You need to be pretty careful regarding washing if you have a ceramic-coated car. Like many other cars, you can’t just randomly wash your car because there’s a risk of damage to ceramic coating. That’s why you should know the type of car wash that can cause damage to your ceramic-coated car.
Car wash won’t damage the ceramic coating unless you are using any abrasive material that will damage the clear coat. Nonetheless, if it is an automotive car wash, it is a high possibility that it can damage the ceramic coating of a car. Using good cleaning chemicals and safe washing method won’t damage your ceramic coating.
However, we’ve covered some of the key information about ceramic-coated cars and their washing in this blog. We believe you will find this content helpful and won’t face any trouble cleaning your ceramic-coated car.
Keep reading!
Things That Might Damage Ceramic Coated Car:
Ceramic coating is a sealant that is applied in the exterior of a car to protect the paintwork. To be more precise it’s a chemical polymar solution that protects the paint from damage.
Ceramic coatings are applied on the clear coat of the paint. It doesn’t cost any harm to the paint but there are certain things that should be keep in mind to protect the ceramic coating of a car.
Here are the things that might damage the ceramic-coated car:
- Using abrasive material to clean the car such as clay bar.
- Using non-pH neutral chemicals.
- Shampoos that contain waxes or sealants in them
- Not using the proper method to clean the car.
How Do You Wash a Ceramic Coated Car?
First of all, we will avoid automotive car washes in this sense. At the end of the day, you will also be able to wash your car without an automotive car wash. Nonetheless, we will show you exactly how you can hand wash your ceramic-coated car comprehensively.
Step 1: Place Your In the Shade
This is more like mandatory when it comes to washing any car. Experts suggest not washing cars under direct sunlight, and you have to be concerned about having a ceramic-coated car.
Step 2: Rinse Down the Car
Once you have placed your car in the shade, the second step would be to rinse your car with fresh water. It will be better if you use a water hose in this case to get better output.
Finally, make sure all the exterior parts are perfectly rinsed. Rinsing will lose contaminants from the exterior part of the car.
Step 3: Use a Snow Foam Cannon
It’s an optional method but I will recommend you to use a snow foam cannon with a pH-neutral snow foam shampoo that is gentle for your car paint.
All you need to do is use a snow foam cannon to spread it on the paint and let it dwell for a couple of minutes, this will help loosen up most of the dirt and contaminants from the paint.
After a few minutes of dwell time, rinse it off and start the actual car wash.
Step 4: Take Two Buckets
It is important to hand wash your car using the two buckets method (The safer method to wash a car). You need to mix soap and water in one bucket and keep the fresh water in another bucket. Make sure you use professional car wash products in this case.
Step 5: Scrub the Car
This is the most common part regarding car washing. Now, you can scrub your car from top to down with a microfiber cloth. But, before that, dump the cloth properly into the soap-mixed water.
Nonetheless, every time you finish scrubbing your car’s surface, you must dump the cloth into the fresh water and then follow the same process to scrub your car. Doing so is pretty important because it reduces the chance of dust getting mixed with soap-mixed water.
Don’t forget to scrub the mirror and windows accurately, so there’s no sign of scratch.
Step 6: Rinse the Entire Car
Once you have properly done the task of scrubbing your car, now it’s time to rinse the whole car again. Make sure you take enough water and time to do the job comprehensively.
Don’t put too much water pressure. Rather it will be better if you use a water hose with a medium water pressure that can’t hurt your car’s paint.
You can rinse your car a few times with fresh water to avoid any water spots.
Step 6: Dry Your car with Microfiber Towel
The final step is to dry your car with a clean plush microfiber towel that has around 400 GSM.. Don’t just let your car get rinsed and leave the cleaning process. It is always important to dry your car once it is cleaned to avoid any types of spots.
In addition, it is also better to dry your car with the help of a blow dryer. This will save your time, and you will find a lot of ease while drying down your car.
Step 7: Use a Spray Sealant
After completing the drying stage, you can use a spray sealant that contains SiO2 or silica dioxide which is an active ingredient for ceramic coating. This sealant will add another layer to your ceramic coating in this way sealant will rejuvenate and protect the ceramic coating.
This is a highly recommended stage, I will suggest you get a good SiO2 spray sealant after washing your car, this will increase the longevity of ceramic coating and add more gloss to your car.
You can use this spray sealant every two to three months to make sure your ceramic coating is in a good performance.
How Often Should You Wash a Ceramic-Coated Car?
It is recommended not to wash a ceramic-coated car at random times. As there is an extra layer of chemical polymer solution, it is better to wash your car once in two weeks so the washing can’t damage the ceramic coating.
However, if you badly need to wash a car after washing it for not more than two weeks, you can do so. But, you must ensure you use the best cleaning products and follow the right cleaning procedures.
Nonetheless, as ceramic coating protects the car paint, you may not need to wash your car often.
How Do You Protect a Ceramic-Coated Car?
As we mentioned in the introduction, you need to be focused on protecting your ceramic-coated car. For this, you may have to perform many essential tasks. So, let’s look closely at the job you need to complete to protect a ceramic-coated car.
1. Be Careful While Washing
You need to clean or wash your ceramic-coated car carefully. Most of the time, the issue of damaged ceramic coating is caused because of an inappropriate way of cleaning. Therefore, it will be better if you go with hand washing to wash your ceramic-coated car.
2. Don’t Use Harmful Products
You may find different kinds of car washing products on the market. But, you should use all of them without knowing the danger. For example, few shampoos and car soaps contain high PH levels, ultimately damaging car coating.
3. Dry Down the Car Regularly
This is, however, one of the effective tasks you should perform in protecting your ceramic-coated car. In addition, no matter the type of road you drive your car, trying to dry clean your vehicle with a microfiber tower will help you a lot.
Drying down your car won’t negatively impact your car’s paint but make sure you won’t scrub your car too hard with the microfiber car washing clothing.
4. Always Park Your Car in the Shade
Extreme sunlight can damage the coating of your car. So, you should try to park your car with enough shade. Parking the car in the shade will reduce the direct sunlight effect on your car; ultimately, you can protect your ceramic-coated car for a long time.
5. Use SiO2 Spray Sealant
As I’ve mentioned above regarding a Silica Dioxide sealant, use this once in every two to three to make sure your ceramic coating is in highest performance.
What Are Advantages and Disadvantages of Car Wash?
The advantages or disadvantages of car wash depend on the car washing technique. In addition, it also depends on the type of cleaning products used in car washing as well. But in general, car wash has some positive and negative sides.
You need to wash your car and it is mandatory. But, according to the experts in this field, it’s always good to hand wash your car.
With the help of hand washing, you don’t need to worry about a ceramic-coated car. Besides, if you want to save your time and effort, you can go with the touchless car washing method.
You want to protect your car’s paint, right? Therefore, a proper cleaning method helps you ensure that.
On the other hand, car washing methods like automotive car wash can damage your car’s paint. Similarly, if you have a ceramic-coated car, it’s good to avoid an automotive car wash. Nevertheless, harmful car cleaning products can also be a negative factor in car washing.
Related Questions
How Long Ceramic Coating Lasted For?
Luckily, ceramic coating can last from nearly two years to five years. This is the minimum time. However, it can last for a longer time as well. Therefore, if you have a ceramic-coated car, you don’t need to apply ceramic for a long time.
Will a Car Wash Remove the Ceramic Coating?
It depends on the type of car wash you are talking about. But, an automotive car wash can remove the ceramic coating from your car. Otherwise, you can hand wash your car or use touchless car washing as they are not harmful to ceramic coating.
Is Car Wash Soap Safe for Ceramic Coating?
It is safe unless it comes with harmful chemicals, try to use a pH neutral soap. Therefore, using professional cleaning products to wash your car will be better. If you choose the best car wash soap, you can definitely use it for ceramic coating.
Is a Touchless Car Wash Ok for Ceramic Coating?
Yes, and without any doubts. You can wash your ceramic-coated car with the help of touchless car washing methods. The touchless car wash will save you time cleaning your ceramic-coated car and protect the ceramic coating efficiently as no harmful products are used.
In addition, there’s no chance of brushes coming in touch with your car regarding touchless car wash.
Final Thoughts
We are here in the conclusion part, and we believe you will find this piece of content pretty helpful next time you tend to wash your ceramic-coated car.
First, however, it’s good to get your car ceramic-coated. Additionally, if you are also pretty focused on washing your car, it will be something fascinating.
Remember to use good cleaning products and take the necessary measures to project your ceramic-coated car. Besides, don’t try to wash your car pretty often, at least not more than once in two weeks. Rather, cleaning your vehicle regularly is better in this scenario.
