Ceramic Coating Question

[ScottStoef]

I was contemplating purchasing the PBL elite kit for my vehicles. Before I purchased, I decided to look online to see what was the best ceramic coating for 2019. I was surprised to see that the PBL didn't make the list at any of the third party sites I looked at. I did see CarPro CQuartz, GYEON, and SONAX, but that was just about it. Any idea why more of the AG products are not making these lists?

Definitely not trying to cause any issues as I love AG, but I want the best product possible for my vehicles.

[vobro]

I wonder if it involves payment that comes from companies to actually market their products to YouTubers? I find little value on the "best of" lists,look at all the thumbnails on Beadmaker. They all came out on the same week, all have a shocked look on their face like they found the holy grail.
This forum mostly provides user feedback and if not the poster that's doing a review almost always states if the product was provided to them in exchange for a review. PBL was a decent coating but imho CQuartz,Gyeon and McKees held up better,hey look I gave you my top 3!

[AutowerxDetailing]

The problem with many of the reviews of ceramic coatings is not many of them say anything about the longevity (beyond the manufacturer's claims)... and focus mainly on the initial application process. Presumably, if you are interested in a coating, you are looking for information about the expected durability of the protection.

There is a video online floating around by someone who put about 40 different coatings on a test hood and did periodic updates on the status of each product over the course of about 2 years. It has longevity test results for some of the coatings you're looking at. Pretty interesting results!

[Bruno Soares]

Probably because the brands you mentioned are available globally and the PBMG brands aren’t or at least not without paying duty to have them imported?

Having said that, I do think CQuartz or Gyeon are superior.

[The Guz]

In reality there is no best. That is subjective. On the other hand there are coatings that perform better than others. PBL is not a bad coating. For one it is user friendly. It is part of the AG house brands. The other are well known brands that have focused on coatings for years. Their products are also more readily available globally.

If you are looking for a durable coatings then look into cquartz. Either version will work. From experience GTechniq, Gyeon, Optimum and Sonax fall short of Cquartz in overall durability and performance. You also have to realize that these are based on my experiences and each person will have a different experience.

[Rsurfer]

The problem with many of the reviews of ceramic coatings is not many of them say anything about the longevity (beyond the manufacturer's claims)... and focus mainly on the initial application process. Presumably, if you are interested in a coating, you are looking for information about the expected durability of the protection.

There is a video online floating around by someone who put about 40 different coatings on a test hood and did periodic updates on the status of each product over the course of about 2 years. It has longevity test results for some of the coatings you're looking at. Pretty interesting results!

And who were the top three, Nick?

[AutowerxDetailing]

And who were the top three, Nick?

LOL, there were more than 3 that survived by the end of the test. NuFinish was the ultimate surprise in durability. Hydrophobic properties survived longer than many of the "coatings" that were tested! CQuartz UK was one of the longer lasting... rivaling many of the "pro" coatings. I can't remember if they tested anything from PBMG.

[Mike Phillips]

I was contemplating purchasing the PBL elite kit for my vehicles.

What is your vehicle?

Doesn't matter as far as coating goes but how it's washed is key no matter what you put on the paint.

Before I purchased, I decided to look online to see what was the best ceramic coating for 2019. I was surprised to see that the PBL didn't make the list at any of the third party sites I looked at. I did see CarPro CQuartz, GYEON, and SONAX, but that was just about it.

Any idea why more of the AG products are not making these lists?

My guess is the people/websites/channels, etc., don't consider it as a player in the field of known coating products from known coating manufactures. Just a guess.

I do personally use the PBL paint coating and surface coating on one of my own cars and I've used all the brands you listed. The benefit to the PBLE coating is ease-of-use. I've also had great longevity out of it but as a "detailer", I do "something" to my car's paint more often than the average car person.

The key thing with any coating comes down to how you "touch" the paint after the coating is applied. By the word "touch" I mean anyting that touches the paint,

• Washing with a mitt
• Drying with a drying towel
• Wiping with a microfiber towel
• Any form of car wash

To help others figure out how to touch the paint in the most careful way to avoid scratching or micro-abrading the coating off the paint, I wrote this how-to article and I'm proud to say, I share it a LOT - no matter what coating is on your car.


How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach






For what it's worth, I'm teaching a class on coatings at the 2020 Mobile Tech Expo in January and one to the topics I'm covering is this article.


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[Mike Phillips]

I was contemplating purchasing the PBL elite kit for my vehicles.

Here's a 2-door European job I used the PBL Diamond Paint Coating and Diamond Surface Coating on at the first of the year.

It's here for a maintenance wash. Last time it was washed was back in April. The paint still looks like it was detailed yesterday.



While technically I am doing a maintenance wash to it, it's also a good example of a,

Get ready to sell detail



Check out what I wrote here,


https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ml#post1654256

[BudgetPlan1]

There is a video online floating around by someone who put about 40 different coatings on a test hood and did periodic updates on the status of each product over the course of about 2 years. It has longevity test results for some of the coatings you're looking at. Pretty interesting results!

And who were the top three, Nick?

While I certainly admire the time, effort and expense that went into that oft-cited test, it's my opinion that unless they strap that hood to a car and drive it around, it only tells part of the story with regards to a coatings performance, a good starting point if you will. In my climate, merely sitting outside (maintained or not) has very little effect on coating longevity when dealing with quality products. Driving, especially on freeways in the winter, is an absolute LSP killer. To wit:

We have 2 cars with considerably different usage patterns; both protected with same set of 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, 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.

As with anything, YMMV...just my experience.