PPM carcare - IGL Coatings Aftercare Advice

Customer Maintenance

Ceramic coatings offer tremendous performance and are certainly the best value for money option when choosing protection for your vehicle. It is still important to maintain the ceramic coating correctly. Washing when performed correctly is a very simple process that will ensure that your vehicle looks and performs the way it was presented to you for the duration of the coating that was chosen.

The Curing Process

Allowing the product to fully cure, which is between three to five days, is important for the coating to reach full hardness, during this time it is advised not to wash the vehicle with any harsh shampoo, all-purpose cleaners or anything containing caustic soda. This will damage the hydrophobic properties. Plain water may be used during this period.

If you notice any contaminants on the car, for example bird droppings, tree sap, water i.e., drops from car parks which may be mixed with dirt, oil etc, you need to remove them at the earliest opportunity. Warm water or using a pressure washer will not be detrimental. If required IGL Coatings ‘Paint’ maybe be used in situations where the paintwork is not in a condition to dry immediately for example if light dirt still present.

Washing your car at home

Cleaning your vehicle following the coating being applied, it will be much easier to maintain as our coatings contain self-cleaning properties, meaning treated areas will stay cleaner for longer periods of time between cleanings. This does not eliminate the requirement to wash and maintain a vehicle altogether. Ceramic coatings do not prevent airborne particles and road tar from bonding to your vehicle’s paintwork, the difference is on a coated vehicle the contaminants bond to the protection not the vehicle itself making them easier to remove them and remove without touching the original paintwork.

Using a safe wash technique will not only offer value and maximum durability from your ceramic coating it is also efficient and methodical.

Wheels

· Start with the wheels and arches, this ensures that no debris get sprayed off the wheels and onto a clean vehicle.

· Pre-rinse the wheels and arches with a pressure washer to remove excess dirt warm water is the best approach, if the wheels have been ceramic protected IGL’s Ecoclean ‘Wash’ (or any pure car shampoo) product is sufficient, leave to dwell then agitate with various size brushes/ mitts before rinsing thoroughly with clean water.

· Repeat if necessary, until all brake dust is removed.

· If there is stubborn brake dust, due to heavy braking / mechanical issues etc, Spray IGL Ecoclean ‘Iron’ onto the wheels, this will help dissolve the contaminates making them easier to remove. Leave ‘Iron’ to dwell, then agitate with various size brushes/ mitts before rinsing thoroughly with clean water.

· Diluting IGL ‘Multi’ 1:3 or 1:4 (or any automotive degreaser / citrus prewash) will ensure the arches are kept clean.

Bodywork

· Pre-rinse the vehicle with a pressure washer using either warm water or a foam lance to remove excess dirt.

· Using two buckets, preferably with grit guards, one with just clean water the other with ‘Wash’ ph. neutral car shampoo with a ratio of around 1:300, along with a lambswool or microfibre wash mitt (do not use a sponge)

· Proceed to wash the vehicle from the top down washing the lower section last.

· At each point before applying more car shampoo to your wash media rinse it out in the bucket of clean water, this small but important step that helps ensures NO dirt goes into the soap solution and prevents it from being dragged across the vehicle surface.

· Power wash each section to remove soap solution before the product starts to dry.

· Using an open-ended hose sheet the water over the vehicle before drying, this is described as drying the car with water.

Drying

· Using a drying towel pat dry the vehicle to remove any remaining water including door shuts.

· A blower may also be used for grilles, side mirrors or any area that collects water.

· Water should not be left to dry naturally.

· Always dry completely and never leave to “air” dry.

· Tap water contains minerals that may leave deposits creating water spots.

· Only use quality microfiber towels for best results and avoid aggressive wiping, allowing the towel to absorb the water.

Coating Top Up

· At this point a quick detail spray ‘Enhancer’ or coating maintenance spray ‘Premier’ may be used to aid all the benefits of the coating whilst adding gloss.

· Vehicle tyres, rubber seals and plastics (if not coated) may be dressed with ‘Tyre’ to help against UV fading & damage.

The products listed above are a system that has been designed to work together please do not use any product containing wax, polymers or fillers that are not from IGL Coatings, although these products will not remove the coating, certain beneficial properties maybe affected.

Top Tips

· For best results, the car should be washed on a bi-weekly basis to avoid excessive contamination build-up. Use only recommended mild car shampoo.

· Avoid high volume brush style or hand car washes, and high PH detergent style cleaners.

· Avoid washing in direct sunlight to minimize streaking and water spotting.

· Wash from the top down leaving the dirtiest sections for last to avoid cross contamination.

· Wash bug splatter & bird droppings immediately.

· Always dry the vehicle using high quality microfibre drying towel or air blower.

· IGL ‘Enhancer’ can be used after every wash, IGL ‘Premier’ is recommended once a month.

Periodic inspections by an authorised detailer are recommended for ensuring the coating is maintained properly, resulting in the coatings performance being optimal.

Although durable and long lasting, annual inspections ensure maximum gloss and protection from your IGL coating.

Any questions or queries please ask.

Scotty

PPM carcare

Polish Protect Maintain