Matte Paint Care: Debunking Myths With The Pros

Recently, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. While I had an internal debate on which paint color to get, I ultimately decided on Performance Blue Matte. I was hesitant at first because owning and caring for matte paint seemed a bit daunting to me. But as a friend said, choosing another color for the Ioniq 5 N is like buying a Type R and not getting Championship White. Yeah, Phoenix Yellow is cool and all, but we all know Championship White is where it's at.

This isn't the first time I've owned a car with a matte finish, but my previous one was a vinyl wrap on a Prius project. Obviously, when something's a wrap, you naturally care a bit less about it because it's not the actual paint on the car. This, however, is the paint and if I mess it up, I'm not peeling it off and re-applying a new sheet of vinyl. It's also been well over ten years since I've owned that Prius, so I figured things have changed.

I spent the first night researching and perusing the internet to see what people recommend for matte paint care. Not surprisingly, I found plenty of misinformation and was actually surprised to see how few credible articles there were about proper care. There's one article on a popular site that says to "Always use specific matte cleaners and soaps to clear off debris and spots from your matte-painted car."

If you start digging into Reddit and forum responses, you'll start seeing responses that you should never use any car wash soap that contains wax, because those products will introduce shine and polish to the paint. The misinformation gets so bad that some people claim that, over time, using these soaps will create a sheen on the car's surface.

It's worth mentioning that Hyundai includes a matte paint care package from Dr. Beasley's with the car. This kit had a nice bucket, grit guard, mitts, wash pads, microfiber towels, foam applicators, and bottles of Matte Body Wash, Matte Paint Cleanser, Matte Final Finish, and Matte Paint Coating. This was definitely a nice surprise to see and helps answer the main question new owners have, which is, what products can I safely use to care for the matte paint? Of course, these aren't the only products on the market, and anyone should do their due diligence to see if there are more affordable options out there.

Any informed consumer should want to know if it's really worth paying $29.99 for a 12-ounce bottle of Matte Body Wash when you can get four times the amount of a quality car wash soap for almost half the price. Is there truly a benefit to buying and using these products?

Throughout my 25-plus years of car ownership, I would say I'm more passionate about car care than the average enthusiast. I never trust public car washes, and have spent many paychecks testing a variety of car care products from all brands. Back in my car show days, I would spend weekends polishing, waxing, and meticulously going over every little gap on my car to make it as perfect and shiny as possible.

Still, I would never consider myself a professional and definitely wouldn't recommend anyone pay me to detail their car. I also have little interest in chemistry and won't pretend I actually understand what's happening with some of these products. It's really my experience of using a wide range of products over the years that gives me the understanding of where some fall short and where some shine.

When I decided to write an article explaining how to properly care for matte paint, I knew I couldn't be like everyone else on the internet and say, "source: trust me bro." I just felt that it would be valuable to debunk some of the myths out there, while offering insights on whether or not matte paint car owners really should be paying a premium for car care products.

I decided to contact the experts at Meguiar's for a proper answer. Over the years, I've used various Meguiar's products to care for my cars. I find some of the brand's products excellent, while others are just average. Like everyone else, I have my preferences and favorites, and I do believe there isn't one single brand that can fulfill all your car care needs. The point is, I reached out to Meguiar's for facts about matte paint care and less about which products are the best.

I found it interesting that Meguiar's didn't advertise any products specifically for matte paint care, so I was curious to see what they'd recommend. I include those recommendations below because I think it's important to know what more affordable alternatives to proper matte paint care exist than what Hyundai includes with the car.

Upon arriving at Meguiar's, I was introduced to Blake Beamish, Consumer Experience Manager, and reunited with Mike Pennington, Senior Manager, Global Training, Events & Consumer Relations. One of my first assignments when I moved out to California 20 years ago was an article for Modified Luxury & Exotics on proper car care. Back then, both Pennington and I were much younger, but one thing that hasn't changed after all these years is his passion for car care. As energetic and excited as ever, Pennington took me for a tour through Meguiar's new facility before putting me into a classroom-like setting. It was there that Michael Stoops, Senior Global Product & Training Specialist, took over.

Stoops began by explaining the five things Meguiar's preaches when it comes to proper car care: wash, clean, polish, protect, and maintain. There are some major differences between caring for a glossy car and a matte car. For glossy cars, you have access to products like clay bars and compounds to clean your paint after washing your car. Then, you can use a polish if it's necessary before giving your car's finish a layer of protection—whether that's carnauba wax, a synthetic sealant, or ceramic coating. What every matte paint car owner needs to understand is that the clean and polish steps are essentially removed from this repertoire because they don't apply to matte paint unless you want to intentionally turn that matte paint to glossy paint.

When it comes to proper matte paint care, Stoops began by emphasizing refreshing your accessories. For example, you'll want to replace your wash mitt and drying towel more often. You'll want to ensure you're using a proper car wash bucket with a grit guard, or more preferably, the two-bucket wash method. These things are more important than the actual car wash soap you're using, since old mitts and towels can actually damage your matte paint. He explained in detail why the clean and protect steps don't apply to matte paint, reiterating that you should never use a clay bar, compound, or polish on matte paint.

This also means no cleaner wax or traditional liquid and paste waxes, as those will make the car shiny. What is safe, however, is any off-the-shelf quality car wash soap. Stoops explained that the wax used in the washes typically isn't potent enough to impact the gloss level of a matte finish. Even if they did, it would be very short-lived.

More importantly, Stoops and Pennington both explained that more is not always better. While certain products can be safely used with matte paint, using them with a heavy hand can deliver some unwanted results. Even with one of their product recommendations, Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Spray Wax, they mentioned I should remember the mantra "a little goes a long way" when it comes to using it. The technique being used is very important with certain products: avoid being heavy-handed and stay out of the sun so you can work on a cool surface. We know not everyone has the luxury of pulling their car inside a facility to wash and care for it, but do your best to use a garage or a carport.

With the growing popularity of ceramic coating, my final question to the team was whether or not it's recommended. All three were quick to say that Meguiar's does not recommend using their own ceramic coating products on matte paint because it will introduce shine to the paint. They did, however, recommend a professional matte ceramic coating to protect the surface of the car. I plan on having a professional detailer apply matte ceramic coating to the paint in July.

The team at Meguiar's offered a bit of other advice when it comes to caring for matte paint. When using tire shine, you'll want to properly clean the tire's sidewall and dry it before applying any tire shine. The reason is that any sort of tire spit or sling can damage the matte paint, and oftentimes, this goes unnoticed until it's too late. Also, Meguiar's does have a team of human experts (I saw them!) at their facility to answer any questions you may have about proper car care. The company offers live chat on their website and a toll-free number (800-347-5700) you can call. There's no question that's too dumb when it comes to caring for your vehicle. Cars aren't cheap, and when a brand like Meguiar's offers a free resource, I'd highly recommend taking advantage of it.

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