What Happens If A Ceramic Coating Gets Wet?

Ceramic coatings provide rock-hard paint protection, and they do this through different means, including repelling water from getting to the paint.

They ought to last for three years and sometimes five, but who knows what can happen if they get wet?

Quick Answer

As a general rule, nothing happens if ceramic coating gets wet unless it is a freshly applied coating. Ceramic coating that has not cured properly will be destroyed by water.

Water and cars are not the friendliest combos, with or without a ceramic coating, but people apply it anyway to protect their cars from water damage.

But what happens when this supposed protective layer gets wet?

This article answers that and profers solutions to wet ceramic coatings. Read on.

Table Of Contents

What Happens If A Ceramic Coating Gets Wet?

Ceramic coatings protect car paints from moisture and UV rays and give cars a glossy look.

This is reassuring to car owners with ceramic coating, as their cars will look great for longer.

However, water may still pose a threat.

Quick Answer

As a whole, nothing happens if a ceramic coating gets wet, as it has water-repelling features that prevent it from ruining the coating or ruining the paint.

Ceramic coatings are always potent at the early stages of application, so whether you drive in the rain or wash your car, you’re good to go.

However, a ceramic coating getting wet could be problematic if it has disintegrated.

With time and use, ceramic coatings lose some qualities, including water repellency.

If this is the case and the coating gets wet, it will further deteriorate and affect the clear coat.

Furthermore, water-based contaminants from rain, acid rain, or tap water will affect the coating.

Moving on, if a newly applied ceramic coating gets wet, it might fail.

If you wash your car after a coating or drive it in the rain, the water will interfere with the curing process, slow it down or completely ruin it by preventing chemical bonding.

A fresh ceramic coating needs about 12 to 24 hours to cure before you can drive it and between two to four weeks to cure completely.

However, the ceramic coating will be useless if water interferes with the curing.

While ceramic coatings are water-resistant, they may be ineffective if the coating is still wet.

Therefore, you must keep it away from water until it’s completely cured.

How To Fix A Car When It Gets Wet After A New Ceramic Coating

New ceramic coating applications are fragile and don’t offer full-blown protection till they cure.

If you drive your newly coated car in the rain before the 24 hours basic curing window is over, the ceramic coating might be completely ruined.

Thankfully, you may still be able to salvage the wet ceramic coating.

Quick Answer

As a whole, you can fix a car when it gets wet after a new ceramic coating by using a blow dryer to eliminate the moisture or taking it back to the company that installed it for you.

A wet ceramic coating is messy, not to mention the money and effort that went into the application.

However, you can save a wet ceramic coating by drying it quickly using a blow dryer before the water does any damage.

If you had a professional install the ceramic coating, you should call them back and inform them about the situation.

They can advise you on the next step to take, or you may have to take the car back to them.

Sometimes, you may need to reapply a fresh coating on the car. Therefore, you need to protect your newly coated car from water.

You shouldn’t wash the car for seven to two weeks after coating it and keep it out of the rain.

Conclusion

A fully bonded ceramic coating is unlikely to get wet as it repels water from the car’s surface.

However, if the coating is fresh, you need to keep it away from water or moisture to enable it to cure properly.

Let the coating dry for at most 24 hours before driving it, and don’t wash it until after seven days or two weeks, depending on how quickly your car gets dirty.