What is AutoSmart Recharge+ Ceramic Spray?
Quick answer: AutoSmart Matrix Recharge+ is a spray-on top-up for Matrix Blue and Matrix Black ceramic coatings. It extends life and can also be used on its own to add a glossy, hydrophobic finish over any quality coating. We can supply it, or you can buy it online. Apply panel by panel and don't over-apply.
What Matrix Recharge+ actually is
Matrix Recharge+ is a SiO2-based spray product made by AutoSmart, the same manufacturer behind the Matrix Blue and Matrix Black professional ceramic coatings. The idea is straightforward: a full ceramic coating bonds to the paint and cures into a hard, semi-permanent layer; Recharge+ is a lighter, sprayable top-coat that refreshes that layer's surface properties without any of the prep or cure time a full application demands.
The product contains silica dioxide in a carrier that flashes off quickly. Once it cures -- which happens within minutes at ambient temperature -- it adds a fresh hydrophobic layer over whatever is underneath. Water beads again, the surface feels slicker, and the gloss depth returns to something close to the day the coating went on.
It is worth being clear about what it is not: Recharge+ does not repair scratches, does not restore faded paintwork, and does not replace a ceramic coating that has genuinely failed or worn through. If the base coating is gone, Recharge+ will still give some short-term improvement, but it is functioning as a standalone spray sealant rather than as a booster. The distinction matters when you are deciding whether a maintenance spray is the right tool or whether the car needs to come back in for a full re-coat assessment.
The two ways it gets used
Most people encounter Recharge+ in one of two situations, and the product behaves slightly differently in each.
The first is as a top-up maintenance product for Matrix Blue or Matrix Black owners. Here it genuinely does extend the coating's working life. A professional ceramic coating degrades gradually from the outside in -- the outermost molecular layer takes the punishment from UV, water minerals, traffic film, and bird acid. Recharge+ essentially sacrifices itself to those same forces, protecting the coating underneath. Used a couple of times a year as part of a maintenance wash, it buys the original coating considerably more time before a professional decontamination and re-top is needed.
The second use is as a standalone product applied over any well-maintained paint or existing coating. In this role it functions more like a high-end spray sealant: decent gloss, good water behaviour, and a surface that is noticeably easier to keep clean. The durability is shorter than it would be over a proper Matrix coating -- you are not getting the same bond chemistry -- but for someone who wants a step up from a traditional car wax without committing to a full ceramic, it is a reasonable option.
How to apply it correctly
AutoSmart's instructions are specific about application method, and for good reason -- SiO2-based sprays are unforgiving if you rush them or apply too heavily.
The car needs to be clean and dry. Not just rinsed; properly decontaminated with a iron remover and a clay or decontamination mitt if it has not been done recently. Any contamination you trap under the Recharge+ layer stays there. It will not bond well over wax residue either, so if the car has had a traditional wax applied recently, that needs to come off first with a panel wipe or similar prep product.
Once the car is prepped, application is panel by panel. Spray onto the panel -- not onto the cloth -- and spread with a clean, soft microfibre applicator. Buff off with a second clean microfibre before moving to the next panel. The mistake most people make is working too large an area at once; the product starts to grab before you have buffed it evenly, and you end up with a streaky, slightly hazy finish that takes real effort to correct.
Temperature matters more than most DIYers expect. In strong direct sun, or if the body panels are warm to the touch, the carrier flashes off so fast that the SiO2 is depositing before it has spread. Ideally work in a shaded area or early morning, with panel temperatures between roughly 10 and 25 degrees. Outside that range, results become inconsistent.
Full cure takes around 24 hours. The car can be driven in that window, but washing it or letting it sit in heavy rain before cure is complete risks streaking.
What to expect from the finish
Done correctly on a well-prepared surface, Recharge+ gives a genuinely good result. The gloss is noticeably better than most spray waxes, and water behaviour is satisfying -- proper tight beading on a flat bonnet, sheeting on vertical panels. The tactile slickness is one of the things people notice first when they run a hand across the paintwork after the first good rain.
How long it lasts depends on the surface it's going over and how the car is used. Over a Matrix coating in good condition, used a couple of times a year, it is doing its job properly. As a standalone product on uncoated paint, expect three to four months before hydrophobic performance tails off noticeably -- less if the car lives outside in all weathers or covers high mileage. That is not a criticism; a spray sealant at this price point doing four months of real work is reasonable.
One thing Tom, our operations manager, noticed when we were testing maintenance products for our Matrix coating aftercare recommendations: application errors on dark colours show up badly. A slightly uneven buff or a warm panel leaves faint tide marks that are only visible at a low angle in bright light, but they are there. On silver or lighter cars you will never see them; on black or dark blue paint, they are noticeable. Working methodically in a cool, shaded space solves this -- but it underlines that even a maintenance spray deserves proper conditions and a bit of patience.
Recharge+ vs. other maintenance sprays
There is no shortage of SiO2 boost sprays on the market; practically every detailing brand has one. The case for using Recharge+ specifically when you have a Matrix coating is straightforward: AutoSmart have tuned it to work with their own chemistry, so the compatibility is not a question mark. Whether a generic SiO2 booster would perform equally well over Matrix Blue is genuinely unknown -- the base coating chemistry varies between manufacturers, and so does the carrier chemistry in the spray products. Mixing brands is not necessarily wrong, but it introduces a variable you do not need to introduce.
For cars that do not have a Matrix coating underneath, the picture is different. If the car has been coated by a Fireball-accredited applicator -- one of the coatings we apply here at New Again -- we would generally recommend using the appropriate Fireball maintenance product rather than Recharge+, for the same compatibility reason. Fireball make their own spray top-ups designed around their coating chemistry, and that is what we advise our customers to use.
If the car has no ceramic coating at all and you are simply looking for a good spray sealant to apply yourself, Recharge+ is a solid choice but it is competing in a crowded field. The honest answer is that product selection at this level matters less than preparation quality and application discipline. A mid-range spray sealant applied correctly over properly decontaminated paint will outperform an expensive one applied over traffic film and wax residue.
Where to get it
Matrix Recharge+ is an AutoSmart trade product, so it is not on every shelf. We can supply it to customers who have had a Matrix coating with us; if you have had work done and would like to set up a maintenance routine, get in touch and we can advise on frequency and method for your specific car and parking situation. It is also available from AutoSmart directly and through their trade network online.
If you are unsure whether your coating needs a top-up or a more thorough refresh, the how to tell if a ceramic coating is still working article is a good starting point.