Need help here: Im at a crossroad on how I want to proceed with my paint - LSP wise

[MrOneEyedBoh]

So Im stuck at which way I want to go LSP wise on my truck this year. Im kind of in a bind because I cant use a coating due to all of the pollen in the air from now until like June-ish. I have a coat of McKees 37 V1 on there now and Im sure its almost depleted by now. I did like the application of the coating and its pretty much set it forget it in terms of durability, which is nice. But its almost like you'll get the itch to throw something on the paint, as it feels like you're neglecting it but not applying a wax every 4 months or so.

What Im looking for pointers on is, do you think I should apply the v2 coating early summer and apply a wax coating for now? Or maybe ditch the coating and just go back to WDGPS / Colly 845/476 etc? Maybe try something else? It seems like coatings dont really help to keep the paint "scratch free" as one would think... I do a two bucket wash, never any more dirtier than pollen on it and I still some marring here and there. So maybe the ease of a wax application every 3-4 months would be the best bet?

One other thing Ive noticed is that for some reason on my truck, I cannot really get anything ( was or sealant based ) to last that long. I see some people tout, 6-8 months out of Colly. Not me... I dont know if its the color of the truck or something.

Appreciate it..

 

[Desertnate]

Here are my thoughts in no particular order:

- If you really want to put the coating on your truck and don't have a garage or other covered area for the time being, I'd simply hit it with a good spray wax to carry you until the conditions permit you to do a job that's to your satisfaction.

- I understand the "itch" you talk about, and I scratch mine by trying out detail sprays and spray waxes over my coatings. They are far faster/easier to apply. I don't have time to re-wax/re-seal my cars several times a year.

- I've noticed some vehicles "take" LSP's better than others. In my household, my GTI and the wife's Highlander have done REALLY well with the McKee's 37 v1 coating, while my daughters Mazda and Honda haven't done as well. All were prepped with identical products and processes. None have done poorly, but it is obvious some do better than others. My GTI seems to hold up the best. Sorry to hear about 845 for you. It performed better than any other sealant I've applied.

One final random thought. Rather than going down the road of a traditional coating on my vehicles this year, I'm going to polish them up and hit them all with CanCoat. At the 6~7 month point, I'll give them a good cleaning/prep and apply another coat. I'm hoping at this rate I can go nearly as long as a coating, but with less expense. The time appling the product is negligible in the grand scheme of things. I have no idea how things will turn out, but I figured I'd give it a shot and try out an interesting product.

 

[MrOneEyedBoh]

Here are my thoughts in no particular order:

- If you really want to put the coating on your truck and don't have a garage or other covered area for the time being, I'd simply hit it with a good spray wax to carry you until the conditions permit you to do a job that's to your satisfaction.

- I understand the "itch" you talk about, and I scratch mine by trying out detail sprays and spray waxes over my coatings. They are far faster/easier to apply. I don't have time to re-wax/re-seal my cars several times a year.

- I've noticed some vehicles "take" LSP's better than others. In my household, my GTI and the wife's Highlander have done REALLY well with the McKee's 37 v1 coating, while my daughters Mazda and Honda haven't done as well. All were prepped with identical products and processes. None have done poorly, but it is obvious some do better than others. My GTI seems to hold up the best. Sorry to hear about 845 for you. It performed better than any other sealant I've applied.

One final random thought. Rather than going down the road of a traditional coating on my vehicles this year, I'm going to polish them up and hit them all with CanCoat. At the 6~7 month point, I'll give them a good cleaning/prep and apply another coat. I'm hoping at this rate I can go nearly as long as a coating, but with less expense. The time appling the product is negligible in the grand scheme of things. I have no idea how things will turn out, but I figured I'd give it a shot and try out an interesting product.

Thanks. What I'm wondering is this... Say I coat with McKees37 coating. Then say 6-8 months later, the paint looks decent, but I want to apply another coat on top. No polishing. I'd just hit it with the n914 at panel strength and then reapply the coating on top the old coating.

Is that possible?

Similar to what you said about the Can Coat.

 

[GSKR]

Slap on a coat of gtech exo.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Slap on a coat of gtech exo.

Good to see you, Jeff.

 

[Desertnate]

Thanks. What I'm wondering is this... Say I coat with McKees37 coating. Then say 6-8 months later, the paint looks decent, but I want to apply another coat on top. No polishing. I'd just hit it with the n914 at panel strength and then reapply the coating on top the old coating.

Is that possible?

Similar to what you said about the Can Coat.

You probably could do this, but I'm not sure you would gain anything as long as the existing coating looks good and is performing well. If anything, I'd wait until you see the performance and/or look starting to drop off and then reapply as a boost like you described. Maybe at the 12 month point?

 

[BadgerRivFan]

Another option to consider... is Dr. Beasley's PlasmaCoat.

Dr. Beasley's PlasmaCoat

PlasmaCoat is an interesting LSP in that it is a coating, but requires no cure time. Back in October, I had some paintwork done on one rear quarter panel and the front & rear bumper covers of my winter daily driver. After waiting 30 days, I wanted to get some protection on the newly painted parts but no longer had the luxury of not needing to use the car for a period of time while my protection "cured." I had applied Polish Angel Viking Coat to most of the car previously, so I thought I'd try PlasmaCoat as my solution to protect the freshly painted parts.

Through the winter the PlamaCoat treated areas have held up well. I used PA Viking Spritz as a maintenance product once or twice in the last several months which may have helped, but overall I am pleased with the PlasmaCoat. The application was easy and very little product is needed. For a daily driver, PlasmaCoat seems to be a decent option.

PlasmaCoat may be a potential solution for you. You could try it as your base LSP, then experiment with the various coating toppers now available to scratch that detailing itch that we all tend to feel on this forum...

 

[The Guz]

Thanks. What I'm wondering is this... Say I coat with McKees37 coating. Then say 6-8 months later, the paint looks decent, but I want to apply another coat on top. No polishing. I'd just hit it with the n914 at panel strength and then reapply the coating on top the old coating.

Is that possible?

Similar to what you said about the Can Coat.

You should not need to do that with Mckee’s or most coatings. In 6-8 months if anything a decontamination wash and then enjoy.

If anything you can use a maintenance spray sealant that plays well with the coating.

 

[Eldorado2k]

You should not need to do that with Mckee’s or most coatings. In 6-8 months if anything a decontamination wash and then enjoy.

If anything you can use a maintenance spray sealant that plays well with the coating.

I’m guessing that at the 6-8 month period his paint’s still looking “decent”but he can tell it’s on the verge of falling off considerably and would rather apply another coat instead of a spray sealant with short lived results.

If someone wants to live the coating life, what’s the fun if you’ve got to top if off every few weeks with a spray sealant?