How to care for a ceramic coating
This is the exact routine we give every coating customer at pickup: what to do the first week, what to wash with, the order we wash in, and the mistakes that cost people their shine. Coated somewhere else? It works the same on any coating, and on paint protection film too.
Let it cure
- First 4 hours
Keep it dry
The coating needs a few hours to set. After 4 hours, rain or water on the car is fine.
- Days 1 to 7
Water only
No soap, bug remover, quick detailer, or chemicals of any kind until 7 days after install. If it gets dirty or a bird hits it, rinse gently with plain water and pat dry with a clean microfiber.
- Day 8 on
Wash normally
From here, follow the routine below. A hand wash every couple of weeks keeps it looking like the day you picked it up.
The wash kit
These are the CARPRO products we use in the shop. Each one links to CARPRO’s site, where you can find a store that carries it. Not sure what you need? Call or text (352) 251-2008.
- Reset
pH-neutral car soap, for the bucket and the foam cannon
- Wash bucket with a grit guard
Keeps the dirt you rinse off the mitt at the bottom of the bucket
- CARPRO HandWash mitt
Soft and deep, so grit pulls into the mitt instead of dragging across the paint
- WheelX and ReTyre
Wheel cleaner and tire cleaner
- Barrel and face-of-wheel brushes
Reach inside the wheel without scratching the face
- Bug Out
Loosens lovebugs before you touch them
- DHydrate drying towel
A big, clean microfiber that pulls water off in one pass
- EliXir
A spray sealant that keeps the coating slick between washes
How to wash a ceramic coated car
Find shade, and never let water dry on the paint
Wash in the shade or in your garage, never on hot panels in the Florida sun. Water left to dry leaves spots, and how bad they get depends on the minerals in your water, measured as TDS. A TDS meter tells you your number. Perfect water reads 0. Washing in the garage? Squeegee the floor as you go, because it gets slick.
Pre-wash with foam
Fill your foam cannon ¾ full with water, add 2 oz of Reset, and shake. Rinse the bumper, mirrors, windshield, and hood to cool them. Spray Bug Out anywhere you see bugs, and don’t let it dry. Then foam the whole car, and rinse before the foam dries on the surface.
Hand wash, top to bottom
Rinse the mitt on the grit guard between every panel. Go in this order: roof, windshield, hood, front bumper, passenger fender, passenger doors, passenger rear quarter, rear bumper, driver rear quarter, driver doors, driver fender. The dirtiest parts of the car come last, so you never drag their grit across the cleaner panels.
Rinse and dry
Rinse the whole car, then dry it in the same order with a clean drying towel. Pull it inside to dry if you can, which cuts down on water spots.
Top it with sealant
Keep it slick and shining with EliXir. Work it in with one new, soft microfiber, and buff off any extra with a second clean one.
Finish the tires and plastic
On fully dry surfaces, apply Perl for a factory-new look, or a few coats for a deeper shine. After the tires, roll the car a few feet forward or back and finish the part that was touching the ground, so the coat is even.
Six ways people dull a coating
Brush car washes
The soap won’t hurt a coating. The spinning bristles will: they swirl the coating and the clear coat under it, and that shortens its life. Touchless is the better pick after the first week.
Letting water dry on the car
Sprinklers, rinse water, and dew all leave mineral spots if they bake on. Dry it, or rinse and dry again.
Washing hot paint in the sun
Soap and water dry before you can rinse them, which leaves spots and streaks. Cool the panels or wait for shade.
Wax over the coating
Wax sits on top and hides the slickness you paid for. A coating-safe sealant like EliXir is all it needs.
Old towels and chamois
They drag grit across the paint. Use clean microfiber, and keep a dropped towel off the car until it’s washed.
Letting lovebugs bake on
They come off easily on a coating, but don’t leave them for weeks during lovebug season.
Cheat codes
- For deep, long-lasting tire shine, use Darkside. Apply it with a large or small applicator, depending on tire size.
- For wheels that practically clean themselves, seal them with HydrO2 Lite.
- For windows that always bead water, use Clarify Phobic.
CARPRO prints detailed directions on every bottle. Read them before use, or call or text us at (352) 251-2008 with any question.
How long after ceramic coating can I wash my car?
Wait 7 days before using soap or any chemicals. Until then, if the car gets dirty or a bird hits it, rinse gently with plain water and pat dry with a clean microfiber. After day 7, wash it normally.
Can a new ceramic coating get rained on?
Yes, after the first 4 hours. Keep the car dry for those first few hours while the coating sets. After that, rain won’t hurt it. Just don’t let the drops dry into spots on a hot day.
What soap should I use on a ceramic coated car?
A pH-neutral car soap. We use CARPRO Reset, 2 oz in a bucket of water. Skip dish soap and harsh degreasers, which are made to strip things off.
How often should I wash a ceramic coated car?
About every couple of weeks. A coating makes washing much easier, but dirt left sitting can still spot, even on a coating.
Can I take a ceramic coated car through an automatic car wash?
After the first 7 days, chemically, yes. A coating handles car wash soap just fine. The problem is the bristles. Spinning brushes swirl the coating and the clear coat underneath, and over time that shortens the life of the coating, so touchless is the better choice. If you do run it through brush washes for a few years, the coating adds a little thickness over your paint, so we can polish some of that damage out and re-coat it.
Do I need to wax a ceramic coated car?
No. Wax sits on top and hides the slickness of the coating. A coating-safe spray sealant like CARPRO EliXir between washes is plenty.
Does this routine work for paint protection film too?
Yes. Film washes the same way. The one extra rule: hold a pressure washer nozzle a foot or more away and never aim it straight at a film edge.
Want it coated by the shop that wrote the guide?
Send the year, make, and model. We’ll tell you which coating package fits how you use your car, with zero pressure.
- Mon to Fri, 8 AM to 4 PM
- Right across from Brownwood Paddock Square
- We cover a one-way Uber or Lyft while your car is with us
- No pressure. We tell you what your car does and does not need