Lightweight materials play a special role thanks to their low density. In recent years considerable development has been conducted using Al, Mg and their alloys. The increasing use of these materials enlarges the requirements related to the high wear resistance accompanied by good formability and ductility as well as the high corrosion resistance. A fulfillment of such demands can be attained through surface treatments. Among the currently available wide variety of surface treatment processes thermal spraying techniques play an important role. This study presents a comparison of light weight materials coated through Detonation-Gun and Atmospheric Plasma Spraying Processes. The influence of coating parameters, coating type and coating thickness on tribological properties are studied. The behavior of coatings under different bending angle regarding cohesion and adhesion is analyzed. Corresponding SEM- and LM-analyses are conducted to understand the underlying mechanisms.