Detailed Designs

This topic is pretty important to me as it affects my industry and craft.

If you are either in the market to have a coating installed or you install coatings, please take the time to read this piece I put together and share if you agree.

The Paint Coating Triangle: A Necessity for Owner Satisfaction

Marine Blue

I do have a question about coatings which has nagged me since their inception several years ago.

Are there any long term side affects of using these types of coatings on paint? For example if this is applied to a car that is very well cared for and the owner plans to hold on to it for decades will the coating eventually start to flake off, yellow or cause harm to the paint underneath? Has anyone evaluated the long term affects? Can it be removed without causing damage to the paint?

If it's applied to a clear bra can the bra be easily removed in the future or will it be very difficult?

For a daily driver this seems like a perfect solution to keep the car looking new, especially the softer paints which seem to etch as soon as a bug lands on the paint.

Detailed Designs

That is a wide open question as there are many coatings and no, I do not like all of them and some of them can yellow significantly. Where this would be seen is on a white car.

Discoloration happens to everything over time. Probably a better way to phrase this topic is, "can there be noticeable discoloration over time?" Again, this depends on the product use, how it was applied and what color paint it went over.

Here is food for thought. Even paint discolors. I have a very low mileage M4 in my shop right now that is 1 year old. It is white and both bumpers have discoloration(yellowing in this case) occurring. This is pretty common on just about most new white cars. The bumpers are painted separately and, while I am not sure of it, they may also have a different blend of paint than the body. They definitely do not get the same electrical charge spray paint method a metal body can get.

My honest opinion is that for most people, a properly applied coating that is maintained to a reasonable level is far superior to the alternative. Even if discoloration were to occur, the coating can be removed. But if there is discoloration, it may be just the paint discoloring at a typical rate.(this could depend on the coating used)

The answers greatly depend on products used and how they are applied.

Paint coatings have been popular in many Asian countries for more than 10 years. They are really not new. Just relatively new to the North American markets.

Detailed Designs

I do not mean to undermine the possibility of discoloration. It could happen I suppose. The very few cases I have seen had a direct relation to the topper product used, which caused congestion of the coating structure. The coating then had a layer of "junk" on the surface that was the source of the discoloration.

In the few cases I have heard of this happening, a fine polish was able to knock it out. The owner was updated on not using said product.

There are many nuances to this topic. So many that I would need specific circumstances to be able to respond in a similarly accurate way.

trucheli

I have never liked coatings. I know I can get the same protection with Sealers and wax. I can apply that as many times as I want without having to worry about the hassle of removing a nano coating. Besides the look of wax wins over any coating imho. Call me old school!

trucheli

It won't take a decade for a coating to wear out. I would give some of them a couple of years and others just one year. Now removing it is another thing, I believe that trying to remove a particular coating by a non professional that knows the nature of the coating could damage the paint.

Regarding a coating on a clear bra in my opinion is not necessary. I have Suntek on the whole front of my car for almost two years now and it looks just like the first day it was installed. I just wash my car every week and use a clear detailer spray from Chemical Guys for clear bras and once a month I put a sealer from Xpel to protect it against bird droppings.

Detailed Designs

Inherently, the protection is not the same with wax, sealants and coatings. That is not to say someone has to want or like coatings.

Even my lowest tier coating has absolutely blown away my favorite sealant in terms of longevity, protection and looks. My 2015 F150 platinum in black lives outside 24/7 in GA. where it stays under pine trees every evening at home and out in direct sunlight during the day at my shop....and I do not baby my truck. I wash my truck once every 2-5 weeks.

Coatings are not for everyone. Some like to wax or seal...some just plain like the DIY nature of those products as well. As I mentioned in the article, how a coating is applied has a direct impact on its longevity. I have seen some OTC coatings blow away every wax and sealant I have personally seen. If one is failing in a year, that is a failure of the person applying it. The only exception may be if someone got a product that was terrible to start or a spoiled product, which would be incredibly rare.

In terms of removal. That would be an option that none of my clients have ever had to explore. But too, my clients use me as a resource to ensure a coating is the right fit for them. We currently use a variety of sealants and Swissvax waxes(Crystal Rock is my favorite to use) for those that coatings are not the right fit for.

But removal of a well installed coating? Planning on that should not be any more necessary than planning on removing your rear quarter windows.

trucheli

The difference is that you make a living selling coatings and therefore you have to promote them. I can show you a car with wax and one with a coating and for the untrained eye nobody would know the difference.

Coatings are over rated and over priced. You can justify and make an argument about durability and protection to the customer that buys into the hype.

I don't buy it.

Detailed Designs

You don't like coatings and there is nothing wrong with that. I've not said that anyone needs to or should like coatings. I've voiced that I install more than coatings and give my clients options. There is not way for me to absolutely quantify my honesty in my opinion to you "because I sell coatings". I also install a lot of PPF and believe it is the pinnacle of protection for paint. Do you believe me to be a liar because I benefit by installing it also?

I can relate a story that is readily available because it occurred today. A client that we've done a full correction, PPF and coating job for has another classic e24 M6 we performed an insane paint correction and detail service on. He still awaits our finishing the car. Today he swung by to check it out and keeps pressing me to install a coating on it and I keep telling him it just isn't the right fit for the car nor how he will live with it. This saves him $1600 and keeps $1600 out of my pocket. I continue to press him to *NOT* get a coating despite his requesting it(having experienced it on his own car for about a year). The car he came to visit in today was about the sweetest 90's Alfa I have ever seen in person. Again, he presses me for PC, PPF and a coating. I told him a sealant may be the right fit, but if not a sealant, go with the entry level coating.

Earlier today, a new client, a lady that traveled 3 hours to get to us, wanted me to roll a coating into a insurance job(well...technically the guy that hacked up the paint is paying for it but it may be insurance...) for the necessary paint correction. I told her I would not be able to say he was accountable for an additional service. I itemized everything and clarified that he was only accountable to repair the paint, not add a coating.

I do not wish to bicker with anyone but you do not know me. I would venture to say many professionals in many fields love what they do, are honest and stand behind their word. Not because they make a buck, but because they are honorable people. Just because they pay their bills and put food on their family's table via their profession does not mean they will sell their soul for a buck. That would be the case with me.

It sounds like coatings do not give you the value proposition that would make them desirable to you. That's cool. Different folks, different strokes. But many people do love them and I tell my clients that if they aren't happy that I will do whatever it take to make them happy. To date, I have had to neither remove nor refund(in-full nor in-part) a client for a coating. On the contrary, we have a spotless record for caring for our treasured clients because my staff and I do everything in our power to find the right fit for our people. Too, they come back to us to apply coatings to the other cars as well. The proof's in the pudding as they say.

With all due respect, I would like to be able to take advantage of sharing the article I spent quite some time writing as a means to educate and warn folks, as well as the Rennlist sponsorship I pay for. I am pleased to discuss the technology, but you feel I am incapable of an honest opinion on the topic so it looks like we are at a impasse. Maybe we can carry this conversation on some other time?

trucheli

I did not call you a liar. I take your side of the story and I don't know how you conduct businesses. My point is simple, there is a lot of hype and misleading information even in the article that you posted which to me is a promoting piece about coatings. I have another issue regarding coatings on top of PPF. Most of the installers make you believe that you need a coating application to protect the PPF. That is a total lie. Just keeping it real.

Shineshop

Are you certified in any way with respect to automotive paint and/or ppf? Just curious.

trucheli

I am not because I do not detail for a living. I have been correcting paint for more than 10 years and I know the trade thanks to my uncle who is a Porsche body shop and paint technician.

Shineshop

So you're admittedly someone who has no professional training in automotive paint, paint coatings and ppf outside of the anecdotal experience you have because you know someone that paints? Seems odd that you're arguing with a highly trained and respected detailer that actually does.

trucheli

Do I need a certification to express my opinion and speak the truth?

Shineshop

No certifications needed to express your opinion. Actually having a formal education in the subject you are arguing about definitely helps though. It's obvious you're passionate about the subject but I think you could probably find a less confrontational way of expressing your opinion in the pursuit of having a conversation the other forum members can actually benefit from.