Protecting Ceramic Coatings & Paint Protection Film

If you've invested in a ceramic coating or paint protection film, you've spent good money — sometimes thousands of dollars — to keep your vehicle looking new. The wrong wash can shorten the life of those investments significantly.

What to avoid

Older brush-style tunnel washes are the biggest risk. Tunnel brushes are shared across thousands of vehicles, picking up grit, sand, and debris that gets dragged across your finish. Even soft tunnel brushes can degrade ceramic coatings over time and create marring on PPF.

Conveyor systems also pose risks — they can scuff alloy wheels and aren't ideal for vehicles with low ground clearance or aftermarket accessories.

What to look for

For ceramic-coated or PPF-protected vehicles, prioritize:

• Touch-free wash options for the gentlest cleaning
• In-bay automatic systems where the equipment isn't shared with the previous vehicle
• pH-neutral or pH-balanced soaps that won't strip your coating
• No conveyor — you stay in control, not the wash

Our recommendation

For ceramic and PPF, the touch-free option in our upcoming Apex bay will be ideal. Until that opens, our Profile bays use premium soft-touch materials that are paint-safe, but if you're being especially cautious, we'd recommend basic and clear-rinse-only packages until Bay 1 is online.

Maintenance reminders

Even with the best wash technology, ceramic coatings benefit from a top-up product every few months, and PPF should be inspected annually for edge lifting. A regular wash schedule actually extends the life of both — dirt and contaminants left to bake into a coating cause more damage than the wash itself ever could.