What kind of soap is best for a ceramic coating?
You can use any shampoo designed for use on cars.
It is important to know that soaps, shampoo, detergents and traffic film removers are not particularly complex technologies, nor are they new technologies and basic formula has been figured out for a long time. On the one hand, 'this isn't rocket science', and on the other hand, it is not the case that 'any soap will do'.
So, we recommend you purchase a shampoo which has been designed for use on cars. You can get these from any supermarket, or you can buy named brands from motor accessory shops. One will not be much better than the others. They should all be PH neutral or close to it, and designed to loosen dirt and traffic film (oil, diesel, brake fluid) from all surfaces without causing damage to paintwork, plastic or metal.
What you must not do is use soaps and detergents such as dish soap or bathroom cleaner. These may well be 'hot' and be caustic to remove things like grease from stainless steel and ceramic. They may also contain salt. These are not kind to unprotected paintwork (although a ceramic coating should hold up well) and can damage rubber and plastic.
Wash'n'Wax
Some car shampoos also contain a wax which will leave a very thin coating on your car, which provides minimal protection and some shine. These are not needed on a ceramic coating and not ideal as you are adding a residue to your car which can build up over time, but they will do your ceramic coating no harm.
Ceramic Shampoo
Many manufacturers are now selling Ceramic Shampoo and there are huge numbers of them on the market. As far as we can tell, these are an evolution of Wash'n'Wax, only now they contain ceramic. Whether this makes them a better Wash'n'Wax than a product without ceramic is a matter of debate, we certainly haven't tested them all.
We doubt they do any harm, but we also doubt they are of much benefit. It is our default position to assume all new product types, are snake oil until shown otherwise. We also don't assume they are all the same. It is quite possible that one product is sophisticated modern technology with real benefits, while the next doesn't even contain any ceramic.
You are welcome to try them, but our current recommendation is that you only use this category of product if they are recommended by the manufacturer of your ceramic coating, because if there is anything to them, they would amount to a top-up product.
Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 13/01/2023 16:08