Ceramic Nano Coatings are by far the best protective technology (non-impact related) developed for paint vs. the waxes and sealants of past eras. They exhibit impressive traits that benefit both detailers and consumers alike.

These traits give long-term benefits for maintenance as well as aesthetic enhancements.

To maintain a ceramic coating’s optimal functional aspects, such as the ‘self-cleaning effect’ (staying cleaner for longer, and the ability for fast and easy cleaning (water behavior aka hydrophobics), coated vehicles should be maintained with regular wash cycles.

Why Ceramic Coatings Require Regular Wash Cycles

Think of a vehicle’s ceramic nano coating like a non-stick cooking pan. Both are impressive advancements in technology for convenience and ease.

However, if you cook with a non-stick pan, do not clean it, and then cook with it 1-2 more times what happens?

Things start sticking to the ‘non-stick’ pan.

This is because residue from multiple things, perhaps olive oil, butter, etc. begin to make a layer on the pan one by one. The first layer, butter, has the most difficulty adhering to the surface. But, when the butter is reduced in the pan and mixed with solids and spices and the moisture flashes off, it reduces to solids. And some of these deposits adhere to the pan.

Now, if the butter layer is not completely removed and the pan is reused, then the next layer of butter (from the next cooking session) can now adhere to the pan itself, but also to the first layer. This can make cooking in a ‘non-stick’ pan much more difficult than it should be.

The non-stick pan analogy holds true to the water behavior characteristics of ceramic coated vehicle surfaces. The more often a vehicle is washed, the longer, and more optimally, the characteristics of the coating will perform over time.

The longer the time between vehicle wash intervals, the more and more layers of topical bonded contamination are allowed to stick to the surfaces. Just like the frying pan, over time the hydrophobic characteristics of the surfaces change as they adopt the characteristics of the contamination, vs the optimal effects of the coating.

How Often Should Ceramic Coated Vehicles Be Washed?

How often a vehicle is washed is dependent on a few factors:

• How often is the vehicle driven?
• Is it a daily driver or a secondary fun vehicle?
• Is the vehicle garaged or does it live outside?
• What are the driving conditions of the seasons?

In general, the best rule of thumb is that daily driven ceramic coated vehicles should be washed once every two weeks.

Garaged vehicles or secondary vehicles which are less used maybe once a month.
In seasons, or conditions, where large amounts of contamination collect quickly on vehicle surfaces, the vehicles could require washing every week.

In super extreme conditions, such as love bugs in the south and south-east, vehicles may require cleaning twice a week. Vehicle cleaning may need to be evaluated day to day if enough harmful bug splatter collects on surfaces.

Best Products When Washing a Ceramic Coated Vehicles

When performing a regular wash cycle on a ceramic nano coated vehicle, it is critical to use a car soap or a rinseless or waterless wash product that is designed for the needs of ceramic coatings.

At Signature Detailing NJ we recommend the following products for maintaining ceramic coated vehicles:

Traditional Car Washing Method (Soap & Water with Surface Agitation):

• Car Shampoo (CarPro Reset)

Rinseless or Waterless Car Washing Method:

• Waterless Wash Solution (CarPro EcH2o)

Both of these will ensure the coating will be cleaned thoroughly and thus will maintain its optimal characteristics over time.

Conclusion Ceramic Coatings & Regular Wash Cycles

If a ceramic nano coated vehicle is maintained properly then its characteristics of: ‘the self-cleaning effect’, its ease of cleaning, and its aesthetics will be intact for the long term.

However, if a ceramic coating is neglected and not washed regularly, it will act similarly to a frying pan over time. The surfaces will begin to collect contamination over time and thus change its surface characteristics, making cleaning more difficult and more time intensive to perform.

The name of the game is preventative and regular wash cycles. A ceramic coating is similar to most other technologies, in that, if you take care of the coating and show it a little basic love (maintenance) on a regular basis, it will be good to you over time.