Rain After Ceramic Coating

Caught in the rain after ceramic coating? It can be hard to avoid. After all, not every car getting a coating is a garage queen — more and more, daily drivers are getting the ceramic treatment, too. Why is getting rained on bad for coatings during the first week? How do you avoid this on a daily driver? It all has to do with the science of coating bonds.

New Coating + Water = Failed Coating

For a coating to reach its full protective potential, it requires about a week or so of curing time. During this curing time, cross link bonds form between the clear coat and the coating to fuse the two together. These cross link bonds grow more and more dense, reinforcing the architecture of the coating until it becomes an impermeable barrier.

But what if something were to penetrate the barrier before it fully cured? If it’s rain water or tap water, the impurities present in both will destabilize the cross link bonds before they can fully form. That can lead to premature coating failure in many instances. That’s why washes and driving in the rain are not recommended during the first week after application.

How Do I Protect From Rain After Ceramic Coating?

Thankfully there is an easy solution to the problem of rain after ceramic coating. Using a ceramic coating reinforcer such as Dr. Beasley’s AdvanceCoat: Gloss provides a layer of protection for the coating so rain water and other destabilizing forces can’t get through.

Using AdvanceCoat: Gloss is pretty simple. First, wait at least an hour after coating application before using AdvanceCoat. Then, starting with a small area or panel, spray until the entire area is covered. Wipe away thoroughly a microfiber towel and proceed to the next small area or panel.

AdvanceCoat will add an additional layer of protection over the coating with strong hydrophobic properties. This is especially important when avoiding range — your coating will need some help in repelling all those contaminated droplets. It also adds a pretty sweet gloss!

Be sure to keep your bottle of AdvanceCoat around afterwards. In a few months, you’ll definitely want it on-hand to strengthen the coating and enhance the hydrophobic effect. Keep that up every 3-4 months and you’ll have a coating that’s truly built to last.

AdvanceCoat: Gloss is available here. AdvanceCoat: Matte for matte finish coatings and AdvanceCoat: Glass for glass ceramic coatings are also available. 

• AdvanceCoat: Gloss From: $39.99
• AdvanceCoat: Matte From: $39.99
• AdvanceCoat: Glass From: $6.25