Ceramic coatings are a great way to protect your vehicle from most types of external damage. But, like any other vehicle protection system, ceramic coating will only work when it is maintained properly. In this article, we will go over some maintenance tips to help you keep your ceramic coating looking new and protecting your vehicle as long as possible.
If you’re interested in this service, take a look at our Seattle ceramic coating page or feel free to contact us directly to book an appointment!
Ceramic Coating Maintenance Tips
Regular Washing
Having a good wash routine, or taking advantage of local car detailing, is the most important thing you can do to preserve your vehicle’s natural shine.
Regular washing helps remove contaminants that contribute to dulling the surface of the coating and can cause staining if not removed promptly.
Rinse and Dry
After washing your vehicle with a high quality car shampoo, wash the vehicle one more time to make sure all the soap is removed from your vehicle.
Next, you can dry it with either a soft waffle weave microfiber towel or compressed air.
Clay
If you have not already, get yourself some clay. This will help remove contaminants that are embedded into the surface of your paint.
What’s best about this process is that it is 100% non-abrasive. If you are new to clay bars, then check out this great guide on the subject.
Polishing
Polishing is another way you can remove contaminants from your paint that are difficult to remove by washing alone.
How Long Does Ceramic Coating Last?
An important thing to understand about ceramic coating is how long it will last. How long does ceramic coating last? The short answer is – forever.
Most ceramic coatings come with a warranty that protect the owner from peeling and cracking for a minimum of three years. But that’s assuming you take care of the vehicle by doing everything listed in the article above.
Other factors that affect the life of a ceramic coating include:
How much ultraviolet (UV) exposure has the vehicle been exposed to? Higher UV exposure levels due to sun and the elements can cause more deterioration than low exposure.
How often have you waxed or polished your vehicle? Even though natural ceramic coating will help protect your vehicle from oxidation for a long time, waxing or polishing it will greatly reduce the coating’s lifespan.
What type of washing and drying method do you use? Wash and dry methods such as air drying are very damaging to even top end ceramic coatings, especially if you don’t use a clay bar before washing your vehicle.
How many car washes do you send your vehicle through in a year? Roughly 25% of cars sent to the car wash are never washed properly, which is what causes the deterioration of the coating.
Why Is Ceramic Coating Important For Protecting Your Vehicle?
There are three main reasons why ceramic coating is an important choice for protecting your vehicle from external damage: durability, hardness and dirt repellency – all three come together to form one formidable barrier for protecting your vehicle from most types of damage.
Durability
A coating is a good way to protect the paint on your car and its exterior surfaces because it acts as added protection against scratches and abrasions.
Plus, when applied by a reputable shop, a coating will last longer than most conventional paint protection systems.
Ceramic coatings are resistant to acid rain, which makes them better equipped to protect your vehicle’s paint job than other types of coatings such as waxes and sealants.
Hardness
Ceramic coatings are harder than most paints meaning less chance of damage from everyday items such as keys and rocks kicked up from the road, bird droppings and tree sap.
This hard coating is also ideal for corrosion protection.
If you live in an area where the air pollution has a significant impact on the paint’s durability and hardness, then you can consider ceramic coating because it will provide better corrosion protection for your vehicle than most protective coatings, such as waxes and sealants.
Dirt Repellency
Dirt or contaminants do not stick to a properly maintained ceramic coating.
This means that if you are driving in a dirt area and have a stray pebble stuck in your fender, then it won’t be able to scratch or damage your paint either when driven over it or kicked up by the tires.
Conclusion
If you take the time to research and know what is going on, then these ceramic coating maintenance tips should be a breeze for you. T
he more you put into your investments in your vehicle, the better it’ll look and the better it’ll last.
We hope that this article served as a useful resource for those of you who love your cars to look their best. Be sure to check out more of our blog articles, like this one on Jeep Wrangler Window tint