Keeping Your Ceramic Coating Alive: The Real Way to Maintain that Shine

Never wash a coated car in direct sunlight. If the panels are hot to the touch, the soap and water will dry too fast and leave streaks or spots. Wait until the arvo or do it early morning.

Always start with the wheels. They're the dirtiest part. If you do them last, you'll splash muck onto your clean paint. Give them a good spray with wheel cleaner and a scrub.

Get your buckets ready, your foam cannon mixed, and your towels laid out. Nothing worse than having a soapy car and realizing you forgot your drying towel in the house.

Check for bird droppings or tree sap. These need extra attention during the pre-soak so we don't scratch the coating trying to remove them later.

Fill one with soapy water and one with plain water (the rinse bucket). Put your grit guards in both.

Blast the car with water to get the heavy grit and dust off. If it's been a dusty week, take your time here. Don't touch the paint yet!

Cover the whole car in a thick layer of snow foam. Let it dwell for 5-8 minutes, but don't let it dry. This breaks down the road film safely.

While the foam is dwelling, use your soft brush to gently clean around badges, window trims, and the fuel door.

Pressure wash the foam off, starting from the top and working down. Pay attention to the wheel arches and door gaps.

Dunk your mitt in the soap, wash a panel (start at the roof), then rinse the mitt in the plain water bucket before going back for more soap. Use zero pressure, let the mitt do the work.

Every 3 months, after your contact wash but before drying, spray an iron remover over the paint. Let it sit for 3-5 mins (it'll turn purple). This dissolves the metal particles that clog the coating.

Wash away every trace of the chemical decon. This stuff stinks like rotten eggs, so make sure it's all gone from the nooks and crannies.

Lay your large microfibre towel flat on the bonnet and pull it towards you. Don't scrub. For the sides, just pat it dry.

Use a leaf blower (or the 'air dry' setting on your vac) to get water out of the mirrors, door handles, and lights. Saves those annoying drips later.

While the paint is cool, spray a ceramic detailer (like C2V3) onto a clean microfibre and wipe on, then buff off with a second dry microfibre. This refreshes the slickness.

Clean your windows with a dedicated glass cleaner. If you have plastic trim, make sure no ceramic topper has streaked on it.

Apply a water-based tyre shine. Avoid the greasy silicone stuff, it'll just flick up onto your clean coating the moment you drive off.