I drive the 360 daily and NEVER, EVER wash it.

The issue of paint, PPF and ceramic coating has come up quite a bit lately, so I figured it was important to introduce my controversial, and less popular, solution to keeping my car's paint like brand new. I'm sure most of your faces will resemble those of the people who ask me repeatedly what kind of ceramic coating I'm using to keep the paint so slick. The answer is NONE.

About 8 years ago, I quit washing my cars. I know a little bit about paint and various coatings, since detailing was my first job at 15 and paid for my first car at 16 - a Porsche 928. I was obsessed with using the best polishes on my exotic car clients, resorting to only Zymol - the best of the best of that era. Since then, there have been numerous fads that have come in and out of popularity - the most recent being ceramic coating.

The idea of waxes (before internet marketing came along and ruined everything) was to replenish the natural oils in the paint that dissipate over time in the sun and elements. Makes sense to me. Advancing 20 years later, my career found me learning about chemical compounds and how soaps and sulfates work, in general. Basically soap suds are created by breaking the surface tension using some sort of chemical (all soaps do the same thing using only a handful of similar chemicals) that breaks down oils to lift away dirt.

It only makes sense that he removal of that oil only accelerates the age of the paint.

So I quit washing my cars. Instead, I just keep a bottle of speed shine mixed with spray wax handy and the paint stays new with zero swirls. Every few days - especially after the rain - I lightly spray and wipe down the car with the concoction, first with a wet microfiber cloth, next with a dry, and the paint is literally flawless in the shade and sun.

So my YouTube feed keeps sending me videos of modern detailers spraying a sheet of suds on classic cars then spending the next two hours on drying, ceramic coating, and making even more on social media clicks and I just laugh. I can assure you that water dances off faster on my car, but mine only took 15 minutes and cost $8 for the same result and with no oil loss.

 

I've never had a problem. I drove my Maserati over 100K miles this way and it showed like brand new when I sold it. Zero paint fade and never a reason for the "paint correction" that everyone seems to need nowadays lol.

 

One more thing to point out - there's a little common sense involved so it's not just spray and scrub. For example, if you have lots of sand stuck to your car, then naturally you'd want to gently brush that off first. But generally speaking, it's a 15 minute job and I get countless compliments on the paint. This has been the case on all my cars.

I try to look at things logically. Clear liquids and coatings look good, but they do, in fact, magnify UV. Even water does - water your lawn at the wrong hour and burn your grass, or look any any water drop on a leaf. So, sure it will make the paint look wet but the jury is out on whether or not it actually prolongs the finish. But I know from experience that repeated oiling with the true wax will extend the life of paint. It's a little more difficult with clearcoat but the decomposition of materials that makes it plyable is what makes them get old and flake, and waxes were designed to prevent that. With that said, I do believe that "ceramic" coatings do not accomplish that at all. They will hide that wear but certainly not prevent it in the way old school waxes were designed to do. Even the word "ceramic" is used erroneously in the marketing of these products. They are simply polymer coatings - there is nothing ceramic about them lol. The only way they avoid a FPLA violation is because they use trace amounts of inorganic compounds in it - the industry calls it "dusting" - but a simple chemistry class will explain the difference.

Once the "ceramic" word is considered overused by the general public, there will be a replacement. If the tree-huggers didn't publish so much negative press on Teflon in the early 2000's, the industry would have used that name and 3M would have made a fortune on licensing!

 

I knew this would ruffle feathers, and that wasn't my intention.

But I would be glad to debunk your claims in person if you saw my car. Posting images with heavy contrast filters does no justice, sorry. And yes those are not raw images. Finally, don't tell me that you ceramic coat your cars and only wash them twice a year and they look great. That's a tall claim my friend.

 

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That's 100K miles with no car washes, daily driven. No garage for over 10 years. I'll post some close ups later when I take them.

The 360 I've had for 2 years, daily driver. Haven't washed it once.

 

Again, unlike some of your comments, I'm not trying to prove anyone wrong. I'm just saying that what I do works. I drive my cars every day and I accumulate lots of miles - and I like my cars spotless. This is how I do it. I get countless comments on the finish and the first questions involve what kind of ceramic am I using. Honestly - I'm asked that on a regular basis. Well, here it is. Take it or leave it lol.

 

Just a FYI, I was in Palm Beach with the car the weekend of Cavallino. I have NEVER, EVER had more compliments on the paint. The car is Blue Pozzi, which is a non-metallic finish, so swirls will show quickly if they exists. Every once in a while you'll see a small hairline, as I drive the car every day. But after another polish, it's back to glass.

Also for the record, none of my cars were in this condition when I got them. Over time, it's effectively hundreds of light polishes over the years, and the paint gets better and better with time. 2 years down the road, the paint is incredible, as was the 135K mile Maserati in the photos.

Yes you are correct that photos prove nothing. I've looked at tons of for sale cars that lead to disappointment after seeing pristine photos lol. We've all been there.

Either way, should any of you see me in South Florida, feel free to opine. Now you know my unconventional secret. I have nothing against anyone's routine; I'm just letting you know mine.