Customer KILLED their Coating- Why They Fail?? How to Prevent It & What To Do When It Happens!

[@shojus]

I think it's SUPER important to educate the customer on what a ceramic coating actually does and what to expect if contact washes aren't done as maintenance. I have never had a ceramic coating and just purchased a new car and I've called around for prices and almost every shop just wants to sell a coating as being bulletproof, and watching videos online that's definitely not the case. Still gotta do contact washes and proper maintenance or you end up wasting money. Too many people have been fooled into think a ceramic coating is something it's not unfortunately. Thanks for educating us all.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

I’m trying! Lol. I make these videos for my customers to educate them on how to get the most out of their investment but no matter how many videos I make sometimes things still go wrong but I can at least keep on trying to educate

[@shojus]

@@attention2detailswchelsea I was watching DIY Detail and he said that he actually preferred people to go through a modern car wash with brushes than to go through a brushless wash with a ceramic coated vehicle. To be honest, I'm scared to go to any car wash unless it's in my driveway! 😆 I just wish there were more hours in the day...

[@brandonf5558]

@@shojus do you remember what video this was? I find that interesting. My customers that use touchless washes have typically destroyed the coating. Obviously, depends on the coating. Best case scenario would be finding a coating with an extremely high and low ph resistance.

[@shojus]

@@brandonf5558 I have no idea unfortunately, but I assume it was a video about one of their ceramic coating products. I was always told to avoid the car washes with brushes, but now I'm told to avoid them ALL by different KZbin channels. Unfortunately that's just not possible for some people, and just wondering what you would recommend for people that live in severe winter climates that don't have access to a garage? If I sprayed any products on my car at below zero temps, I'm not sure how well that would go. I'll try and find that video but Yvan basically said that the newer brush car washes are what he would prefer if someone must use them, and to avoid the touchless washes due to exactly what you are referring to.

[@Rabbit.760]

​@@shojusyvan is purposely unorthodox and you should stay on the side of common sense

[@RAM-KINGOFTRUCKS]

this is why i use a ceramic topper on my vehicle to keep up the protection.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

The better you maintain your coating the better it will perform is my mantra

[@RAM-KINGOFTRUCKS]

@@attention2detailswchelsea 👌👍

[@jeffreyrobert9460]

It confounds me how customers spend big $ on ceramic coating then ignore maintenance

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

I understand to an extent it does prevent the vehicle from getting as dirty as quickly, and so the normal person would then say “I don’t need to wash my vehicle, it doesn’t LOOK dirty”. But they’re not realizing that traffic film that sits on there is doing damage it might not look super dirty just maybe not as bright but the film and automatic car wash soaps is really what is doing the damage. Doesn’t mean you have to avoid ACW’s all together but you have to put SOME contact on the paint to remove the FILM. Just drying it with a drying aid/topper and microfiber towel after washing can be HUGE in keeping your coating looking 1000x’s better

[@MarylandDevin]

Unfortunately, I've seen similar results with some ceramic coatings. Them washing it throughout summer and less washing with touchless machine washing in the winter is not unreasonable. I couldn't ask for any average person to maintain their vehicle much better than this. I haven't seen many coatings that can make it to their marketed duration, which is sad. Especially after spending the time and money to have it installed. It becomes hard to justify charging/spending what it costs to apply a full on coating. When you could apply a spray sealant that's going to last 6mo-1year. I coated my wife's car a year ago and I'm seeing similar results as this jeep. I did my car around the same time, but it's garage kept and that seems to make a big difference -- not sitting out in the sun. I've noticed similar results on other vehicles I've worked on.

[@richardroda4882]

Your exactly right. None of these ceramics last as claimed. Utter baloney...

[@MarylandDevin]

@@richardroda4882 Yeah, id probably still coat my car if I was having it polished. But I wouldn't polish my car to coat it, if that makes sense. I've been using Ethos Resist on top of their Graphene Matrix and it's been doing pretty well. I didn't wash my daily all winter and the first wash I did brought back all of the hydrophobics, I was kinda surprised.

[@jaimedpcaus1]

Ok, so, which one is the most durable -- from the ceramic?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Pro grade versions are obviously going to be the MOST durable and Art de Shine has been some of the top pro grade coatings I’ve tried but for prosumer grade coatings from what I’ve tested the Mckees 37 Graphene has been showing me impressive REAL WORLD durability. I haven’t tested them all but from what I’ve tested it’s done very well

[@jaimedpcaus1]

@@attention2detailswchelsea Great to know! 👍 Thank you 😊.

[@jimrusch22]

Parking under trees is the harshest environment for ceramic coatings.

[@riceburner4747]

I HEAR U!! I dont have a garage & purchased a car cover. It's a PIA when its windy & every time I drive it, but it's staying real nice! Worth it! 👍

[@mikez6683]

Agreed, although I think the sun is on par with tree fallout. I corrected and put Can Coat on both of my son’s cars over a year ago. They both live in the same town in Colorado. Neither of them wash too often. One car is garaged the other isn’t. Did a maintenance wash on both after about a year. The garaged car acted like it was just coated. The outside car was mostly flat. I am hoping the garaged car gets two years out of that 12 month CanCoat.

[@danlc95]

My mom parks under trees, and they do a number on protection. In the 90's Meguiar's M20 Polymer Sealant always did a great job protecting over winters. So did Duragloss 111, and Meguiar's M21 2.0. But last summer I used Optimum Hyper Seal. I did the first hand wash of the season, and the stains that normally require clay and polishing wiped off. Since I was planning on polishing and applying other protection, I clayed the finish. As I clayed the ONR clay lube was beading, and the surface was slick, where it's usually grabby after claying a wax or sealant. She or I will take it to the touchless wash through the winter. But yes, those trees are brutal on vehicle finishes.

[@Rabbit.760]

Fuck the ceramic coating. It's there to take a beating

[@danlc95]

@@Rabbit.760 - YES!!!!

[@HiThisIsMine]

“ ‘We’ just got off the phone with the customer…” I have a friend that talks like this about his single man working out of the house operation too.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

It’s a habit, I always talk like it’s me and my husband and it’s not just my business even though I am the primary one doing it. We are a team. But he’s more the silent partner lol.

[@chrisbradley9607]

Coatings seem to be hurt much more by alkaline chemicals than acids (within reason, not pH 0). I avoid strong alkaline foams / APC and once in a while use Adam's Strip Wash (new acid formula) or CarPro Descale.

[@Luismorales-cy6cg]

Awesome work. Great info 👌🏽

[@tucksmith8300]

That Jeep Wrangler looks awesome Chelsea

[@jorgeaceves2068]

Many problems with CC very easy to put and very difficult to remove that why still in the market Custom Car waxes easy to put concourse shine and replied every month is easy good video Chealsea Greetings 🇨🇦

[@7yrsbadluck]

How much Carpro Reset do you put in the foam cannon?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

2-3 oz

[@billbuss7542]

What polish did you use to remove the coating?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

I believe this was Phoenix EOD Fabulous Finishing Polish or DIY Detail Gold Standard Polish

[@brandonf5558]

For application over a cured coating, does it depend on the type of coating, like polysilazane, ceramic based, etc? I would think a 5h coating would be fine, and am assuming you're talking about 9h coatings. I've never heard that, so I'm curious. Finding the right marketing model, customer education on maintenance, and products is a doozy for me. At least my customers are happy :)

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Do you mean putting a new coating over an old coating?

[@jbanda896]

Why not Carpro descale instead of Reset? I would think Carpro descale would remove old wax and sealants and some water spots.

[@rooboy99]

You could use both depending on the issues with the coating . I'd use reset then descale as snow foam washes, then either of those again as a contact wash depending on the issues with the coating . Ie if it was water spots I'd use descale as the contact wash.

[@stevewhite5756]

Great examples and explinations!

[@GoTMLGo1967]

Any polish, a light/medium cutting pad would be enough to remove a dead/dying coating?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Depends on the coating but typically that is my experience

[@macallanvintage]

In short, coatings are just the high-tech, more glamorous, much more lucrative version of a wax. More practical to frequently use spray-type products or just periodically use wax…..rather than wasting money on coatings used on vehicles that are insufficiently washed, driven in harsh conditions.

[@riceburner4747]

Love that color, Chelsea! Looks great now. I really enjoy your detailing, but what I like is these are vehicles of average people. I see alot of detailers that emphasize exotic cars. You do a vast array of vehicles. I plan on driving my car more this winter in WPA. I'm researching touchless washes when its so cold, & streets are dry for a week or so, I have a place to go. I USUALLY go to a self serve as close to freezing temps as possible & do it myself, AND I'M A SENIOR. 😉🤓 👍

[@stephenodell1417]

What polish did you use to remove coating. Gold standard.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Yes

[@dustin3700]

If road film and a presoak can remove the coating the coating it self it junk if it can't stand up to typical conditions and washing its not worth the money.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Some are more durable than others this is true but I would say it’s junk just not best suited for this customer. Some customers with Kronos on their vehicles have a entirely different result with better maintenance.

[@paul6749]

Hi Chelsea, fantastic result! Nicely filmed video, except for me, I find the background music behind dialogue is distracting. Seems to be the latest fashion on TV documentaries - practically everything has almost continual background music😬 Detailing info is beyond criticism though👍

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

I personally find the music to keep me more engaged but I’ve had a few make a similar comment so maybe we’ll try doing one video with no background music.

[@BabyBackManiac]

Look into "EQ carving"... they basically cuts out the frequencies in the music that compete with your voice. Like you I enjoyed putting music in my videos but I was getting complaints. Once I started that, I haven't had a complaint since. Well about music. (there's always trolls) lol

[@millerdetailing4176]

Really great and informative video Chelsea. Appreciate all the content and hope you have a great weekend.

[@Beastmode-br7ij]

How did you dial in those last walk around shots? They look REALLY clean. Camera type? Settings? Editing?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

iPhone 14 cinematic mode 3x or 1x

[@alexpope5327]

Very good video. Glad I found your channel. Great straightforward info about how to maintain your coated vehicle. I especially loved your series with Yvan, he is a wealth of knowledge, now I am following his DIY Detail channel as well 😀😀

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Thanks!

[@maryhoffman2547]

When you said "sweat marks/applicator marks". Is that the streaking whhile you're rinsing on front of hood? 4:31

[@maryhoffman2547]

I time stamped a few seconds late.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Yes. You can almost see lines in the coating that look like what the coating would have looked like when you’re applying the ceramic coating and it flashes or sweats off. For some coatings that’s how you can tell when the Hydrophobic top layer is starting to fail because you will see those sweat marks or towel marks in the coating. If you’ve ever applied a ceramic coating, you’ll understand what that reference means, but I was trying to show that in this video

[@maryhoffman2547]

@attention2detailswchelsea I've never applied a coating. I'm still learning, lol. I really appreciate you taking the time to capture those moments for people like me. Thank you, Chelsea! Have wonderful Sunday!

[@spsellars]

I’m stuck without hose access and rely on touchless automatic washes more than I’d like to. Do rinseless washes with something stronger like feynlab count as contact washes?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Yes they count!

[@jesuslopez5494]

If I add ceramic coating last month is going to be my second wash can I add another pass of ceramic coating just on top of it ?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

No it’s normally only able to be topped within a few hours after application, normally 2-4 hrs after. The coating is fully cured now and the og layer will prevent the new one from fully bonding with the clear coat and it’s a waste of product

[@brianhenry7983]

That turned out looking great. I'm just getting into ceramic coatings, actually doing my first one on an RV next week. I have a friend who is an expert on it, so gonna guide me through it so don't worry. haha

[@ChiGalKMcAcura]

Do you recommend getting a light polish and fresh EXO during maintenance? CSL & EXO on the Acura for 2 years now or wait til after the snowy season?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

No need to polish off and recoat if it’s performing fine but if you start to see signs of failure and have done water spot treatment, etc and it’s still showing those Signs then yes I’d polish and recoat

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Most can get by with topping with c2v3 for topping

[@ChiGalKMcAcura]

@@attention2detailswchelsea just seeing a bit of marring. Nothing major.

[@billnipp2309]

If carpro reset doesn’t weaken ceramic coatings, can it be used every time you wash a vehicle? Ty

[@rooboy99]

Reset is for Decon washes . It's to help strip contaminants. If you wash every 2 weeks, it's not necessary. It won't hurt anything though.

[@billnipp2309]

@@rooboy99 seems like it would keep the coating performing optimally.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

I’d use it every few months but not needed for every wash.

[@billnipp2309]

@@attention2detailswchelsea great. Thanks.

[@Shamilt3]

I'd assume touchless car wash chems + the stupid high pressure from those things, would be major contributors. The pressure from a lot of them is just about bead blasting your paint

[@rogerserafin]

Great video with awesome information about keeping the ceramic coating tip top. Subscribed

[@jeffreyrobert9460]

Please make longer videos

[@codytaylor4351]

So do you charge them for the polish and reapply since it’s been the first wash within a year? I try to warranty my coating if it’s something I missed, and offer a free maintenance and top coat within a year.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Yes they did have to pay for them to be recoated but it was much less than recoating the entire vehicle. I don’t offer a warranty for this very reason as there are too many variables that can affect a coatings performance.

[@dougmasters3875]

Did you re-apply Kronos, or go with something you felt is more chemical resistant? I know you're fond of McKee's Graphene for its chemical resistance.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

I topped the panels that were fine with Immortal but the failed panels were polished and coated with Mckees 37 Graphene

[@jasoncraig6158]

@@attention2detailswchelseasince you have used Kronos and McKees which have you seen have better chemical resistance? I have gotten 18 months out of Kronos before I had to top off with Immortal. Just was lacking hydrophobics.

[@keithfirebird7618]

You can't fix customer neglect no more than you can fix stupid.

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Well technically we did fix it and the customer isn’t stupid they just don’t have as much education as they need. Now they do and have been able to resolve those issues! That’s why it’s so important to educate and if you find that customers are still struggling, educate some more! These videos are for my customers to help them educate themselves. But just cause you lead a sheep to water you can’t make them drink

[@Detailpops]

Did ya say what coating was the one that failed Chelsea?

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Kronos but only on panels that got more abuse

[@Detailpops]

@@attention2detailswchelsea dang and that still failed. So far from what you’ve used , you think Mckees graphene is the most chemical resistant? I started using it after your videos and so far so good!

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

I just want to stress that issues like this can happen with most coatings I see, regardless of brand. This isn’t an attack or dig on any specific product but rather I am trying to show that regardless of coating if you don’t properly maintain it it will suffer or die. I’ve seen this happen with dozens of different coatings/brand in the past and most of the issue lies on the customer, not the coating. It’s all about education. So to those that think there’s hate or this is me calling out a specific brand or product know that isn’t the goal of this video.

[@macallanvintage]

The answer to your situation above lies in an old video by AMMO where a coating had prematurely died on a Range Rover’s side panel in similar weather and road conditions. -------------- It is extremely “dangerous” to re-visit any vehicle coated by yourself only around 12mths after you last saw that vehicle. REASON: Most coatings on daily-driven vehicles in very hot weather or snow-infested areas, would already be partially dead around 9months, exhibiting very poor beading IF the owner did not “cheat” via using spray-type products. You will never be told exactly how the car was washed + other details. You have no control over how the vehicle is used, where its parked, how often its washed and whats its washed with. Hence, its shocking to see detailers giving “warranties” for such coatings. If you want to perform “maintenance” on cars coated by yourself, you shd get those cars to return once every 2mths for a thorough wash + spraying some sort of stuff to camouflage the dying coating via giving the illusion (renewed beading) that the coating is still kickin-ass. In such harsh climates with road salt and chemicals on the road adhering on the paintwork for god knows how long, Im sure those stuff would have partially killed the coating if the car was not washed in a month. Therefore, your situation above is virtually identical to the one in the AMMO video. In most cases, when you spray water and it hardly beads, itz a waste of time to use different detergents hoping to “revive clogged coatings”. In most cases, the coating was already dead since long ago.

[@1stfrompuertorico568]

First!!!!

[@mag1vl]

Attention 2 Details w/ Chelsea ​Thanks for ending your day with us @mag1v1 Thank you for your time and info Chelsea🙃

[@jjjjjjjjjjjhjjjjjhjj]

What would you charge for a coating maintenance wash and if you had to polish scratches and re apply coating to a panel? I don’t have coating in stock often so if had to open up a fresh bottle for that would be tough / costly. Some coated cars I see like the Jeep here even need claying they are so neglected and drive a lot of miles after that they bead again

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

Normally a coating maintenance wash is $75-100 and to repolish and coat a panel would be normally $50 per panel.

[@bigsmith7349]

Very informative I thought you could get 2 to 3 years with a coating with any problems..🫶🫶

[@attention2detailswchelsea]

You CAN and it doesn’t take much but the better you maintain your coated car the better it performs

[@bigsmith7349]

@attention2detailswchelsea thanks for the information I'm thinking about haveing one of my cars done