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Car wash process with ceramic coat?

LaFlamaBlanca

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Ive never had ceramic coat becore but i did it on the FL5. I didnt realize car washing has got so complicated. Any recs for what to use? I bought some CarPro Reset to use to clean it but it seems like it gets more complicated after that. People recommend these spray on touch up things like CarPro reload? Seems like there is so much out there and its hard to sift through websites/pubs/vids sponsored by a product.

thoughts?
also, have considered buying a foam cannon or are you guys using buckets?
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Icehawk

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Folks make this way hard for some reason - you just wash the car as normal. If you want you can use a product that "refreshes" but it isn't needed. Just use a bit of caution and make sure your soap isn't the kind designed to strip waxes.

You can also ask the manufacturer ;)
 

TypeRD

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My car is getting Xpel PPF and ceramic as I type this message. The shop told me it should only need a refresh once a year, assuming the car is kept clean in general. As others have said (as well as my shop), a pressure washer should clean junk right off the car. They also told me there are ā€œthose peopleā€ šŸ˜† who enjoy detailing their car every weekend and they will refresh the coating every timeā€¦which is really excessive. But if they enjoy doing it, then have at it!
 

ScumbagRob

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Agree with others to just wash as normal. The best part of ceramic coating, though, is that you can use an air cannon to dry and it will just blow all the water off without needing any towels at all!

I do wipe it down with the refresh spray after each wash just to extend the life of the coating - it only takes 10 minutes to do the whole car.
 
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LaFlamaBlanca

LaFlamaBlanca

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If you have a ceramic coat, car washing should be easier because contaminants will not stick to the paint now. After the coat has cured for 7-14 days (depending on what product was used), you can simply hit the car with a pressure washer and remove any contaminants on the clear coat. If anything remains, I always use optimum no rinse (ONR) diluted with distilled water, and a bunch of Eagle Edgeless 500 microfiber towels in a bucket. Grab a soaked towel, fold it four times (giving me 8 clean sides), and gently wipe any areas that still had contaminants. I use a clean side every panel, and then discard the towel and grab a new one. This is called the Garry Dean method of Rinseless washing. After this, use a drying towel (damp!!! Donā€™t ever put a dry towel to your and drying aid of your choice. I use TEC582 as my drying aid, which is an SIO2 product thatā€™ll top up my coating. This last step is overkill, as you can use anything as a drying aidā€¦ ONR spray, quick detail, spray sealant, spray wax, etc. Just want extra lubricant for your drying towel.

depending on the type of coat you have, you can buy a spray topper to match the brand. You really only need to top it off every few months. Not every wash. The topper is to rebuild the hydrophobic properties and add an extra layer of SIO2 to the coat. If you have a Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra coat, Iā€™d use Gtechniq C2V3, but any topper will suffice.

I frequent the subreddit r/autodetailing, theyā€™re an excellent resource and wealth of information.
thanks for the well thought out answer
 


UJX

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This is my first car to have PPF and ceramic coating so I had to figure this out as well.

There's two types of washing, rinseless and traditional. Rinseless is basically just that, no pressure washer. I use two buckets, both with grit guards, and a Maralex pump sprayer. First bucket I use Mckee's N-914 Rinseless Wash and second bucket is clean water.

There are many guides and videos on how to perform a rinseless wash but basically you pre-spray the car with the pump sprayer, containing your choice of rinseless wash (Mckee's and ONR being the most popular). The goal is to get the car soaked in rinseless wash as it is highly lubricant to minimize scratches/swirls. After you pre-soak it, then you dunk a sponge (google rinseless wash sponge), ring it out a bit, then lightly scrub down the car. Dry it off with some good microfiber towels and you're done. It's pretty quick and simple but obviously not as thorough as a traditional wash.

I ended up buying a pressure washer kit so I could perform a traditional wash at my house and not have to take it to the local car wash. For an Active 2.0 kit (probably the best bang for the buck) you're looking at around 600-700 dollars. It includes an upgraded sprayer, hose, foam cannon, etc.

So for a traditional wash, I use Carpro Lift for my foam, Carpro Reset for my wash, P&S Brake Buster for wheels/brakes, Carpro Perl for tires, and an assortment of others for specialized uses (bug remover, tar remover, iron remover, etc). The process is pretty simple: Spray the car down with water -> Foam cannon -> Wash wheels/tires -> Spray off foam -> Wash with microfiber wash mitt using Carpro Reset -> wash off -> dry car.

Most of the highend car shampoos like Carpro Reset are safe for ceramic coatings. You can also use something like Gyeon Wet Coat to "refresh" your ceramic coating every couple of months. Washing a car with a ceramic coating is much easier since dirt and grime doesn't cling to it like it would a car without a coating.
 

Clark_Kent

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I will preface this post by saying I enjoy detailing my cars and have little to no appetite for a dirty car (interior or exterior). I realize my approach may not work for some, and that's ok, just sharing how I care for my vehicles. I'm pleased with the results I've been able to achieve.

I realize they're all the rage, but I don't believe in waterless or rinseless washes. Doesn't matter what technique you use or if the car is ceramic coated, if the car is dirty enough you will undoubtedly mar the paint. If the car is not that dirty (re light grime) I'll just wash it. Without the pressure washer I can wash the car in the same amount of time it would take me to waterless or rinseless wash it. The car is ceramic coated with GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Light + GTECHNIQ EXOv4 + GTECHNIQ C2V3 Ceramic Sealant. Anyhow, at a high-level I use two approaches to washing the car:

1. Visibly dirty or filthy car = pressure washer + foam cannon + 2 bucket wash method + leaf blower and towels to dry
2. Lightly soiled or dusty = 2 bucket wash + leaf blower and towels to dry

Buckets: 5 Gallon Bucket (2x) with Grit Guard (2x)
Pressure Washer: Kranzle K 1122TST
Foam Cannon: MTM Hydro PF22
Spray Gun: MTM SGS35
Wash Media: The Rag Company Premium Chenille Microfiber Knobby Wash Mitts (2x)
Dry Media: EGO Power 530 CFM Leaf Blower, The Rag Company Dry Me a River Waffle Weave Towel or The Rag Company Liquid8r for painted surfaces (only need one). The Rag Company Blue Eagle Edgeless Microfiber Towel for door jambs. The leaf blower will remove ~90% of the water.
Car Shampoo: GTECHNIQ G Wash
Drying Aid: GTECHNIQ Quick Detailer or P&S Beadmaker
Ceramic Coating Topper: GTECHNIQ C2V3 Ceramic Sealant (applied 2-3 times per year)
 

vote4anh

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I will preface this post by saying I enjoy detailing my cars and have little to no appetite for a dirty car (interior or exterior). I realize my approach may not work for some, and that's ok, just sharing how I care for my vehicles. I'm pleased with the results I've been able to achieve.

I realize they're all the rage, but I don't believe in waterless or rinseless washes. Doesn't matter what technique you use or if the car is ceramic coated, if the car is dirty enough you will undoubtedly mar the paint. If the car is not that dirty (re light grime) I'll just wash it. Without the pressure washer I can wash the car in the same amount of time it would take me to waterless or rinseless wash it. The car is ceramic coated with GTECHNIQ Crystal Serum Light + GTECHNIQ EXOv4 + GTECHNIQ C2V3 Ceramic Sealant. Anyhow, at a high-level I use two approaches to washing the car:

1. Visibly dirty or filthy car = pressure washer + foam cannon + 2 bucket wash method + leaf blower and towels to dry
2. Lightly soiled or dusty = 2 bucket wash + leaf blower and towels to dry

Buckets: 5 Gallon Bucket (2x) with Grit Guard (2x)
Pressure Washer: Kranzle K 1122TST
Foam Cannon: MTM Hydro PF22
Spray Gun: MTM SGS35
Wash Media: The Rag Company Premium Chenille Microfiber Knobby Wash Mitts (2x)
Dry Media: EGO Power 530 CFM Leaf Blower, The Rag Company Dry Me a River Waffle Weave Towel or The Rag Company Liquid8r for painted surfaces (only need one). The Rag Company Blue Eagle Edgeless Microfiber Towel for door jambs. The leaf blower will remove ~90% of the water.
Car Shampoo: GTECHNIQ G Wash
Drying Aid: GTECHNIQ Quick Detailer or P&S Beadmaker
Ceramic Coating Topper: GTECHNIQ C2V3 Ceramic Sealant (applied 2-3 times per year)
I cannot agree with you more when it comes to a dirty car inside and out. Thank you for the tips and products!
 

TJ83

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This is literally my first post haha. Picked up my CBP FL5 a little over a month ago. I was a professional Detailer for almost 6 years. Getting ready to wash, decon, paint correct and cermaic coat my car soon.

For a ceramic coated vehicle a good, safe wash method of your choice, then an SiO2 spray wax/quick Detailer would be a good maintenance. Phoenix EOD Titan is priced well (20 bucks on Amazon)and I read good things about it. Easy application and wipe off, leaves a sacrificial layer of ceramic to protect your actual ceramic coat. Or even DIY Detail Ceramic Gloss is another good. Both can be used as a drying aid as well.

Products I use (not all at once of course lol)

Soap: Adams Car Shampoo Meguiar's Gold Class, Bilt Hamber Touchless, and Carpro Descale.

Wheels/Tires: P&S Brakebuster, Turtle wax rapid decon total wheel cleaner and carpro retyre.

Wax/Sealant : Apex Blue Collar 2, Griots Ceramic 3 in 1.

Tire Dressing: Adam's Graphene Tire Dressing, Carpro Darkside
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