[mbnc1]

So I have a ‘22 Carbon Black X5 on order and it’s my first really dark car. My current car is solid white so a big change for me. I was looking into having it ceramic coated to keep it looking good however I then read about how you’re not supposed to take a ceramic coated vehicle through a traditional car wash. However I can’t really understand why exactly you’re not supposed to run a coated car through the wash. Is it because it will damage the actual paint of the vehicle or will it just dull and lessen the effects of the ceramic coating itself?

I’ll be frank I like my cars to look good but I’m pretty lazy when it comes to washing and I hate to hand wash them. There’s a car wash shop by my house that does an outstanding job and are reasonably priced too so I wouldn’t want to go down the ceramic route if it meant losing the ability to go to my usual spot.

[Luminor513]

If your planning to use an automated car wash, plan for swirls marks, even with ceramic. Ceramic is a hard clear protective surface over your paint, it can still get scratches and swirl marks just like your clear coat. To keep carbon black looking flawless, you have to go the route of hand washing, with professionals who know what they are doing, and use only new microfiber towels each time. If you want easy and low maintenance, carbon black is not the right color. It is an amazing color when properly maintained.

[ksavostin]

What do you mean by "having it ceramic coated to keep it looking good"?
Ceramic coating offers little to prevent swirls or other harm to your paint surface. All it does is make the car wash procedure easier by allowing all water to flow off your car more easily and quickly. Also, you will be a little less unclean during a rainstorm since dirty water will glide away rather than sit on your automobile. Finally, when your car is clean, it will shine a little brighter.
PPF is what truly improves the appearance of your vehicle. I did PPF on the entire car and ceramic coating on the top over it.
Chemicals used in automatic car washes can decrease the effectiveness of the ceramic coating. My detailer recommended that if I go to an automatic car wash, I choose the cheapest wash they had because it contains fewer chemicals.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Luminor513

If your planning to use an automated car wash, plan for swirls marks, even with ceramic. Ceramic is a hard clear protective surface over your paint, it can still get scratches and swirl marks just like your clear coat. To keep carbon black looking flawless, you have to go the route of hand washing, with professionals who know what they are doing, and use only new microfiber towels each time. If you want easy and low maintenance, carbon black is not the right color. It is an amazing color when properly maintained.

This.

Everything can get swirl marks including PPF (though it'll take more abuse). If you want to avoid them, technique.

No technique = swirls.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by ksavostin

Chemicals used in automatic car washes can decrease the effectiveness of the ceramic coating. My detailer recommended that if I go to an automatic car wash, I choose the cheapest wash they had because it contains fewer chemicals.

It's not exactly that:

The whole point of ceramic is chemical resistance, so it's not that the chemicals are *decreasing* the effectiveness, it's that they're covering up the effectiveness. For example, if you wax over ceramic then you'll get the effectiveness of wax, not your ceramic. So to the extent the car wash is leaving a layer over ceramic, that's what you're seeing and that's usually less glossy than your bare ceramic.

Said differently, if you remove the car wash's chemicals you'll see your ceramic as good as new.


As to mbnc1's question, he's not clear about the "car wash shop by my house":

Are these guys hand detailers who use non-marring techniques or randos who spray on fillers & gloss enhancers at the end to mask the marring? Or is it an automated car wash??

A good hand wash, even in rural areas, will cost at least $50 but usually more like $100 so not sure what "reasonably priced" means, but it's a red flag to my eye.

[davekile]

I'll be picking my new car up at the end of February. Should there be any wait time before applying the ceramic finish? I wasn't sure if the manufactures paint needed time to cure or set first?

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by davekile

I'll be picking my new car up at the end of February. Should there be any wait time before applying the ceramic finish? I wasn't sure if the manufactures paint needed time to cure or set first?

kind of a rule of thumb is 30-45 days after PAINTING (versus delivery) so, if it's taken 30 days to get the car since it left the factory then you're likely good.

The fly in the ointment there would be if anything was done at the VPC (which still exists even for US-built cars for tax reasons if nothing else).

[RTP85]

Hi all. I am new to the forum. I just got a call from my dealership informing me that the car has arrived. I have an appointment Monday for a ceramic coating and the detailer wants the car to not detailed by the dealership - basically still with protective sticker still on. However, my CA is insisting that i go through the detailing process since it is part of the delivery process and the car was intended to be delivered to the customers after the detailing. I am not sure who to believe. Can you guyz please advise?

Xdrive45E CB/cognac interior.

[Tch-Nrd]

Your car, your choice.
Just tell the dealer that the ceramic coater/detailer requested the vehicle in brand new condition without any pre treatment or wash/wax.
The company ceramic coating the vehicle will/should do a thorough job of cleaning and prepping the surface before they coat the vehicle.
No point in having the dealership do a bunch of work for the coater/detailer to have to undo that work stripping it down to do their coating.
Also less chance of the dealership adding even one blemish or microswirl into your new paint.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by RTP85

my CA is insisting that i go through the detailing process since it is part of the delivery process and the car was intended to be delivered to the customers after the detailing. I am not sure who to believe. Can you guyz please advise?

Yeah that's bullshit, you can easily request no PDI; I did on my 2022, here's a pic from Nov 2021 of the stickers still on that I peeled off myself:

Originally Posted by Justinp1982

Also less chance of the dealership adding even one blemish or microswirl into your new paint.

Just a note for everyone - your cars will come scratched from the factory! Here's a pic of a hood scratch just to the right of the phone reflection after I took off the hood cover and peeled up the sticker: