33.5KVIEWS
20REPLIES
8APPRECIATES
15ACTIVE PEOPLE
04-15-2026LAST POST
JerseyM3 wroteSure. What’s your reason tho? Protection or looks?Does it make sense to add a coat of wax when the paint has a ceramic coating, or another coat of ceramic is the way to go?
For looks, a good coat of carnuba can’t be beat for that dripping wet gloss. And absolutely no problem to do that on top of a ceramic coating.
For protection, wax won’t offer protection for very long. So if that’s your goal, another coat of ceramic is the way to go.
Either way, make sure your maintenance washes are with a ph neutral soap like carpro reset, or there’s a ton of other options out there.
JerseyM3 wroteIt is possible, but not necessary.Does it make sense to add a coat of wax when the paint has a ceramic coating
Whichever layer of "protection" is shortest lasting (wax), will disintegrate first. So layering shorter lasting wax on top of longer lasting ceramic coating has no downsides, other than the time and effort you will be invested. Some waxes might provide a "deeper" shine to the paint, but we are splitting hairs here.
All this assumes that you will diligently clean the ceramic coating first, otherwise, you will be scratching everything my moving dirt around while applying wax.
JerseyM3 wroteYou could do that, but it's unlikely to be a good idea.or another coat of ceramic is the way to go?
1). If the old coating is failing, you want to remove/strip it before applying new coating. Else, the old one will continue failing and will undermine the bonding between the paint and the new coating.
2). If the old coating is NOT failing, it will still fail sooner than the new in the future. Revert back to scenario #1 above.
If you just want to "maintain" it after washing, there is a ton of inexpensive ceramic ceramic infused spray-on products out there (I will link a few below). You can just mist those on the paint after washing, and it will make the old coating look and bead water like new. For a few months.
https://adamspolishes.com/products/adams-cs3?_pos=18&_sid=ab27d9f5e&_ss=r
https://adamspolishes.com/products/graphene-boost?_pos=21&_sid=ab27d9f5e&_ss=r
https://www.griotsgarage.com/ceramic-3-in-1-wax/
HTH,
a
JerseyM3 wroteIf you clay it you're going to take the coating off. Really, all it should take is a good wash.Thanks for the replies. I think since the work to do a wax coat is close to another coat of ceramic, i may lean on that instead. Can you clay or decontaminate over a ceramic coat or will it damage it?
https://www.carpro-us.com/protection/carpro-reload-2-0-500ml-17oz/?srsltid=AfmBOooTXXGdq0MRJdprfTtZKUlsXth-JHxnxgfe0hAs0isqc5uNqQuX
JerseyM3 wroteWax generally doesn't offer much protection but is rather for appearance's sake. Ceramic will fill that role much better.I like chemical guys products and I do use their spray on ceramic coats. Just was wondering if wax leaves a thicker level of chemical protection than a spray. Its gonna be bird sh!t season soon.
JerseyM3 wroteWith bird crap the car paint damage process is “mechanical”, in that it’s the cycle of heating and cooling of the deposit that cause the surface of the paint to deform from smooth (etching). It will even do this through a proper ceramic coating over time, as it’s not a “chemical” attack.I like chemical guys products and I do use their spray on ceramic coats. Just was wondering if wax leaves a thicker level of chemical protection than a spray. Its gonna be bird sh!t season soon.
The only real solution is get it off the paint as quickly as possible, especially in hot climates.
There is/was a product from Autoglym in the UK called Reflow that uses heat to reduce/remove paint surface etching caused by bird crap.
avi66 wroteYeah i saw that. The reflow application scares the crap out of me. It actually heats up the paint to almost a liquid state. Just so many things could go wrong 😆 at least for me!With bird crap the car paint damage process is “mechanical”, in that it’s the cycle of heating and cooling of the deposit that cause the surface of the paint to deform from smooth (etching). It will even do this through a proper ceramic coating over time, as it’s not a “chemical” attack.
The only real solution is get it off the paint as quickly as possible, especially in hot climates.
There is/was a product from Autoglym in the UK called Reflow that uses heat to reduce/remove paint surface etching caused by bird crap.
JerseyM3 wroteIt does very slightly, but the problem is that most waxes have strong solvents that could degrade the coating eventually. Some even have abrasives.I like chemical guys products and I do use their spray on ceramic coats. Just was wondering if wax leaves a thicker level of chemical protection than a spray. Its gonna be bird sh!t season soon.
People will tell you there is no problem topping a coating with wax but I have tried it on an acrylic test mirror with ADS Quartz and CarPro DLight with a handful of waxes and it's hard to get them back to original performance after a few applications of the wax for whatever reason, even with strong cleaning and water spot remover.
JerseyM3 wroteYou'll lose the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating. Top it with a ceramic quick detailer and you'll be good to go.Does it make sense to add a coat of wax when the paint has a ceramic coating, or another coat of ceramic is the way to go?
JerseyM3 wroteno. wax will build up and clog the ceramic coating, ruining the whole reason for it. use a ceramic detailing spray every now and then to keep the coating fresh. stay away from any traditional waxesDoes it make sense to add a coat of wax when the paint has a ceramic coating, or another coat of ceramic is the way to go?
jmangee wroteYou can open up a thread to discuss this and get answers relevant to your question.What interior cleaning products are you guys using? I dont like the shinny look, like more the matte effect but some of the smells are too synthetic.
