Help me choosing one dedicated coating for customers.

[choijw2]

Hello everyone.

I am still new to coating and need to pick one brand coating for future jobs.

So far I have tried Mckee's, Gtechniq ( C4 trim coating only) and Carpro CQUK.


First my top 3 choices are
1. polish angel cosmic
2. Gtechniq crystal serum light
3. Carpro CQUK

What I am looking for are, in order,
Shine, Durability, and hardness

Polish Angel would be perfect IF durability wasnt the shortest compare to other two.
My experience with CQUK wasnt as easy as i expected so its my last choice at the moment.
Lastly, crystal serum light looks like great product, but I have no experience.
But if I go with Gtechniq, I think I will like to add EXO on top of it and idk... i like to keep things simple
and adding exo will increase the cost.....


can anyone help me make up my mind?

 

[The Guz]

I would consider adding Gloss Coat to your list.

 

[wing commander]

Gloss Coat is very easy to apply and really is well known on the market.I called them on the phone for a application question and got Yvan on the phone with the advice I needed. He was very nice and took his time to make sure I got my question answered to my satisfaction.

 

[Trip]

I have nothing bad to say about Polish Angel Viking Coat. Been on the Zaino train for years made the plunge to the polish angel. Recently did my GM vehicles and my brothers black Audi. Beautiful shine. No idea how long it will last in the real world but the cleaning abilities to wash the vehicle after the coating is superb.

 

[choijw2]

I would consider adding Gloss Coat to your list.

I haven't tried Gloss Coat, but I have experience with Opti-Lens. I wasn't huge fan of syringe bottle also opti lens only lasted about a year and that wasn't good experience for me :/
So it wasnt very good experience with opt coating thats why its not on my list, but I sure will try it in the future.

I have nothing bad to say about Polish Angel Viking Coat. Been on the Zaino train for years made the plunge to the polish angel. Recently did my GM vehicles and my brothers black Audi. Beautiful shine. No idea how long it will last in the real world but the cleaning abilities to wash the vehicle after the coating is superb.

I actually have PA viking coat coming in next monday. I really wanted to try COSMIC, but for my customer who is moving to canada for couple years for work, I thought VC would be better choice as it is made for cold weather and have more chemical resistance including road salts.

Polish Angle claims 2 years protection with regular maintance on both COSMIC and VC, but thats a whole year shorter than my 2 other choices.

 

[Octopiston]

PBL Surface coat also claims 3 years.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

My choice as of today is Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2

1. Easy to use.
2. Lasts as long as necessary
3. Looks glassy.
4. Feels slippery and slick - some coatings feel rubbery and to me that's a big negative.
5. There's two maintenance products, the Booster and the Detailer and they both work great and can be used by your customer.

Black Label Coating Detailer & Booster - Synergistic Chemical Compatibility


Here's what I know from experience about coatings. If the coated car is a daily driver, unless it is washed OFTEN and I mean often... then just like paint gets dirty or stained, the coating becomes dirty and stained.


I explain what happens to the paint on daily drivers here,


Road Film - If you drive your car in the rain your car has road film




And the only way to remove the dirt stain is to re-polish the paint and when you do this you have KNOW idea how much if any of any coating is left behind so the only true option to guarantee the paint is coated and protected, (that's two things), is to re-coat the car.

So in my humble opinion, any car that is coated AND is a daily driver, not a garage queen, needs to be re-polished at least on a yearly basis to maintain a perfect finish. I would define the word perfect to mean not only are all paint defects removed, things like swirls, scratches and water spots, but the dirt stain that build up as a normal part of owning and driving a car.


I explain this in an article I wrote about 20 years ago here,


The Lesson White Paint Teaches Us




So if I'm right, and I could be wrong, but if I'm right, then coatings that last longer than two years might be great on the protection side but on the pristine beauty side, one year is more than enough because the paint/coating is going to become stained with dirt or road film and the only way to 100% insure the road film is removed is to re-polish the paint and the brings us to a Catch-22 situation.


Just my humble opinion....

 

[choijw2]

Thank you for your input Mike!!

Do you have experience with carpro cquarts by any chance?
To me, CQUK feels "rubbery" like you mentioned, I think that is exactly right expression.
I tried to move my finger crossed the coated area and it felt like surface was somewhat.... grabbing my finger from sliding.


Also I've looked at Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2
and after hearing your recommendation, maybe I need to reconsider.


Btw what is difference between Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2 and Black Label Surface Coating?

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

Thank you for your input Mike!!
To me, CQUK feels "rubbery" like you mentioned, I think that is exactly right expression.
I tried to move my finger crossed the coated area and it felt like surface was somewhat.... grabbing my finger from sliding.


Also I've looked at Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2
and after hearing your recommendation, maybe I need to reconsider.


Btw what is difference between Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2 and Black Label Surface Coating?

Interesting, I use CQ and CQUK all the time and feel nothing but smoothness.
That said, my DD has PBL DCv1 and holds up, the main diff (as I understand it) between v1 and v2 was longevity.
But as Mike states, if it's a DD, a yearly refresh in spring usually includes a polish, which at that point the coating will need to be reinstalled.

IMO, PBL is by far one of the easiest and nicest looking coatings. I have NEVER struggled with high-spots, and it just works fantastic. Like I said, have them on my DD's.

The Garage Queen has CQUK. The only issue with CarPro, is you're going to have to look at the temp ranges, CQ if it's hot / humid, CQUK for cooler conditions.

 

[Cruzscarwash]

Thank you for your input Mike!!

Do you have experience with carpro cquarts by any chance?
To me, CQUK feels "rubbery" like you mentioned, I think that is exactly right expression.
I tried to move my finger crossed the coated area and it felt like surface was somewhat.... grabbing my finger from sliding.


Also I've looked at Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2
and after hearing your recommendation, maybe I need to reconsider.


Btw what is difference between Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2 and Black Label Surface Coating?

surface is for all surfaces and V2 is for paint

also, id like to know if there is something on AG that mike has NOT tried..lol


lastly @mike if there is one brand you would consider yours what would it be? we all know @nick has McKee's as his baby so which product would you consider yours or that you help them most with in R&D

 

[Cruzscarwash]

so I was kind of in the same boat as you and I offer 2 options based on my customer

my show car garage queen clients get Cquarts (might try and switch to gloss coat or PA)

for the daily driver clients that want a coating I go for PBL coating until im out and then ill switch to Mckees 37 ( I have my car coated with both and I can tell a difference in application and quality just from spraying it.)

 

[choijw2]

Interesting to hear about reapplication on coating...

hmmm... so unless you do proper maintenance regularly... 2,3 or even 5 year protection isn't big key issues then.

 

[RaskyR1]

Why limit yourself to just one coating? Having multiple can open you up to a larger audience.

 

[Desertnate]

for the daily driver clients that want a coating I go for PBL coating until im out and then ill switch to Mckees 37 ( I have my car coated with both and I can tell a difference in application and quality just from spraying it.)

From this comment are you saying you like McKee's 37 better than PBL? I was thinking of going from McKee's 37 to PBL in search of slightly better durability and maybe better appearance, but if that isn't the case I'll happily stay with McKee's. I think it's a screaming deal for the non-pro, if it performs as advertised.

 

[choijw2]

Why limit yourself to just one coating? Having multiple can open you up to a larger audience.

When it comes to coating, I personally think its better to stick to one brand
for consistence result and performance.

I just like to keep things simple.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Thank you for your input Mike!!

Do you have experience with carpro cquarts by any chance?

Yes but it's been a while so I would WANT to use it again to make sure any comments I have are accurate. I can do this if someone wants me too.

To me, CQUK feels "rubbery" like you mentioned, I think that is exactly right expression.
I tried to move my finger crossed the coated area and it felt like surface was somewhat.... grabbing my finger from sliding.

Here's what I know...

In the same way people/customers LIKE to see incredible water beading people/customers like paint to feel slick and slippery. I don't know anyone that like paint to feel rubbery.

Btw what is difference between Black Label Diamond Paint Coating v2 and Black Label Surface Coating?

The paint coating is a dedicated formula for paint and the surface coating is a more wide spectrum coating that can be used on paint, plastic and glass.

IMO, PBL is by far one of the easiest and nicest looking coatings.

Bubba-Proof or stupid simple are descriptions that come to mind with the PBL coatings.

lastly @mike if there is one brand you would consider yours what would it be? we all know @nick has McKee's as his baby so which product would you consider yours or that you help them most with in R&D

Actually, Nick and I work together. He brings me product he wants me to test and I test them. Some times they are marked which brand they are and sometimes there is no marking or identification for blind testing.

Just to note, he brings me products from a wide spectrum of companies. Sometimes these are brands we already carry on the AG store and sometimes these are brands that want to be carried by Autogeek and sold on the AG store. My job is to simply test them, fill out a report and submit my findings. In some cases I also include before, during and after pictures.

 

[RaskyR1]

When it comes to coating, I personally think its better to stick to one brand
for consistence result and performance.

I just like to keep things simple.

I get that. I have my main coating offering and agree it's nice to have one where you get the application and things dialed in, but I think some clients like options too. I currently offer 3 coatings, priced from low, mid, to high, with the highest priced coating being a pro offering.

Gloss-coat is ridiculously easy to apply and is my lowest priced offering because of it's simplicity and fast application time. My mid-level coating is Crystal Serum Light. It still easy to apply but more time consuming unless it's a 2 person application. My top level coating would be CQuartz Finest.

 

[choijw2]

I get that. I have my main coating offering and agree it's nice to have one where you get the application and things dialed in, but I think some clients like options too. I currently offer 3 coatings, priced from low, mid, to high, with the highest priced coating being a pro offering.

Gloss-coat is ridiculously easy to apply and is my lowest priced offering because of it's simplicity and fast application time. My mid-level coating is Crystal Serum Light. It still easy to apply but more time consuming unless it's a 2 person application. My top level coating would be CQuartz Finest.

How do you advertise 3 different level of coatings?

Do you have any compare chart so customers can see different application time, durability, hardness, etc?

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Here's an upcoming detail job I have for a customer, I don't have the specifics yet except he says it's horribly swirled out.

For this project, I'm going to use Gtechniq Crystal Serum

Should be here next week...

 

[choijw2]

Looking forward to it Mike!!