Koch-Chemie Ceramic Effect Shampoo "Ces" Maintenance Shampoo with Long-Term Sealant Effect 5l

Refresh your coating with every wash using the Koch-Chemie Ces

What is the Koch-Chemie Ces? A pH 6 maintenance shampoo with an SiO₂ component that cleans and lays down a hydrophobic polymer film on paint, glass and plastic in one step. Not a replacement for a full ceramic coating, but a booster for cars that are already coated.

Koch-Chemie Ces is a maintenance shampoo with a sealant effect from Koch-Chemie in Unna, built on a combination of a mild surfactant system and SiO₂-based care components. While the surfactants pull road film, bug splatter and loose brake dust off the paint, the silicon-rich polymers settle out during the rinse and form a thin, strongly water-repellent protective film. The result is wet paint that water rolls off in tight beads, and a depth of gloss a standard shampoo just doesn't give you.

• Cleaning and protective film in a single rinse. At 1:200 (50 ml to 10 l of water) a 1000 ml bottle is good for around 20 full washes — so about 1.35 EUR of product per wash. You save yourself the separate quick detailer or spray sealant after every wash, because the hydrophobic effect comes straight out of the wash bucket.
• pH 6, cleared for coatings, waxes and polishes. The slightly acidic pH attacks neither ceramic coatings nor classic carnauba waxes. The Ces is built specifically for cars that are already protected with Ceramic Body, Spray Sealant or a comparable coating — and it can measurably extend their lifespan instead of stripping it the way alkaline shampoos do.
• SiO₂ care film on paint, glass and plastic. The sealant effect works on every clear-coated, smooth exterior surface — so on windows, piano-black trim and ABS plastics too. One shampoo, one bucket, the whole car. No switching products, no risk of hitting the wrong surface with the wrong chemistry.

Day-to-day from Detailing1: You lose the sealant effect if you let the car air-dry after the wash. The SiO₂ component is still wet on the paint right after the rinse — it needs the mechanical pressure of a soft drying towel to spread evenly and bond. Without that wipe step you get water spots instead of gloss. So plan an extra 5–10 minutes for a large microfibre drying towel and work section by section.

Pre-rinsed. Two buckets. One layer.

The Ces gives its best result with the two-bucket method: a wash bucket with 50 ml of Ces to 10 l of warm water, a separate rinse bucket with clean water, and a high-pile microfibre wash mitt. The second bucket keeps the dirt out of the wash bucket — that protects the paint from wash marks and makes sure every section gets worked with a clean foam concentration. Skip the second bucket and you drag the coarsest dirt particles over the paint again and again, picking up the swirls the Ces can no longer level out.

Always pre-rinse before the shampoo. A pressure washer or garden hose flushes off loose sand and road salt. Skip it and you drag the coarse particles across the paint with the mitt and pick up micro-scratches.

With heavy soiling or a layer of bugs, run a pre-cleaner as snow foam first, otherwise the Ces works past its care component. Cars with baked-on pollen or Saharan dust need that pre-clean, no way around it.

Always work on shaded, cool paint — not in the sun, not on a warm bonnet. Otherwise the foam dries on, leaves water spots, and the sealant effect builds up unevenly. Top to bottom, section by section, rinse each section on its own — the polymer film only forms during the rinse.

That's the key difference from pure cleaning shampoos: with those it doesn't matter how long the foam sits on the paint, with the Ces the result stands or falls on rinsing each section quickly. Foam the whole car and rinse only at the end, and you give away most of the sealant effect and get nothing but a standard cleaning result.

One last thing to dial in is the water temperature. Lukewarm water between 25 and 35 °C activates the SiO₂ component better than cold tap water, the foam builds faster and the care film bonds more evenly. With ice-cold water in winter the paint does feel clean after the wash, but the full hydrophobic potential goes unused — better to mix in a bucket of hot water until the mix is hand-warm.

A care booster with clear limits

The Ces is Detailing1's first pick as a maintenance shampoo for cars that are already coated — not as a sealant replacement. If you've never laid down a coating, the Ces still gives you a real, visible hydrophobic effect. If you already run a ceramic coating, every wash extends its lifespan by a few weeks, because the SiO₂ care component feeds the original sealant instead of degrading it.

The day-to-day reports are strong: on freshly waxed or coated paint the first wash brings a noticeably richer depth of gloss, with water beading off in 3–5 mm drops. Verified buyers at Trusted Shops regularly mention a visible beading effect and a pleasant berry-almond scent — a rarity from a pro-grade maker like Koch-Chemie.

Honest about the limits: on unwaxed, uncoated paint the sealant effect lasts about 2–4 weeks, depending on the weather. In constant rain or with road salt in winter, shorter. If you want a permanent coating with 12+ months of lifespan, there's no getting around a proper ceramic coating. If you want to maintain and refresh in between, the Ces is the right call.

If you already have an older coating that's slowly getting tired, reach for the specialised Koch-Chemie Reactivation Shampoo — it reactivates the SiO₂ bond more deliberately than the Ces. And if you're washing the car right before applying a coating, don't reach for the Ces: the polymer film gets in the way of the new sealant bonding. For that, a neutral prep shampoo with no care component is the right choice, otherwise the prep work was for nothing.

Who the Ces pays off for

The Ces is the right call for car owners who wash every 1–2 weeks, want a clean finish, but don't want to wax or coat on a regular basis. You put in 20–30 minutes per wash and get a result that comes surprisingly close to a heavily polished show car — without the polishing step. Especially relevant for high-mileage city drivers, commuters with an underground parking spot, and anyone with a coated car who wants to actively extend its lifespan.

Less suited is the Ces for workshops and detailers where pure cleaning power is the priority. For that, the Koch-Chemie Aktivwäsche AW is the stronger pick, because the Ces hits its limits faster with deeply worked-in brake dust and bug splatter.

As a complete wash workflow for this crowd it looks like this: pre-rinse with a pressure washer, snow foam for the pre-clean if needed, then a two-bucket wash with the Ces. After that, take it off section by section with the Soft99 Max Wash drying towel — no air-drying.

On the 1L versions, Detailing1 also offers the bundle with a dosing cap — it saves time on the weekly wash and prevents over-dosing. That's the most common mistake with the Ces day-to-day: more shampoo doesn't get you a better effect, just double the consumption.

For high-mileage drivers and multi-car households, the 5L container pays off after roughly 80 washes, because the per-litre price there runs about 30% below the 1L bottle. Wash weekly and it lasts you a good two years, with the extra cost earned back inside half a year.

One last Detailing1 insight for this crowd: the Ces gets better over time. On the first run on unwaxed paint the hydrophobic effect is visible but moderate. From the third or fourth wash a denser polymer film layers on, coat by coat.

Suddenly water beads off in a normal summer rain as if the car had just been given a spray sealant. That's the point where most buyers switch to the Ces and never give it up — no miracle worker the first time, but a reliable build-up effect across the season.

Application of Koch-Chemie Ceramic Effect Shampoo

From pre-rinsing to polymer film in 30 minutes

Start with a thorough pre-rinse. A high-pressure cleaner or garden hose removes loose sand, road salt, and coarse road film – these particles are the most common cause of wiping marks during washing. In case of heavy insect infestation or Saharan dust, pre-clean with a snow foam; otherwise, the CES will focus on the care component instead of cleaning.

Fill the wash bucket with 10 liters of warm water and add 50 ml of CES – this is the standard dilution of 1:200. With the dosing cap of the bundle variant, this takes 5 seconds; without a dosing cap, use a shot glass or estimate a good half bottle cap of Koch-Chemie. Briefly lather with a jet of water or a microfiber wash mitt. The second bucket contains clear water for rinsing the mitt after each section.

Always wash from top to bottom, section by section: roof, windows, hood, doors, bumpers – and finally, the dirtiest areas such as sills, lower bumper, and rims. Rinse each section individually before the foam dries. The sealing effect only occurs during the rinse cycle when the SiO₂ polymers come into contact with water and deposit on the paint.

After the last section, rinse the entire car again with clear water. Then immediately dry with a large microfiber drying towel – do not let it air dry. Without the mechanical pressure of the drying towel, the polymer film will not spread evenly, and you will lose some of the sealing effect due to water spots.

Notes: CES is a care booster, not a coating replacement – the hydrophobic effect lasts 2–4 weeks depending on the weather, after which the beading effect visibly diminishes. If you want permanent protection with 12+ months of durability, you should opt for a real ceramic coating. Do not apply to warm surfaces or in direct sunlight, otherwise water spots and drying residues will occur. CES is not suitable for preparing for a new coating, as its polymer film interferes with coating adhesion – use a neutral preparation shampoo for this purpose. Store frost-free and cool between 5 and 25 °C, durable for 24 months after opening.