Is Waxing Necessary After Vehicle Crystal Coating?
2 Answers
After applying crystal coating to a vehicle, waxing is unnecessary. The circumstances requiring waxing and methods to determine coating failure are as follows: When Waxing Is Needed: If the crystal coating fails, it's advisable to wax the car. Minor scratches are inevitable during daily use, and without proper protection, prolonged exposure can easily lead to paint damage. How to Determine Coating Failure: Hydrophobic Test: If the coating is effective, water droplets will bead up like dewdrops on a lotus leaf when splashed on the paint. If it fails, water will spread and cling to the surface. Crystal coating enhances gloss; if the paint appears dull and the surface attracts dirt easily, the coating has likely failed.
I've been driving for years and have tried the combination of ceramic coating plus waxing. The ceramic coating actually adds a hard protective shell to the car's paint, offering good resistance to dirt and scratches, but the surface still attracts dust. At this point, waxing is like applying an oleophobic coating on top of a tempered glass screen protector for your phone—rainwater washes it clean much more easily. I usually apply liquid wax every two months; it doesn’t require laborious polishing—just spray and wipe, and it's done. Especially when waxing before the rainy season, water beads up on the ceramic coating like dewdrops, looking super glossy under nighttime lights. However, avoid using wax with abrasives, as it can easily scratch the ceramic coating. My car’s ceramic coating is a year and a half old now, and with occasional waxing, the paint looks about 30% shinier than my neighbor’s car, which only has ceramic coating.
