*NEW* BLACKFIRE Crystal Coat Paint Coating!

[joeybsyc]

I'm pretty ticked too that there is no shelf life for the product. I only maintain a personal fleet of cars and the plan was to do one car last fall, and two more this Spring as time presents itself. Now it looks like I've got a $50 3/4 full bottle of unusable product I'll most likely have to toss after only one use...not happy at all.

I did not rub through the stickiness. I couldn't. Towels simply wouldn't slide and the product wouldn't level. It was like I'd spread adhesive on the surface. My only option was to wait until it was almost dry and then I muscled through buffing it out like a really bad sealant. It took a very high level of effort.

Here is the kicker. Despite the absolutely horrible application experience, the product really works. The car looks great, sheds dirt easily, and the protection is still going strong. I'm just not convinced the application issues and zero shelf life is worth the trouble.

I don't think I'm ready to drop the money for PBL or the higher-end coatings. Coatings are exactly what I want/need, but the cost for a good coating is still prohibitive for me at this point. It looks like I'm going back to sealants.

So you smeared it all over the whole car even though it was "adhesive-like", left it harden, then hand rubbed it smooth?

[Desertnate]

So you smeared it all over the whole car even though it was "adhesive-like", left it harden, then hand rubbed it smooth?

It wasn't quite like that, but looking back I probably didn't take the right approach.

I started at the front quarter panel and it went great. The very next panel sections started going horribly wrong from a stickiness standpoint, so I started experimenting with different "dwell" times to see what worked best. This lead to multiple panels being covered with product. All along, I kept thinking I was messing something up. Not being willing to give up, I kept experimenting and trying with varying levels of failure. I'm stubborn that way.

The product wasn't totally hardened when I buffed it out, but it was no longer sticky and very hard to buff out. I was working in sections, so it wasn't as if I did the whole car and then went back to knock it out.

Since I only had access to the car for a limited time and had to get it finished. Looking back, the smart solution would have been to polish off the coating from the small area I'd used it and simply LSP'd the car with products I had available. Instead I was convinced it was me and I pressed on. It wasn't until much later I learned the problems weren't just me.

[joeybsyc]

So honest opinion... I've never used a coating before. Would you say it's safe to use this on my black stingray, or would you recommend buying a different coating? Is there any chance I could actually hurt anything with it, or is it at worst just a lot of additional effort?

[conquistador]

So honest opinion... I've never used a coating before. Would you say it's safe to use this on my black stingray, or would you recommend buying a different coating? Is there any chance I could actually hurt anything with it, or is it at worst just a lot of additional effort?

After reading his description what does your gut tell you? Hell no I'd go with a proven and reputable product like Optimum gloss coat

[kevincwelch]

I don't think I'm ready to drop the money for PBL or the higher-end coatings. Coatings are exactly what I want/need, but the cost for a good coating is still prohibitive for me at this point. It looks like I'm going back to sealants.

PBL is a really easy coating to apply, and I suspect DP coating is very similar. I don't think they get any easier than those two do. Personally, I didn't think PBL lasted that long, but that may have been my experience.

I've used Gtechniq C1 and 22PLE. I think if you went with Gtechniq C1 (without the EXO), you'd find that easy to apply.

Alternately, why not try something like HydO2 or Gyeon Wet Coat? I think those work great and you get about 3 months of pretty hydrophobic coating for virtually no effort.

[Desertnate]

PBL is a really easy coating to apply, and I suspect DP coating is very similar. I don't think they get any easier than those two do. Personally, I didn't think PBL lasted that long, but that may have been my experience.

I've used Gtechniq C1 and 22PLE. I think if you went with Gtechniq C1 (without the EXO), you'd find that easy to apply.

Alternately, why not try something like HydO2 or Gyeon Wet Coat? I think those work great and you get about 3 months of pretty hydrophobic coating for virtually no effort.

I'd not hear about PBL being short lived, but did find several threads about DP under performing. I'll take a look at the Gtechniq. Thanks for the suggestions!

I'm using 845 now, and have used Klasse SG in the past. They easily last 6 months, which is double the lifespan of the HydrO2. Anything less is a non-starter as I don't want to be constantly re-sealing my car and I have to be able to get through a winter without a re-application. My dive into the coating world is an effort to find something that will last a year with minimal effort.

I know my critique has been pretty harsh on the application of the product, but I'll say it again: The performance of the product post-application has been fantastic and truly a new experience for me. I love the end result, just very disappointed with the level of effort required to get there.

[joeybsyc]

I got it, but I think I'm going to call and return it before i even get the temptation to break the seal on it and end up with the issues I seem to read everywhere. I may try the Black Label Coating instead, or may just stick with my traditional waxes and sealants. The more I read the more I think there may be a degree of "hype" about coatings being that much better, shinier, or longer lasting than other products on the market.

[Mike@ShineStruck]

So honest opinion... I've never used a coating before. Would you say it's safe to use this on my black stingray, or would you recommend buying a different coating? Is there any chance I could actually hurt anything with it, or is it at worst just a lot of additional effort?

Go with glosscoat or Wolfgang uber
I'd prob do uber since it can go on everything

[ronkh57]

Go with glosscoat or Wolfgang uber
I'd prob do uber since it can go on everything

Agreed

[TTQ B4U]

Haven't read through all 17+ pages of replies but my experience with this product has been good.