I had the 2000 ceramic coating dealer applied to my mini when I bought it. I was under the impression it would protect the paint and keep it shiny with only washing. It's getting spotty while damp, it's losing its hygrophobicity. Should I be doing something other than just washing it? Couldn't find anything in the manual. Tips also appreciated on the yellow slime that is still oozing out of the bonnet joint 10 months into ownership.
Depending on your location you may have to use a hard water remover or road salt that's clogging the coating. Something like CarPro Descale (contact hand wash) or other brands will work. If the dealer put on ceramic coating, it is probably some quick ceramic sealant (dealer add-on).
The "yellow slime" is almost certainly the grease applied to prevent corrosion during shipping. You should check with your dealer about having it removed, as IIRC there is a service bulletin addressing the issue. If it has permentaly stained the wheel arches, you should be able to get those replaced under warranty.
Ceramic coating is happiest/performs best when it's clean. Regular maintenance washes with a pH-neutral shampoo is best (unlike the stronger chemicals typically used at public carwashes). Once clean, you can use a ceramic or SiO2 "booster"/"topper" (spray on/buff off) to help maintain hydrophobic action. If you can't do a "real" maintenance wash regularly, at least rinsing it off with a power washer (or using only the high-pressure rinse option at a nearby pay-n-spray carwash bay) somewhat regularly will help. I usually do this in the winter when a proper wash isn't feasible, or between days of rain & thunderstorms (and SO MUCH POLLEN) in the spring.
Yeah, if I don't have time to wash it properly, I hose or jetwash it. At first, that worked pretty well, but the coating is nowhere near as slippery to dirt now. Disappointing, I thought it would last a lot longer. My car lives in a carport, so a reasonably cushy life. It seems they forgot to sell me a 'first place finish kit'. There are few different ones in ebay. This is secret squirrel stuff, no information available other than blurb saying how great it is.
Your coating might be contaminated with sap, tar, and iron particles. A decontamination wash might help restore your ceramic coating.
I have most of the equipment and cleaning products now for a “proper “ wash, but would like some advice on which “ booster/topper” to get. Any suggestions? My Mini has been ceramic coated.
I recommend choosing the brand you're most comfortable with - Adam's, XPEL, GYEON, Meguiars, and Turtle Wax all have at least one booster (and probably even more brands that I can't think of at the moment). I have used both XPEL and Adam's and have been happy with the results.
If the ceramic coating was done properly, then you should look into decontamination such a hard water removal and a synthetic perforated towel. Iron removal wouldn't be a bad idea either! Generally speaking the pores get all clogged up giving the appearance of a failed coating. You could order online from many Canadian retailers (Carzilla, TOC Supplies, AutoObsessed, etc.) but there's a minimum order for free shipping. Personally I prefer using all in one polish like RUPES Uno Advanced, but you would need to invest in more gear.
I recall reading that there are autoglym products for this sort of thing or for all sorts of things, but I have no experience with them.
The dealer has told me that they must have forgotten to put the care kit in the boot. It probably has the instructions, too...
With ceramic coatings the contents contain any combination of silicone dioxide, silicon carbide, polysilazane, silicon nitride, polysiloxane, or titanium oxide. The more affordable coatings are heavily silicone dioxide (SiO2) based while the more expensive ones could have more polysiloxane and titanium oxide content. It's a blend and a trade-off of longevity versus hydrophobicity. Generally the longevity characteristics have to be applied via a non-water based toxic solvent so dealerships avoid that! In terms of boosting or topping. there are two main strategies that involve SiO2 spray sealants (or formulated ceramic washes), and/or a sacrificial layer (wax, graphene oxide, etc). Most people prefer the SiO2 spray sealant for modern cars, but wax just has that extra gloss depth! Anyways...skip the dealer care kit that came from a blending house as a private label.
