Aftercare
This guide will walk you through what to avoid and how to care for your car’s ceramic coating, during the first two weeks as it cures, and throughout the year so that you maximize the coatings performance and durability for years-to-come. Additionally below the guide are links to our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Pages.
Protecting your vehicle with a ceramic coating is one of the best decisions you can make to improve the appearance of your car and protect your investment. With Ceramic Pro NWNJ superior durability, performance, and appearance enhancement compared with any conventional wax or sealant, a ceramic coating is the ultimate form of protection for your car’s finish.
But without proper care and maintenance, a ceramic coating will degrade faster and its benefits will disappear sooner. Follow this guide to maintain your coatings performance and appearance long-term.
The Curing Process
After coating we will keep the vehicle in our shop to allow for the coating to “dry” for 24 hours. Once Dry, your vehicle will be safe to drive even in rain, however during the next 14 days your coating will continue to cure in order to reach its full 9H hardness potential. During these 14 days it is crucial that you avoid:
- Washing your car
- Hard Mineral Water
- Soaps or other chemicals as these chemicals can effect the coating while curing
- Parking under trees or other locations where bird droppings or sap are likely to occur
In the event your coating encounters dust, pollen, bird droppings, tree sap, or other contaminants, immediately rinse with clean “soft” water, use a pH-Neutral soap, using a soft microfiber wash mit, lastly it is important to make sure you dry the vehicle completely with a microfiber drying towel.
It is imperative to avoid using any products containing detergents, or unbalanced pH.
We offer a full lineup of safe products you can use on your vehicle, so please never hesitate to call or stop by to ask questions first before washing while in this period.
Washing Your Coating
Recommended every 2-4 weeks to keep a clean surface which will allow the coating to do it’s best to provide a deep shine and maintain hydrophobic properties
One of the great benefits of a ceramic coated vehicle is the ease of washing because of its self-cleaning effect. Below are some basic best practices to use when washing your coated car.
- Hand Wash with “2-bucket method” – a wash mitt with one bucket that has clean water and a separate bucket with your soapy water. Both should have a grit guard on the bottom to prevent hard contaminants from causing abrasions.
- Only use pH-neutral soaps. We offer 2 varieties of pH-neutral soaps, one is even infused with si02 which is not only safe, but also helps “boost” your coatings surface during wash.
- It is advised that you do not use wax infused soaps, the wax will not adhere to the coating, and can at times leave a streaky residue behind as it “falls off” the vehicle.
- When drying the vehicle, avoid using towels that can cause abrasion such as bath towels. It is highly recommended to only use microfiber towels for drying, more specifically ones that are designated as drying towels, such as our Autocorrect Detailing 1200GSM Edgeless Drying towel. This towel is specifically designed to absorb high volumes of water while also protecting your car from marring with its twisted loop fiber design.
- If you don’t have time to wash the vehicle yourself, avoid automatic washes with brushes and high-volume hand washes, and use touchless automatic washes. There is one located at the carwash directly in-front of our shop.
seasonal maintenance
The right washing habits combined with use of maintenance products for your coating will allow the opportunity for your Coating to last longer than the warranty’s expiration date.
The recommended maintenance for your coating can be done at home after a regular hand wash of your vehicle using the same steps provided above.
- After your vehicle is fully dried, while still in a cool / shaded area, use a clean microfiber towel (we recommend an Edgeless 350GSM towel) to apply your coating’s maintenance product.
- Only approved maintenance si02 products should be used:
- Ceramic Pro Care
- Autocorrect Detailing Silica Sealant
- Never use a carnauba wax or a non silica sealant as these products will be rejected by the coating and can leave a streaky appearance to the finish.
- Do not use non-approved Si02 Products, similarly to waxes, if the formula of the sealant isn’t compatible it will either be rejected by the coating, or in some cases can even cause permanent streaking within the coating.
Annual Warranty Inspection
Your coatings warranty requires that we or another certified installer inspect the coating annually to ensure that it is functioning properly and is living up to expectations.
We will contact you approximately 1 month in advance of your yearly anniversary to schedule your annual inspection. During this visit we will perform a courtesy Rinseless Wash of your vehicles surface for inspection (heavily soiled vehicles will incur an upcharge as a more in depth wash will be needed). If it is found that the coating is not functioning properly, depending on the remedy needed, we will either compete the warranty work during the visit or arrange for it to be scheduled to be done.
If you would like for us to perform the Coatings Suggested Annual Exterior Maintenance (see next section) during this visit it will need to be pre-scheduled. Pricing for this service may vary, please ask for current pricing when scheduling.
Annual Exterior Maintenance
The Annual Maintenance recommended for your coated vehicle is more in depth than the washes & seasonal maintenance. It is highly recommended that if you are not familiar with certain products to have this maintenance professionally done at our shop as improper use will damage your vehicles coating thus voiding any warranty.
Over the course of a year your coating heats up during regular use and exposure to the sun, microscopic contaminants such as metallic particles and other environmental particles can become embedded in the cars surface over time. This negatively affects your coatings appearance and its ability to repel water, dirt, and other contaminants. At least once a year, you should have a decontamination wash performed on the vehicle.
A decontamination wash includes the use of spray on Iron Removers and if needed in some cases, a light clay bar treatment. Both of these help to remove the embedded particles from the coating.
Pricing for this service can vary, please ask for current pricing when scheduling.
Transparent Warranty
Unlike our competitors we’re backing your Ceramic Pro Coating Package with a contract backed Transparent Warranty. This means your coating is not only covered in the event of failure causing fading, oxidation, or loss of gloss. Your Transparent Warranty will also cover your coating from exposure (etching) to water spots, bird droppings, bug splatter, tree sap, saltwater, acid rain, UV damage/oxidation due to failure of the product.
You will receive this warranty at no additional cost to you, and coverage is provided with $0 deductibles or out of pocket expenses for warranty work.
All policies, coverages, & benefits are subject to Transparent Warranty’s terms & conditions. Please refer to the contract that was emailed to you for full policy disclosures. Enrollment is only offered on personally registered vehicles, commercial vehicles do not qualify.
call your insurance company!
Accidents happen, make sure not only your car is covered but that your coating is too!
Many insurance companies will insure your vehicle for the cost of re-coating parts replaced or repainted on your vehicle in the event of an accident. It is highly recommended you contact your provider to add on your coating to your coverage as soon as possible so that it is covered from day 1!
If your insurance rep/company needs additional information we will be happy to assist in any way, just let us know!
wash your car
Clean Your wheels & tires
Keeping your wheels & tires clean may seem like a daunting task. In this video Zach breaks down how you can efficiently keep your wheels and tires looking like they just were detailed year round.