# 3-Categories: Waxes, Paint Sealants and Coatings



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*3-Categories: Waxes, Paint Sealants and Coatings*

In an effort to help _standardize terms_ used in the detailing industry, now that *CQuartz* and *Opti-Coat 2.0* are mainstream, there are three general categories in the *"Protection"* category


*Waxes*
*Paint Sealants*
*Coatings*

*Waxes*
Generally defined as any product that contains a natural or synthetic _*waxy*_ ingredients that are intended to protect the paint and/or add beauty to the paint. These types traditional waxes will wear off under normal wear-n-tear, repeated washings and exposure to the environment.

*Paint Sealants*
Generally defined as any protection product that contains man-made or synthetic ingredients that are intended to protect the paint and/or add beauty to the paint. These traditional sealants will wear off under normal wear-n-tear, repeated washings and exposure to the environment.

*Semi-Permanent and Permanent Coatings*
Generally defined as any protection product that contains man-made or synthetic ingredients that are intended to permanently protect the paint and/or add beauty to the paint. These types of coatings are as close to a permanent coating as possible by current technology but can be removed through typically an abrading process similar to removing below surface defects like swirls, scratches and water spots.

Historically it's been very difficult to get all manufactures in this industry to adopt uniform terminology... but there's always a first time...


----------



## spyder (Jun 15, 2010)

*Coatings*

Hi Mike,
could you share your opinion on the new coatings that are on the market? Opti coat 2 looks very interesting. Is this a big step forward for the industry?Thanks:thumb:


----------



## Lloydy (Jan 13, 2009)

Also on the Gtechniq C1, this looks amazing but is it actually that good?


----------



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

spyder said:


> Hi Mike,
> could you share your opinion on the new coatings that are on the market? Opti coat 2 looks very interesting. Is this a big step forward for the industry?Thanks:thumb:





Lloydy said:


> Also on the Gtechniq C1, this looks amazing but is it actually that good?


Great questions...

The simple, short answer is

*Something for everyone...*

By this I mean, some people enjoy working on their car as a way of relaxing, for these people applying a wax is rewarding and they value the time in the garage; I'm not sure applying a permanent or semi-permanent coating to the paint will be the right product for them.

Some people don't want to make detailing their hobby or profession, they want the paint on their car to,


*Look good*
*Last a long time*
So a coating, either applied by them or by a detailer will be a better option than re-applying waxes and sealants.

Historically, new car dealerships have offered customers "Paint Protection Plans, which included some type of paint sealant and the plans are basically "Paint Insurance Plans", not so much the layer of product being applied. The problem has been that the products they apply usually don't live up to the promises claimed and the fine-print in the plan states that the car must be brought back to have the product re-applied on a regular basis to fulfill the requirements of the plan. These new coatings should do a better job of actually living up to the claims of the dealerships and the perceptions of the customers.

There's also folks that own cars with older style single stage paints and to my knowledge, and I could be wrong, but to my knowledge all the new coatings coming onto the market are formulated for and intended to be used on basecoat/clearcoat paint systems. That's not to say they won't work on single stage paint, I'm just saying that the intended market for which they are formulated for are new cars with basecoat/clearcoat finishes.

Here's a *1956 Pontiac Star Fire Convertible* that myself and a forum member _*Jon aka P.A.R. Detailing*_ buffed out last week and for this car we used Pinnacle Souveran Liquid Carnauba Wax. This is an older re-spray using a _*single stage*_ paint.



















I did test out the new Opti-Coat 2 on the paint on my truck after first compounding and polishing and then gently wiping the paint clean using Opti-Clean and the Opti-Coat 2 seems to have worked just fine.


----------

