Ceramic coating aftercare: how to keep the gloss for years

The first seven days

The coating cures hard over roughly a week. Keep the car dry and out of rain where possible, avoid automated washes entirely, and do not apply any wax, sealant or quick detailer over it.

The wash routine that keeps it alive

• Two-bucket method with grit guards, or a rinseless wash for light dust
• pH-neutral shampoo only — no wash-and-wax, no dish soap, no traffic-film removers
• Wash top down, wheels last, with a separate wheel-only mitt and brush
• Dry with a clean plush drying towel or filtered blower; never let it air dry in the sun
• Wash every one to two weeks — coatings release dirt easily, but only if dirt is not left to bond

What kills a coating early

Brush-style automatic washes are the fastest way to destroy one — the brushes abrade the coating and the paint under it. After that: bird droppings and tree sap left for days in Cape Town sun, sprinkler water spotting on a hot panel, and aggressive alkaline degreasers used on the paint.

Annual maintenance

Once a year the car should get a light decontamination — iron fallout remover and a gentle chemical decon — plus an inspection of the coating's water behaviour. If beading has flattened, a maintenance topper restores hydrophobics without stripping the base layer. We do this as a booked maintenance detail and can come to you.