Best Way to Wash a Car With a Ceramic Coating (Easy Tips)
Ceramic coatings are great. But they cost can cost a lot of time and money to get them applied correctly.
Preparation for a ceramic coating is key and most cars get clayed and polished before application. This makes your car look awesome. Your ceramic coating adds gloss and long-lasting protection. But ceramic coatings can easily get damaged if you don’t wash them correctly.
You might think a ceramic coating makes your car bulletproof but it’s definitely not the case. Dirt and grime doesnt stick to a coated vehicle as well as it does to a non coated one. So this makes your car easier to wash.
A maintenance car wash is the type of wash that’s intended to maintain your existing protection. The right products and the right methods are important. Otherwise, your ceramic coating will just get washed away.
I did the research for you. I contacted manufacturers to find what advice they give.
Quick Answer
The best way to wash a car with a ceramic coating is to hand wash it with microfibre wash mitts and either the two-bucket method or the multi-mitt method.
How Often Should You Wash a Ceramic Coated Vehicle?
You should wash a ceramic coated car every two weeks provided you use the correct methods. If you leave water spots and bugs for too long they will eat in to your coating and damage it.
Top Tips for washing Ceramic Coated Vehicle.
It’s easy to wash your car once you learn what causes problems. The basic Two Bucket method is perfect.
- Use the two-bucket hand wash method.
- Use a ph-neutral car shampoo.
- Pre-rinse with a pressure washer and foam cannon.
- Use microfibre wash mitts.
- Wash wheels first.
- Wash your car in the shade or on a cloudy day.
- Use a si02 spray wax/sealant to boost shine and protection.
- Dry your car with a microfibre towel.
- Use an Iron Remover every six months or so.
- Use a Tar Remover if you need to.
Choosing a Shampoo for a Ceramic Coated Vehicle.
A ph-neutral car shampoo will protect your coating best. These are specifically designed for a maintenance wash.
The most recommended shampoo for ceramic coated Vehicles is CARPRO Reset.
Some shampoos are designed to remove old wax and sealants and will also degrade your ceramic coating so avoid these. These are usually used by pro detailers and are a little hard to find anyway.
Look for a ph-neutral shampoo that says its safe for ceramic coatings.
Some car shampoos contain wax. From what I’ve read its best to avoid these.
Pretty much all shampoos from the big manufacturers such as Adams, Meguiars, Chemical Guys and Turtlewax are safe for ceramic coated cars.
How to wash a car coated with Carpro CQuartz Ceramic Coating
CARPRO CQuartz UK 3.0 is one of the most popular ceramic coatings on the market. I love it because it’s easy to apply and lasts such a long time.
Carpro recommends using its own products to wash your car. This is to be expected of course. Carpro products have been fully tested on Carpro ceramic coatings.
Here is what CARPRO recommends…( All links lead to Amazon)
Step 1: Wash Wheels First. Use CARPRO IronX to dissolve iron particles. Wash with wheel brushes.
Step 2: Pre-Wash. Use CARPRO Lift or CARPRO MultiX to disolve most dirt and rinse it away with a pressure washer. Both products can be used in a foam cannon or foam lance hose attachment.
Step 3: Detail Wash. CARPRO Reset is the recommended shampoo for use if you have a carpro ceramic coating. Use the two-bucket hand wash method with some microfibre wash mitts.
Step 4: Dry. Water Spots can eat into and damage a ceramic coating so drying is vital. CARPRO DHydrate towel is the recommended tool for this task.
Step 5: Seal & Dress. CARPRO Reload is a great product for adding shine after a wash and it’s the recommended product for touching up a CarPro ceramic coating too. CARPRO EliXir is the recommended detail spray.
Source : Carpro cquartz maintenance guide
What will Damage a Ceramic Coating?
To make your ceramic coating lasts as long as possible you should avoid doing the following things as much as possible.
- Don’t take your car to a car wash. The brushes and hard chemicals will cause your ceramic coating to fade so try not to do this too often.
- Don’t use a brush to wash your car. A microfibre wash mitt is much safer.
- Don’t use a clay bar. The abrasive nature of a clay bar will degrade the performance of your coating.
- Don’t use dish soap (washing up liquid). It’s designed to remove grease and damages ceramic coatings.
- Don’t let your car dry naturally. Water spots will damage your coating.
- Don’t dry your car with an old rag. Use a good quality microfibre drying towel and wash it regularly.
- Don’t dry wipe dust off your car.
Do I need to Use a Pressure Washer?
You don’t need a pressure washer to wash a ceramic-coated vehicle but it helps. It’s a great way to get most of the first off of your car before you touch it,
This dirt could scratch your car during the hand wash so it makes sense to remove it first if you can.
Pre-washing a coated car with a foam cannon will help too. Foam dissolves grease and dirt and softens mud.
Can You Wax a Ceramic Coated Vehicle?
You shouldn’t need to wax a ceramic-coated car. All you are doing is covering the car with an inferior product. The gloss you can get from a good ceramic coating is as good as if not better than most waxes.
Paste wax should be avoided as it doesn’t last as long and doesn’t add any value. Use a spray sealant recommended by the manufacturer of your coating.
Remember that the whole point of a ceramic coating is less maintenance. If you want to wax your car regularly then you don’t need a ceramic coating.
Final thoughts
Ceramic coatings are like a very long-lasting wax but are much stronger. A ceramic-coated vehicle can look good for years if it’s washed properly.
Once you know what you can and can’t do your coating should last years.
