Can it 'Fit In'?- PBL Diamond Coating

[Dellinger]

Greetings everyone,

A sincere thank you in advance for your thoughts!

At this time, I am planning purchases for the coming spring. Yes, it is quite a few months off (especially in WA state) BUT, research/ reviews/ goals of said hypothetical purchases are time consuming. Like most detailers, I try to take make time when allocating valuable resources and so... here I am.

Now, the true objective of my post is to 'bounce' my reasonings off of the well-informed audience, here, so that if my thinking is astray; then YOU will well inform me, lol.

All arguments to the contrary all welcome!

Off we go...

Background: My experience with coatings are exclusive to Opti Coat 2.0. So, you will see that my phrased questions will hinge on a comparative nature of this product in all the underlying and underlined categories. That being said, I am not comparing the performance, beading, sheeting, durability, etc.. of the two products. Hope we can keep the thread from going there.

I have read (and read) many of the posts here and elsewhere describing the application, curing, prep, etc... of PBL Diamond Coating. (Seeing DP Paint Coating as a close relative... I read the posts on that product as well for further insights.)

At this point in time, I am convinced that a purchase of PBL Diamond Coating has a place on my roster of LSP products, for the following reasons:

Versatility: I like the idea of an all-surface coating. It surely would be nice not having to change applicators/ bottles/ and MF towels for wipe off.

Value for me: It appears that coating... up to 25 vehicles... is a bargain for the price. Granted, I don't expect it to given my clientele and market are heavily saturated with 3/4 ton, diesel, 4-door trucks (just lined up two more over this week.) So, If I could get 8- 10 large truck coatings... I would be very happy.

Value for clients: I feel this coating could be a good fit between a traditional wax/ sealant and a O.C.-type product. It could be offered as an up sale after a correction or substituted at a lower price point in a coatings package, given the comparative reduced cost-per-application.

Another scenario (which is absolutely subjective in the thought) that comes to mind is... even if a vehicle is coated with an O.C.-type product (read: more durable or semi-permanent) I fail to believe that many customers, even though educated on proper washing procedure, will be able to keep the coated surfaces defect limited. So, even if PBL Diamond Coating would expire before the 3-year period quoted in the description, it would more than likely be time for said vehicle to receive a polishing step (or steps.)

The 'other side' of my thinking...

Opportunity Costs: My prep/ process/ time would be exactly the same when applying PBL Diamond Coat vs. a O.C. genre coating. So, my opportunity cost would not really be in flux. Stated a different way... time is money, prep is the greatest cost, and the prep for O.C. and PBL Diamond Coat would be similar, if one was to use a dedicated prep polish prior to any coating application. Thus any marginal improvement in profit would be in the number of applications I could derive, my "selling" ability, and the ease/ speed of which the coating(s) can be applied. (Which, I personally believe 'speed' of application is relative and an externality of little value when evaluating marginal utility since application and covering every inch of surface is important. Yes, experience with said coating application will enhance 'speed' but... I believe size, color, lighting, environment, ambient weather can also affect this to a great degree... which leads to increased 'noise' when quantifying 'speed'.)

And on to my direct questions...

1.) I wouldn't be detailing if I didn't ask... I am leaning toward substituting DP Prep Polish for PBL Surface Cleansing Polish.
Are there significant arguments against this? And I am leaning this way due to the size of the products per price (16oz. vs. 8oz.)

2.) When applying PBL Diamond Coating, I did not read of a recommended time before a final wipe?
I am under the impression it flashes rapidly but there wasn't a clear statement on a time lapse between initial wipe and final wipe. I'm sure this is common sense because but I am of the school that..."any question is a good question."

3.) Can compressed air be used to 'level' high spots?
I have read about this technique when applying O.C.... should this be used with PBL Diamond Coat?

Thank you for reading and again this isn't PBL Diamond Coat vs. an O.C. type coating. Better stated is... can this product "fit in" between the extreme spread of price and performance of traditional wax/ sealants, on one end, and O.C. type coatings on the other end? At this point in time... I feel it to be so.

Interested in the communities thoughts. And for the business-minded detailers... how you are incorporating PBL Diamond Coat or DP Paint Coating into your work.

Best regards,
-Gabe

[Willy Wang]

I haven't used PBL but to answer your question about whether it will fit between a coating and other more traditional LSPs, I think not. The cost of a coating job varies between 200-500 for 1 coat. Usually a bottle of xyz coating will be enough for 2 coats, thereby shrinking the material cost of a coating service. OC, CQ, GT all range in 50-70$ per unit cost which translates to $25-35 material cost per coating. If you could get 10 coatings out of the PBL (to make math easier) that would mean each application costs $8 (79.99/bottle). Material cost saved per application= $17-27. This material cost is not significant enough to translate into a discount for the customer nor yourself given what you said about opportunity cost. So again, no, this product does not fit between traditional LSP and current semi-permanent/permanent coatings, but rather as a substitute for coatings.

[Dellinger]

Willy, very good points regarding coating material cost per application and coatings in general. Thank you for your thoughts.

[Tato]

Hi.

Hope to get the answers for the questions you've asked, I'm also interested.

What I can say about my use of PBL coating to date is that application is a breeze.

If you're asked to wax a client's car, or even put 2 coats of anything, you'll be inclined to tell him: hey, can I apply this coat instead?... it's so much easier and promote so better results! Slickness is beyond one can imagine.

I've waited ~1-2 minutes before wiping my coat, I've heard somewhere (I can't remember) but I don't know if it's right.

I also liked PBL polish, but we've got a lot of reviews saying (and actually using) DP polish, works fine, so I can't say against using it (I've not used yet, unfortunately). All I know is DP is a trustable trademark and it's 'damn cheap' compared to PBL polish.

What I can advance is that PBL polish is a 'nectar' of a polish, it even smells 'good' ~vanilla. It's hard to describe, only working with it gives the real feel of it's cleaning / fine correction proprieties (even not being abrasive, it makes your polishing pad shines). Easy removal, leave a very clean surface. The prep. it lefts for BL coating is really straightforward.

Too bad the price is so high for such small bottle, but I don't regret having bought it.

I've incorporated BL coating as the 'higher end' of my work, that has 3 general packages, depending on client expectations and $$ willing to spend: 1. AIO | 2. 2 or 3 step + sealant/wax | 3. 2 or 3 step + BL Coating. The medium price I can do (trying to convert to dollars) is ~$75, ~$120, ~$180, respectively. All 3 services includes standard cleaning of wheels, engine, and full interior detail.

I don't know how is the price in the US, but here in my area people 'throw water', use dish soap and instill swirls at other people's car for $3... Not everyone is willing to pay $300, $500 for a process they don't recognize better than using a supermarket wax... Luckily there are also some more educated people.

Next week I have scheduled a BL coating application, will try to get some pictures and share here.

Good luck on your plan.

Kind Regards.

[Dellinger]

Tato-

Thank you for the information and first hand experience with the product(s).

Looking forward to your pictures.
-Gabe