Aftercare
How to maintain a ceramic coating
Published 11 June 2026 · By SB Detailers, Leighton Buzzard
A ceramic coating doesn't make a car self-cleaning. It makes cleaning faster, safer and far less frequent — but only if you wash it properly. Get this right and a 5-year coating will still be beading at year 5.
The wash routine that actually preserves a coating
- 1Rinse the whole car first — pressure washer or hose. Get the worst grit off before any contact.
- 2Pre-foam with a pH-neutral snow foam. Let it dwell 5 minutes, rinse off.
- 3Two-bucket wash: one bucket of shampoo, one bucket of clean rinse water, both with grit guards. Use a soft microfibre wash mitt.
- 4Wash top down — roof, glass, upper panels, then doors, then lower panels last.
- 5Rinse thoroughly and dry with a clean plush microfibre drying towel or a filtered air blower.
Things to avoid
- Automated brush car washes — they swirl coated paint just as badly as bare paint.
- Traffic film removers and high-pH degreasers on paintwork — they degrade the coating.
- Washing in direct sunlight on hot panels — causes streaking and water spots.
- Drying with old towels or chamois leathers.
- Bird droppings or bug splatter left for days — etching can still occur if left long enough.
Annual decontamination
Once or twice a year, treat the car with an iron remover to lift embedded brake dust and fallout. If beading and sheeting have slowed, a ceramic-safe top-up spray restores hydrophobics in minutes. We offer a yearly maintenance service for customers we've coated — usually 1–2 hours and the car drives away like the day it left the unit.
More reading
See the full ceramic coating vs wax comparison, or browse our detailing packages.
Need an aftercare check?
Get in touch and we'll book your car in for a maintenance wash and decon.