Duragloss Enviroshield coating + Squeaky Clean discussion

tom p.

tom p.

Active member
Guys, I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been more excitement and discusssion around this newcomer.  I ordered the package plus an extra bottle of Squeaky Clean earlier this week.  It arrived today.  I might attack one of the cars tomorrow and see how it works.  I'm a bit concerned about it being too cool, temp-wise.  We'll see what's doing tomorrow.


 


For the record, I've got a couple cars coated with OptiCoat and another coated with Cquartz UK (slo-cure version).  Very good results with both.


 
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Given the presence of the sprayer, I assume the coating gets spritzed on and then wiped in with the applicator.
 
I wanted a chance to try this product but I ended up getting a late start yesterday.  I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far.  There are two simple things the Duragloss people have engineered into their version of the coating:  ability to spray the product and a unique applicator pad (2 are included).


 
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The Squeaky Clean seems to work as advertised, but it dusts a fair amount.  The angle of the bright sun makes it look worse than it is.  I'd describe the Squeaky Clean product as a paintwork cleanser - - not much ability to correct.  The car I applied the Enviroshield to has some notable scratches in the paint and the Squeaky Clean didn't do much for them.  I guess I really wasn't expecting it to.  I see no reason why you couldn't skip the Squeaky Clean entirely and do something like M105>M205 combo and then coat...or whatever your preferred polish routine is.  I've done the hood, fenders, deck lid and roof.  When I complete this job I may go directly to the Meguiars polishes and then coat.


 


<u>I really like the ability to spray their coating product</u> for a couple of reasons.  I've had issues in the past where I just can't tell if I'm getting enough product applied to the surface and it turns out I wasn't.  The ability to spray the coating onto their special applicator pad (it has sort of a fabric covering one side) completely eliminates this uncertainty for me.  I intentionally applied a lot of product.  I did spray the product directly onto large wide areas...not sure if that's allowed, but it worked great :)  Duragloss says to mist the applicator and then apply.  I was doing both and had real good success getting plenty of product applied.  The ability to do this quickly increases one's confidence with applying these coatings.


 


You can keep rubbing the coating into the surface and it kind of disappears.  When you over-apply, you can use their no-nap MF towel that's included.  It does a perfect job leveling the product.  They suggest the product is WOWA*, I can't completely agree with that.


 


The finished result appears similar to the other coatings I've used.  The surface is slightly tacky for the first few hours and that transitions to a very smooth, silky feel once the curing takes place.  I haven't seen the car outside yet, but I'm sure the result will be as good as the other coatings I've tried.


 


I suppose this 4oz bottle will do quite a few cars.  Not sure if I need to be concerned about the product going bad within 6 months - I'll never use it up by then.


 


This product obviously offers a strong value proposition for a production environment at $38.  Not sure what the pricing would be without the Squeaky Clean which some aren't going to use.


 


<span style="font-size:10px;">*wipe on, walk away
 
I am really looking forward to your findings Tom. This looks really promising. Does it require much leveling? Does it harden up the applicator after use? 
 
The amount of leveling I needed to do was minimal.  This product levels easier than the other two coatings I have.  Very easy to work with.


 


The pad didn't harden overnight.  I'll check it again in a week.


 
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The gloss and overall appearance is directly comparable to the Cquartz product I have.  Nobody is going to complain about lack of shine.  I'll be interested to see how it looks following its first wash.
 
Thanks for your efforts. Sounds very interesting. Just a point to consider. I wouldn't use M205 as a base for any coating. It leaves behind oils that will comprise the coating. I always use HD POLISH to finish which leaves nothing behind. I still do an IPA wipedown after using it.

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Paul, thanks for the warning on that.  I would typically do a wash (Meg's #00 shampoo) following those polishes.  I've also got the HD product so maybe I'll try that since the finishes on these cars is pretty good.


 


Guys, I'll update when there's newsworthy info to share.  I don't think I'll get the balance of the panels done 'til May.  I'll try to get some beading shots this week so we can see what's going on with that.
 
Thanks Tom! I was on fence for so long on coatings, and this looks like the one to jump on. Call me a cheap bastard, I don't care, this product definitely fits the wallet and looks like it's just as good as the high dollar offerings. Plus, it's made in NC, got to support my local boys!
 
SilvaBimma said:
Super interested! Does it fill at all? Or normal Coating fundamentals apply as usual.
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It doesn't appear to fill, at least not that I could notice on white.
 
JuneBug said:
Thanks Tom! I was on fence for so long on coatings, and this looks like the one to jump on. Call me a cheap bastard, I don't care, this product definitely fits the wallet and looks like it's just as good as the high dollar offerings. Plus, it's made in NC, got to support my local boys!
Click to expand...


 


 


Yeah, I think at this price point, it's tough to bypass.  I think I'd skip the Squeaky Clean unless the car you are working on is in great shape.  I think most of us already own polishes etc that would be more appropriate.  I suspect they've created this affordable kit to offer to the "general public"...those who are not savvy enough to know whether they're paint is really ready for a coating.  I believe in most cases the novice can get decent results.
 
BTW, the subject car is a 1998 MBz E300D with 200k miles.  It's been in NC and VA for the majority of its life.  The paint looks pretty good but there are some serious scratches under the clear coat.  I suspect the car left the factory like that.  I've had two of these cars and the other, 1 year newer, had the exact same scratches on the hood.
 
The car had been in the rain this morning.  It had been parked in the garage for about an hour before I took this shot:


 
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This and Cquartz are labelled as hydrophobic.  If you haven't seen Cquartz or similar while driving in the rain, it's really unusual to see the water move across the hood.
 
Minor FYI/update:


 


I had asked the folks at Duragloss about cleaning the sprayer and the shelf life of the product once open:


 
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Tom,



Thank you for your inquiry. Clean the sprayers with mineral spirits.


 


Shelf life is indefinite if kept stored between 60 - 80 degrees. Keep out of extreme heat due to the flammability of the product.



Heat will also cause evaporation as well.


Thanks,



Duragloss


 
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tom p. said:
Yeah, I think at this price point, it's tough to bypass.  I think I'd skip the Squeaky Clean unless the car you are working on is in great shape.  I think most of us already own polishes etc that would be more appropriate.  I suspect they've created this affordable kit to offer to the "general public"...those who are not savvy enough to know whether they're paint is really ready for a coating.  I believe in most cases the novice can get decent results.
Click to expand...


Tom -- thanks for this mini review on the new DG coating.   I thought the Squeaky Clean's purpose was to remove anything left behind by polishes so doesn't it make sense to use it after polishing??


 


 


Just noticed that you can buy the coating alone now on the DG website, but it's $38 for 4 oz--same price as the kit.
 
pwaug said:
   I thought the Squeaky Clean's purpose was to remove anything left behind by polishes so doesn't it make sense to use it after polishing??


 


 
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I think the Squeaky Clean is a catch-all kind of product. I don't know anything about it apart from the label posted above.


 


I think some will use it without any previous polishing step.
 
So you think on a new car you could use squeaky clean then coating?


I thought of squeaky more like eraser than a Decontamination product similar to ironx.
 
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