McKees 37 Paint Coating - Resistence to Scratches/Swirls

[ScottH]

Dear Forum Members,

For those using McKees 37 paint coating, what is your real-life experience when it comes making your paint less susceptible to scratches and wash-induced swirl marks? Do you see a noticeable difference in preventing minor scratches and swirls? Also, how many of you opt to layer a sealant or carnauba wax on top of it for additional protection or shine (or just because you enjoy it).

I am strongly considering applying it to my new Audi (new to me, 2014) as a "base" layer of protection, and then from time to time applying a hand-laid application of sealant (Hi Def) or carnauba wax.

Thanks,
ScottH

 

[Don M]

I want to know too.

 

[Desertnate]

Nothing is ever scratch/mar-proof, but I have seen some improvement. However, I don't know if that is from the surface being so much easier to wash or if it's the actual coating providing some resistance to the marring.

Last fall I coated my wife's Toyota Highlander. The paint on the vehicle is very soft and seems to swirl from wind passing over it. I am always very careful when washing, but after six months I'm starting to see very faint swirls from the washing process start to appear. However, this year after six months from the last time the car the car was lightly polished it still looks really good. I'm seeing very few, if any signs, of abuse. While the coating itself may be providing some resistance to marring, I thing the biggest contributer is how much easier the product it is to clean the vehicle. The car get's daily driven on rural state highways and it's always filthy this time of year. With the coating, a good rain or hard blast from a hose rinses off the majority of the heavy grime. Following up with a gentle pass with a wash mit and a quality shampoo is all it takes to get it clean. Drying is a breeze since most of the water sheets right off and I just dab away any remaining water. I contribute the lack of marring to this more than anything else.

Probably not the definitive answer you were looking for...I'd give it a solid, "maybe".

 

[osiapstndp]

I think the biggest contributer is how much easier the product it is to clean the vehicle.
With the coating, a good rain or hard blast from a hose rinses off the majority of the heavy grime.

I echo Desertnate's comments and I'll add my own. Cleaning a car that was properly prepped and coated can be extremely easy. I have Mckee's 37 paint coating on the passenger's side of my Challenger and it is always quicker to clean and dry than the driver's side that has whatever wax or sealant I'm playing with at the time. Rinseless washing and drying the passenger side is a much "smoother" experience.

 

[ski2]

I have no experience with a coating, but since I started using FK1000 as my LSP I've noticed that my car has far less minor swirling. Since FK1000 doesn't claim to add any hardness to the paint I have to assume it's because it is so slick--rain/water just jumps off the paint and washing and drying are so much easier than any other LSP I've used. So I would assume the slickness of a coating would produce the same results.

 

[ScottH]

Guys thanks for the responses so far. Is the coating your LSP, or do you chose to layer something on top? If so, what?

Many thanks!
ScottH

 

[Desertnate]

Guys thanks for the responses so far. Is the coating your LSP, or do you chose to layer something on top? If so, what?

Many thanks!
ScottH

The coating is all I use, but I've never been one to layer products. With coatings, I expect them to look great and protect my car without the need for anything else on top. On occasion I will hit the vehicle with a little QD, but that is simply to remove any random post-wash water spots, bird droppings, or dog drool (I have a Great Dane...don't ask...). However they are never applied to the entire vehicle. Even if I did apply it everywhere, I seriously doubt a QD would add more than a week or two of protection, at best.

 

[Marc08EX]

Guys thanks for the responses so far. Is the coating your LSP, or do you chose to layer something on top? If so, what?

Many thanks!
ScottH

Scott,

The coating will be your LSP. Some people like to top their coatings just because they want the look of the topper and the protection and longevity of the coating. But whatever you use to top your coating with will not last as long as normal because coatings prevent things from bonding to your paint.

Any spray wax, wax or sealant can be used to top the coating but not really necessary. I myself use D156 or FastWax after every wash. But I choose to do this because I want to "boost" the protection and it takes a very short time to do so. Just a FYI, my coatings are OC2.0 and WG Uber Ceramic Coating.

Here's a quote from Nick@McKee's37 with regards to maintaining the McKee's 37 Paint Coating:

Great questions Don. :xyxthumbs:

Wash Soap: McKee's 37 Power Wash

Quick Detailer: McKee's 37 High Gloss Detail Spray

A drying aid wouldn't be necessary, but if that's something you like to do then you can use High Gloss Detail Spray.

Synergistic Chemical Compatibility is very important, especially with coatings. I would recommend staying in the same family of products. :xyxthumbs:

Source: How to best maintain McKee's 37 Paint Coating?

 

[The Guz]

I'd add this to maintain it as well every now and then along with the previous mentioned products.

McKee’s 37 Hydro Blue Sio2 Coating

 

[dewoof01]

I have it on my truck, my dad's 2016 ram 3500. I just put it on my wife's 2015 expedition. My truck is properly washed always my dad uses a brush half the time to wash his truck. After 1 year he has swirls but I haven't seen anything that bad specially for his poor washing methods. My truck there are no swirls at all but I'm always a two bucket or onr Gary Dean method wash. All depends on how you maintain it imo. It helps but it will not make swirls non existent if not washed right

 

[Eldorado2k]

For those using McKees 37 paint coating, what is your real-life experience when it comes making your paint less susceptible to scratches and wash-induced swirl marks? Do you see a noticeable difference in preventing minor scratches and swirls?

In my experience testing it on my daily driver I saw no help in preventing wash induced swirls. As a matter of fact as of this past Thursday, there were light swirls going in 1 direction [front to back] that were obviously instilled from waterless washing. The Mckee's paint coating had been on my cars paint for just over 3 months before I decided to call it off...

This was my 1st tread into paint coatings.. I recommend doing a panel or 2 before committing your whole entire vehicle and see if you're happy with the results.



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[Desertnate]

In my experience testing it on my daily driver I saw no help in preventing wash induced swirls. As a matter of fact as of this past Thursday, there were light swirls going in 1 direction [front to back] that were obviously instilled from waterless washing.

The only time I've ever encountered severe swirls was from waterless washing, and that led me to abandon waterless washing practice for good. What you experienced may have had nothing to do with the coating. You could have suffered that with just about anything on the car.

What really surprised me from your other post was the ammount of grime on your claybar. All of my cars a DD's, one of which gets rarely washed, and my clay never looks that bad. I wonder where that is coming from?

 

[kevincwelch]

In my opinion, the manufacturers' claims that coatings (such as CSL, C1, Mohs, etc.) have on some controlled testing level or molecular level an improved scratch resistance are probably true; however, in practical terms, when these coatings are spread to the micron or submicron level across the clear coat, they probably offer little-to-no scratch resistance. People who wax their cars lay down a layer of protection that has virtually no gains on the Mohs scale and proudly show off their swirl-free paint. Scratching and swirling in my opinion is all about use, overuse and abuse. Washing technique and style. Lubrication. Dirt and grime.

I challenge anyone to test their "scratch resistant" coatings with a set of Mohs hardness picks.

Silica coatings (and those with titania) offer theoretical advantages in scratch resistance. I think their primary benefit is making the car look great, beading water, sheeting water and making paint easier to clean, but not more scratch resistant.

Or maybe we should set up a test...:hungry:

 

[Eldorado2k]

The only time I've ever encountered severe swirls was from waterless washing, and that led me to abandon waterless washing practice for good. What you experienced may have had nothing to do with the coating. You could have suffered that with just about anything on the car.

What really surprised me from your other post was the ammount of grime on your claybar. All of my cars a DD's, one of which gets rarely washed, and my clay never looks that bad. I wonder where that is coming from?

The swirls I incurred were minor, so minor that they're hard to get a picture of..
This is what I was talking about.

You can sort of see them to the left of the light

Here's another pic

Here's that same pic, zoomed in. You can see the straight line swirls in this pic

Honestly, I'd have to say they happened because unlike the results you guys speak of [in regards to having smooth paint] my paint was lacking that same smoothness very shortly after having applied the coating, within a month I not only noticed a drop off visually in regards to it staying a bit less dusty, but the paint lost that initial smoothness and at the end of the 3 months felt more like unprotected paint that you try to "quik detail" with limited success... You know how Meguiars says "you know when it's time to re wax when quik detailer doesn't wipe off as smooth as it once did" And that's exactly what happened on my paint.. The proof is shown with how much grime the claybar picked up after just 3 months time of maintaining a fairly clean car at all times.

The reason for the heavy amount of contaminants is due to the fact that I live within 1 mile from the port of Los Angeles, and the air quality around this particular part of the city is among the worst in the already notorious bad air quality city that is LA. Top it off we're bordered with several refineries too...

But regardless, before I put the Mckee's coating on those 2 panels, my entire car was almost @ 9 months of smooth baggie test passing paint with my previous tried and true methods of protection. When I clayed the vertical panels [which hadn't been coated] on my car that same day [this past Thursday] the clay came up smooth & clear, no contaminants. Also, the Kia is well past 1 yr. since I had to clay it and it's still smooth today.


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[ScottH]

After re-reading my original post, I thought perhaps I should have been more specific in my question. Does a Paint Coating lessen or reduce the risk of swirls and micro-marring. Forget I said the word scratch (grin).

Thanks to all of you....
ScottH

 

[Octopiston]

I can't say it reduces the risk by way of being harder than the factory clear, but more by the car staying clean longer because not as much sticks to the surface, and being easier to clean.

If you want easier to clean, looking clean longer, and over a year's worth of those traits in a hydrophobic lsp...then go for McKee's coating. If you want protection from swirls, work on your washing practices.

Ex. I did my mother-in-law's truck. She goes out after a rain and wipes it down with towels, eventhough I've advised her against it repeatedly. It has marring because of that.

 

[WillSports3]

A paint coating will reduce it in SOME ways. After all that prep work you did to coat it, you will probably touch your car very very carefully after that.

 

[fightnews]

I can't say it reduces the risk by way of being harder than the factory clear, but more by the car staying clean longer because not as much sticks to the surface, and being easier to clean.

If you want easier to clean, looking clean longer, and over a year's worth of those traits in a hydrophobic lsp...then go for McKee's coating. If you want protection from swirls, work on your washing practices.

Ex. I did my mother-in-law's truck. She goes out after a rain and wipes it down with towels, eventhough I've advised her against it repeatedly. It has marring because of that.

You must of missed this picture of mckees coating after 3 months

Why does it seem these coatings hold on to grime and contamination so bad. Ive seen it in other threads to.