Aftercare Guide
This guide explains how to maintain your coating, protect your investment, and avoid mistakes that could compromise its performance or void your warranty.
Immediate Aftercare — Crucial First Week
Don't Wash for 7 Days
The coating needs time to fully cure and bond with your paint. Washing too early can prevent proper adhesion, reducing both protection and gloss.
If ignored: Pre-mature washing can lead to streaks, water spots, or partial coating failure.
Keep It Dry for 12 Hours
Avoid rain, sprinklers, or parking under trees that may drop sap or bird droppings. Water spots or contaminants can etch the coating before it fully cures.
Tip: If exposure occurs, rinse immediately with a hose or pressure washer and dry with a blower or soft microfibre towel.
Update Your Insurance
Ceramic and graphene coatings are valuable aftermarket enhancements. Many insurance providers offer coverage for aftermarket additions — including coatings. Including your coating in your policy protects your investment in the event of an accident.
Regular Maintenance — Protect Your Coating
Use pH-Neutral Shampoo Only
Harsh soaps, waxes, or detergents can strip coating protection, dulling the finish and shortening its lifespan.
Tip: Recommended products: CarPro Reset, Koch Chemie GSF.
Three-Bucket Washing Method
Brake dust and grit can scratch paint if reintroduced from a dirty mitt. The three-bucket method keeps contamination away from your body panels.
- Bucket 1 — Soapy water for wash mitt
- Bucket 2 — Rinse bucket for mitt between panels
- Bucket 3 — Dedicated for wheels only
Dry Carefully — Use Quality Towels or a Blower
Avoid regular towels or chamois — they cause micro-scratches and swirl marks. Proper drying prevents water spots and maintains hydrophobic performance.
Avoid Automatic or Dealership Washes
These washes use strong chemicals and abrasive brushes that damage coatings, paint, and void your warranty.
If ignored: Automatic washes are the single most common cause of coating and paint damage.
Wash at home using safe techniques, or book a professional FOAM'D maintenance wash.
Decontaminate Every 3–6 Months
Even coated surfaces accumulate brake dust, tar, and iron particles over time. Removing them keeps your coating smooth, glossy, and fully effective.
Maintain Your Warranty & Protection
To keep your Prizm coating performing at its best and ensure your warranty remains valid, we offer a flexible maintenance program exclusively for vehicles we have coated. Ignoring scheduled maintenance can reduce coating effectiveness, dull the finish, and void your warranty coverage.
Reminder Service
We send a reminder 11 months after your coating to schedule your annual maintenance inspection. This is a FOAM'D-exclusive service available only to vehicles we have coated.
What Not To Do
Automatic or fast-hand washes
Dirty tools and harsh chemicals scratch and degrade coatings.
Harsh household cleaners
These strip the hydrophobic layer and break down the coating bond.
Abrasive pads or traditional waxes
Waxes interfere with ceramic chemistry; abrasives create micro-scratches.
Leaving bird droppings or tree sap
Acidic contaminants etch the coating if left too long — remove them immediately.
Washing in direct sunlight
Soap dries quickly in heat, leaving marks that are difficult to remove.
Air drying after a wash
Sydney's hard water leaves mineral deposits. Always dry with a blower or quality microfibre.
Remember: Following these rules protects your car's appearance, prolongs the coating's life, and ensures your Prizm warranty remains valid.
Additional Tips — Keep Your Car Pristine
Park Smart
Garages, carports, or shaded areas dramatically reduce UV exposure, sap, and bird dropping contact — your coating will last longer.
Wash Regularly
Cars driven regularly should be washed every 1–2 weeks. Wash immediately after rain to prevent hard water mineral spots — Sydney water is mineral-heavy.
Act Fast on Contaminants
Bird droppings, tree sap, and bug splatter contain acids that etch surfaces. Rinse off as soon as possible — ideally within a few hours.
Stay in Touch
Questions about your coating? Contact the FOAM'D team anytime by phone, text, or through the website. We're here to help protect your investment.
Keep Your Coating Performing
Book a professional maintenance wash — exclusively for FOAM'D coated vehicles.