If you could only choose one complete “system”?

[opie2]

I’m not a business so I don’t know or really care about any commercial coatings. Not so much charging but we know how long it takes to do the job right, which is polishing, prep, and coating. That is a lot of time and effort. So even without an upcharge, the labor will be, what, 10+ times more than the cost of 30/50ml of CQuartz 3.0 for example. It is just easier not having the customer know what the price is of the coating so that they don’t do any mental math on what is product vs labor. I’d still be able to show the value but it would be easier if there was some ambiguity there. Not saying trying to hide it but we know $1,000 MIGHT be a reasonable price for polishing and coating but if the customer sees the coating is $75, that is a different thought than not knowing the true price of a professional-only coating. Just marketing and perceptions involved.

Understandable. And i wash honestly just curious on the pro coating question. I dont know much aboit what good brand of pro coating there are out there.

Personally i have no problems tellin ppl i do work for what it all costs if they ask. If they dont like my price for whatever reason, then im ok with them saying no.

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[dgage]

Understandable. And i wash honestly just curious on the pro coating question. I dont know much aboit what good brand of pro coating there are out there.

Personally i have no problems tellin ppl i do work for what it all costs if they ask. If they dont like my price for whatever reason, then im ok with them saying no.

And we definitely see someone like TTQ B4U using consumer coatings and does very well I’m sure but I’m not sure if he is a full or part-time detailer but a business regardless. So there are definitely some that use consumer coatings and people still see the value as you suggest. But we also know the people that regularly post on AGO are some of the best detailers in the biz or not biz.

Another part of my thoughts on professional coatings is that something like CarPro Finest Reserve or the new DQuartz are likely better than their consumer counterparts. Eventually that technology will filter down to consumers but they’ll have to make them a little easier to apply in a variety of conditions first.

 

[DetailZeus]

Gonna go against the grain and say 3D; they're my benchmark brand that I always fall back to when I get tired of trying new things. I've had a good experience with all of their products sans a stinky bottle of Super Soap that still performed fine, but scent was off. I haven't tried their coating. I could honestly could probably fill 99% of my detailing needs with like 10 or less of their products.

 

[PaulMys]

NU-FINISH for the WIN!!!!

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Gonna go against the grain and say 3D; they're my benchmark brand that I always fall back to when I get tired of trying new things. I've had a good experience with all of their products sans a stinky bottle of Super Soap that still performed fine, but scent was off. I haven't tried their coating. I could honestly could probably fill 99% of my detailing needs with like 10 or less of their products.

In the end, we all like what we like, and something as simple as a scent can turn you off. I've been gifted products in the past because others didn't like the scent, and I actually like them.

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[CanadianBacon]

You'll probably need a whole new garage to fit the entire Meguiar's line! :laughing:

This is something I have thought about a lot lately. To be frank, I think the likes of Meguiar's, Mothers, Turtle Wax ect have missed the boat and would really struggle to sell a proper ceramic line. This is not because they wouldn't make a great product, just that it would be very hard for those brands to sell premium products to both the enthusiast and professional user.

Firstly, at a retail level, I don't believe Meguiar's could put a ceramic coating on the shelf at a big-box retailer. Using a wax is very different to using a ceramic coating, so selling something like this to the occasional user could get quite messy for Meguiar's. Then when you think about the enthusiast consumer, we tend to look elsewhere for ceramic coatings...........mostly based on brand image to be completely honest.

So, Meguiar's are then left to sell this as a professional product, and again, brand image and marketability comes into question. Does a pro want to offer their customers a Meguiar's coating or will they better be able to "sell" a Gtechniq, Gyeon or Carpro ect coating to a potential customer?

Finally, price. Meguiar's are seen as a value driven company. A ceramic coating is going to be priced accordingly and be fair way north of a traditional bottle of wax. That's going to be a hard hurdle for them to overcome. Brand perceptions are hard to change. Meguiar's have previous grievance in this arena, their Hybrid Paint Coating is a hard sell at its price point over and above a bottle of wax sitting on the same shelf for a fraction of the price.

This is in no way dissing Meguiar's, they make good products at good prices. I do however think it's probably best they stay in their lane.

Ya, this is a really good point. I kinda expected them to launch a professional line to compliment their other professional products, but as you said the big names are already there and most owners will happily use Meg’s for prep and then too with a fancy sounding exotic coating.

 

[Silly Rabbit]

Isn't Meguiar's now under the 3D tent? Then Meguiar's is mostly the consumer line and 3D the 'business' line shall we say?? I don't think I have ever seen a 3D detail product on the shelf of a big walkin store? So they have a nice footprint in both segments.

 

[vobro]

Isn't Meguiar's now under the 3D tent? Then Meguiar's is mostly the consumer line and 3D the 'business' line shall we say?? I don't think I have ever seen a 3D detail product on the shelf of a big walkin store? So they have a nice footprint in both segments.

I believe Mequiars is owned by 3M not 3D

 

[Silly Rabbit]

I believe Mequiars is owned by 3M not 3D

Ahhh, I knew it was one of the "3's".

 

[Game]

Just getting back into detailing so I haven’t had the chance to use any products, but after hours and hours of research it seems like Carpro will be my go to. I’m also going to give Koch Chemie and Gyeon a try.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

NU-FINISH for the WIN!!!!

Been settin cars on fire since 1989…


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[DFB]

NU-FINISH for the WIN!!!!

Been settin cars on fire since 1989…


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Considering they still make it, clearly people still buy this junk.

One co-workers proudly showed me her new bottle of Nu-Finish............you know, because I like polishing cars. I had to bite my tongue so hard!

 

[DFB]

This question goes against my most basic philosophy when it comes choosing products. I actually prefer a cabinet full of different brands because it allows me to use the products that work best for me regardless of the label on the bottle rather than having to compromise on some things simply to stay "in-brand"

However, for the sake of discussion, I'll bite: I'll joint the chorus of others and say CarPro. I've never used their polishes, but other than Elixr, I've never been totally disappointed with anything I've tried from them.

This is ultimately my philosophy too, for a couple of reasons.

1/ I like experimenting with different products and brands, it brings me a lot of enjoyment.

2/ No one brand makes a complete range of "best" products, it's virtually impossible.



Having said that, I would be lying if I said my cabinet was full of the "best" products. Sometimes, you have to buy a product and try it for yourself to know if it's good or not, sometimes you discover a gem, sometimes you discover a dud.

Also, I don't have one "best" soap, I several "best" soaps. Necessary, absolutely not. Enjoyable? Absolutely yes.

 

[Big DaveBig Dave is verified member.]

Considering they still make it, clearly people still buy this junk.

One co-workers proudly showed me her new bottle of Nu-Finish............you know, because I like polishing cars. I had to bite my tongue so hard!

Reminds me of the guy I used to work with who wanted to show me the latest, greatest car cleaning product. Some guy sold it to him in a carpark. FW1, he explained how it was the most advanced car cleaning product out there, far superior to anything I had, even though he didn't even know what I used. Back then I was using a lot of Duragloss, Fast Clean and Shine, Wet Wax, and I can't remember what their car wash was, but I used it. I still have some Fast Clean and Shine in the car for bird crap emergencies. He bought into the whole FW1 thing so much he bought a box of 6. I just looked it up to see if it was still out there, holy sh1t, look what they're charging for it now.

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[Tasmania]

Mr. Sheen for that just waxed look

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

Considering they still make it, clearly people still buy this junk.

One co-workers proudly showed me her new bottle of Nu-Finish............you know, because I like polishing cars. I had to bite my tongue so hard!

You did her a disservice and dishonored this thread. A court martial will be pending an investigation

For real though at least she is protecting her paint. Better than 80% out there


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[Coatingsarecrack]

Reminds me of the guy I used to work with who wanted to show me the latest, greatest car cleaning product. Some guy sold it to him in a carpark. FW1, he explained how it was the most advanced car cleaning product out there, far superior to anything I had, even though he didn't even know what I used. Back then I was using a lot of Duragloss, Fast Clean and Shine, Wet Wax, and I can't remember what their car wash was, but I used it. I still have some Fast Clean and Shine in the car for bird crap emergencies. He bought into the whole FW1 thing so much he bought a box of 6. I just looked it up to see if it was still out there, holy sh1t, look what they're charging for it now.

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But yeah, you get 40% more….


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[PaulMys]

Reminds me of the guy I used to work with who wanted to show me the latest, greatest car cleaning product. Some guy sold it to him in a carpark. FW1, he explained how it was the most advanced car cleaning product out there, far superior to anything I had, even though he didn't even know what I used. Back then I was using a lot of Duragloss, Fast Clean and Shine, Wet Wax, and I can't remember what their car wash was, but I used it. I still have some Fast Clean and Shine in the car for bird crap emergencies. He bought into the whole FW1 thing so much he bought a box of 6. I just looked it up to see if it was still out there, holy sh1t, look what they're charging for it now.

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A few years back, I pulled into my local gas station and there were these 2 guys pushing this FW1 crap.

They had a little display table set up.

As I got out to pump my gas, one of these yahoo's starts jogging over to me with a can of this crap and a dirty-ass MF towel.

I said something to the effect of: "If one drop of that sh!t or that dirty fu*king towel touches this truck, it's gonna be about 6 weeks until you can use your arm again....."

You wouldn't believe how fast he stopped in his tracks.........:laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[dlc95]

I'm basically Optimum for everything except:
Rupes / Porter Cable polishers
Buff and Shine / Lake Country pads
3D Abrasives.

I either tossed or gave away everything else. I do have Meguiar's around for nostalgic reasons, but shifting to more of a "business" approach I whittled it down the above mentioned.

I do have the Optimum spray polish line, but find the 3D compounds to cut and finish much better than their Opti counterparts. Optimum Hyper Polish is really nice though. But it's mostly 3D.

If I had to choose it would be Optimum by light years.

 

[dlc95]

This question goes against my most basic philosophy when it comes choosing products. I actually prefer a cabinet full of different brands because it allows me to use the products that work best for me regardless of the label on the bottle rather than having to compromise on some things simply to stay "in-brand"

However, for the sake of discussion, I'll bite: I'll joint the chorus of others and say CarPro. I've never used their polishes, but other than Elixr, I've never been totally disappointed with anything I've tried from them.

I used to be like that with drum and detailing gear.

I decided to take the rout of trying to learn whatever product line I chose for the sake of efficiency and compatibility.

As with anything there are tradeoffs and learning curves, but the reduction in inventory is a blessing.

I can't even estimate how much time I wasted jumping from product to product, only to find what I was using first worked just fine.

For instance , if I started out with say 3D ONE, and switched to Menzerna 400, I might get more cut, but the fumes give me a headache, and the dust drives me nuts. Completely subjective points, but for me I tend to gravitate toward products that cooperate with my preferences. It's getting to the point of being a crutch.

With my paint protectants I give up a little on the tiny bead side but make up for it in ease of application, and great looking paint under whatever dirt is on it.

But the last thing I seriously want to do is function as a rep for anything I use. I probably come off that way, but my process and product selection is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. They're just tools. I should be able to unlock the potential of any top tier product, preferences notwithstanding.

So take anything I say with a grain of salt!