soaps

[shadow]

There are so many choices when it comes to soap. Some of which are very expensive!
Some of them are special for ceramic coatings. My car has CC and I think that I should use a soap that rinses clean and leaves nothing behind. Then again there are a lot of products that are supposed to protect and/or improve the CC.
I've watched a lot of Utube videos on this topic and got mixed messages. Then there's the price. Are the more expensive products actually better?
I would also like to know the best way to just clean some smudges when the rest of the car is clean.

[JonsMustang]

@Toxix would know this. He is a sponsor on here.

[Stephen06GT]

Scrape is also a good resource, but he has his hands full at the moment.

[mavrrrick]

I have black car as well and ceramic coated. To get smudges off or water spots, I have a spray bottle with water and vinegar (50/50). Works for me. Just light mist and wipe off.


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[FABMAN]

My car is also ceramic coated,I always like to wash the car in the shade or low sun in late afternoon/early evening.

I pre-rinse the car with pressure washer (fanned tip).

Then I use Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Car Wash Soap (Amazon), I apply with a foam cannon, let dwell, then rinse off. Follow up with a bucket of the same soap and water and then clean required panels with micro fibre wash mit with very little pressure.

I use a grit guard bucket and rinse the mit after each panel in clean water before moving to the next.

Blow dry the majority of the water off the car first and then finish with a waffle drying towel (again light pressure or no pressure. I.e., lay towel on a horizontal flat surface and pull it across gently rather than rub it down against it.

You can use a spray detailer for any residual spots (if you feel it is necessary) but I don’t do that often.

You can find the wash mit on Amazon. It’s called Chemical Guys MIC493 Chenille Premium Scratch-Free Microfiber Wash Mitt. I have the Green one so it’s easy to see when it gets dirty.

Wash wheels separately, if really dirty pre soak cool wheels with sonax, let dwell then pressure wash (use a fanned tip always, never a stream ever). I use Chemical Guys ACC_M10 Wheel Woolies to clean the wheels and finish with the micro fibre mit if needed. Use a non-silicon tire dressing like Optimum (lots of good choices out there but most are not at Canadian tire).

I use a Chemical Guys Wonder Wave Durafoam Contoured Large Tire Dressing Applicator Pad (Amazon again-sold as a two pack).

Side note: I find some of the Chemical guys accessories work well but tend to not use many of their actual chemicals as there are usually better choices for the money.

CG car Soap has been good, CG tire dressing is meh, CG leather conditioner is mediocre (at best) as well.

I mainly use 3D products, Sonax, Car Pro and Optimum line of chemicals but ultimately it’s what you prefer through trial and error. This is just a hobby for me, some of the pros on the site may provide more insight.

[Scrape]

Scrape is also a good resource, but he has his hands full at the moment.

Unfortunately, I still am but let me quickly chime in.

One of the things is that many of the car soaps in the market now are compatible with various coatings so you will not need to worry there shadow. As for the cost of the product they are pretty closely priced as all these soaps are measured out based on amount of water in the bucket which is specified on the back of the package. For example: 15ml for product "X" may need 4-5 litres (roughly 1.3 gallons) of water so in a 5 gallon bucket you will need 58 ml (2 fluid oz) of soap. So if a car soap bottle is 128oz then you can get roughly 64 car washes out of it which works out to say $0.61 per car wash based on an average cost of a jug of car wash being at $39.00. Most car wash soaps are biodegradable so no worries about the environment per say.

The soap that I recommend must be designed for car washing. Not only does some soaps enhance the gloss level but some of them also adds a "touch" of extra protection on the ceramic coating. I still recommend a ceramic topper on an annual basis to make the coating last longer. Of course there is added cost to the products but it does make it help with the longevity of the coating. A spray detailer is also a good topper to enhance gloss and protection but durability is very short (1-2 weeks max) in most cases.

[Scrape]

My advise is that I would highly recommend you DO NOT use that mixture generally as it is too strong and can possibly harm the paint. Smudges can easily be removed with a quick detail spray. Also not every spot maybe ceramic coated so any exposed area (read not coated) will be adversely affected especially if you don't rinse with water. Most people will estimate the mixture of water/vinegar and this can severely damage the paint finish and wax coatings especially if not blended properly. Also you need to rinse the area thoroughly with water if you do use water/vinegar on a painted surface if you are removing water spots.

I have black car as well and ceramic coated. To get smudges off or water spots, I have a spray bottle with water and vinegar (50/50). Works for me. Just light mist and wipe off.


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[shadow]

Thanks for the very informative post scrape. Much appreciated!