Question about coatings

[Sicoupe]

I watched a video of this guy detailing a Porsche white in color, he did a total of 8 coats of Cquatz UK with the last one being Carpro bliss, and he did a total of 3 coats of glass coating. I was wondering if there is any benefit by doing that many? by the way, the car looked fantastic!

Kyle

[JCDetails]

that seems quite excessive. Most coating manufacturers recommend 2 coats max, unless it's a 2 part coating like Gyeon Syncro, Kamikaze etc. where you could end up with 4-5 total layers.

[The Guz]

There is no benefit to that many layers with cquartz. The law of diminishing returns still pertains to coatings just like a wax or sealant. I agree with JC.

For example CarPro recommends 2 coats of either UK or TiO2 and 1 coat of Gliss (a second coat is optional). So it is best to follow the manufacturers recommendations.

[Eldorado2k]

I don’t quite understand how I’ve heard the talk that sounds something like “you can do 2 [maybe even 3] layers, but anything beyond that is redundant because then the coating can’t bond to itself” -Or something along those lines.

But my question is: If the coating can’t bond between layers 4-5, then how the heck is it bonding to itself in layers 1-2? That doesn’t make any sense. Or am I missing something?

[Desertnate]

I think it was Jeff from Gyeon who just the other day said the same thing. For some of their coatings like Pure, which apply thick enough on the first coat, the second coat is a waste as it won't bond to the paint. It just sits on top of the first layer of coating. He also mentioned with coatings like Mohs which go on thinner anything after two layers serves no value.

[JCDetails]

I don’t quite understand how I’ve heard the talk that sounds something like “you can do 2 [maybe even 3] layers, but anything beyond that is redundant because then the coating can’t bond to itself” -Or something along those lines.

But my question is: If the coating can’t bond between layers 4-5, then how the heck is it bonding to itself in layers 1-2? That doesn’t make any sense. Or am I missing something?

I don't think you're missing anything. I do think, though, that after a while you start to hit the law of diminishing returns as Guz said. The coating should always bond to itself, even up to 8 layers as mentioned above but the question really is, is it worth it.

Everyone's familiar with that candy gloss that most coatings give you. But, you usually apply one layer, let it cure for a bit,then apply a second. I view this similar to applying a polymer sealant and following with a carnauba wax (a la powerlock/845 combo that used to be the darling of this industry).


I don't know all the chemistry behind it, but to me 8 layers of CQUK followed by a single layer of gliss would appear to be a detailer trying to really stretch his profit margin.

[Sicoupe]

What about the 3 coats on glass? will it bond after the first coat?

[JCDetails]

What about the 3 coats on glass? will it bond after the first coat?

Also seems excessive, but typically I think coatings have a harder time sticking around on glass. Most glass coatings are recommended at 2 layers on the windshield and 1 layer on side windows due to the windshield receiving the most abuse. Again, I don't think it's necessarily bad to put 3 layers on the glass, I just wonder what you actually get for that extra product and effort in terms of longevity.

[Sicoupe]

Thanks a lot guys for your input, much appreciated!

[parttimer]

Waste, the reason for the second coat is to ensure even coverage. CP is one of the big companies that boosts needing multiple coats. I think this goes along with the guys who offer 30 step details, it's just flashy show.

[Eldorado2k]

Then there’s the whole [according to the Esoteric Detail guy] you can’t just use a “quik detailer” on your coated vehicle”

If [according to him] it can’t even handle being wiped down with a friggin quik detailer, what happens if god forbid the wife runs it though the car wash at the Shell gas station 1 day?? Coating over I would assume according to his rules..

....But he does recommend using Gyeon Bathe+ [which IMO is the worst car soap I’ve ever used in my life]

Meanwhile according to Carpros official video you can use straight undiluted Megs APC and it has no effect on the coating.

Another offical word says don’t use anything with a PH level of over 11-12 [which would make D101 off limits even though the other companies video shows it has no effect on their coating]

COATING SHMOATING. Can’t even prevent contaminants from bonding to the surface... IMO they’re high maintenance and not worth it.

[The Guz]

What about the 3 coats on glass? will it bond after the first coat?

This is going to vary as well depending on the glass coating. The one's I have used the only one that recommended multiple applications was CarPro FlybyForte which I believe is a max of 3 coats. Optimum Opti-Glass and McKee's are 1 and done and this for the most part is good enough. I am experimenting with a double coat of McKee's at the moment to see if there is any benefit. I doubt there will be that much of a difference.

[Eldorado2k]

This is going to vary as well depending on the coating.

This seems to be the widespread theme in regards to coatings.. If you didn’t use a panel wipe... If you didn’t apply indoors and wear a body condom, if you didn’t cure with infared lights, you used a friggin quik detailer!, if you used a soap with gloss enhancers in it, if you didn’t follow “synergy”, if you aren’t a certified installer... The list goes on and on.

There’s a million excuses they can point to when you want a simple answer as to why your coating isn’t living up to the hype or seems to have completely disappeared.

[rangerbay]

This seems to be the widespread theme in regards to coatings.. If you didn’t use a panel wipe... If you didn’t apply indoors and wear a body condom, if you didn’t cure with infared lights, you used a friggin quik detailer!, if you used a soap with gloss enhancers in it, if you didn’t follow “synergy”, if you aren’t a certified installer... The list goes on and on.

There’s a million excuses they can point to when you want a simple answer as to why your coating isn’t living up to the hype or seems to have completely disappeared.
And this why I don't coat!

[Eldorado2k]

And this why I don't coat!

Amen. [emoji1374] lol.