Ceramic car care products are a hot commodity at the moment, and it’s easy to see why. Ceramic here means the inclusion of silicon dioxide (Si02), which in turn makes waxes and sealants much more durable and protective. It’s paint protection where ceramic tech really started, but now it’s present in more and more products, including car shampoos.
Ceramic car shampoo is a logical next step for the technology, Si02 offers excellent lubrication, an important property of a good car shampoo. This means it’ll keep a wash mitt slick as it cleans, reducing scratches while also leaving behind a tiny layer of ceramic protection. That’s what Autobead promise from its Ceramic Shampoo.
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Designed to top up an existing protective coating or provide a basic layer of protection to an untreated car, this shampoo sounds like a real timesaver. A slick shampoo to use, it proved to be an excellent choice for a car that’s already protected and isn’t filthy. It’s most at home maintaining the finish of a ceramic-coated car which does make it a rather niche product, but it’s a pleasure to use and an affordable way to prolong ceramic protection.
Verdict: Very slick to use and the protective elements are there, but it works best if your car is already protected.
4/5
Autobead Ceramic Shampoo
Price: £14.95 | VIEW OFFER
Pros
• Super-slick to use
• Good value for money
Cons
• Protection won’t compare to a wax
• Works best on ceramic-protected cars
Specs
Capacity 500ml
pH neutral Yes
Biodegradable N/A
Extras SiO2 technology tops up existing paint protection
What’s good?
The most impressive property of this shampoo is how slick it makes a wash mitt glide over the car’s bodywork. The lubrication is quite possibly the best we’ve ever seen in a car shampoo, good news for the finish of the car. Lubrication will help prevent small pieces of grit from being aggressively dragged across the paintwork leading to scratches. This makes the shampoo a safe choice for car cleaning and one that’s utterly effortless to use.
It foams up really well too, with small and stable bubbles that cling well to surfaces. What this all means is that the Autobead shampoo is delightful to use, with an easy visual reminder of any spots you may have missed and super slick cleaning action. The gloss left behind is lovely and deep too, although a quick detailer will serve to enhance it further.
What’s okay?
Autobead claims that its ceramic shampoo adds a small layer of protection to an unprotected car or tops up an existing layer of protection that may have been already applied. It’s very good on already-protected cars where it works as a small boost, prolonging a wax or sealant and ensuring that it remains as protective as possible. Here that small layer of protection proves to be a worthwhile addition. On an untreated car, however, the layer is simply too sparse to be protective. Regular use may build up a decent layer of protection, but after a single wash, we found no real hydrophobicity when we applied some water to the bodywork.
Any negatives?
The real downside to this shampoo is that it’s not the strongest cleaner on the market. This is probably because it’s designed for cars that have a protective coating applied and therefore isn’t packed with strong detergents as the protective coating will keep the bulk of grime at bay. The Volvo C30 had no previously applied protection and there were a couple of spots where the shampoo struggled a little. This isn’t to say it was bad, it’s just worth remembering if your car is particularly mucky.
It’s, therefore, recommendable to use a really good prewash before shampooing the car. Using the shampoo on a wax-treated car did reveal better results however, the shampoo is far more at home on treated panels.
More items to consider
Autobrite Ceramic Shampoo, RRP £15.85
Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wash & Wax Car Shampoo, RRP £12.25
Bilt Hamber Touch-On Crystalline Hydrophobic Shampoo & Sealant, RRP £15.99
How this product was tested
This shampoo was tested on two separate occasions in both overcast and sunny weather. The two cars it was tested on were first snow foamed before being washed according to the product’s instructions. We also used Gtechniq GWash alongside it to provide a comparison point.
Other items used in this test: Nilfisk Core 140 Pressure Washer | Autoglym Polar Blast | Oxford 20L Wash Bucket incl. Grit Guard
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