Paint coatings have become a major part of our business.  The vast majority of our customers opt for one of our coating options to protect their paint, wheels, trim, glass, and other surfaces inside and outside of their vehicle.  As much as I would love to see these vehicles regularly for maintenance, it is not a realistic expectation as many of our clients work around tight schedules and setting up regular appointments for car care just isn’t possible.  With that being said, any time I get to see a coated vehicle months or years after our initial detail, I am always very interested to see how the coating is performing.  Many factors, mostly environmental, can affect the performance of a coating, and we know that proper maintenance is absolutely crucial to extending the characteristics of your coating year after year.

The owners had left the car at the airport while away on vacation, and unknowingly parked near a sprinkler head.  The sprinkler system had sprayed the car many times, allowing the hard water to bake onto the paint in the midwest summer heat.  When they returned, they were greeted with the sight of a complete covering of hard water spots along the majority of the driver’s side and hood areas.  The owner attempted to remove the water spots by washing the car, but was unsuccessful, so he brought it in for a water spot removal treatment and maintenance detail.

This particular vehicle underwent a new car prep, paint correction, and was coated with 22ple VX3 approximately 9 months prior…

Since the water spotting was still fresh, there was not any real etching to be concerned with (thankfully!!), so I was able to restore the finish using CarPro Spotless Water Spot and Mineral Remover (review article here).  The process consisted of first washing the car, then using the water spot remover, then I decided to wash the car again to verify that the water behavior had not been affected by the chemical treatment.  The video below shows the impressive hydrophobic properties of the coated surfaces that were treated with CarPro Spotless.

Source: YouTube

Despite some minor surface imperfections that have appeared since our initial correction work, the gloss is still exceptional.  The paint is a deep, rich black and the reflections are mirror-like.

22ple VX3 is the most economical coating product in the current 22ple line up.  It is one of the most user friendly coatings we have had the priveledge of applying, and provides very nice results.  The manufacturer puts an estimated 2 year durability rating on this product, and I am happy to see it performing in the real world as good as it had when it was just applied almost halfway through its intended lifespan.

22ple is still, in my opinion, an underutilized and underappreciated brand of high end car care products.  If you are not familiar with 22ple products, be sure to check out the full product line on the Detailed Image Page.

For more information on VX3 and all of the other 22ple coatings, check out the collection of articles featuring them on the blog, including my initial product review and application overview!