Any coatings that conceal defects?

tuscarora dave

tuscarora dave

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Has anyone come out with a semi-permanent coating that conceals light paint defects?

As I see it, us detailers are the anal retentive 1%ers out there that tote around ridiculous swirl finding flashlights and have the ability to spot a swirled out paint job from a mile away. The 99%ers out there who can rarely tell a swirl from a squirrel are my target market. I want a coating that can be applied to a simply clayed car without touching a buffer at all, that will make a major improvement to the appearance of the vehicles of the 99%ers out there.

I'm probably going to pick up a few different brands of paint coatings to test on unpolished paints to see which will produce the nicest looking finish. I think I can sell a coating only package which requires just an Iron-X prep previous to the coating application a lot more frequently than I could sell a total correction plus coating package.

A good friend once told me that "there's a lot more hundred dollar bills out there than there are five hundred dollar bills."

If 1/10 of the 99%ers that drive past my shop daily would pay $100 for a basic decontamination and coating package, that'd be a lot of $100 bills.

I wouldn't expect that any coating would make much of an improvement on a total basket case of a paint job, that's where the upsell of a basic polish package would come in, but I could see a lot of opportunity in a $100 basic decontamination and coating application on a lot of the later model daily drivers that pass my shop each day.

Any coating junkies out there want to recommend a few coatings for me to test out on unpolished newer vehicles?
 
CQ UK is supposed to conceal a bit. Wonder how much gloss it adds to dull paint.
 
yakky said:
CQ UK is supposed to conceal a bit. Wonder how much gloss it adds to dull paint.
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Awesome!!! Thanks for the feedback!! I'll put that at the top of the list for now. I'm sure I'll also document and post my testing to this thread later.
 
yakky said:
CQ UK is supposed to conceal a bit. Wonder how much gloss it adds to dull paint.
Click to expand...
tuscarora dave said:
Awesome!!! Thanks for the feedback!! I'll put that at the top of the list for now. I'm sure I'll also document and post my testing to this thread later.
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Hi Dave...

Just to add to yakky's above post:
I posted about CQUK a couple days ago in this thread:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/86416-new-member-old-question.html

Bob
 
If you are only charging $100 for the prep and application of the coating...I would say you are very limited on options, simply due to the cost of the coating itself

Maybe the NEW Meguiar's 365 or Bulletproof
 
allenk4 said:
If you are only charging $100 for the prep and application of the coating...I would say you are very limited on options, simply due to the cost of the coating itself

Maybe the NEW Meguiar's 365 or Bulletproof
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:iagree: The cost would include the product itself, the towels you have to throw away after, the labor for you to apply, and that fact that it has to cure for at least 24 hours before seeing water. GL to you if you are willing to care for all of that for $100. I wouldn't even do it for $200.
 
allenk4 said:
If you are only charging $100 for the prep and application of the coating...I would say you are very limited on options, simply due to the cost of the coating itself

Maybe the NEW Meguiar's 365 or Bulletproof
Click to expand...
Mike Stoops insists that Meguiar's PP365 is not a Coating.
And, so far:
It is not being marketed as a "defect concealer".

Bob
 
FUNX725 said:
Mike Stoops insists that Meguiar's PP365 is not a Coating.
And, so far:
It is not being marketed as a "defect concealer".

Bob
Click to expand...


I have not used either product, so I was careful to include the word "Maybe"

The only way I see offering a very durable LSP as a viable business option is offering it as a $100 upgrade
 
EVOlved said:
:iagree: The cost would include the product itself, the towels you have to throw away after, the labor for you to apply, and that fact that it has to cure for at least 24 hours before seeing water. GL to you if you are willing to care for all of that for $100. I wouldn't even do it for $200.
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I would do it as a $100-$200 upgrade over Wax

I think Bulletproof and the new Megs 365 have short initial cure times

Bulletproof is $30 and is supposed to do 5-6 cars

Meguiar's 365 is $9.99 and also does multiple applications

Not sure you have to dispose of the towel after application with them either
 
allenk4 said:
I would do it as a $100-$200 upgrade over Wax

I think Bulletproof and the new Megs 365 have short initial cure times

Bulletproof is $30 and is supposed to do 5-6 cars

Meguiar's 365 is $9.99 and also does multiple applications

Not sure you have to dispose of the towel after application with them either
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As an upgrade sure but at a wash, decon, and coat price of a $100 like the OP posted?

And yes I understand the other ones may be more reasonable but he was recommended and speaking of CQuartz UK.
 
CQ UK & C.A.R. Bulletproof both have very slight filling properties, but you will honestly want to put at least 2 coats on to obtain this IMO.

The thing that worries me about coating cars that have nit received at least a quick polish is that you're locking in that paint condition for 2 years, and putting your name on that car. I see where you are coming from, but personally I will not apply a coating on a car without at least doing a quick polish.
 
Sicktred08fsi said:
CQ UK & C.A.R. Bulletproof both have very slight filling properties, but you will honestly want to put at least 2 coats on to obtain this IMO.

The thing that worries me about coating cars that have nit received at least a quick polish is that you're locking in that paint condition for 2 years, and putting your name on that car. I see where you are coming from, but personally I will not apply a coating on a car without at least doing a quick polish.
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2 coats of CQUK required indeed- it then does fill in scratches and such.
 
These are all great points, and thanks to all of you for offering your thoughts, points of view and overall experience concerning coatings.

I'm not set on any pricing yet, nor am I even set on going forward with this line of thinking.

I have a lot of experience in creating show car paint finishes and application of coatings in general. In my area, south central PA (some forum members have been here before) there's not many 1%ers who are really meticulous about the finish of their vehicles. There are however a lot of folks with at least some disposable income in this area. There is a lot of opportunity to offer something better than a wax.

A huge percentage, if not all of the folks I've dealt with around here concerning car care don't even know that clear, wipe on walk away sealants exist, let alone the more durable coatings.

I have a great location where tons and tons of traffic pass all day every day. Even through the night folks just keep on driving by at all hours. That's a lot of opportunity for people to see an "Automotive Paint Protection" sign on the front of my shop.

There have been a lot of thoughts cross my mind as a detailer or better yet, an "automotive appearance specialist" as our old friend Charlie "Shiny lil detailer" said it. One of the things that crosses my mind constantly about the detailing industry as a whole, is that it wouldn't be tough to exceed the quality of a great percentage of what's being offered in it, for the "Clean and Shiny" crowd anyway.

My regular gig is repair and maintenance of handicap accessible vehicles, wheelchair lifts, power ramps, power doors, rocker rust repairs, mini van ground effects etc. for these vehicles.

A majority of my money is made in servicing commercial wheelchair lifts for nursing homes and churches, both at my shop and on a mobile basis, however there is a good amount of time to be filled in between these calls. Not enough time to be doing full paint corrections though, and the water quality at my location prohibits efficient car washing, nor am I interested in washing cars.

There's got to be a way to offer simple paint protection services only, in these slots of down time. I'm also a guy who knows how to go out and pound the pavement and generate work in any field I'm involved in.

Here's my thought on all of this coatings stuff.

Offer up a coating to folks who already care for their vehicles the best they know how. Be clear, as I'm out "pounding the pavement" that I do not wash cars, I do not usually buff cars, but I do offer an advanced paint protection product to an already well maintained vehicle. Bring me an already cleaned "washed" car, and I'll do a quick pass with my machine and a prewax cleaner to prep for, and then apply a coating to the prospective client's vehicle.

The baggy test and clay bar treatment would be the upsell, the higher quality coating would be the upsell, the 4 ounce bottle of DP Paint Coating would be the standard product used at $100 per application.

A lot of folks told me I couldn't make being a detailer work, or "You'll never be able to sell detailing in this area." but yet I worked out of the trunk of my old Buick detailing cars, then bought a van and worked as a mobile detailer out of it, and eventually took the leap of faith and rented a shop and quit my full time job as an industrial maintenance mechanic to detail full time. This is when the "wolves came out of the shadows" so to speak, and I knew I'd have to diversify if I wanted to survive.

A few years later, here I am all diversified and offering handicapped mobility service and repairs, and doing car care related stuff in the down times. The older I get, the less I want to ever touch a buffer, and I ain't no spring chicken, not to mention the mileage my old body has on it is high.

This is just something I'm willing to try to sell in my off time, something that kind of makes sense in the light of the fact that I already have a lot of connections with an already established car care clientele. I may not be Tuscarora Dave the super detailer any more, but I still offer something related...to the 99%ers that is.

Anyway...if you've stuck with me through that long winded spiel, thank you.

Now, back to which coatings might be concealers of light paint defects.
 
Dave, I see what your trying to get at but it just don't seem very cost effective. If your looking for something that requires minimal prep time while masking a lot of the defects why not just use some glazes? Personally I wouldn't ever want to put a long term coating over a car that wasn't at least polished, and don't offer coatings unless they are willing to do a polish first. You should consider maybe trying Reload or Gtechniq C2V3 which are simple spray on wipe off sealants providing 6-9+ months of protection and a great look while being far more affordable then a coating. Now I am not a full time guy at this, but 75% of my work this year has been coatings (CQUK, Americoat, or Finest).

If your looking for something quick I would do a glaze and then a sealant over top if your worried about hiding defects.
 
I'm not really concerned with hiding defects as much as just making an overall improvement in gloss and wash-ability from a non detailer perspective. The target market is the average guy or gal who don't even realize that professional polishers exist, or don't know the difference between a swirl and a squirrel in other words, just about anyone who drives past my shop.

I'm trying to find a way to sell a quick and easy (but beneficial) improvement for the average daily driver. I'm not trying to sell any AGO members on the idea, but rather generate some discussion on coatings in general as it pertains to my idea. I am definitely getting what I'm after in this thread so far, so thanks guys!!
 
Coatings and affordable usually don't go hand in hand, at least not at the price point your looking at. Maybe you should give Hydr02 a try, great product and I use it for most of my basic details and even on my own personal vehicles. It is also very quick to apply without getting and machines or pads or anything out.
 
allenk4 said:
One heavy coat on my roof did not fill to any noticeable degree
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What was your dry time for that coat? I would think you would get a lot of high spots if you do one single heavy coat- not all gets absorbed.

I recently did a scratch removal on a black Altima's bumper. Once i polished off a majority of it there were still some scratches that you could see. After 2 coats of CQUK in that area the scratches were all gone.
 
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