Retail Coatings: A 3-way test... Applied 9/10/14

Not quite a year.... and sorry for my failure to keep updates.

Enviroshield is still going strong. Zero degradation of surface action. Gloss appears the same as initial installation.

Added Gloss Coat last Feb. To a panel and It failed in 4 weeks. Also added Americoat to another panel at the same time... same exact prep. Americoat is performing excellent.
 
Gabe, I don't know why, but my coating experience is practically 180* opposite of yours. I'm very curious why such differences.

I applied Enviroshield to this car about 3 months prior to the photo being taken. Beading was weak at that point. In fact, beading wasn't much better when first applied.

DSC_7698_zps81fb0a56.jpg


I've since applied Enviroshield to another car (the car pictured here was totaled) but did not do a post-application wipe down of any kind. It seems to be doing a bit better, but certainly unspectacular after 6 months or so.
 
Great thread! :)

Don't mind my edits, just cleaning up some text formatting errors after the merger.
 
tom p. said:
Gabe, I don't know why, but my coating experience is practically 180* opposite of yours. I'm very curious why such differences.

I applied Enviroshield to this car about 3 months prior to the photo being taken. Beading was weak at that point. In fact, beading wasn't much better when first applied.

DSC_7698_zps81fb0a56.jpg


I've since applied Enviroshield to another car (the car pictured here was totaled) but did not do a post-application wipe down of any kind. It seems to be doing a bit better, but certainly unspectacular after 6 months or so.
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Tom, this is what confounds me to this day but at this point, doesnt surprise me. Local environment must play a HUGE role in longevity along with where the vehicle is stored.

Despite the "green initiatives" of my local population center (Portland, OR) the area has solid amounts of light-acid rain, industrial fall out, road chemicals in winter, and other ambient factors. These have to contribute to the coated surface performance as well.

Right now, for me, I basically feel like coatings are a game of chance no matter how good the prep... retail coatings, anyway. I don't have any solid experience with professional coatings.... but the retail ones certainly don't prompt me, at this point, to really search out professional ones.
 
Very nice write-up. I look forward to seeing your impressions and conclusions. I'm currently using DG Sealant (601/105 / 601/111) and am interested in coatings, especially DG's offering....<subscribed>
 
Vega@Autopia said:
That's strange. I'm on day 285 and Gloss-Coat is still going strong.
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Vega, thanks for your thoughts. I have a regional OC Pro installer that Has had the same experience as I with GC.

Correlation is hard, at this point, to draw conclusions. All I can tell you was the prep was HD Adapt, Polish, Eraser soak/ wipe down/ then an IPA @ 25% wipe down. Application.

Seems to be the normal- what works for some doesn't work for others. This is what frustrates me to no end... and if I can't eliminate variables and find some kind of reasoning as to 'why' the coating succeeds or fails.... then I will not offer said coating to any customer.
 
Vega@Autopia said:
That's strange. I'm on day 285 and Gloss-Coat is still going strong.
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Didn't you top it with a wax soon after? And also using some posh wash boosters (e.g. Polishangel)?
If so, what's your criteria for knowing GC is still underneath ?

IMHO, no topping would be a true test for a coating(unless you have a panel or two untouched)...


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Retail coatings are gloss enhanced, watered down versions of the professionals only coatings. Not much better than a $10 bottle of Duragloss 105, FK 1000, or other quality sealants. Retail coatings are truly marketing marvels. Are they one step above a quality sealant? I personally have not seen evidence of this after trying several. My base comparison is with DG 105, FK 1000, and Sonax netshield...all of which give me 9 months plus of protection that also look great, and require no where near the polishing prep time that coatings require. I'm not sold on retail coatings other than they do make washing easier in some cases if the prep work was done right.
Also topping a retail coating does nothing to prolong it...and in fact, if you're freelancing with toppers and soaps outside the manufacturers recommendations, you will hurt the coating, thereby rendering all that work and expense for naught.
 
silverfox said:
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Also topping a retail coating does nothing to prolong it...and in fact, if you're freelancing with toppers and soaps outside the manufacturers recommendations, you will hurt the coating, thereby rendering all that work and expense for naught.
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I'm not sure I follow how topping (assuming it's not also a cleaner) a coating hurts it. It seems to me, it would just be another sacrificial layer. Even Duraloss suggests there is benefit from topping their sealant(s) with a 'wax' for added shine and durability. My impression is that a coating is just a tougher shell than a sealant, so why would a topper be a detriment?
I do see how a topper could confuse any objective evaluation of a coating's performance.
 
sealthedeal said:
Didn't you top it with a wax soon after? And also using some posh wash boosters (e.g. Polishangel)?
If so, what's your criteria for knowing GC is still underneath ?

IMHO, no topping would be a true test for a coating(unless you have a panel or two untouched)...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I sure did. I originally set out to test the durability of Gloss-Coat on it's own, but I ended up compromising that long-term test on the 30 day mark when I couldn't resist topping the coating any longer with BLACKFIRE BlackIce. The detailing itch was too strong. Album Here.

I've documented every single wash and topping application (the majority of washes done with CarPro Reset). I know Gloss-Coat is still present because I'll use a Reset/APC wash or non abrasive chemical cleaner like DJ Lime Prime to strip the topping and the beading/sheeting characteristics of Gloss-Coat are still present. My long term review has sort of evolved into the type of results the "average joe" should expect when maintaining Gloss-Coat in the real world, instead of a review conducted in a scientific lab. I've even washed it a couple times with a single bucket and no grit guard (:o) just to see how it holds up against swirl marks. At the 2 year mark I plan to make a calendar showing when I washed it and what I used with plenty of pics, so consumers can draw their own conclusions on how well Gloss-Coat performs (or doesn't).
 
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