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Congratulations, your vehicle is protected with a ceramic coating installed by Prime Care! Here are some dos and don’ts, best practices, and things to avoid in order to keep your car looking its best for as long as possible. When in doubt please give us a call before experimenting!

Avoid at all costs:

  • Mechanical (brush/friction) car washes. These types of car washes can install fine scratches over time known as spiderweb scratches (they look like fine spider silk in the sunlight). Spiderweb scratches can be repaired by polishing the paint surface, but that includes removing a small layer of clear coat to expose fresh paint. This process can be done only a finite number of times on a paint job and therefore should be avoided whenever possible.

Instead of friction washes:

  • Touchless car washes. If you prefer to have a machine wash your vehicle, please use a touchless wash. These types of car washes will not install spiderweb scratches because the machine does not physically touch the vehicle. This type of wash uses strong degreasers to loosen dirt without friction/abrasion. Our ceramic coatings are extremely resistant to degreasers and will remain intact. Skip the wax/protection options if possible (save your money). There is no need for additional “protections” on top of our ceramic coatings, and while these options will not hurt your vehicle’s paint through our sealant, they can leave behind inferior products on the surface of your vehicle that may interfere with the extreme gloss and hydrophobics of the ceramic coating itself.

At home, avoid at all costs:

  • Kitchen cleaning supplies such as dish soap, kitchen sponges, Scotch Brite, strong acids, etc.

  • Waxes, and soaps including wax (Wash n waxes). These will not harm your vehicle in an emergency, but can affect the hydrophobics and gloss of the Prime Care sealant by leaving behind inferior compounds on the surface of the vehicle.

Instead for a basic home wash, do use:

  • Carwash soaps without waxes.  If it’s made for cars it’s safe (even Walmart/Autozone has these at decent prices).

  • Clean water and/or a bucket with a grit guard at the bottom to reduce suspended dirt in your wash bucket.

  • Clean microfiber wash mitts.

  • Clean microfiber drying towels.

Best at home wash practice:

I will describe an ideal method for washing your ceramic coated vehicle.  As with any other wash method, you can omit unnecessary steps if your vehicle is not very dirty, or you do not have each of the pieces of equipment that I mention.  This is just to give you an idea of what is important to think about during your washes.

  • Ideally, you want to wash your car in the shade or during a cool time of the day.  Paint like anything else is softer when it is hot and therefore will scratch easier in the heat.  Direct sunlight can also prematurely dry the vehicle, making things less lubricated, and more difficult.

  • First knock off any loose dirt by rinsing the vehicle with your hose or pressure washer. Any dirt that can be removed with a rinse should be removed at this point. Hobbyists should invest in a home pressure washer to make your life easier. Even the smallest ones do a better job at removing dirt than a garden hose, and enable the use of a foam cannon.

  • Foam the vehicle with carwash soap in a foam cannon (they make these for garden hose and pressure washer applications though the pressure washer variants are usually far superior in suds quality and ease of use). This is to further loosen/soften the dirt before putting hands on the paint.

  • Rinse off the soaking-step foam. Now it is time to wash the vehicle. Depending on your setup, you can foam the vehicle again or prepare a wash bucket. Wash it top-down, making sure to keep the wash mitt as clean as possible to avoid dragging dirt across the surface of the paint. You only want enough pressure to keep the wash mitt on the surface of the vehicle. Never scrub a painted surface with elbow grease, it’s not necessary and can only increase the risk of scratches by rubbing dirt across the surface. I make it a habit to wash the dirtiest parts of the car last to help avoid scratching the paint even further. This typically includes the areas behind the wheels, rear bumper, and sometimes front bumper (bugs/mud).

  • Once you have washed the whole vehicle, rinse thoroughly, and dry carefully. Make sure your drying towel or chamois is clean and not dragging on the ground. Microfiber is always the safest because it is designed to pull grit away from the paint surface.

If you are used to the concept of a wash-and-wax soap, or otherwise wish to take your home washes to the next level, you can further increase your level of protection with Shield Bath by Majestic Solutions. Shield Bath is best used with a foam cannon attached to a pressure washer so it is ideal for enthusiasts. This is not necessary to maintain your ceramic coating, but will top off your hydrophobics with every wash with technology that works together with your ceramic coating.

BUGS: Ceramic coating will drastically reduce how many bugs stick to the front of your vehicle, but some will definitely stick. If you are having trouble with bugs on your paint, (in the shade) spray some glass cleaner on the bugs, wait about 10 seconds, and wipe them away with a microfiber towel. If the bugs have been on the car too long for that to work, give us a call.

TREE SAP: A ceramic coating will drastically increase the time it takes for tree sap to damage your paint, but sap should still be removed as soon as possible. If the sap is soft and fresh, some acetone (some nail polish removers) or mineral spirits on a microfiber towel should safely dissolve the sap. Don’t scrub, just lightly move the towel over the affected area. If the sap has hardened, it might not react to any solvents. In this case, you may need to carefully break the outer shell of the sap with a fingernail in order to get the chemicals working. If it is being stubborn please just give us a call before reaching for the Scotch Brite or kitchen sponge.

BIRD DROPPINGS: The most important thing to realize about bird droppings is that they contain sand! Birds eat little bits of sand and rocks for digestion and that can scratch your paint if removed improperly. The safest way to remove bird droppings is to soak a paper towel large enough to cover the affected area in water, and place it over the bird dropping to rehydrate and soften it as much as possible before removing. After a few minutes, or you feel the area is softened enough, lift the paper towel and discard. Wipe away the bird dropping with a microfiber towel (or second wet paper towel) carefully rolling/lifting the towel away from the paint as you go so that you are not dragging sand across the paint.