Audios S6
Active member
- Oct 12, 2011
- 1,634
- 0
I received this product from AG at no cost and, in return, agreed to provide a review. I will try to keep this as objective as I can.
I mentioned this in a couple posts previously as the bottle with the little round sticker. My particular container was in the original PBL bottle with a small V2 sticker. Along with it, I received the PBL surface cleansing polish, which is strongly recommended prior to using the coating.
My first impression is that it smells of IPA, not the greatest but better than the super strong solvent smell of CQUK & 22PLE.
I chose to use this product on a BMW I did a few weeks back. There were a couple reasons:
1. I was antsy to give it a try
2. The car has a lot of clearbra with seams everywhere. Using a product that would not leave residue and provides long term protection was at the top of my list. I had originally planned on reload when I booked the car, but the timing worked out to try PBL.
My first step was using the surface cleansing polish. I did no correction on the clearbra, only the surface cleaning polish with a white pad to get a tiny bit of bite and extra cleaning ability.
First the brand new pad
The pad after one section, then loaded up for the next. You can see that the pad has picked up some embedded dirt. You can also see how little of the surface cleanser I use. I like to use it very thin to minimize any build-up potential on the clearbra edge. At that rate, this stuff will last a while.
The polish wiped off very easily with absolutely no dusting, partially due to the minimal use.
Next up was application of the coating. The product is extremely thin. I first tried this with my typical application method of an applicator block wrapped in suede MF, this worked OK, but I found that a foam applicator yielded better results and easier spreading. After priming the pad, 1-2 sprays was plenty to cover a small panel. In 90* heat and high humidity it spread well, but flashed very fast, as a result I was working faster than I would like and it took a little while to find my groove. By the time I finished the hood, I was off and running.
I did end up with a few high spots on the hood, specifically where I used a suede MF, so I've completely abandoned that method with PBL; I'd say it's best to stick with AG's recommendation of a foam applicator, I had no problem using one applicator for the whole car. The high spots that I saw early wiped off very easily; but within 30 minutes to 1 hour, a towel wasn't enough. I'd say this is good news and bad news. Clearly it is a resilient product that stood up to a moderate wipe shortly after application, but that means you need to be diligent about checking your work panel by panel. Adding more product did not aid in removal after 30 minutes. The next day, I did use M205 by hand and the high spots removed with no pressure very easily, just enough to get friction. I was able to check water beading and the coating was intact in those areas, so it seems that it can handle a VERY light hand polish, perhaps to take care of a birdbomb or waterspot, but I would still expect to recoat after any true polishing. They also claim that the 4oz bottle is enough to coat up to 5 vehicles, I think an experienced user could probably get 7-10 cars out of the bottle depending on size.
Couple finished shots, most definitely a glassy shine. It was not grabby nor ultra slick, but I found it to be a nice smooth feel.
Summary
I did not have a chance to try the original version, but I found this to be relatively user friendly. I don't think I would consider this an entry level coating by any stretch. It's not difficult to work with, however someone new to coatings may struggle initially with the timing of application and any high spots, but this is true of almost all coatings. The cost of entry is a little high, but the per application cost is very reasonable.
I think it's reasonable to call this the flagship of PBMG coatings. It's claimed to have up to 3 years durability, high chemical resistance and anti-fouling properties. I can't think of another coating claiming 3 years with the ease of application typical of spray coatings. 22PLE's newest offering claims the same durability, but based on my use, it was not as easy to apply.
Pros
Relatively easy application
very nice glassy shine
spreads well
high spots wipe easily early on
high spots remove easily with very mild polish and protection remained
Cost per use
very long claimed durability
Cons
Cost of entry
high spots cured very fast under my conditions
not super slick, but humidity may have played a role for me
I mentioned this in a couple posts previously as the bottle with the little round sticker. My particular container was in the original PBL bottle with a small V2 sticker. Along with it, I received the PBL surface cleansing polish, which is strongly recommended prior to using the coating.
My first impression is that it smells of IPA, not the greatest but better than the super strong solvent smell of CQUK & 22PLE.
I chose to use this product on a BMW I did a few weeks back. There were a couple reasons:
1. I was antsy to give it a try
2. The car has a lot of clearbra with seams everywhere. Using a product that would not leave residue and provides long term protection was at the top of my list. I had originally planned on reload when I booked the car, but the timing worked out to try PBL.
My first step was using the surface cleansing polish. I did no correction on the clearbra, only the surface cleaning polish with a white pad to get a tiny bit of bite and extra cleaning ability.
First the brand new pad
The pad after one section, then loaded up for the next. You can see that the pad has picked up some embedded dirt. You can also see how little of the surface cleanser I use. I like to use it very thin to minimize any build-up potential on the clearbra edge. At that rate, this stuff will last a while.
The polish wiped off very easily with absolutely no dusting, partially due to the minimal use.
Next up was application of the coating. The product is extremely thin. I first tried this with my typical application method of an applicator block wrapped in suede MF, this worked OK, but I found that a foam applicator yielded better results and easier spreading. After priming the pad, 1-2 sprays was plenty to cover a small panel. In 90* heat and high humidity it spread well, but flashed very fast, as a result I was working faster than I would like and it took a little while to find my groove. By the time I finished the hood, I was off and running.
I did end up with a few high spots on the hood, specifically where I used a suede MF, so I've completely abandoned that method with PBL; I'd say it's best to stick with AG's recommendation of a foam applicator, I had no problem using one applicator for the whole car. The high spots that I saw early wiped off very easily; but within 30 minutes to 1 hour, a towel wasn't enough. I'd say this is good news and bad news. Clearly it is a resilient product that stood up to a moderate wipe shortly after application, but that means you need to be diligent about checking your work panel by panel. Adding more product did not aid in removal after 30 minutes. The next day, I did use M205 by hand and the high spots removed with no pressure very easily, just enough to get friction. I was able to check water beading and the coating was intact in those areas, so it seems that it can handle a VERY light hand polish, perhaps to take care of a birdbomb or waterspot, but I would still expect to recoat after any true polishing. They also claim that the 4oz bottle is enough to coat up to 5 vehicles, I think an experienced user could probably get 7-10 cars out of the bottle depending on size.
Couple finished shots, most definitely a glassy shine. It was not grabby nor ultra slick, but I found it to be a nice smooth feel.
Summary
I did not have a chance to try the original version, but I found this to be relatively user friendly. I don't think I would consider this an entry level coating by any stretch. It's not difficult to work with, however someone new to coatings may struggle initially with the timing of application and any high spots, but this is true of almost all coatings. The cost of entry is a little high, but the per application cost is very reasonable.
I think it's reasonable to call this the flagship of PBMG coatings. It's claimed to have up to 3 years durability, high chemical resistance and anti-fouling properties. I can't think of another coating claiming 3 years with the ease of application typical of spray coatings. 22PLE's newest offering claims the same durability, but based on my use, it was not as easy to apply.
Pros
Relatively easy application
very nice glassy shine
spreads well
high spots wipe easily early on
high spots remove easily with very mild polish and protection remained
Cost per use
very long claimed durability
Cons
Cost of entry
high spots cured very fast under my conditions
not super slick, but humidity may have played a role for me
