Review: Pinnacle a Black Label Diamond Coating Booster

[Eric@CherryOnTop]

Ok, in the theme of reviews of the black label products, I present my thoughts on coating booster. For the record, I did receive most of the black label line complimentary from Autogeek for reviews. This product I purchased on my own, partly out of how much I enjoy the rest of the line, partly out of curiosity.

I washed the car with PBL coating shampoo, and decontaminated with iron-x and tar-x. I also needed to spot clay some stubborn spots with whatever clay I had lying around and ONR diluted to clay lubricant levels.

The test subject:



The product page on autogeek.net states you can think of the product as a spray wax for coatings, meant to refresh the initial application and extend it's life. It comes in an 8 ounce bottle and retails for $39.99. It has a nice spritzy spray head too. The instructions say to apply to a clean and dry surface but does not specify how to clean the surface. I would imagine it needs to be "surgically clean" such as when installing the coating. Since I did use iron-x and tar-x before using coating booster, I decided to skip a coating prep polish. I IPA'd any areas I spot clayed as well.

I used the red applicator and applied the coating booster to all paint and glass surfaces. The spritz head on the bottle takes a little getting used to but does produce a nice fine atomization of the product. Sorry I don't have any application shots, I was working by myself with no tripod. I found the product to be a bit "grabby" at first, but became smoother as the product was spread out. I did find myself dropping the applicator frequently which I did not experience with the paint coating.

Another reviewer mentioned having a buildup of product on the spray head. I shook the bottle before every spritz and never experienced this, so perhaps this is needed to keep any particles in suspension.

After I finished the car, I thought the paint felt slicker to the touch than before using the coating booster. Here are some after shots, reflections from outside the garage;











I did this on Wednesday and of course, since I detailed the whole car, it's rained every day since, so... Some wet shots









Water beads up nice and tight and once I started driving water FLIED off the car, just like when the coating was fresh.

I initially put a coating on my car because I just don't have the time to maintain it with wax or sealant between a full time paramedic job and a part time detailing business. I wanted something easy to maintain and not have to worry about. I think that taking one afternoon every 6 months or so to use a product like PBL coating booster is a reasonable deal to keep that costing fresh and maintain the properties that attracted me to the coating in the first place.

This is a product I really liked using overall and would recommend to anyone with a coating that wants to preserve and prolong it's properties. I could not have possibly used more than an ounce of this stuff for one car, and at 40 bucks a bottle I feel it is a fantastic value for what it does.

Thanks for checking out my review.


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[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Very nice review!

[Tato]

Great review, I like the coating booster a lot.

I believe you went the best route doing all this prep. before booster. It's not a short duration spray (some of those who lasts 2-3 washes), it's a 'serious' LSP and should be used as such.

However, I prefer applying it with a Gold Plush towel instead of an applicator since it goes further spreading than the coating itself, making it possible to make a decent coverage faster than with applicator, just my thoughts.


Thanks for sharing,

Nice shots indeed!

Kind Regards.

[Eric@CherryOnTop]

Know what Tato? That sounds like a really good idea using the gold plush towel instead of applicator. When you did this did the towel get grabby on the paint and make it feel like it was going to fall out of your hand?

I'll give this a go next time I apply this product, thanks.


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[Tato]

Dear, thanks for feedback.

No, the towel spread it incredibly even, and don't feel grab, in contrary, think of the easiest spray wax you've applied to date: It'll be easier than that. You can actually see surface coverage while you're applying, then it 'disappears' leaving the shine and slickness behind.

I use the short nap side to apply (prime the towel, spray on surface and spread), then I turn to 'fluffy' side of MF and buff after finishing each panel.

What I felt one day was applying the booster over a washed finish, but not decontaminated. The contaminants made towel feel 'grab', but it was not Booster fault, it was lack of preparation (not the purpose on that test day).


Doing your process above for preparation, applying the booster will be easy and enjoyable by towel. Next time you wash your car, dry it, and reapply the booster using MF towel. According to what I've read, booster will not build-up like spray waxes, so you'll have just advantages of re-applying it.

Applying the booster with the applicator like you did would be a routine like applying the coating again, too much time consuming for a 'spray on / wipe off' kind of product, IMO. However, you may get more perfectly even coverage while precisely applying with an applicator...

The towel does an amazing job indeed. Try it, you won't regret.

Kind Regards.