What is the difference between a 1 year coating and a 4 year coating? This is a question that we get asked pretty often here at TGD. I’m going to cover the answer to this as well as some of the myths and misinformation out there about coatings in this blog post. The first thing we have to understand is what makes up a coating in the first place. A coating when applied to you vehicle starts a chemical reaction. Yes, we have coating products, but they aren’t the actual coating. The coating forms on the surface or substrate as we lay it on the vehicle. Most coatings have what we call a flash time. Once the coating flashes you wipe the excess off to make a mirror like finish on the surface as well as a protective barrier. This is the chemical reaction we are talking about. The chemical reaction is assisted by the carrier solvent. I know, technical terms, so let me break down what that is. The carrier solvent is literally a solvent in the mixture of the coating that assists the chemical reaction. Some coatings have weak solvents and others have stronger solvents. This is where the magic of how long a coating lasts begins. The quality of the solvent or “carrier” is what lends itself to creating a quality chemical reaction and therefore a weak or strong coating. Now remember, I’m no scientist, I try to keep it simple because I don’t make coatings. We leave that to the lab rats and intelligent folks. I just make cars shinny, but I understand the basics of coatings and that is what we are talking about here. I have also experimented and used many different coatings and this gives me real life data to share with others. The difference between a 1 year coating and a 4 year coating has a lot to do with the quality of the chemicals that make up that coating. The carrier solvent and the amount of SiO2 (ceramic) in the coating plays a pivotal role in the longevity of the coating. The more the SiO2 content, the stronger the coating, and the longer it will last. So don’t get caught up in “layers” and the length of cure times etc. Some coatings take days to cure and others don’t. That is a subject for a different day. “Lifetime” coatings are a completely different subject that I will cover in our next blog for Top Gun Detail. This will break down more of the marketing approach of a coating company to be honest. No coating on the market actually lasts a lifetime……..YET! Stay tuned! Thanks for reading, Kristopher Mindrum
So how do you maintain your car in the winter months?
Pay close attention to the title on this before you grab the pitchforks, torches and head to my house. The discussion will be about standard detail services. We are talking about cleaning up a drink you spill, picking up your kids cereal,vacuuming regularly ….you know….like you do in your house. This article is not about high end detail work like ceramic coatings, paint correction, PPF and the like. At Top Gun Detail, we have a phrase we have memorized and it goes like this: “A maintenance detail is recommended, at minimum, once a month. Whether you do it or we do it.” The reason we recommend this is our extensive knowledge of what we find in presumed “clean” vehicles. What follows may gross you out, but you know we don’t pull punches when it comes to detail work. We could talk about the several times you have sneezed in your car, the times you went to work sick and coughed all over your interior, those kiddos bringing the bugs home from school, that food you spilled that is now growing mold under your seat or the moisture around that window seal that is starting to grow mildew….but we won’t. That is just the beginning of the stuff that you do not see. Many wait until the vehicle visually appears to need a detail. At that point, the car is already chuck full of bacteria. On top of the above things we discussed, we also have urine, fecal matter and bodily fluids. Many would say, I don’t pee in my car! Of course not, that would just be weird. Although, we have seen that too! Those dogs are adorable though! We are talking about everyday walking around. Your kid gets some crusty dog poo on his shoe and you don’t notice until it’s in the carpet at home. Even better, your husband or teenager uses a public restroom and gets urine on the bottoms of his shoes. Guess what! That transports it to your carpet. There are areas of a car we even recommend weekly wipe downs. These areas include the flipper flapper (turn signal), shifter, steering wheel, door handles, touch screens, radio knobs, any high traffic areas. If you are regularly transporting then these weekly duties can double very quickly. Statistically speaking your steering wheel has more bacteria than a public toilet seat! Check out one of the many articles on that here: https://cbs12.com/news/offbeat/car-steering-wheel-four-times-dirtier-than-public-toilet-seat-study-says Now, I know some of this was gross, but my hope is that it was also eye opening. There are benefits to regular cleanings though. Simply by keeping the vehicle bacteria free we also keep the surfaces protected and like new. The carpets don’t develop wear tracks, the plastics stay newer and the overall interior stays brighter and ‘like new’. All of this adds to your trade or resale value. There are also health benefits including better breathing, fewer allergy issues and overall improved immune health. Here is another article on how having a clean car improves the health of you and your family! If you ever have questions about regular maintenance feel free to reach out to us at Top Gun Detail. https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/hidden-benefits-clean-car/ As always, thank you for reading! Kris Mindrum, Owner mindrumk8@gmail.com
Interior protection is paramount! This is where all the accidents happen that can be worse than scratching paint. Let's take a journey into the benefits of interior coatings.
Let's make this simple to give you an idea of what a ceramic coating is and what it is designed to do for you.
The title would lend itself to demonstrating something overly dramatic is going to happen in this article. Being honest, that was by design to get you to read this. But why? Well, you’re already reading so settle in for a minute and I’m going to talk to you about a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to ceramic coatings. This will be one of the realist articles you have ever read about ceramic coatings and their benefits. Buckle up and enjoy. Ceramic coatings have been on the market over 10 years now. When they first came out no one knew what they were. Consumers are more confused now then before, but why? The problem is all the misinformation and misleading advertisements out on the market. They dumb down and simplify things to the point where they guide consumers into improper postulations on what a ceramic coating will do. This leaves them culpable for misleading consumers in my opinion, but I digress. I’m going to go through several of these common sights as well as the true features and benefits of a coating. We have all seen the ads. The car gets smacked with a lighter, lit on fire, smashed with a shopping cart and it all wipes right off no problem! This is the beginning of that postulation creation. These ads never point out the true value of what the ceramic coating did there. They present the coating as some kind of magical barrier that is resistant to all evil. This is not the case and I’m about to tell you why. When we look at the features and benefits of most coatings we discover exactly what they are designed to do. Let’s address the lighting the paint on fire first. When we look at the features and benefits we discover the coating is designed to resist industrial fallout, resist acid rain and pollutants, resist corrosive material, resist heavy solvents. Every one of these features is a resistance, not an all inclusive protection barrier. So, why light the car on fire? What purpose does this serve in demonstrating proper care and chemical resistance? The fact of the matter is, they do it because it gets your attention...that’s it. Now we discuss smacking the paint with any object. That is one that I will never understand and it is directly marketed towards demonstrating the hardened layer of protection that a coating provides. Sure, a coating provides a hardened layer of protection. Will it be scratch free after this exercise, no! That is something many won’t even mention unless you ask. At Top Gun Detail, we are 100% transparent about this aspect of a coating. The benefit is improved protection and a sacrificial layer. When you smash the coating with a lighter you actually damage the coating. That is kind of the point. You damage the coating and not your paint. A coating is a sacrificial layer of protection. Still don’t believe me? Why would they void your warranty if you use touch washes when the coating can resist being smashed with lighters? Just food for thought. We also have a lot of advertisements that go around making it look like the vehicle cleans itself. One of the biggest features of a coating is it’s self cleaning ability. The coating stays cleaner, longer because of the ability to self clean. It does this through increased hydrophobic properties and chemical resistance. Your car’s paint gets clogged up with everyday debris causing it to get dirty much faster because it is porous. Tiny little microfiber holes that allow debris or contaminates to get inside your paint, not just on top of it, which allows it to "stick". A coating provides resistance to these things with its hydrophobic properties, it covers those pores, not allowing anything to stick, and the coating itself is super smooth with no porosity. Therefore, when they get wet, they have some self cleaning abilities. Now, this doesn’t mean the coating never needs to be washed. It just means the coating is easier to wash. This also doesn’t mean the coating is water spot proof. That is scientifically impossible if you know what a water spot is. It is literally left over minerals after the water dries. Coatings do have resistance to such deposits in some scenarios,but by no means are they water spot proof. Now let’s address the “it wipes right off” type ad. This is true 100%. Most minor paint transfer will wipe right off without an issue. Remember, we are talking about their targeted postulation though. There is damage behind that paint. Whether it be minor or major, there is damage. Again, this damage is in the coating and not in your paint. So, the coating has done the job it was intended. The misrepresentation is in the advertisement and not the performance. It is important that we educate owners on proper maintenance. We also must educate on proper expectation should an undesired scenario happen like this. I’m sure you’re more undecided now then ever as to why you should get a ceramic coating and from who. I mean, everyone wants the truth up front, right? Well, I am here to assure you that washing a coated vehicle is FAR easier than washing an un-coated vehicle. They provide amazing added protection should a mishap happen. They act as a sacrificial layer and allow for these mishaps to be less costly in the long term because they are typically easier to fix. They provide added protection for all environmental contaminants. They keep the vehicle cleaner, longer. They deepen the gloss and appearance like nothing else on the market. They are the cats meow if you enjoy keeping your vehicle looking nice. They are not designed to put on and hope that it maintains itself. The very design is to make maintenance much easier and create long term protection for the vehicle's surfaces. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of a coating, then check out this article about the benefits of a ceramic coating. While we love applying coatings and have hundreds of satisfied clients, we must stand out from the crowd by providing an honest representation as to the purpose of a coating. Check it out here. Choosing the right detailer can be daunting to say the least. There are so many out there and the prices vary in drastic fashion. Here are 3 simple tips to help you determine the company to choose for your detail needs. There are so many detailers out there and it seems the pricing is all over the map. Ranging from as low as $50 to $500 or more for a detail inside and out. What’s the difference? It can be very frustrating, especially around spring when all the hobbyists start doing it on the side again. I am here to help you make the right decision that makes sense for your budget and desired results. We will discuss the 3 major factors when picking a company for a detail. The first factor you want to consider is, “Do they take their business seriously?”. There are several very easy ways to determine if a detailer is serious about their business. Do they have a legitimate business? A legitimate business is going to have all required licensing and carry some form of insurance. These are some key items a serious business owner will have. Another way to uncover a serious detailer is to ask about certifications and training that they have completed. While detailing may seem easy, there are a few very simple mistakes that can be made that can damage your vehicle. The second factor you want to consider is whether they are paying attention to your wants and needs. One of the easiest ways to determine this is how they quote the jobs. Do they just fire out a “one size fits all” price or are they asking you questions to determine your desired results. Ultimately, a good business owner will seek to meet the clients expectations and the only way to know those is to ask questions. Pay attention to that first interaction and determine if they are listening to your wants and needs. This is crucial for any type of service based business. The third factor is experience. While simpler jobs don’t require the greatest amount of intelligence or skill, the bigger jobs actually do. Take a look at reviews to determine basic client service skills. If you are looking for a higher end service ask for referrals or resume material. Research the company you are doing business with. Your car is one of the biggest investments you will make and have. Be sure to find the right person to take care of it like it is their own. The last point I would like to leave with you is relationship geared. Be sure your detailer wants you to come back. This is a huge sign that a business will be sticking around and always take care of you right. At Top Gun Detail it is our goal to see you again and again. This is how we keep the doors open. As always, you’re welcome to message us with any questions you have about choosing a detailer. We know we aren’t the perfect fit for everyone and we also have connections worldwide to some of the best detailers on the planet. We will always steer you the right direction. Thank you for reading, Kris Mindrum, Owner mindrumk@tgdetail.com
Curious on the cost of a coating, and why? Give this article a quick read, and feel free to message us with any questions.
Pondering a ceramic coating, but confused by all the crazy advertisements out there? Here is a logical look at coatings without all the flashiness and unnecessary dramatics.
