Expecting too much from coating?

Need Bilt-Hamber Touchless or Auto-foam to remove that traffic film

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

The coating has to be maintained with proper products. Using the wrong products can clog up the coating and not let it do its true potential.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Yaemish said:

In 2020 I tried my first coating (UK 3.0), I maintained it and didn't do a full re-apply in 2021. It did hold up on the top section of the quarter panels and hood, the lower vertical surfaces took more of a beating. This was probably due to the NY winter.

I'm not knocking the coating. In fact, I'm probably done with waxes and polishes. I just don't have the time anymore. However, I was under the impression that if I drove through the rain, the water wouldn't leave any dirty film. And at worst, I would be able to hit it with the hose and it would look clean. I never experienced that. Is that just a fantasy or marketing hype?

Like I said, the coating is better than the traditional products. But if I need to mist it every wash in order to make it work as advertised, than I may as well be using an old carnauba. So, am I expecting too much out of the coating?

Click to expand...

Have you tried an iron remover? I have close to 1 year old CanCoat on my Tacoma that had began to look weak on the hood. I washed it, sprayed Gtechnique iron remover, agitated, let dwell a couple of minutes, and sprayed off. That restored the beading to almost good as new.

I went back to wax. There is too much maintenance. You need Sio2 soap, if you scratch a part you need to polish and re-apply, wait 24-36 hours to cure. High Spot, Streaks, etc. You must use the "system" to maintain your coated vehicle.

Wax or sealant is simple and easy. No need for a "system".

Coatings get clogged. Give it a decon wash.

Here’s what you should try if you wish to stay in the CarPro line up

1. Foam with Lift
2. Rinse
3. Foam with Descale
4. Contact Wash with Reset
5. Rinse
6. Iron Remover
7. Rinse and top it off with Elixir if you desire.


On a side note that I don’t agree with needing an SiO2 soap. Those are not needed at all. A wax free and gloss enhancer free wash is what is needed.

People tend to over complicate it he expectation of a coating.

As with everything “your mileage may vary” but I have 1 coat CQUK (prepped with Essence primer/polish) topped with CarPro Gliss on my daily driver that was applied just over 2 years ago(03/2020). The car is driven in Colorado and used all throughout the winter. I have always maintained it with Reset (every week or two) and a multi-microfiber wash method, never used any toppers ( didn’t want to mask the coating performance).

The car still beads just about the same as when the coating was first applied aside for the very bottom of the trailing edges of fenders behind the tires…

I’m actually close to polishing off the coating as I have a couple small water-spot marks on the hood that really bug me and I’d really like to give CQuarts Sic or MOHS Evo a try.

Yaemish said:

I maintained it and didn't do a full re-apply in 2021.

Click to expand...

Say what?

Kamakaz1961 said:

I went back to wax. There is too much maintenance. You need Sio2 soap, if you scratch a part you need to polish and re-apply, wait 24-36 hours to cure. High Spot, Streaks, etc. You must use the "system" to maintain your coated vehicle.

Wax or sealant is simple and easy. No need for a "system".

Click to expand...

These are powerful reasons why I too still refuse to mess with coatings. I have no problem with applying wax or sealant every few months. I look forward to it.

Coatings aren't force fields. The constant videos of water sheeting, etc. are typically off freshly decontaminated, polished and coated vehicles. Even my current daily driver is slick as wet ice, but I keep it that way given my OCD nature as a detailer. Of course, it's a bit of hype.

In the "real world" of NY, or OH where I'm at, the salt and road grime will stick to a coating like any other surface. The difference is removing it will be much easier and the product protection will last longer. One still has to use soap, water, a sponge, or a rinseless, etc. In other words, you will have to touch it at some point. The best thing going forward is simply running your car through touchless washes weekly during the winter season. Don't let the road grime sit on the surface for more than a week or so as with anything, it will bond tighter over time.

In terms of fixing it, that's where you can rest a bit easier than you think. As noted above, use an iron remover after the initial wash. You'll see a load of contaminants turn purple, etc and thus removing them or greatly weakening their bond. Next, use a nano clay mitt or synthetic clay mitt, etc. and very soapy water. With an ever-so-slight touch, just wipe it across the soapy surface and break off the remaining bonded contaminants. It won't scratch or mar the surface. We're not claying a car that is in bad need of it with little to no protection. You're simply pulling off lightly bonded contaminants off a coated car. They come right off. I literally just did my wife's CX-5 Last night. It was feeling "hairy" as I call it. Kinda like razor stubble. Zero issues.

Give it a final rinse and then use your favorite topper to provide slickness, etc. Many use whatever brand matches their coating. I suggest also investing in GYEON's CanCoat product. The newest formulation CanCoat EVO is awesome! Spritz a rag, wipe on, buff off. I did her entire CX-5 in 20 minutes. Think of it as an ultra hydrophobic booster for your coating that you'll use once per year if that to keep it perfect. It layers over top of the existing Cquartz just fine. From that point on it's just wash an go until you need to de-hair it again in the spring. It's really just a once per year thing.

Hope that helps.

The coating lite products (Can Coat/Feynlab Lite/Gloss Coat) are great and can give inexperienced users like myself access to a coating product without the fuss. In fact they're now as easy to apply as any sealant so you might as well use one IMO.

For 3 of my coated cars I maintain with a wash weekly ( winter can be a challenge at which time I may do iron remover) followed by a SiO topper every other month ( which only takes 15 minutes). Hands down bird bombs wipe off easily (waxes n sealant give little protection in my experience) and bug juice comes off easier. As mentioned above you still have to maintain it. I get 2 years out of my coatings with this process (WG Profi ceramic or BF ceramic have been used), give or take a month

The biggest factor for my coatings lasting multiple years has been keeping them clean.

My vehicles and my oldest daughter's get washed on a pretty frequent basis. Nothing fancy; Optimum Car Wash or Meguiars Hyperwash when the weather allows, the local touchless car wash when it doesn't. Despite rain, snow, salt, and mud, and being driven daily, the coatings have lasted 2~3+ years. Even after a long winter, the beading/sheeting on the lower doors usually comes back after 2~3 good hand washes, and you can see it getting better each time.

My youngest daughter's car which sits in a college dorm parking lot and only gets washed a few times a year struggles. For her, because it sits out 100% of the time and isn't driven much, the roof and hood seem to loose signs of the coating water properties. In this case my normal routine hasn't helped much, and I'm going to hit it with reset to see if I can bring the beading back.

This^^^^^

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Bill D said:

These are powerful reasons why I too still refuse to mess with coatings. I have no problem with applying wax or sealant every few months. I look forward to it.

Click to expand...

Im with you

Yaemish said:

Thanks for all the input! I did not use an iron remover, I suppose that I didn't understand the value of them. I've been using the Chemical Guys green soap in my foam cannon and I thought that it was a safe wash. Is it?

I'm happy that I'm not the only one that sees the coatings as being just as much work as the old way of doing things. I don't want to doubt anyone's advice, especially those that have more coating experience. I just remember the Zaino craze and needing to use that little $20 catalyst to activate the sealant. I was complete "BS". Ever since then, I've been skeptical of needing to stay inside a massive product lineup from the same company.

Are there any coatings out there that will let me hose the car off after the rain and remove all the crap you see on dark paint?

Click to expand...

Think of coatings as just superior sealants. They're harder, have more hydrophobic qualities and make cleaning easier. The coating lite products I mentioned are as easy to apply as a regular wax/sealant only you're getting something that is superior no matter how you cut it. Are they necessary? Not at all. If you want to apply something after each wash or once a month there is nothing wrong with that either.

I think the hype lies within the durability claims. I personally have not seen many coatings go more than 3 years without diminished hydrophobics. Hype also is found in the claims made by people thinking they can reduce scratches etc. That's not exactly true.

Can Coat and Gloss Coat, two coating products I've used, are as easy as it gets to apply. You don't have to apply a topper to any coating. What you need to do is just periodically wash it with a good cleaning soap, something like Carpro Reset or Optimum Car Wash etc. Periodically use an iron remover. That will keep the coating performing well.

Very well said^^^^^

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

Yaemish said:

Are there any coatings out there that will let me hose the car off after the rain and remove all the crap you see on dark paint?

Click to expand...

This is what leads to water spots regardless of the protection being used if the idea is to rinse and leave it alone.