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I only hand wash with 2 microfiber mitts (1 for upper panels & 1 for lower) using 2 buckets, each with Grit guard. Water is treated with water softener and sediment filter in line.
Separate bucket for wheels. Car is washed in garage to prevent water spots. No swirls since purchase. Re-polish and seal with Sonax Polymer Net Shield every 6 months.
Black car needs special care. It is a full time job!
Now that you are bringing it up, water hardness is something that many who hand wash probably don't consider. I'm fortunate that we have naturally soft water around here, but before considering hand washing, one might wanna find out the water hardness in their area first. Get a hold of the water report from your district. Commercial car washes treat the water typically with water softeners and reverse osmosis, so while the brushes can be a concern if they are not cleaned regularly, at least the water is devoid of hard minerals.
Last edited by superswiss; Feb 20, 2023 at 08:09 PM.
Oh wow, this is an eye opener, this thread. I never go to the car wash and even have a separate hose in my garage which is heated. Don't hate, but I simply spray water on my car with a hose, for a while, then wipe it all off with a yellow Costco microfiber cloth. I know, you think i'm an idiot not using soap, but my cars look amazing years and years later doing it the lazy man's method. Yep, no soap. I'm a lazy bum, I know. I just don't have time for it, no inclination to do more than this. The result is crazy good looking. Incredible that just water, works. If it's 20 degrees out, I still water it down with the heated garage hose, then bring it into the garage to melt since it freezes as soon as it stays on the car, then wipe down.
No offense to car wash people, I just don't want to risk it, the swirls, but mostly, have to drive to one, wait in line, maybe for a longer time than I'd want to, and hope nothing goes wrong with the wheels getting messed up or the car getting messed up. Instead, I can wash my car at 11pm at night in the dark using the garage lights... it's fine. I'll be dead soon, I'm 62, in 38 years or less, I won't live forever, and this method works for me. I had the front PPF's and the whole car ceramic coated 5 years ago, still looks... new.
Honestly, with a good ceramic coat, all you really need is water. Some soaps wears away ceramic coatings pretty quickly. I'm guessing that original ceramic coat from 5 years ago is still working, though I would maybe get that redone soon. Love those rims by the way.
I only hand wash with 2 microfiber mitts (1 for upper panels & 1 for lower) using 2 buckets, each with Grit guard. Water is treated with water softener and sediment filter in line.
Separate bucket for wheels. Car is washed in garage to prevent water spots. Dry with Makita leaf blower. No swirls since purchase. Re-polish and seal with Sonax Polymer Net Shield every 6 months.
Black car needs special care. It is a full time job!
I have always wanted a black car, but they are just too much work to keep nice.
I will suggest, there are a lot better and easier products out today than the Sonax Polymer Net Shield, I used to use that too...you should try some of the ceramic/graphine sprays or the Gyeon Can Coat for an experience similar to Net Shield but better results and easier to work with.
Originally Posted by Sean._.S
Honestly, with a good ceramic coat, all you really need is water. Some soaps wears away ceramic coatings pretty quickly. I'm guessing that original ceramic coat from 5 years ago is still working, though I would maybe get that redone soon. Love those rims by the way.
Thats just not true. Ceramic coatings make it much easier to wash a car, but you will still scratch it without something to lubricate dirt when you are wiping it off. No soap will hurt a properly installed ceramic coating, they are very resistant to chemicals. My car has gtechniq Crystal Serum Light and EXO and 2 years of at least weekly automatic carwashes the ceramic coat still performs great, and the soaps and chemicals there are way harsher than anything you would use at home. A professional coating would be even more durable.
A proper ceramic coating would entail a complete coverage of the paint, being hydrophobic. Water works well as a lubricate- especially if one rinses their vehicle frequently. As for soaps damaging ceramic coatings- it's very true. Most soaps, use natural oils and distillates that over time break down resin, the base for most ceramic coatings. PDMS (polydimethylsiloxanes) is what creates the hydrophobic character of ceramic coatings. Though the hydrophobic characteristic may stay intact after soap chemicals, the overall integrity of the ceramic coating, being their own chemical bases, can dilute and weaken over time. Na2SO4, found in most soaps, is a potential reactant with carbohydrates found on the top most layer of ceramic coatings. I studied this as an extra credit assignment in CHM 223L.
A proper ceramic coating would entail a complete coverage of the paint, being hydrophobic. Water works well as a lubricate- especially if one rinses their vehicle frequently. As for soaps damaging ceramic coatings- it's very true. Most soaps, use natural oils and distillates that over time break down resin, the base for most ceramic coatings. PDMS (polydimethylsiloxanes) is what creates the hydrophobic character of ceramic coatings. Though the hydrophobic characteristic may stay intact after soap chemicals, the overall integrity of the ceramic coating, being their own chemical bases, can dilute and weaken over time. Na2SO4, found in most soaps, is a potential reactant with carbohydrates found on the top most layer of ceramic coatings. I studied this as an extra credit assignment in CHM 223L.
I've been detailing cars for 25 years, water is not a sufficient lubricant to protect paint from scratches when washing. You need some sort of soap or other chemical lubricant that can encapsulate dirt.
The whole point of a ceramic coating is resistance to chemicals. They are not delicate. Watch some of the torture tests on YouTube. If using carwash soap washed away a ceramic coating, it would be worthless vs old school car wax. Of course it weakens over time, but that time is a very long time. Nothing lasts forever.
If you use proper carwash soaps, they will not erode your ceramic coating prematurely. If property applied it will last for years. Like I said, mine is 2 years in and its still hydrophobic even with weekly tunnel washes with extremely harsh chemicals. Of course its not as hydrophobic as it was when it was new, and if I washed it at home by hand using quality carwash soap it would be much less degraded than it is.
You will also find that the reduction in hydrophobic properties may not be degradation of the coating, but contamination of the paint. A chemical and/or mechanical decontamination (iron X, clay) of the paint may very well restore the lost hydrophobic behavior. You can do that also without removing the coating. The only way to remove a ceramic coating is by compounding the paint.
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