"Pro" level products

T

travbee

New member
I`m interested in what products people are using when you see boutique detailing shops claiming 3-4 years of protection from ceramic.

I have been in and out of the detailing scene for years, and have purchased all my stuff from autogeek/autopia and have yet to come across things of that "level."

Thanks!
 
If you`re looking just at longevity, it`s a crapshoot and dependent on many things.

To wit:

We have 2 cars with considerably different usage patterns; both protected with same set of `boutique` products/coatings:


1. At 3 years, 17k miles, Car 1 was still performing (w/ regards to coating) at about 85% `as applied`
2. At 2 years, 42k miles, Car 2 was in need of re-polishing and re-coating.


1. Car 1 is about 5500 miles a year, no freeway, sits outside from April thru November but only really driven daily November thru April, short trips, no freeway.
2. Car 2 is year round daily driver, generally always garaged, 25k miles a year, 95% freeway.


Both are in NE Ohio.


Same protection, varying usage far different likely outcomes. Freeway use, especially during winter, is very, very hard on a vehicles finish. Road salt, brine, chemical de-icers, road grime ain`t good for anything regarding a cars finish. Merely sitting outside in the elements has little effect on (this particular coating) coating degradation.


Point being, no claims listed on a box can even begin to adequately predict longevity. It`s the ultimate YMMV scenario. And in NE Ohio, longevity based merely on the passage of time is a poor barometer of coating performance. Heck, I can take a 6-month `coating-lite` product like Gyeon CanCoat, plop it on a car that only goes out in nice weather 3 months of the year and it`ll last for years.


I (personally) think that for cars that are actually used/driven frequently, unless coating is a self-healing product (that actually works), anything beyond 2-3 years is pointless for someone who is mildly OCD-ish about vehicle appearance. With a black daily driver, even if my coating was still doing well after 2 years/42k miles, the car woulda needed to be re-done due to defects instilled over the course of those miles in a harsh world. A coating with a 5-7 longevity, even if it were accurate, is not something I personally would ever need though others may have different needs. Since the whole `eleventy-billionH hardness` is pretty useless when discussing scratch resistance of a coating, the world will eventually take it`s toll on the paint w/ respect to scratches, scuffs and other road-borne injuries.
 
To answer the other part of the question, I think some of the products a pro detailer may be using are only sold to "certified" installers and aren`t available to the general public via retailers like AG, Autopia, Detailed Image, etc.
 
Desertnate said:
To answer the other part of the question, I think some of the products a pro detailer may be using are only sold to "certified" installers and aren`t available to the general public via retailers like AG, Autopia, Detailed Image, etc.
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I want to get into that "certified" installer realm...
 
travbee said:
I want to get into that "certified" installer realm...
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Generally you need to have a business address, insurance and in many cases go through their accreditation ($$) process/program. If you have all of that, contact whichever company you`re interested in and enroll in the `process`.

Just because something is `certified` is not a guarantee that any given product is better (whatever `better` means). There`s a whole cornucopia of coatings outside of the Autopia/Autogeek world that are very good and still available to the consumer.
 
Even if you have an established business no guarantee that you can use “pro” products since the supplier will protect a current business based on proximity of the new business... NO FREE MARKET....
 
wannafbody said:
The easiest to get Pro product would be Blackfire or Wolfgang from autogeek.
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Are those really “pro” products just because it has pro in the name?

To me they are still consumer grade coating was they are available to anyone.

I would consider pro the likes of GTechniq Crystal Serum Ultra, Cquartz Finest, IGL Kenzo, Opticoat.
 
travbee said:
I`m interested in what products people are using when you see boutique detailing shops claiming 3-4 years of protection from ceramic.

I have been in and out of the detailing scene for years, and have purchased all my stuff from autogeek/autopia and have yet to come across things of that "level."

Thanks!
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I often wonder the same. There’s a lot a pros on this forum. One might pm you with an offer you can’t refuse. What product are you looking for?
 
[B said:
travbee;2178080]I want to get into that "certified" installer realm..[/B].
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travbee - How many years experience do you have paint correcting, and how did you do it? How many vehicles have you paint corrected per year ?

In my experience with Coatings, ( I started with Zaino over 20 years ago), they were great when they first came out over 15 years ago.. It was a free market, not many manufacturers..
Then some started getting really smarty-pants, and decided if their coating was that good, they should charge more for it, and restrict that now way higher price/s to their "people" who had to have a legit business, business license, etc., the whole shebang..

Then, the one I was using made the price requirement so high, I just let it go.. I did not have the Client Market I had before that could afford it, so I knew it was not going to work for me any longer in my new location..

Now, it is even more expensive and more requirements to go through on some products to have their "pro" versions if that is what they really are..
I believe some even make you buy so many syringes of it a year, if you want to keep on their supply chain..
So perhaps they have taken on the 7+ decades old Avon marketing strategy...

There are now a LOT of choices in the coatings industry, with new ones introduced bi-yearly/yearly, etc... All making claims about being the best but no one has any real world testing results that can be seen, much less verified very well..

Everything that has been said about coatings above by all these great men, is true and based on real-world experiences...

I had my first Optimum coating go just past 5 years awhile back, and was still holding up, when I removed it and re-applied the last syringe I had of that product..

And, as has been accurately stated above, your experiences will vary, depending on all those conditions already said above..

Good luck with your research !
Dan F
 
The Guz said:
Are those really “pro” products just because it has pro in the name?

To me they are still consumer grade coating was they are available to anyone.

I would consider pro the likes of GTechniq Crystal Serum Ultra, Cquartz Finest, IGL Kenzo, Opticoat.
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I would say that the Wolfgang in the syringe and Blackfire in the bottle can give similar results to some of the "pro" products.
 
Go CQUK 3.0 - 1-2 years depending on conditions, usage etc. - Light to medium polish, then go again - 3+ years is horse biscuits, sure it might still be there... but it`s swirled up! (unless you`re Accumulator!)
 
travbee:
One thing to consider is staying with and using ONE manufacturer`s product line to avoid the possibility of incompatibility. Not so sure if that is the case with coatings, but there was some discussion on CarPro Essence not being "friendly" with other coatings and may be the underlining reason why some of them failed early or looked "muted` after a while.

Accumulator`s "disdain" for Meguiar`s compounds and polishes with their Trade-Secret Oils (TSOs) used as the emulsifier and lubricate with the abrasives in their formulations can cause havoc with some waxes in his experience, if not removed with some type of prep solution.

Dr. Beasley has come out with new line of compounds and polishes that do not require a prep-wipedown to remove emulsifiers and lubricants and actually preps the surface for their coatings.

I say this because their are a host of "pro-grade" product lines available to hobbyist detailer. The "problem" is that not all car-care product manufacturers offer ALL the products for a complete start (wash) to finish (quik-detailer) of the entire detailing process. It may require choosing products from several manufacturers, including a"specialty" product for a specific detailing task (like trim restorer from Solution Finish). What manufacturer`s products work with other products comes from experience and trial-and-error. And that is the reason I and so many others belong to this Autopia forum. I learn from other`s posted experiences to avoid my own trial-and-error. It is my "most invaluable" detailing tool and the reason why I continue to detail vehicles and enjoy it.

As you can see, your post here is the beginning of that process.
 
Dr Beasley is a dark horse product line I have used for customers and have always been blown away, most of their products have written and video instructions, no secrets, just products that work as stated.
 
Heh heh, who would`ve thought I`d get mentioned twice in a thread about Pro Coatings?!?

Stokdgs said:
Accumulator`s "disdain" for Meguiar`s compounds and polishes with their Trade-Secret Oils (TSOs) ...
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Heh heh, I`d hate to try stripping the ones in M205 well enough for a Coating, even if others do find it easy-peasy.
 
Here`s my opinion of Meguiars. They are a well known company but take just about any of their products and you can find a comparable product that`s better from a different manufacturer. Ultimate compound and polish were supposed to be groundbreaking. Griots compounds and polishes are easier to work with and remove. For an OTC product line, I`d pick Mothers or Griots over Meguiars.
 
wannafbody said:
I would say that the Wolfgang in the syringe and Blackfire in the bottle can give similar results to some of the "pro" products.
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That may be true but what I was getting at is that a "pro" coating to me would be one that requires authorization to purchase and apply. Most of these coatings available to the average consumer would fall into the consumer/prosumer.

Here is another example for you, Cquartz UK 3.0 and TiO2 are both sold in 100ml bottles that are labeled as "Pro Size". We all know that these are prosumer coatings. And yes they rival professional grade coatings.

How about a company like Sonax, P&S or Meguiar`s who only have one coating sold to both the consumer and professional?

I think you see where I am going.

Lonnie said:
travbee:

Dr. Beasley has come out with new line of compounds and polishes that do not require a prep-wipedown to remove emulsifiers and lubricants and actually preps the surface for their coatings.
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If they only came in a better package than those lotion bottles which look terrible at dispensing product. I get it in that they want to stick with their Dr. theme.
 
This has been a great discussion so far.

I have detailed and corrected paint on hundreds of cars over the past 20 years since Ive been in and out of the hobby.

I have always used prosumer grade products and have had great results. I simply have not taken it to the next step where I open my own shop and do it full time, it has always been something I do for fun, family, side money, word of mouth etc.

If I`m at a car show and see a GREAT car with a poor finish, I`ll chat it up with the owner and go that route.

Basically I have a decent full time job and I have never put detailing completely first where it is a "true" business, but the thought has crossed my mind. And if I go pro, just wondering about products that I should be using or even what exists as a PRO level product, so I`m taken seriously by prospective clients etc.
 
In my area there is a pro detailer who is certified by IGL. I drive by his shop on a regular basis and I`m guessing that for every time they are open there is almost an equal amount of days that they are closed. Not sure they really make that much money after paying rent.
 
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