Longest Beading Sealant opinions

GregCavi

GregCavi

Pinnacle Detailing Owner
Hello everyone.

I had a cusotomer who today who was serioulsy dissapointed that the vehicle i gave a 1 step wax to in january wasnt beading anymore. It is very swirled and it really needs a full detail. Well there very cheap and wont pay for it. So they want something that lasts longer. For my middle package I always use #66. they want to add a sealant. I want the longest lasting sealant. I think I wont be able to do #66 because I cant see it jiving with some sealants. So what im asking from my freinds at DC is what in your opinion is the longest lasting (beading) sealant? I have:

UPP
SG
EX
EXP+
DP Surface Sheild

Sorry for the multi questions.

Greg
 
those sealants are great and all but since its a one step ud need something with cleaners in it right? well if it were up to me, id give him some nu finish! that beads quite nicely and last a good couple months. if he wants more out of the chine explain to him that the only way it would work with durabilty would be to have a detail done prior to any of those lsp u mentioned.
 
If the client won't pay for a sealant upgrade why are you worried about the swirls and paint damage the client won't pay to fix too? If it were me and the client was a loyal wash and wax type client as opposed to a full detail type, I'd consider using #66 to clean up the paint as you have planned then throw on a coat of NXT or other OTC type sealant. Something easy to use and not expensive since you will be giving it away. How bout telling the client you'll skip the #66 and step up to a better sealant? If the client is a every few month wash and wax type (sounds like they are) that might be better.

Hopefully this is a little helpful. You're in a tough spot here. Like I said though if the client is monthly type then err to their side and give a little.

Good luck and let me know what you decide and how it turns out.
 
I guess i should have clarified. I am using #66 plus a sealant. So im thinking im going to try #66 and the new DP surface sheild. Comments ? Suggestions?

Greg
 
I hate to be the only person to point this out just it is JUNE! You gave a one step in January which means say from mid month to now we are talking probably 16-17 weeks, half of which were in the winter. What was the guy using before that was giving him four and a half months of quality beading, especially with the salt from a MN winter around? Let him know that under average conditions he can expect 12-16 weeks of coverage, which is well past my friend. IMO, just to shut him up throw him a deal on a full package job; knock $50 off and he will pony up. This way he will think he is winning and he wont be out talking bad things about you and your business. As far as the longest lasting sealant I would give the nod towards UPP or EX-P. Durability testing is still going on for the DP but from what I see of it so far I like. I think you do need to emphasize that phenominal coverage for any given LSP would be 4-6 months, but realistically it is the low side of that number.
 
O ya i totally agree. Its my neighbors and they dont know really anything about car care. It was his ditzy wife haha! She for some reason was thinking the wax would stay on for that long. I let her know right there that it last about a month and a sealant may last up to 2-3 months. She was also saying there isnt much shine in the paint. I let them know they will need a full detail to get the shine back. It goes through the autowash quite a bit. They said to much money. As for cutting them a deal, this is my only job i have this summer. I cant go around cutting everyone 50 dollar deals. I already have my prices really low. They get what they pay for, thats life. They are well aware of what they need to spend to be getting what they want.

Greg
 
GregCavi, sounds to me you've got a good grip on the situation. You realize you can't drop your prices more that what they are, but yet you still want to give the customer the best job for the money.

For a topper, perhaps Collinite Insulator might be an option. It's not truely a sealant, but it's not a typical wax either.

Your neighbor needs to be educated. They need to learn that even the best wax in the world WILL NOT perform to it's best when the surface is not properly prepped. Ask them if they would let someone paint their house without powerwashing it first, or paint their car without the proper prep work.

The best wax, if applied to a dirty surface will attach to the dirt instead of the paint and when the dirt comes off....
 
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i agree with don, i was thinking collinite myself, might be a good choice since they drive through the auto washes regularly and collinite is suppose to be detergent proof ( haha ) but it does last and last
 
scottlee said:
i agree with don, i was thinking collinite myself, might be a good choice since they drive through the auto washes regularly and collinite is suppose to be detergent proof ( haha ) but it does last and last
Click to expand...

Im going to have to go with the DP surface sheild for today, but were can collinite be found? Thanks Everyone

Greg
 
Greg,

The folks have given you some great advice. I'll add my 2 cents...

First, it's very difficult to "educate" people on the proper maintenance of their vehicle. Most of them don't have a clue... and don't care. They just want their vehicles "cleaned". However, as others have said, you need to "inform" them of what they can expect.

Tell them...

They can generally expect a couple of months of durability out of product "X"... PROVIDED that the vehicle is properly maintained. That means proper washing and drying... no brush car washes, no cheap drive through car washes where the guys use the same towel to dry 25 cars. :angry Or they simply hand wash their vehicles improperly. You don't know what they are using, or how they are using it. Explain to them that this is "out of your control"!

Having said that, I WOULD NOT cut them a break on your prices. If you do good work... price it accordingly.

What you might consider is cutting them (or anyone) a little break if they bring their vehicle in for "very" frequent maintenance washings/quick details. If they say no, you don't want them for a customer... customers like that will try to bleed you dry... because of their ignorance! Trust me... I know. :D
 
Believe it or not, the Spray Surface Shield is holding up quite nice right now on 2 of my windshields. How long ago did the samples go out? Well, the windshields are still beading like crazy....

I might be inclined to AIO their beater, and use the spray stuff on it. Youll be done alot quicker, no set up time....and if they start chirping about it not lasting 28 years, just spray it down again for a 6 pack.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I am in for a quick break from the vehicle. It isnt turning out to bad. I got the gloss back but it is still swirled up. I let them know this morning that they really need a full detail and that the sealant will last maybe 2 months tops becuase they cruise through the quicky wash alot. They are not frequent customers. There our neighbors and I might do there cars a couple times a year. Hopefully I have gotten in through there head that a 1 step wax and a sealant will not last half a year like they are thinking. O ya and i need a rotary! haha

Greg
 
Greg any chance that you could interest them in you "maintenance" service :dunno

You could then explain that you could keep the car better looking for longer by not subjecting the car to the harshness of the tunnel wash and it would also cut down on the swirls that would occur (making your life easier :D)

Just a thought
"J"
 
As Jay said, a maint. package might be the way to go with them. If they stop by even once a month, you could apply a "booster wax" or qd. Maybe even use a wax+wax shampoo. If the main thing to them is beading, these little "boosts" might be all they need.
 
Well i totally explained that there car wont bead forever and they understnad that now. So i think hopefully they will be stopping by more than a couple times a year. They are the kind that say why would i pay you 30 bucks to maintain my vehicle when i can get just as good of a job at the carwash for 5 minutes. So im not going to worry about there beading haha. Thanks for the ideas guys.

Greg
 
I'm a little late on this one, but feel boss touched upon an important issue: maintence. Without maintence; quick washes, QDs, etc. I don't care what you have on your paint it will definately diminish faster. I made the mistake of thinking sealants were pretty strong and indestructable. A couple cars I did when I first started experimenting with some premium products last year didn't last very long because they weren't maintained. I probably don't maintain my cars as much as they should be, but I still do some sort of periodical wash or S+W and you can still see some beading come alive.

Also if I were you and you were throwing the people a sealant at no extra cost, I would use a different polish rather than #66. #66 is an all one and i'm sure as you said would effect the bonding with the sealant because of the wax, oils and fillers. Maybe something like SSR2.5 or Optimum, that would create a clean surface and allow sealants to properly bond.

Just my $.02
 
Good points. I used 66 and EXP+ and it bonded quite nicely. I was a little shocked. I gave them the sealant for an extra 5 so i didnt pitch it to them for free. So thye said they might do a full detail this fall. They still dont get the maintence thing but its there car. We as professional detailers always have a few customers like this so you sometimes just have to deal with them and then move on.

Greg
 
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