top-gun-detail

Differences between 1,2,3,4,5 and lifetime coatings

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 04:45:56 GMT

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

The importance of maintaining your vehicle in the winter months

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 04:45:34 GMT

So how do you maintain your car in the winter months?

This is a subject that comes up every year. The tendency for most is to maintain their vehicles as best as they can during the summer months because they can see how beautiful the vehicle looks. Then when winter rolls around it becomes frustrating to maintain. We hear it all the time “The vehicle just gets dirty a week later”. We absolutely understand that frustration, we are detailers you know haha! It is funny that this idea comes up with car care because we don’t think this way in other facets of our life.

Your face and hands are just going to get dirty again, but we wash them at least daily. Your hair will get dirty again, but we shampoo that daily. If we did not do these things we would have tangled hair knots, black heads and bad skin. The same holds true for your vehicles finish. In extreme cases of neglect, dogs have to be completely shaved because they have too many knots in their hair from neglect. They can grow their hair back! You cannot grow more clear coat on your vehicle.

So now that we know that our clear coat cannot be regrown and that we MUST maintain its finish or it WILL become dull and damaged, let us talk about what winter month maintenance looks like. The fact is, you should be maintaining MORE often in the winter than the summer. The roads have debris, de-icer and other contaminants that simply are not there during summer months. These added contaminants cause the vehicle to get dirty faster. This in turn equals cleaning more often to maintain a “like new” finish on your vehicle.

The sun still exists during winter months and that sun bakes contaminants into the paint. One rough winter can permanently damage a vehicle that is poorly maintained. So, like your face and hands, wash your vehicle when it gets dirty and contaminated. This will leave the finish looking “like new” all year round and increase the value of your trade in or sale when you decide to upgrade to another vehicle.

If you ever have any questions on what proper maintenance looks like, please feel free to reach out. We are only one company and we know we cannot clean all the cars in the world. For this reason, we love to give advice to others and share our industries secrets for maintaining your vehicles finish.

Top Gun Detail

(307) 689-1604

tgdetail.com

The SCARY truth behind why a standard detail is a maintenance service and not a luxury!

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 04:45:01 GMT

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

The In's and Out's of Interior Coatings

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 04:44:49 GMT

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.

We often find people surprised when we tell them we can also ceramic coat the interior of their vehicles. This is why I’m putting together information for you all to understand the benefits and what we actually can do. At Top Gun Detail we can ceramic coat leather, fabric, plastics, rubbers, and carpets on the interior of your vehicle. The bigger question is why though.

When it comes to maintaining a vehicle's interior it's all about protection. Protection makes the interiors easier to maintain because dirt buildup struggles to stick to a protected surface. Things like leather and plastics need regular conditioning. The biggest reason is the all mighty sun. It causes UV damage and is literally responsible for destroying anything that has long term exposure to it. You wouldn’t sit out in the hot sun for days at a time because it burns your skin right? The same is true for unprotected interior surfaces. Which is intensified by the sun beaming through glass.

Now, you can use the standard products on the market to protect your interior. These products require application every 3 months minimum. They get the job done, but are not long term protection, and can wear out faster with constant traffic, like getting in and out of your vehicle often. This is the biggest difference between coatings and standard protections. The coatings provide long term protection that you can count on. They also have a durability that is unsurpassed by standard products.

That is not the only benefit though. The biggest benefit is how easy they are to clean and maintain. The best way we have been able to describe this is with a frying pan. If you have ever cooked with a non stick frying pan then you understand the benefit of a coating. This is the very idea of interior coatings. They create a layer of protection that is like a non stick pan. This makes them incredibly easy to clean and maintain.

Lastly, look at that shine! The coatings give a nice satin finish to the surfaces that lasts the lifetime of the coating, giving you that new car feel and look far longer than any other consumer grade product.

For more information on interior ceramic coatings feel free to reach out to us. You can reach out on any of our platforms, text or email. It is our pleasure to bring to you the most up to date information on how to better maintain your vehicles.

Thank you for reading,

Kris Mindrum, Owner

Top Gun Detail

mindrumk@tgdetail.com

What is a ceramic coating?

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 04:44:38 GMT

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.

Another very common question that gets asked is , “What is a ceramic coating?”.

Unfortunately, the reason this question is asked so frequently is because of the massive amount of misinformation out there. There are consumer grade coatings and professional grade coatings. There are even coatings that dare to name themselves things like “BulletProof” and send a very confusing message to consumers. I’m hoping to clear up most of the confusion with this write up.

Let’s start with a simple answer to give you an idea of what a ceramic coating is and what it is designed to do for you. You saw the picture of the pan with butter in it right? The butter is added for not only flavor, but to ensure things don’t stick to the pan. Have you ever cleaned a pan that had crusted, burnt food on it? It takes a lot of time and it is a huge pain. Then we invented non stick pans to make it even easier. Now imagine a nonstick coating that lasts for years on your car. That is a ceramic coating. Now onto the more technical talk.

A ceramic coating is a hardened layer of protection installed over your clear coat or paint. There are several great companies out there and also several snake oil products out there. I could get into some of the science I know about the carriers and SIO2 etc, but I’m not a chemist and do not want to pretend to be one. I would much prefer to discuss the benefits of a coating and the features that make these coatings so desirable.

A legitimate ceramic coating will have some self cleaning abilities. Now what does that even mean? The coating creates a super slick surface on your paint. This causes water to have a dramatic contact angle and bead very well. This action lends itself to helping keep the surfaces clean. It allows something like simple rainfall to rinse off a majority of dirt from the coatings surface. This by no means is maintenance. The coating will still need regular washes and upkeep to keep it looking its best just like your paint does.

Let's talk about our favorite feature of a coating, the gloss factor! Any reputable detailer is going to do a paint enhancement or paint correction with the installation of your coating. This service lends itself greatly to increasing the gloss factor by reducing the damage in the paint. It is all about reflecting and refracting light. If the surface has a lot of damage then it will not have depth in gloss because the light is reflecting instead of enriching the paint. If the surface is smooth and damage free it will have a deep gloss factor because the spectrum is being absorbed creating depth. Once the correction portion is done and the coating is applied it is even further depth in gloss as it adds additional layers of protection. You simply cannot beat the depth in gloss of a true professional grade ceramic coating.

The reason everyone should be getting on the coating band wagon is the ease of cleaning. We all know that anything you want to keep nice has to be maintained or cleaned on a regular basis. We have dispelled the myth that coatings clean themselves. While they stay cleaner longer, due to their self cleaning abilities. It would be a lie to say that you do not have to maintain them. The coating creates a super slick surface that debris will struggle to adhere to. Cleaning times get cut in half because of this super slick surface. It makes washes so much easier and drying becomes a lot easier as well because the water doesn’t WANT to stick to the surface due to reduced surface tension.

My least favorite part of a coating to discuss is its hardness. Most coatings have a hardness rating. This hardness rating is widely based on the pencil hardness scale. Some coatings claim to be 7H all the way up to 10H in hardness. At no point in time should you believe a coating cannot be scratched or provides a scratch proof layer of protection on your paint. The coating is to be treated as a sacrificial layer on your paint. If a mishap happens ,it is more likely that it can be fixed if you have your vehicle coated. Nothing can make scratches and damage stop happening. It is a part of everyday life to expect things will wear over time. The coating provides a hardened layer of sacrificial protection should a minor mishap happen. They are not rock chip proof, scratch proof or any of the like. They simply are a better layer of protection for all the above reasons. If you are strictly looking for scratch protection or rock ship protection it would make more sense to look into something like PPF, or paint protection film. Similar to a clear bra.

In finality, there are several reputable coating brands out there like IGL, Gtechniq, Waxed Shine and Opti to name a few. Each coating has a different formulation and provides different features and benefits to the client. Some coatings offer better protection from bird poop etching than others. There is always a give and take though. One benefit may sacrifice another benefit. The best suggestion I can make to anyone wanting to purchase a professional grade coating is to do your research on the installer. That is where the true expertise comes into play. The prep work greatly changes the way the coating will perform. If the prep work is poor, the coating will be poor. So, this truly is a matter of finding the right installer and not necessarily about finding the right coating. When it comes to our coatings, we back everything personally. We take pride in every installation here at Top Gun Detail, your ride reflects our pride!

Feel free to reach out anytime with any questions you may have. You do not have to be in our state to receive our advice. We are connected globally to a network of installers through our training services that we provide for other detailers. We can always get you in touch with someone you can trust!

Thank you for reading,

Kris Mindrum, Owner

Top Gun Detail

mindrumk@tgdetail.com

Choosing the Right Detailer

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 04:44:19 GMT

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

So how much is a ceramic coating?

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 02:11:07 GMT

Curious on the cost of a coating, and why? Give this article a quick read, and feel free to message us with any questions.

When it comes to ceramic coatings, this is the absolute most common question we get here at Top Gun Detail. This is exactly why we are writing a blog about it. We have an obligation to be as transparent as we possibly can with clients. We also have the obligation to reach your expectation of the service and not simply impose our expectations on you. Let’s be honest, we are detailers, we would love to make everything as perfect as possible. When it comes to pricing a ceramic coating package there are several factors that come into pricing these jobs. These factors include: vehicle size, current condition of vehicle, expectation of service, duration of guarantee. I will address these each individually in this write up.

Vehicle size is the easiest one to understand. The prep that goes into the coating is the hardest part of the job. The larger the vehicle, the more time the prep and coating installation takes. The make and model also tell us a lot about the service to offer. Your average commuter Toyota Corolla does not need to be absolutely perfect before installing protection, but your 2020 Corvette deserves the opportunity to look it’s absolute best before we seal everything behind a protective layer of ceramic coating.

Current condition of the vehicle is one of the most difficult things to discuss over the phone or through text message. You simply do not know the condition of the vehicle until you see it in person. For this reason, Top Gun Detail requires an in person inspection for any vehicle desiring a coating service of any kind. The process before we install the coating is called a paint correction or a paint enhancement. This is the process by which we remove damage and level the paint to prepare it for the coating. It is absolutely possible to just throw a coating on damaged paint,but this greatly affects the longevity and performance of the product. Just like any paint that requires some form of prepping to allow the paint to properly adhere to. For this reason we require a minimum of a paint enhancement. We understand many consumers do not care how good the paint looks and only care about the added protection and ease of maintenance that a coating provides. This is exactly why we developed the levels of paint correction and enhancements to choose from. This allows us to ask a few questions and get you in the package that gives you the best bang for your buck.

Expectation of the service is one of the single most important pieces of information we need to attain to properly quote the job. There is A LOT of misinformation out there regarding what a coating is and what it does for you as a consumer. We have inquiries that come in expecting the coating is scratch proof or even dent proof. Some folks even believe the coating does not need to be maintained and cleans itself. These claims simply are not true. This is where the quoting questions or in person inspection really comes in handy. We discuss the current paint condition and your expectations as to what you want to see it look like when we finish the installation of your coating. This ties right back into an enhancement vs a correction service. How perfect does the vehicle truly need to be? Is this a show car or a commuter car. Understanding that the paint correction process removes clear coat from the car is paramount. It doesn’t make sense to seek perfection on a commuter car as it will lessen the amount of paint protection you have on the vehicle.

The duration of the guarantee is the least of which we worry, but the consumers do enjoy knowing how long something is expected to last. We usually ask several questions to get an idea of what fits best for you, the consumer. If your lease is due in 3 years then we suggest a 3 year coating. If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a lengthy time then we recommend our longer guaranteed coatings. It is all an effort to give the consumer exactly what they want and need. It is important to point out that the duration of the coating is also heavily reliant on the maintenance of the coating. This is another misconception in the market and it's our goal to remain as transparent as possible. The coating is not self cleaning (although we are looking into becoming installers for a newer coating on the market that IS self healing!). It has self cleaning abilities, but these can be overwhelmed over time and regular maintenance is necessary just like anything in life. It absolutely stays clean longer and makes cleaning an absolute breeze, but it is still necessary to maintain the coating with regular washes and wipe downs. We have seen 1 year coatings last 2 years and also seen them fail early due to poor/no maintenance. This is exactly why we offer a free wash session with every coating to explain proper maintenance and show you how easy it is to keep your ride looking fly all the time.

So, to answer the question,”How much is a ceramic coating”, I say to you, “It depends”. These jobs can range from several hours to several days depending on your expectations and desired coating package. At Top Gun Detail you can expect to pay between $500 and $2500 for most of your everyday vehicles out there. This price varies based on the above factors we discussed. We provide an in person inspection and quote at no additional charge.

If you ever have any questions regarding coatings of any kind, feel free to reach out anytime via any of our platforms. You can reach us through Facebook, Instagram, Website or email. It is our goal to provide the best, most transparent service out there. We win through constantly educating our markets to ensure they are not being taken advantage of!

Thank you for reading,

Kristopher Mindrum, Owner

mindrumk@tgdetail.com

We reveal the lies of Ceramic Coatings

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 02:13:56 GMT

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.

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.

Thank you for reading,
Kris Mindrum, Owner
mindrumk@tgdetail.com