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Emerging onto the ceramic coating scene, with a squirt in your step and a clever marketing campaign will only get you so far nowadays.
With intense competition coming from every corner, DIY auto detailers are demanding more and more impressive results from products that consistently perform as advertised.
Nowhere is this more apparent, than on the spray-on ceramic coating shelf, where more products than we care to count elbow for real estate. Pushing a product that only offers water-beading properties and glossy shine isn't going to cut the axle grease anymore.
One way to make a product stand out in an oversaturated market is to reformulate the recipe so that it is "better than ever," and promote the fact that the revised formula now offers greater levels of durability and longevity.
This is precisely what California-based auto detailing chemical manufacturer, The Last Coat, did when it re-released its signature ceramic spray a little while back when it launched "The Last Coat 2.0."
But is The Last Coat 2.0 that much better than its predecessor? If it is, then what's up with the people claiming that it either doesn't work or damages clear coat and glass? Is there a certain percentage of SiO2 in this stuff that allows it to compete on the same level with AvalonKing's SiO2 Ceramic Boost Spray?
Here's what we uncovered, when we muted all of the marketing noise and took a closer at The Last Coat 2.0 detailing spray.
How The Last Coat 2.0 is Marketed
The average bottle of The Last Coat 2.0 comes in a 16oz bottle, with this "upgraded formula” running $34.97 a pop on most online sites.
As the San Diego-based brand loudly decrees, they have "stepped it up" with The Last Coat 2.0, by giving it "...more shine, more slickness, more hydrophobic properties... but with much stronger durability and hardness."
Relying upon what the company's marketing flyer refers to as a "microemulsion formula," TLC 2.0 takes the proven "mesh knitting" technology of ceramic coating products and makes it even tighter. The goal here, apparently, is that this makes it more difficult for chemicals and contaminants to compromise the coating.
Advertised as a ceramic coating spray product that can provide protection and shine for up to 6 months, this spray focuses on its hydrophobic properties and UV protection over all others. And like other protectant products on the market, TLC 2.0 contains a mild positive charge for adhesion and lower surface tension levels for encouraging tighter water beads.
The Last Coat also boasts that this 2.0 version "leaves no streaking and no residue," and that it can bond and set within 7 minutes.
However, the company's website includes a caveat that those who wish to see maximum durability should allow the spray-on ceramic product a full 24 hours of cure time. It also claims that TLC 2.0 is not just safe to use on hard surfaces, but leather, vinyl, and other soft materials as well. This is not something you see very often, as leather, in particular, is not a material that is typically considered "ceramic coating friendly," even when the ceramic coating is in a milder spray form.
Frustration and Failure: A Last Coat 2.0 Spray Sob Story
To separate all of the marketing hullabaloo and product description hogwash from the facts, we turned toward a series of independent third-party automotive detailing product testers and unbiased review specialists, as well as online reviews from customers who have seen what TLC 2.0 is all about in real life.
On the bright side, like many automotive care products, people find that TLC 2.0 does go on easily, and unlike other protectant sprays on the market, it does not require hours of buffing to add shine. It's also fairly hydrophobic, so if water beading is your end game, you might like what TLC 2.0 has to offer... for a little while.
"The Last Coat didn’t really live up to all the positive reviews and the hype in its name."
Enter the Upset Customer
One of the most researched questions surrounding this product is: "How long does The Last Coat actually last?" Based upon the average review we've unearthed online, apparently not for very long. Like a drunk frat boy on game day, this stuff also tends to come with its unique streaking issues, as it tends to generate a milky white film on the surface that is oily to the touch and hard to remove.
Below, you will find a few examples of the more elaborate issues DIY detailers and professional installers have experienced with TLC 2.0. There are also quite a few irate complaints about poor customer service practices and deceptive marketing ploys that we decided to forsake in favor of the following user experiences.
"Unfortunately it doesn't last in the hot sun of Florida, I get 1 month of protection, then after that it rapidly wears out- and this is on a new vehicle- I've tried 5 different soaps with and without wax additives with no change. Averaging 3-4 hand washes per month, loses its slickness after 2 washes, and feels bare after 5."
"At first, I was very impressed. It gave a real glassy appearance and beautiful shine. But after a couple of weeks, I began to notice this gray film over the entire car and every surface I used the product on. I tried buffing it out but it just smeared and looked worse. Now I have this milky film on my car and it looks terrible. Maybe if my car was white it would be okay but it's black. It literally looks like I smeared butter or axle grease all over the car and windows. And being aqua-phobic, I can't even wash it off. It makes it difficult to see out the windshield and when the sun hits it, it's even worse."
"This stuff is total junk. Like you, I watched their hype videos and comparisons… I applied TLC on my brand new Tesla after giving it a decontamination wash. What I was left with was an oily residue. It made the paint look horrible. Yes, the paint was slicker, but the car looked really bad. Don’t waste your money on this. You will be returning it like me."
"Out of all the spray Ceramics on the market, This undoubtedly is the worst I have ever used!!! It resists nothing! You might as well apply yak squeeze on your vehicle."
"Mine turned all foggy after a few weeks... Now I don’t know if I should even use it again, because it looks all funky and I don’t want it to ruin my clear coat or leave a weird residue or film."
"Maybe they changed something in their ingredients, but this did absolutely nothing. I am actually thinking it’s a bottle of water."
"I have been collecting Mercedes, Porsches, and Ferraris for 50 years and have usually done my own detailing. This is the most unremarkable product I have ever bought for maintaining my car finishes. Yes, it goes on easily, but does it add any polish, luster, any gleam, or any reflective quality? Not that I can see."
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How AvalonKing SiO2 Ceramic Boost Spray Stole the Show
Although it may be new to the ceramic coating spray scene, AvalonKing's SiO2 Boost Spray has been kicking ass and taking names since it first made its debut in the summer of 2021.
Here are a few key factors that make it superior to any of the other spray-on ceramic products on the market today, including The Last Coat 2.0 and its predecessor.
- Fortified with 20% silica dioxide, an industry-leading level of SiO2 that is more than double that of most competing products in the segment.
- Tightens existing nano-ceramic coatings by infusing porous areas with fresh SiO2 and booster additives, thus revitalizing the product’s bonding powers, increasing shine, restoring hydrophobic water beading properties, and adding additional heat resistance and UV protection.
- If not used in conjunction with Armor Shield IX nano-ceramic coating, AvalonKing's SiO2 Boost Spray can serve a role as a temporary “quick fix” protectant, a sacrificial layer for protecting the paint from contaminants like tree sap, bug guts, bird droppings, road salt, and other ilk.
- Offers up to 6 months of hydrophobic boosting capabilities and enhanced shine when cleaned and maintained with AvalonKing’s Maintenance Car Shampoo and one of AvalonKing's ultra-plush microfiber towels.
Parting Shots
Like graphene coatings and other emerging protectant products with hydrophobic properties, it seems that The Last Coat 2.0 is a bit half-baked.
For all of the online hype and marketing behind this stuff, user results remain all over the place. Some people see the product working as advertised, while others claim that it only holds up for about a month or two before crapping out. Meanwhile, a select few have reported the formation of paint scratches, even when following the directions and using a soft microfiber towel.
"I was soon disappointed to see that The Last Coat didn't even last 3 weeks. I guess those 5-6 applications per bottle would come in handy since it seems like you’d need to reapply pretty often, but who wants to put in that much work for “normal use?"
-Car Care Reviews
There's also the issue with all of the "trade secrets" surrounding the ingredients within The Last Coat 2.0 and other ceramic spray coatings. Even the water and ethylene glycol levels are labeled as "trade secrets," with compounds like carbon oxides and silicon oxides being available in list form only. No talk of SiO2 content levels or nano-ceramic core percentages, just a vague promise that it's in there somewhere.
So if you wish to see some crazy chemical testing of The Last Coat, along with a wide range of chemicals packing similar ceramic spray marketing jargon, head on over to YouTube. Unbiased content creators, like Scott HD, are forever eager to expose how a product performs when the rubber hits the road, regardless of whether or not it's an updated 2.0 model or not.
