Ceramic Coating Maintenance

Implementing recommended maintenance methods is highly recommended! Waxing your vehicle is certainly not necessary and not even recommended. Ceramic Detail sprays are nice to use if you like to give your vehicle a final wipe after washes. Simply wash & dry is all that’s needed. Ceramic Coating will last for years!

Bird Droppings, Sap & Bug Guts: The Ceramic Coating has formed a glass layer hardened over the surface. If one of these substances comes in contact with your paint, its not the end of the world. HOWEVER, It is very important to understand that each of these contaminants are EXTREMELY Acidic. Eventually, they will eat through the ceramic coating, then down into your clear coat. As long as you get these off in a timely manner, you have nothing to worry about. 

On a very hot day (especially black paint) with your paint near 200 degrees, it is very likely to develop minor staining on immediate impact of unwanted debris. I have found after washing the paint and removing the debris from the surface, a few hours of the paint in the sun will burn off these types of staining without issue. Staining that lingers for several days after may require a Minor polish to remove. Very easy to do by hand.  

Water Spots: Treat this very seriously! What appears to be no threat at all could become your worst nightmare (or just mine because you’ll be calling me). Hard water has minerals and chemicals in it you can’t even pronounce. You do not want hard water sitting on your paint. The issue is not the “water spot,” but what it WILL turn into if you don’t do something about it…”Water Etchings.” 

The water will evaporate leaving behind the nasty minerals that will etch into the coating. Leave it long enough, it will eat through and could become permanent. Common fixed to water etchings is wet sanding. (Most cars have such thin paint, you don’t want to go there). Eliminate the risk by just wiping the spots off with waterless wash. Demineralizing chemicals help during washing to break down minerals on the surface. 

Common Source to Water Etchings: Sprinklers, Acid Rain (dirty car + more rain + Sun/Heat), tap water.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is not washing your vehicle at all. Usually due to being afraid of messing something up with the paint. However, not washing your vehicle is one of the worst things you can do and can lead to significant issues.

Maintenance washes will vary for garage queen vs outside kept vehicles. Vehicles that are garaged 24/7, wash as needed. You’re at a significant advantage as far as keeping the ceramic coating in perfect shape. 

For Daily drivers, I recommend washing your vehicle every 1-2 weeks. This will keep the elements and everyday grime from embedding into the surface. The cleaner you keep the coating, the healthier it will be, the easier it is to wash and the less service it would need down the line. Plus, a clean ride is always nice. 

This can be cause for concern if you really enjoy a slick and hydrophobic surface. With normal wear and exposure to the outside elements, small bits of debris that we call “contamination” builds up and embeds in the surface. This is accelerated when a vehicle lives outdoors at all times and/or the vehicle isn’t getting washed as often as it should. That contamination buildup is what is hindering the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating and it is best to get that off sooner than later. 

Good news is, its a fairly simple process for us to take care of at the shop through the Level 1 Ceramic Maintenance Service. A “decontamination service” will remove the unwanted impurities through a mild acid wash and iron fallout chemical wash. This releases those impurities from the surface and will restore the hydrophobic properties without having to apply any extra protection to the surface. (Though, we do apply a booster for good measures)

Other reasons for loss of hydrophobicity would be a failed coating (which becomes my problem), use of aggressive soaps on routine, automatic car washes and overall improper care. 

The Idea of touch-less washes sounds great! BUT, you have to also think about the detergents being used. In order for a touch-less service to be effective, they have to use very aggressive detergents. Either degreasers or acidic soaps which basically burns off dirt. Overtime, this will significantly degrade the ceramic coating’s protective abilities and hydrophobic properties. 

Self Serve Car wash is better. Do NOT use their soap. Use their Water ONLY and Bring your own supplies. 

Recommended Products for Self Serve: 

• Hole Shot Off-road Cleaner (Great pre wash / soap out of a spray bottle)
• Eco Shine Waterless Wash / Rinseless wash (Spray or pump sprayer)

I address this exact question through a couple videos on this page. In short, it will vary from vehicle to vehicle. Most common interval for a “check in” or Tune-Up Service will be annually. This primarily consists of decontaminating the surface and boosting the coating for good measures. 

Depending on your care routine, some may need a service more often than others. Very well kept vehicles won’t need much of any services (at least not as frequent)

I put together popular ceramic coating maintenance services. My recommendation for what service is best for your vehicle will depend on its current condition as well

Hand Washing the paint will be best. Utilizing a 2-bucket method, an appropriate amount of wash mitts, the right soaps are all essentials. Properly hand washing the paint will keep the swirls away, your paint shining and coating healthy.

Definitely avoid automatic car washes, sloppy detailers and cheap car wash services.

Shine Supply put together a great tutorial to maintaining your vehicle yourself if you wish. If you need a referral for a mobile detailer, I can give you names!

Some think if the coating isn’t water beading perfectly, then it must be dead. This is not true. Though, it is a sign of wear. This may happen for a couple reasons; most common is due to contamination buildup. Go ahead and wash the vehicle, feel the surface when it’s wet. If it feels bumpy, the coating is contaminated. To limit contamination buildup, wash the vehicle more frequently. Contamination will inevitably happen to some degree overtime. But your maintenance plays a significant role in severity and how soon. 

After a decon service, the coating is back to its former state. Coating gets a booster for good measures. 

I recommend Option 1 of the service option to decon & boost the coating.

Imagine, you have black paint…You had it corrected & polished out so nicely. Ceramic Coating applied. It looked CHERRY! Few months/Year have gone by and you’re starting to see some swirling. Its a terrible feeling if you’re a freak like me.

Light swirls can be fixed without doing a full correction & coating again. Because the ceramic coating, these light swirls haven’t reached the actual paint. (Scratches will damage through the coating). Keep in mind, the swirls that were corrected in the initial service are completely gone. What you’re seeing is new swirling being imposed in to the surface. This can happen from one bad wash using bad techniques. This is why I emphasize on proper maintenance, especially if you’re picky! 

If you’re getting excess swirls that are very noticeable, you need to alter your wash routine ASAP and rewatch the Video on Proper Wash Methods. 

To find out more on how I can remove swirls from your coated vehicle, take a look at some of the videos on this page and Option 3 of The Ceramic Coating Maintenance Service Menu. 

If I applied Beadlock Trim to your exterior plastics, this product lasts Approx 1 year. And will last longer with care. Come in and ask which product I use to keep the trim coating looking and performing its best. 

Wheels take a beating! Wheel ceramic coating helps keep your wheels cleaner, easier to clean etc. As long as you take care of it…Do not use improper chemicals for your wheels. Degreasers, acids will degrade the ceramic coating. With proper care, wheel coating will last approx 1 year. Come on in and grab supplies for your wash routine.