to dry on the surface
• Scrubbing hard at bugs or bird droppings instead of soaking them off

Do You Need A Topper

Sometimes, and only something compatible with the coating that is actually on the car. A topper can restore slickness and water behaviour. It does not repair the base coating, and using a random product can make it harder to tell what is going on.

If you are unsure what is on your car or how to look after it, tell Wares what was applied and when. Advice about the coating you have is more useful than generic advice about coatings.

Gloss One applies a 10 year warranty backed Magnum coating at your home or work anywhere in Sydney, from $790. See what ceramic coating in Sydney includes, and ask about aftercare at handover rather than afterwards.