Are you enjoying the sleek shine of your car’s ceramic coating? Then you may want to keep its showroom-worthy finish for as long as possible. Fortunately, we know how to help with that.
Whether you’ve just applied ceramic coatings in Arizona or are a car enthusiast, proper maintenance is key to keeping your vehicle’s longevity. Keep reading to learn 5 essential tips to keep your car’s ceramic coating intact for years.
Taking any ceramic-coated vehicle to a drive-through car wash, especially if it contains brushes or those curtain-looking mop-type cleaning rags, is the quickest way to destroy its finish. These car washes can destroy a ceramic coating in a couple of seconds. The soaps employed are usually pH-aggressive, similar to an industrial detergent. Moreover, such washing media materials are designed for longevity, not delicate cleaning.
We only recommend washing your car in special car washes that know how to take care of your vehicle. Otherwise, it’s better just to wash your car with traditional methods.
We also recommend using special products that clean your car without damaging its coating. Similar to a paint protective layer, ceramic coatings have a special formula that blocks UV radiation. Additionally, they harden once dried and require special care to maintain that level of strength.
Once the Arizona ceramic coating hardens, it produces an extremely flat or hydrophobic surface. This results in fewer pollutants adhering to the top layer of the coating, making it easier to remove debris such as brake dust from the car paint surface.
As a result, cleaning the surface using an aggressive or abrasive auto shampoo or clay bar is unnecessary. Always use a pH-neutral auto shampoo with no additional wax. The wax may leave a residue on top of the coating, reducing its hydrophobic characteristics and causing more material to attach to the wax, making it dirtier. If you want to keep the ceramic coating intact, a pH-neutral professional-grade aftercare shampoo like Americana Global Ceramic Aftercare is an excellent choice.
Once your vehicle is clean and dry, inspect the paintwork for any damage or flaws that could compromise the ceramic coating. These may include swirl marks, scratches, or paint chips.
Take your time with this step, as it’s essential to get rid of any imperfections before recoating your car in the future. If left untreated, these flaws may become more visible later, damaging the overall appearance of your vehicle.
It’s always best to wash your car during low-light hours. The best time to wash and dry your vehicle is on a cloudy day, early in the morning, or near dusk.
We recommend washing your car in a shaded place or during cooler hours of the day to keep the shampoo from drying too rapidly and causing water stains. After rinsing off the shampoo, gently dry your automobile with a clean microfiber towel to prevent wet spots and achieve a streak-free finish.
It’s crucial to prevent cross-contamination of other cleaning products whenever you wash, dry, or use any product on a coated vehicle. Therefore, before using a microfiber towel, wash mitt, or bucket, make sure they are fully clean and free of any other cleansers, degreasers, or dirt.
Making the proactive and wise decision to ceramic coat your vehicle requires effort, study, and, of course, a commitment of hard-earned money. If you’re going to pay a professional to cover your vehicle with a high-quality, search no further than our full-service auto detail in Mesa, Arizona at AZ Auto Aesthetics.
We are a market leader in machine polishing (paint correction), ceramic paint coatings, and more. Contact us today to learn more about our services and products!