Boost the shine and protection - toppers?

There's a lot of conflicting information around about using toppers/boosters or spray sealants over ceramic coatings. You'll sometimes hear that a good coating shouldn't need a topper, that adding one will “clog” the coating and reduce its performance, or even that these products won't properly bond to a ceramic coated surface.

From our experience developing and testing products on ceramic coatings for many years, this simply isn't the case.

A good ceramic coating doesn't need a topper to work, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with adding some extra protection over it. We've specifically developed and tested Bead Machine, Happy Ending and Wet Dreams to work with modern ceramic coatings, adding another super hydrophobic, sacrificial layer of protection over the surface. We've found that After Glow and Boss Gloss are also suitable to use as drying aids on ceramic coated surfaces without affecting the coatings' performance.

They certainly won't “clog” your coating. What you're doing is adding an extremely thin layer of protection over the existing ceramic coating. While that protection remains on the surface, the water behaviour you see will naturally be influenced by the product you've applied over it. In fact, with the products we recommend here, you may even see stronger beading and water behaviour than you were getting from the coating itself.

It's worth remembering that not all topper products are equally hydrophobic. Apply a product with poorer water behaviour over a highly hydrophobic ceramic coating and the surface may actually appear to perform worse afterwards. This doesn't mean you've clogged or damaged the coating underneath. You're simply seeing the water behaviour of the product now sitting on top of it. As that product wears away or is removed, the characteristics of the underlying coating can become apparent again.

Using a suitable topper periodically is a simple way to maintain that super hydrophobic, slick and easy to clean surface, while adding another sacrificial layer that takes some of the punishment from regular washing and environmental contamination. As this additional protection gradually wears away, you can simply apply some more.

So no, you don't have to continually top a ceramic coating to keep it working. But using products that we've specifically developed and tested to work with ceramic coatings is an easy way to maintain great water behaviour, make the car easier to look after and add some extra protection along the way.

 

Which one is best for me? 

Choosing which one you need is pretty easy. If you like to apply something to the car after it's been washed and dried, then Bead Machine is for you.

If you use a pressure washer when detailing your car, then Happy Ending is what you need as it's applied with the Snow Blow Cannon, before being pressure washed off. If you don't use a pressure washer, then the Wet Dreams spray on and hose off system is the one for you. Read more in depth about these products by clicking the links below.

These can all be used in conjunction with each other, or you can just use the one that suits you best, or that you prefer using.

 

Using Bead Machine - 

 

Using Happy Ending -

 

Using Wet Dreams -