coatings useless or fantastic? what do you think??

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I felt exactly like you until I took the plunge. I was shown how to use the coating and its a piece of cake. Just be sure you polish and prep properly.

There are great videos on AG and Youtube. Take your time, follow instructions and work clean.

Desertnate said:
My biggest hang up with the coatings is the cost and the learning curve.

I'd happily take a wax or sealant I've never used before (in my normal price range) and "play" with it on one of my daily drivers. The costs are relatively small, and the risk low. The products are easy to apply and easy to remove with a non abrasive paint cleaner if I mess it up, but chances are low.

Coatings are a whole different animal in my eyes. From following the discussions here, they must be applied very carefully and specifically with very little margin of error in order to get the advertised results. You get it wrong and it seems they are a bear to remove. There is no way I'd take on an entire car without a lot of practice to ensure I got it right. The problem is due to cost, I can't afford/justify the expense of using up product just to practice.

I'm sure many are good and I'd love to coat a couple of our daily drivers, but at this point I'll happily hit my car twice a year with a good LSP and call it done. Doing the full routine on our cars twice a year vs once a year isn't that much extra work.
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I'll stick with something I wrote on DetailWorld.co.uk


Show car LSP for Audi R8?


I've used nothing but the Pinnacle Black Label Surface Coating on my wife's Mercedes-Benz SLK350 since we purchased it and it washes fast and easy and the paint always looks great.

Even this morning as I walked by her car the water beading was tight, small and tall....


:)
 
Over time I have gravitated toward using coatings more and more and leaving sealants and other LSP's on the shelf. With a few of the 18-24 month coatings being stupid simple to install it makes sense to me to offer this process to my customers. They don't have sky high MAP pricing and the customer enjoys a longer duration between necessary corrections if they heed my washing and care instructions. I think with the flood of companies offering coatings the prices will continue to drop making them a very attractive avenue to pursue.
 
coatings are changing daily. there are so many new coatings that have been introduced lately that the cost of applying one has gone down. if you have not tried a coating, but want to and cant justify the cost. look at BulletProof, its about 30 for 2 oz. that is enough to do a few cars and it can be layered for even coverage and extra protection and gloss. there is also Americoat which you have to be certified, that is a little more expensive that BulletProof. then you get into the higher end coatings like CQ Finest that can only be installed by a certified installer. Modesta another high end coating. then there is Ceramic Pro, also need to be certified, but these last 3 are warrantied products.

the coating world is a lot different today that it was just a year ago. lot of new ones on the market after SEMA
 
I first applied the DGNCC back in the early spring, ended up applying 2x's initially due to temp. I'm a typical "product waster", sure enough, but this time I was going to "let it ride" and I did just that. Fast forward about 2 monthes and now its warm outside and all I've done to that point is use DG rinseless and a couple touch-free washes. I then said to myself I was going to apply a 3rd coat and when I did and pulled the car outside I noticed a HUGE difference in how the car looked, it looked glossier, really glossy infact!

After that I continued to use my DG rinseless but decided to apply AW from time to time and the look always stayed spot on.

Towards the end of summer I decided to top the coating because I wanted to, I decided right then and there I had to go back to what I was comfortable with. Do I think coating are great, no doubt about it and I infact have it applied to my wife's ride and several customers cars whom really need the benefits of a paint coating but for me, well, I'm going to use it as a base for my spring clean-up and see how it goes this coming spring but it will be DPPC as I'm out of the DGNCC now.

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Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
I'll stick with something I wrote on DetailWorld.co.uk

I've used nothing but the Pinnacle Black Label Surface Coating on my wife's Mercedes-Benz SLK350 since we purchased it and it washes fast and easy and the paint always looks great.

Even this morning as I walked by her car the water beading was tight, small and tall....


:)
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I remember when you wrote about the application on that car. It looked great. Are you still on the original application?

JSFM35x said:
I felt exactly like you until I took the plunge. I was shown how to use the coating and its a piece of cake. Just be sure you polish and prep properly.

There are great videos on AG and Youtube. Take your time, follow instructions and work clean.
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What was your "gateway" coating? If I was to go that route, I'm thinking DP's as it seems the lowest cost and fairly forgiving to apply.

Klasse Act said:
Towards the end of summer I decided to top the coating because I wanted to, I decided right then and there I had to go back to what I was comfortable with. Do I think coating are great, no doubt about it and I infact have it applied to my wife's ride and several customers cars whom really need the benefits of a paint coating but for me, well, I'm going to use it as a base for my spring clean-up and see how it goes this coming spring but it will be DPPC as I'm out of the DGNCC now.

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If I go this route, I'll do similar. My wife and daughter's cars don't get a lot of attention since they are driven heavily and I don't have access to them as much as I'd like. The wife's car is also an SUV, so the fewer times I have to touch it the better. I'll leave the waxes and sealants for my car as it's small and I enjoy working on it.
 
JSFM35x said:
For me my experience is limited to EXO v1 EXO v2 and Opticoat 2.0. All 3 great in their own right. EXO v1 easy to apply, great shine and durability super hydrophobic, fair amount of mar resistance EXO v2 seems to be the same with a different application system. I prefer the aerosol. It was much faster than dosing a makeup pad. I most likely used more ml to coat my car with the aerosol. I got 2 solid years, over 30k on the EXO v2 on my daily driver. It's time to reapply as soon as the winter ends. Beading really fell off at the 2 year mark. Application was easy.

The Opticoat 2.0 is slightly more mar resistant than the EVO in my observation. Not much but I have accumulated less marring over the 2 years. There was a difference in mileage but both sit out 24 x 7. Opticoat 2.0 had good gloss, durability and lasted about the same 2 years before the beading stopped. Application was easy.

Observation after 2 years
The Opticoat 2.0 was never as slick feeling or as hydrophobic as the EXO s but it stayed clean as long and as easily.

The EXO was super slick and I loved the beads.

Even after the beading fell off the protection endures for both of these. The cars clean up easily. They are just harder to dry. I used Permanon platinum to boost the coatings, make drying easier to get me through the winter when I will polish and recoat with a product to be determined. Part of me wants to try the gloss coat but at 10 mls I think I might fall,short of 2 coats, paint , jambs and wheels. The other part of me says stick with EXO and finally a part of me says try something else like CQuartz.

We will see what I have learned here over the winter and make a decision then. In any case I say they are fantastic because they last many, many times longer than say a BFWD sealer or a colonite 845 and look as good or better.

The key to any good looking car is the prep. Polishing and decon. The LSP can boost it but without the prep it is a total waste. If you have not perfected your polishing routine skip the coatings until you get perfecting the finish it under your belt.
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I've used EXO and Opti Coat 2.0 similar feelings about the products. I've recently started using C1 EXO combo. I've used C2v3 mixed 20:1 with distiller water as a drying aid to bring back the gloss and slickness on the EXO. Works great and very inexpensive. I'm going to try it on Opticoat as well.
 
Coatings capabilities have been oversold, only proper specific maintenance will have the coating even remotely measure up to the claims.

Many ethically challenged folks have used these products to upsell on jobs, while at the same time not even get close to high level correction................. slamming on the product in some cases (Outside in the elements during the initial application) or even delivering the car less than a half hour after the product was wiped off.

The bubble will burst...............when the consumer get's educated on the real world performance VS "Selling ice to eskimo's" sales practices.

In this "Me2" furor, it has been disappointing to watch the developments of the makers of some of the products to guys flip flopping on the sales approach in order to "Get paid" totally selling out there integrity and care not...............in fact brag about this in private(Or so they thought) Facebook groups.

Someone is always watching gents...................always.
 
Bob nice to see you back always like reading your posts..
 
Auto Concierge said:
Coatings capabilities have been oversold, only proper specific maintenance will have the coating even remotely measure up to the claims.

Many ethically challenged folks have used these products to upsell on jobs, while at the same time not even get close to high level correction................. slamming on the product in some cases (Outside in the elements during the initial application) or even delivering the car less than a half hour after the product was wiped off.

The bubble will burst...............when the consumer get's educated on the real world performance VS "Selling ice to eskimo's" sales practices.

In this "Me2" furor, it has been disappointing to watch the developments of the makers of some of the products to guys flip flopping on the sales approach in order to "Get paid" totally selling out there integrity and care not...............in fact brag about this in private(Or so they thought) Facebook groups.

Someone is always watching gents...................always.
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It seems as though YOU are the one that needs to be educated on real world performance. It's also quite a bold claim to say that coating installers are using shady sales techniques to get paid. Yes...there are certain companies that have made some ridiculous claims that suddenly started backing off of those claims almost overnight. Plus a LOT of these "tests" that are shown are all BS and just for show. Lighting a coating on fire or hitting it with the back of a lighter proves absolutely nothing.

I've been through quite a few coatings before finally choosing to stick with CQuartz FINEST because of the business ethics of CarPro as well as the product actually doing what they claim. Proper prep, application, and curing is extremely important however. Could I just IPA a vehicle and put some Opti-Coat 2.0 on it two years ago and call it a day for ~$500 in a matter of two hours? Sure, then I could tell the client how it's a lifetime coating and will last longer than the car, etc. THAT is shady and wrong. That is also not what professional installers do.

In addition to the proper installation, we don't kick the clients out the door and never speak to them again. I contact every client that I coated a vehicle for every few months to check up and make sure the coating is living up to their expectations. I also educate the customer on proper maintenance and give them realistic expectation if they don't care for the coating.

So for you to say that coatings are just snake oil or "selling ice to eskimos," that is just a ridiculous statement. This isn't a "bubble" that is going to burst...it's evolution in automotive protection, not some fad or phase.
 
Anthony Onorato said:
It seems as though YOU are the one that needs to be educated on real world performance. It's also quite a bold claim to say that coating installers are using shady sales techniques to get paid. Yes...there are certain companies that have made some ridiculous claims that suddenly started backing off of those claims almost overnight. Plus a LOT of these "tests" that are shown are all BS and just for show. Lighting a coating on fire or hitting it with the back of a lighter proves absolutely nothing.

I've been through quite a few coatings before finally choosing to stick with CQuartz FINEST because of the business ethics of CarPro as well as the product actually doing what they claim. Proper prep, application, and curing is extremely important however. Could I just IPA a vehicle and put some Opti-Coat 2.0 on it two years ago and call it a day for ~$500 in a matter of two hours? Sure, then I could tell the client how it's a lifetime coating and will last longer than the car, etc. THAT is shady and wrong. That is also not what professional installers do.

In addition to the proper installation, we don't kick the clients out the door and never speak to them again. I contact every client that I coated a vehicle for every few months to check up and make sure the coating is living up to their expectations. I also educate the customer on proper maintenance and give them realistic expectation if they don't care for the coating.

So for you to say that coatings are just snake oil or "selling ice to eskimos," that is just a ridiculous statement. This isn't a "bubble" that is going to burst...it's evolution in automotive protection, not some fad or phase.
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Hahaha I love guys like you. He's been detailing at the highest level for long before you son. Evolution... Come on now. Putting coatings on cars does not give you credentials to think ur poo doesn't stink... Why don't you give a run down of your theory bro.
 
Please read and understand before saying things I did NOT say Anthony, coatings are not snake oil but some and have sold the products in this way.

The bubble bursting is not claiming the coatings are a fad, the bubble is the over hyped claims from some makers of the product(s) and the installers deceptive sales tactics claiming the car's finish will not scratch and silly things like "It's practically the stuff they put on the space shuttle trust me"....................

Annoying I have to define clear assertions that were said.
 
Coatings are not a fad IMO;)

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Nice to see you Bob! :)


As stated in my original post above, I do love coatings, but agree with much of what Bob has said about exaggerated claims and people over selling them. I didn't see him pointing any fingers and it obviously doesn't apply to everyone.
 
I feel a little common sense needs to be used when talking about ANY LSP, especially coatings.
 
overselling is terrible, but it's not the product's fault. so while people might say x-coating is the best stuff EVER...and it's actually not, or...if the manufacturer makes claims that you can't seem to match, that doesn't mean it's not the most durable and/or sexy LSP available in certain cases, or generally...or whatever. i hope people don't avoid a product or category of products based on anything other than what the product can actually do for you...or in the case of you pros, your customers. because, if i listened to some people, i'd not use what i've used and like i said, i love this stuff. i love coatings just like Chad said. not a miracle product...or a force field, but they are pretty damn cool, keep my cars looking better longer and much easier to wash. but i already said that. redundant...i know.

i appreciate that enthusiasts like most of us in here (me included) and part-timers play with this stuff and share their experiences because the pros, it seems, don't always have the opportunity to try new things out because they are pressing to do their job to a level that pleases the customers, presumably a high one, which is a grind and takes time, likely leaving little extra opportunity to run through the various products on various paints without somehow using customers as a test bed.

Bob one thing i think people can appreciate is the fire that comes along your posts, haha. people can disagree with a little/some/most/all of you say but they certainly can't say you aren't passionate about what you do...or, anything, probably lol
 
builthatch said:
overselling is terrible, but it's not the product's fault. so while people might say x-coating is the best stuff EVER...and it's actually not, or...if the manufacturer makes claims that you can't seem to match, that doesn't mean it's not the most durable and/or sexy LSP available in certain cases, or generally...or whatever. i hope people don't avoid a product or category of products based on anything other than what the product can actually do for you...or in the case of you pros, your customers. because, if i listened to some people, i'd not use what i've used and like i said, i love this stuff. i love coatings just like Chad said. not a miracle product...or a force field, but they are pretty damn cool, keep my cars looking better longer and much easier to wash. but i already said that. redundant...i know.

i appreciate that enthusiasts like most of us in here (me included) and part-timers play with this stuff and share their experiences because the pros, it seems, don't always have the opportunity to try new things out because they are pressing to do their job to a level that pleases the customers, presumably a high one, which is a grind and takes time, likely leaving little extra opportunity to run through the various products on various paints without somehow using customers as a test bed.

Bob one thing i think people can appreciate is the fire that comes along your posts, haha. people can disagree with a little/some/most/all of you say but they certainly can't say you aren't passionate about what you do...or, anything, probably lol
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I tell the truth....................... this get's in the way of some peoples agenda's, actually no product goes on any clients vehicle until it is vetted to my standard(No wow he is arrogant remarks please).

I predicted correctly the state of how coatings would be sold and marketed, in addition the coating craze is the like the internet....................a two sided coin with if the products are utilized correctly all is good..............when shady opportunities exist those with that persuasion will never miss the chance to capitalize and thus the flip side.

To all who PM me and thank me for speaking what many think you are welcome, doing it with integrity sometimes seems like the darkside wins....................they have their just reward and the fall is great as your reputation is all you have.
 
My local stores have hidden the Deep Woods Off! for winter. Any idea where I can score some? Got a bunch of suc^h^h^h^h clients' cars coming in...
 
This thread is great because there's some "non regulars" coming in and making points, points that are well sorted and posted so one can follow and really understand where they're coming from, thank you guys, you know who you are and don't be a stranger here, ok;)

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