Review: Pinnacle Black Label Paint Coat v 2.0 (long term)

[Swanicyouth]

This is to be the beginning of a long term review of the above mentioned paint coating. This is just the start of the review, as I have just installed the paint coating 2 weeks ago. So, in this part, there is no beading shots or no long term results. Just my initial thoughts.

I have been turned off to coatings in general. I applied OC 2.0 shortly after it came out. It was OK, but quite frankly fell a little short of the hype IMHO. But, at the time - it was just about all that was available. Since then, I have pretty much stuck to sealants and waxes. Remember all those threads of people reporting OC failure and user error?

Well, this Pinnacle stuff seemed a bit too good to be true. You get multiple applications per purchase - so if something gets screwed up the first time - you still have a lot left to reapply. Users also report a very high ease of application. Cost seems fairly reasonable ($80 for multiple applications) - assuming it lives up to the hype.

So, since my vehicle is aging and I have since lost the desire to constantly screw around with the latest and greatest detailing products, the idea of something that is "set it and forget it" kind of appealed to me. I`m not chasing after the last 1% of gloss and shine on this vehicle, but something that will last a long time and possibly make my life a bit easier.

To me, the beauty of high quality wax/sealant is the ease of simply renewing them. On my BMW, I might drive 300 miles before washing it and applying another coat of wax (currently Souverän). These products are generally fast/easy to apply, give excellent results, and the disappointment/screw up factor is extremely low. You also get many applications per purchase. The screw up factor for some paint coatings can be significantly higher, many are not easily renewable (layer-able), and you may only get one application per purchase. However, Pinnacle`s coating ticked most of the wax/sealant boxes for me - so I thought I`d give it a go.

Anyway, Pinnacle recommends using their Black Label surface cleansing polish as a paint prep. I was not going to let anything screw up this test or anyone claim user error, so that is exactly what I did. I had some on hand from Synergy wax.



Since I was spending the time and money to do this, I made sure I did it correctly. I started by washing the vehicle with ONR after a pressure wash. Then I used Dodo Juice`s Ferro Lube & a clay block to decon the surface. After that, I wiped the vehicle down with MULTIPLE products that are known to remove waxes/polymers/sealants from the painted surface:



However, this was PRIOR to polishing with Pinnacle`s Black Label Surface Prep polish. The absolute last thing to touch the paint prior to the coating was the surface prep polish - no other product or chemical.

I even hand polished edges and areas I couldn`t 100% be sure were wax free by hand with the prep polish and a hand pad set up:



Believe me when I tell you this, by the time I was done - there were no waxes / sealants / polymers / etc... on the paint. None. The application of the coating was done with 2 brand new Lake Country coating applicators (recommended by Pinnacle) and a new towel. I wore new rubber gloves during the application as to not get oils from my skin on the pain if I touched it accidentally.

My thoughts on the application:

1. It is very easy to apply and hard to screw it up. If you are afraid to try a coating, but want to, I`d recommend this one.

2. The directions tell you to spray it on the paint, spread it, and immediately wipe. I found it much better to spray it on the applicator - 1 or 2 sprays only - at a time - no more. Then, spread it from the applicator. It took about 6 sprays to do a door on my Pathfinder. Immediately wipe is right on.

3. The product reeks of IPA. There is definitely alcohol being used as a solvent here.

4. No complaints about the packaging, sprayer, or bottle - all worked fine.

5. It took about 20% of the bottle to coat the paint on my rather large SUV.

6. Stuff feels pretty slick when you apply it, the applicator gets a bit grabby when it`s time to apply more.

7. Product does look pretty glossy on paint. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference between this and a high quality wax.

8. Once the prep work is done, you can coat a large vehicle in about a half hour

9. I believe Pinnacle says you can layer it - more on that below.

10. If product holds up - it`s a winner - so far, nothing has turned me off about it.

11. As long as you wipe it off immediately, you can run a towel over it with no pressure and it will level easily.

I actually applied this paint coating about 2 weeks ago. Today, I washed and wiped down the vehicle with Mckee`s new N-914 rinseless wash and applied ANOTHER layer of the coating. This rinseless wash leaves nothing behind, so it`s OK just go straight to a coating assuming there is no waxes/sealants/polymers on the paint to begin with.

So, the test begins. Two coats of the coating on what I believe to be a perfectly prepped vehicle. When in doubt, I used more coating product - opposed to less. After 2 coats - there was definitely sufficient amount of the coating applied. This vehicle will be maintained 100% with McKees N-914 rinseless wash - so there will be no polymers / waxes / or "coating clogging" interfering with my results. No spray waxes or similar will touch the paint. As recommended, car sat in garage 12 hours after application of each coating layer - as not to get wet.

Some after shots:









So, how will it hold up in the long term? You have to stay tuned to find out. I will periodically report back with pics and thoughts.







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[atgonzales]

Nicely done

[512detail]

awesome. as someone who has used two bottles of v1 and on my third bottle of v2, I look forward to your results and commend you for the restraint of planning to never top it. I couldn`t do the same

[rlmccarty2000]

I`m confident you will like the stuff. It`s so easy to apply and lasts a long time and looks good while doing everything. If you get bored you can always apply a coat of wax later on, just for fun. This is the coating I always suggest to folks that want to get into a coating but have heard all the horror stories about coatings. For me it`s almost as easy as applying a sealant.

[Swanicyouth]

1st Update.

It`s been 4 weeks since first layer & 2 weeks since the second. No snow here - but it rained a few times. Decided to wash this vehicle tonight using McKees 37 N914 as a waterless wash. Initially I planned on using it as a rinseless - but the car seemed to stay quite clean. Could be the coating?

So, I took an iPhone video of me pressure washing the dirty car (2 weeks since wash and 2nd layer of coating). IMHO, this is the best way to see the health of your LSP. Pouring water bottles over the hood is a waste of time. I think pressure washing a dirty car is the best measure of an LSP.

Anyway, watch the video:

https://youtu.be/6ncLzj68weU

So, my feeling is - I`m impressed. The beading is really top notch. I had a bird crap like a 4" crap on the hood on the way to work. I rained while I was at work - and it all disappeared. This crap was huge - literally about the size of a 3" polishing pad. It`s just gone via rain.

This is a pic of the hood I took. Remember, this is not clean paint.



So, the question at this point is - how will the coating hold up? Initial results are very good.

[trashmanssd]

subscribe, thank you

[jrock645]

Interested in your results over time.