Using Ceramic Spray Wax to Protect Your Vehicle
Ceramic coating will protect your cars paint more than just regular wash and wax. It provides a coating to enhance the gloss on your car, helping keep it clean longer. Try using a ceramic spray wax as an easy waxing alternative to get your car showroom ready.
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Why use Ceramic Wax?
1. What is Ceramic Wax?
Ceramic wax is applied by hand or sprayed onto the outside of your vehicle. The wax is actually a chemical polymer that bonds with the clear coat to create a protective layer that sits between your vehicle’s paint and the elements.
The phrase “ceramic wax” applies to two things. A professionally-installed nanocoating often called a ceramic coating, and ceramic wax, a do-it-yourself product you can buy from AutoZone and apply yourself in a parking lot or driveway under the right conditions.
Ceramic coatings are costly, labor-intensive installations that provide excellent, long-lasting protection. Professional ceramic coatings can cost as much as $2000 due to the amount of prep work and skill involved, but are among the most effective ways of protecting your vehicle’s paint.
Do-it-yourself ceramic products provide better and longer lasting protection than traditional carnauba waxes, but are installed in a similar way, and can be purchased at similar price points. The applications function similarly to traditional carnauba waxes, but provide superior and longer-lasting protection at an affordable price.
AutoZone carries ceramic wax in a few spray wax options, linked at the top of this article.
2. How It Is Used
Ceramic spray wax makes getting long-lasting protection fairly simple, but you’ll still want to read the directions. Some Ceramic Spray Waxes can be applied Wet, some can only be applied Dry, and some work under both conditions.
Most importantly, make sure the paint surface is clean and smooth to the touch prior to application. The wax is a protectant, so any contaminants or dirt left on the paint before waxing will stay, stuck to the paint, under the wax.
Mother’s CMX Ceramic Spray Wax is intended to be applied dry. Just spray on the surface and buff with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. The Meguiar’s Hybrid Ceramic can be applied similarly, but also is designed to be applied with water.
Follow the manufactures recommendations. Most recommend doing a panel at a time to ensure consistency. Be sure you have clean dry microfiber cloths to apply the Ceramic Wax evenly and also a clean dry microfiber to remove and buff off any residual.
3. How is it Different from Conventional Wax?
Ceramic spray wax is a coating that does not wash away or wear off as quickly as traditional Carnauba wax, meaning it does not need to be reapplied as often. You can, however, reapply and ”STACK” the coating creating an even stronger barrier against the elements. It creates a layer of protection over your vehicle and is more chemical resistant than standard wax.
Ceramic coatings will initially be more expensive. However, a ceramic spray wax will offer more UV protection, be chemical resistant, and will last longer. Conventional waxes and sealants will typically protect your vehicle for about a week or two, but ceramic spray waxes will protect for months at a time.
Conventional waxes are made of a substance referred to as carnauba wax, which helps protect vehicles from weather elements such as harsh sun exposure. This wax is applied to the vehicle in a circular formation, allowed to dry, and then buffed out until the surface is clean and shiny.
Ceramic spray waxes offer better protection and does not use carnuaba wax. However, it is much easier to use compared to conventional waxes.
