Keeping Your Ceramic Coating Mint: The Real Way to Maintain Paint Protection (Mar 2026)

Never, ever wash a ceramic coated car in direct Aussie sun. The water and soap will dry in seconds, leaving spots that are a nightmare to get off. Wait for the arvo or get under a carport.

Clean your wheels first. If you do them last, you'll splash metallic brake dust and grime onto your clean paint. I've made this mistake myself on a black Commodore, never again.

Fill one bucket with soapy water and the other with plain water for rinsing your mitt. This is the only method I trust for keeping swirls away.

Blast the car thoroughly with water. You want to get as much loose dust and grit off as possible before you even think about touching the paint.

If you've got a foam cannon, chuck some snow foam on and let it dwell for 5 minutes. It breaks down the bond of that fine red dust we get everywhere. Don't let it dry, though!

Dunk your mitt in the soapy bucket, wash a panel (start from the roof and work down), then rinse the mitt in the plain water bucket before getting more soap. Light pressure only, the coating does the work.

Don't wait until the whole car is done. Rinse each panel as you go to make sure soap doesn't sit too long.

If the water isn't beading like it used to, spray an iron remover on the clean, wet paint. It'll turn purple as it dissolves 'industrial fallout'. Rinse it off thoroughly after 2-3 minutes.

Give the whole car a final flood with the hose. If the coating is healthy, most of the water should just sheet right off.

Lay your big microfibre towel flat across the bonnet and pull it towards you. Don't rub. Let the towel soak up the water. Use a leaf blower if you've got one for the mirrors and gaps (your partner will thank you for not dripping water on the garage floor).

This is crucial. Once the car is dry, apply a ceramic maintenance spray. I reckon Gtechniq C2V3 is brilliant for this. It adds a sacrificial layer and keeps the slickness high.