SMV Blog

How to maintain your ceramic coating

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 14:38:13 GMT

How to maintain your ceramic coating

Want to keep your newly ceramic-coated ride looking as shiny and clean as the day you picked it up from the detailing shop? Good thing it’s relatively straightforward and mostly relies on your washing routine with the occasional use of maintenance boosters. Keeping the ceramic-coated surface clean enhances the hydrophobic properties and maintains the coating’s bright, shiny look.

Ceramic coating is a liquid polymer, often silicon dioxide, that bonds chemically with your vehicle’s paint to produce a layer of protection. This protective layer sports hydrophobic properties that shield the car’s paint from environmental damage like damage from direct sunlight and water spots.

There are many other benefits to having a ceramic coating on your vehicle. It provides excellent protection against UV rays, preventing the paint from oxidizing and fading. It also shields the paint from chemical stains caused by acidic contaminants and bird droppings. The coating’s hardness helps resist minor scratches and swirl marks, keeping the paint looking smooth and glossy. Additionally, the hydrophobic properties of ceramic coating make it easier to clean your vehicle, as dirt and grime have a harder time sticking to the surface.

Tips for Regular Maintenance of Ceramic Coated Vehicles

Washing the Coating

Maintaining a ceramic-coated vehicle starts with regular washing. A consistent wash schedule prevents the build-up of contaminants that can degrade the coating over time. Here’s how to properly wash your ceramic-coated vehicle:

Bucket Method : Use the two-bucket method with grit guards. Fill one bucket with soapy water and the other with clean water. Dip your wash mitt into the soapy water, wash a section of the vehicle, then rinse the mitt in the clean water before re-soaping.

Wash Mitt : Use a high-quality wash mitt to clean the vehicle’s surface gently. Avoid using sponges or brushes that can cause scratches.

pH-Neutral Shampoo : Choose a pH-neutral shampoo designed to work with ceramic coatings. This helps maintain the coating’s hydrophobic properties and ensures a thorough cleaning.

Foam Cannon : Use a foam cannon to apply a foam layer to the entire vehicle. This helps loosen dirt and grime without scratching the surface.

Drying the Coated Surface

Proper drying techniques will help you avoid swirl marks and water spots. After washing, use a microfiber towel to dry the vehicle. Microfiber towels are gentle on the surface and highly absorbent, making them ideal for this task. For an even more careful approach, you can use an air drier to blow dry the vehicle, to ensure no water remains on the surface.

Protection from Environmental Factors

Parking in the shade is crucial to avoid the harmful effects of direct sunlight, which can degrade the ceramic coating over time. Park your vehicle in a garage or under a carport to keep it out of the sun when possible.

For quick touch-ups between washes, use a detail spray or ceramic boosters . These products help maintain the coating’s hydrophobic properties and provide a quick shine.

Advanced Maintenance Practices

Using Maintenance Boosters

Ceramic boosters are products designed to maintain the hydrophobic properties of your ceramic coating. They supplement the existing coating, ensuring it effectively repels water and contaminants. To apply a ceramic boost product, spray it onto a clean, dry surface and buff it in with a microfiber cloth. This should be done periodically, according to the product’s instructions, to maintain optimal performance.

Dealing with Specific Contaminants

Bird droppings, brake dust, and water spots can be particularly harmful to ceramic coatings if not addressed promptly. Here’s how to handle them:

Bird Droppings : Use a quick detailer spray and a microfiber towel to gently remove bird droppings. Avoid scrubbing, as this can damage the coating.

Brake Dust : Brake dust can accumulate on wheels and lower body panels. Use a wheel cleaner safe for ceramic-coated surfaces and a soft brush to clean these areas.

Water Spots : To remove water spots, use a dedicated water spot remover or a vinegar solution. Apply it to the affected area and gently wipe it away with a microfiber cloth.

Routine Inspection and Professional Maintenance

Regularly inspect your ceramic coating for any signs of damage or wear. Look for areas where the hydrophobic properties might have diminished, indicating the need for a maintenance booster. If you notice significant wear or damage, consider consulting a professional detailer. A professional can correct the paint to address any scratches or imperfections and reapply the ceramic coating if necessary.

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Water behaviour on a ceramic coated protected vehicle

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 17:02:06 GMT

Water beading versus water sheeting

One of the benefits of a ceramic coating is the hydrophobic ability of the coating. Basically meaning "fear of water".

But what does this actually mean and why is is important?

When water comes in contact with a hydrophobic surface it looks as if the water doesn't want to stay on it and wants to escape as soon as possible with the path of least resistance.

You probably saw that effect many times in nature on various types of leaves. It would rain and you would see water just pouring from the leaves without the leaves actually getting wet. Even when the rain stops you would still see little water droplets on top of the leaves.

Those droplets are called water beads. And we will come back to them soon.

What is water beading?

Well, as you probably have seen when you pour water on a ceramic coated car the water looks as it is trying to escape from the surface leaving it dry.

But as with before mentioned leaves - after the chaos dissipates, sometimes, more often than not, you are left with water beads on the surface of the car.

On the other hand, sometimes you would see the water behave completely differently.

What is water sheeting?

Instead of water trying to escape the ceramic coated surface in an erratic manner, as if it was escaping for dear life leaving stragglers ( water beads ) behind when water is introduced - the whole surface gets completely wet, and then the water that is on the car would form one unified body that would drag all of the water from the surface, leaving no water beads. This effect is called 'water sheeting'.

Water beading and water sheeting. Which of those two effects would you want more in a ceramic coating?

You want a ceramic coating that sheets more than it beads.

Why?

When it comes to water beads you might think 'What is the big deal? The beads are just standing there, they are not making the car wet or dirty. Why would I care?'

Well, you shouldn't care, at least not immediately. But once those water beads start to evaporate they would leave all the minerals that were in the water baked onto the surface of the ceramic coating.

Those white marks that are leftover we call water spots.

If the rain was acidic ( depending on where you live or the current weather conditions ) what you would be left with are called etch marks and they are more aggressively damaging to the ceramic coating that you worked so hard to install on your beauty.

This is where water sheeting shines!

Because of how it works it usually leaves a very low amount of water beads on the car. And if the water sheeting effect is strong enough it will leave no water beads at all, leaving the car completely dry no matter how wet it gets!

Ceramic Coating VS Car Wax

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:23:41 GMT

Why would you use Ceramic Coating when you have Car Wax that is much simpler to put onto the car and is less expensive? Well, that is simply for 2 reasons.

The first is that car wax is not resistant to chemicals at all and will wash off in one or two washes, while Ceramic Coatings are resistant to chemicals and will usually withstand a much-prolonged beating when compared to waxes or sealants.

The second reason is resistance to damage. While car wax offers almost no resistance to damage, ceramic coatings usually do. When talking about damage resistance we aren't talking about the car suddenly becoming bulletproof or that you can attack it with a sword medieval-style and expect it to suffer no damage whatsoever. When talking car paint and damage it is usually considered in the form of light to medium scratch resistance, swirl marks and maybe surviving stone chip damage but only at lower speeds really.

No matter the reason and no matter how perfect the paint on your car looks now, it will very soon have swirl marks, scratches and will start to look duller and dirty. The kind of dirty that you cannot simply wash off. There are numerous culprits for the damage your paintwork suffers, but unless it is not driven and in a garage ( for example a showroom car ) it will suffer damage over time. Even a simple rain can damage the paint of your car. All those things add up until your car's paint doesn't look new or fresh anymore but quite the opposite.

To keep the paint on your car looking new or f resh you need to protect it. And Ceramic Coating is the best way to give it that protection for the money you are paying.