xpel ceramic coated - car wash soap recommendation

[chris719]

Originally Posted by P1

You can use whatever you want, it doesn't matter.

If you use something like Bilt Hamber Touchless constantly it will degrade the coating rather quickly.

[cozye]

Most ceramic coating manufacturers have care instructions that indicate a PH neutral soap. An acid soap will degrade the coating quicker, well, because it’s acidic. I’d suggest following the ceramic coating manufacturers and installers recommendation over random forum posts.

[tracer bullet]

I do agree that ceramic should be impervious to about everything, but one could still consider pH neutral for 1) skin exposure when washing and 2) if you have more than one car and the other is not ceramic coated but has something else on it.

[eliphil]

Originally Posted by mimeport

I have front of '24 X7 PPF'd (xpel) (hood, a-pillars etc.,) and ceramic coated the car (xpel fusion plus). Was thinking of buying foaming ph-neutral soap/shampoo and came across Adams Graphene Shampoo which seems to indicate it's 'ceramic friendly'. Any suggestions if this or what is best to use?

How do u like the xpel plus I just coated mine with it about 5 months ago. It seems better then the original xpel to me

[mimeport]

Originally Posted by eliphil

How do u like the xpel plus I just coated mine with it about 5 months ago. It seems better then the original xpel to me

I like it! I’m baby’ing the X7 though😁 but it is holding really well! I have Brooklyn grey and can visibly see lot of black road grime and some brake dust(?) on the body! Regular spray with garden hose takes care of it!

[eliphil]

How ironic mine is skyscraper grey also being babied for the wintertime I have 450 miles on it and washed once. I did tons of research on ceramic coating and while xpel was not my first choice I ended up with it beacuase my detailer uses it exclusively and I am not dissatisfied

[chris719]

Originally Posted by cozye

Most ceramic coating manufacturers have care instructions that indicate a PH neutral soap. An acid soap will degrade the coating quicker, well, because it’s acidic. I’d suggest following the ceramic coating manufacturers and installers recommendation over random forum posts.

This is not true. You should use a pH neutral soap regularly if the car isn't very dirty, but you will lose repellency over time due to minerals binding to the coating. Alkaline soaps are actually much more harmful than acidic soaps to the coating. Good coating manufacturers recommend an acid wash when panels stop beading well. A good coating will have no problem handling that and I would argue if you have to treat your coating with kid gloves even when it becomes "clogged" it is a shit coating. CarPro, Labocosmetica, etc. sell Lift and Descale for a reason.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

I do agree that ceramic should be impervious to about everything, but one could still consider pH neutral for 1) skin exposure when washing and 2) if you have more than one car and the other is not ceramic coated but has something else on it.

pH is overhyped as it doesn't really tell you much in the end. You can have some seriously unsafe pH neutral products and some safe acidic or alkaline products.

In the end, anything except a gentle soap will take a little bit of life from a coating, but the alternative of not washing it well is worse because ceramic coatings only repel contaminants well when clean. I always go to the acidic soap when they get clogged because nothing else can remove the minerals that bind to them effectively.

[cozye]

Originally Posted by chris719

pH is overhyped as it doesn't really tell you much in the end. You can have some seriously unsafe pH neutral products and some safe acidic or alkaline products.

In the end, anything except a gentle soap will take a little bit of life from a coating, but the alternative of not washing it well is worse because ceramic coatings only repel contaminants well when clean. I always go to the acidic soap when they get clogged because nothing else can remove the minerals that bind to them effectively.

I underlined the point you made for me. No one was asking about not washing it. And of course if it’s not properly maintained, cleaned, and you let hard water dry on it, then you need other measures like descale. OP was asking about what soap to use for general cleaning, his installer suggested PH neutral. Another poster came along and said it didnt matter. It does matter. If you wash it every time with descale, it wont last as long.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by cozye

I underlined the point you made for me. No one was asking about not washing it. And of course if it’s not properly maintained, cleaned, and you let hard water dry on it, then you need other measures like descale. OP was asking about what soap to use for general cleaning, his installer suggested PH neutral. Another poster came along and said it didnt matter. It does matter. If you wash it every time with descale, it wont last as long.

Yes, but what's the point of it lasting a couple more months if it doesn't work well? I didn't interpret it as anyone advocating using Descale every wash, but I guarantee you can use it every month without a problem on an actually good coating. If you only use a pH neutral soap you won't have a functional coating on the high contamination areas like the lower fender / side skirts and rear bumper areas. Descale is pretty gentle actually and not even close to something like Bilt Hamber Touchless which would have to be used judiciously.

I wash my car weekly and if the weather is bad it will still require Descale or similar every couple months.

[cozye]

There was a poster that literally said it didnt matter. That was the context for my post.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by cozye

There was a poster that literally said it didnt matter. That was the context for my post.

Fair enough. If you're trying to squeeze every month out of it then yes.

[cozye]

I wash my car a lot :LOL:

[subterFUSE]

Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam and deionized water.

[Autoaddict]

Originally Posted by chris719

If you use something like Bilt Hamber Touchless constantly it will degrade the coating rather quickly.

Can you please expand on this? I use touchless as a pre-wash, afterwards I use Koche Chemie Gsf snow foam with carpro reset in the bucket. Do you think this combo breaks down the ceramic coating?