Tips To Keep Your Ceramic Coating Maintained
ceramic coating on car
Keeping your car maintained is one of the most important things to a driver who uses his or her car on a daily basis. Keeping this in mind, many different options are available to drivers nowadays to keep their cars as good and shiny as if they just got them from the garage, brand new.
Some of these options include paint correction etc. another new method that has recently caught the driver's eye is ceramic coating. Let’s talk about what it is, what it does, and how to maintain it if you get it.
What is ceramic coating, and what does it do?
Ceramic coating, also known as nano-coating, is a way to protect your car from getting any scratches, etc. on its exterior.
Despite your countless efforts in trying to maintain and wash your car and to prevent it from getting any scratches, stains, etc. on its outer body, the car’s paint eventually begins to fade and become dull. This is also caused by UV radiation from the sun.
The dust, mud, dirty rain, grime, all of it starts sticking to the body of your car no matter how much you clean it. Washing the car doesn’t help either as it is only a matter of one drive when the car is back to looking gloomy.
Here’s where the overheard Ceramic Coating comes in.
ceramic coating on black car
Ceramic Coating for Cars and how it protects your car from getting harmed:
Ceramics Coatings acts as a second layer to the skin of the car. You may think of it as a sacrificial layer that is placed on the car’s original layer to keep it from getting harmed in any way.
The ceramic coating utilizes nano-technology by using tiny particles that basically form a thin, fine layer that is completely invisible to the naked eye on the car’s surface.
Due to the small size of the particles, they seal the pores on the skin and thereby make the surface not just hydrophobic, meaning repellent to water, but also resistant to radiation like UV, chemicals, heat, scratches, and even things that cause anti-graffiti. This ceramic coated layer, known as the 9H ceramic layer, is totally transparent and can’t be seen at all.
Tips for maintaining the ceramic coating during its curing time:
After you get the car coated, it is highly important to allow the coat to cure for at least a period that is specified by either the certified detailer or the company’s curing instructions.
Usually, it takes around two days to get hardened. Initially, the coating is still soft, can be weakened.
Although, for the coating to be completely cured, it requires around 3 to 4 weeks depending on many environmental factors, including temperature, sunlight, and humidity.
During this period of time, if you see any contaminants on the surface of the car, they need to be removed immediately so that the coating is protected.
These are the things that you should avoid during the curing time:
Getting the car wet by either washing or rain or water sprinkles etc
Having any contaminants on the car while it’s in the sun
Parking in the sun or even under a tree due to humidity reasons.
ceramic coating
How to maintain it and extend its average life expectancy:
Ceramic coating isn’t something that you can do on a daily basis as it’s costly and also time-consuming.
A good ceramic coat forms a bond with the surface of the car and is hard to wear off. The average life expectancy of a ceramic coat is of about a year, which can be extended if properly taken care of and maintained.
Here are some easy methods that you can apply to extend the span of the ceramic coating’s life.
1. Wash the car at least once every two weeks:
Washing the car once every week or two is important and should be done consistently as dust particles might accumulate on the car’s surface if not cleaned after short intervals.
Even though the dust doesn’t get past the ceramic coated layer, it can still get into the car’s pores at microscopic levels. Small particles even pass through the car’s cover; therefore, wash the car regardless of whether it has been used or not or covered or not.
2. Don’t wash the car in Direct Sunlight:
Direct sunlight due to the heat that it generates can be harmful for the coating. Therefore, it is suggested to wash the car in the shade or in the garage, and if done on the outside, then it’s important to wash it somewhere away from direct exposure to sunlight.
The best time to wash the car is either early in the morning or in the evening time, as the sun is at its lowest at these two timings. This way, you can avoid getting water stains on your car as well.
3. Use automotive specific car shampoos or soap:
Most coating companies provide soaps and shampoos for washing the car after it has been coated.
These soaps and shampoos are specifically designed for coated cars and do not contain the harsh chemical agents, abrasives, or the other contaminants that may harm the coating in any way.
It’s good to use these products as they don’t come with any added wax or polish, etc., which you don’t need anyways, as the car’s surface is already protected by the coating.
4. Use separate buckets for washing the car and the mitts for the wheels:
The tires and the wheels of the car collect brake dust. The brake dust contains microscopic metal shaving’s pieces. These may react with the coating on the surface of the car and tend to reduce its span or remove it from places altogether.
Therefore, it is highly important to use separate buckets for the body of the car and its tires and wheels.
Final Thoughts:
These are some of the things that you need to keep in mind in order to keep your car and the ceramic coating protected from the contaminants.
