My clients often ask me which car wash they should use and how they should wash their vehicles. My answer to them is be weary of using an automated car wash and carwash hand-washers.
While they are convenient, they can be one of reasons for your vehicles paint deterioration. When you take your car through a car wash, those soaps and waxes are mostly harsh degreasers and acids that break down your vehicles finish and are meant to strip the exterior surfaces of all dirt and grime as well as any wax or sealant that you might have on your vehicle.
The wax is simply just a gloss enhancer that’s added to the soap that doesn’t last more than a day or two. You can test this by putting water on your vehicle a couple days after going through the car wash - the water will not bead like a wax job should. In addition, the brushes that are used on your vehicle in those tunnel washes have been used on possibly thousands of vehicles before yours. This is one of the reasons why your paint gets “swirly” looking scratches and your paint starts to look dull and also leads to oxidation, chalkiness and uv damage.
Even if you use the car hand-washers at the premises, be careful as to what cloths and products they use on your vehicle. It is also handwashing with incorrect materials and products that cause problems with your paintwork.
Once your vehicle is coated with a good quality ceramic coating (beware the cheap products available out there – see link below), you will not have to use any harsh products on your vehicles to get it clean – you will simply have to spray with water and using a gentle cleaning product, softly wipe clean - then rinse and wipe dry, all with proper micro fibre cloths. This is because the ceramic coating leaves a smooth satin finish on your paintwork that is hydrophobic and it will repel water.
Nano ceramic coatings are not easy to apply. The entire process will take a whole day or probably two days at most. Why? The paint will need to be rigorously washed and inspected prior to the application of the ceramic coating. The polymer will only bond to a clean and relatively spotless surface. The paint will need to be clayed and de-ionised. The finish will then need to be polished to remove oxidation, light scratches and swirl marks. After all of this is done, only then can we apply the ceramic coating. The polymer will need to cure for at least 24 hours before the car is ready to face the elements. Beware of coating companies that claim the entire procedure will only take a couple of hours – this is definitely not true.
