Paint Protection options

[morswestford]

Has anyone hear used paint protection on their vehicle?

I got Cquartz Finest applied a few years ago, it was $600 to cover my entire vehicle. The shine and gloss is amazing. But it doesn't last forever. It's starting to wear off.

I can either spend another $600 to reapply it all over again, or i can try a different paint protection option.

There is Ceramic Pro, Optic Coat Pro, Modesta.

Does anyone have any experience with Ceramic pro, or Modesta or Optic Coat Pro? I wonder if i should choose something more permanent instead of reapplying Cquartz Finest every few years, even though that is the more affordable option. If anyone has any opinions or experiences, please share. thanks.

[RichardsFRS]

You should xney that junk and go to toyota and let them put you some clear protection on. Scion protection consist of clear bra, bottom fender covers, bottom mirror covers. its awesome and protects the most effected spots while everyday driving. You can get this done at speed shops too or tint shops.

[soulreapersteve]

If I recall correctly, @86geek has his car Opticoated. I'm sure he will be happy to share his experience.

(I hope its you! LOL)

[mixtape]

By "paint protection" are you referring, specifically, to coatings that maintain gloss and shine, or clear bra?


I have my whole front end covered with clear 3M and the car still looks brand new after 4,500 miles on the interstate.


Front bumper, full front fenders, full hood, half roof, half mirrors, headlights.


It makes it easier to wash and keeps it completely safe. In regards to coatings, I have three friends who detail professionally and they all use Opticoat - their customers are nothing but happy. Opticoat once every few years with Reload in between every few washes keeps the car looking brand new for an extensive amount of time.

[sly]

I just put Matric Micro Coatings on my car. http://www.matrixmicrocoatings.com/shopexd.asp?id=36

So far I love it but it's only been on for 2 days. I'll eventually start a thread showing the process, but you can check out their site for more information. It comes with a 7 year warranty and so I assume it will last quite awhile. They have a corny video on their home page that explains the process better.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt9PmUHUj4A"]Matrix Micro-Coatings - YouTube[/ame]

I had a bit of pollen on my car this morning and I washed it off with just the water hose. It was pretty cool seeing the water sheet of the hood and end up almost perfectly dry on its own.

I installed it myself. It took a whole afternoon including using a claybar on the paint. The MMC7 system I used was $99 and the claybar kit was about $20.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by morswestford

Has anyone hear used paint protection on their vehicle? ..............

.

Yes, I wax my car once per year ..........


humfrz

[Hot-Lava_Dave]

I got my car opticoated a week after picking it up, washing is such a breeze!

[kev60625]

Originally Posted by sly

I just put Matric Micro Coatings on my car. http://www.matrixmicrocoatings.com/shopexd.asp?id=36

So far I love it but it's only been on for 2 days. I'll eventually start a thread showing the process, but you can check out their site for more information. It comes with a 7 year warranty and so I assume it will last quite awhile. They have a corny video on their home page that explains the process better.

I had a bit of pollen on my car this morning and I washed it off with just the water hose. It was pretty cool seeing the water sheet of the hood and end up almost perfectly dry on its own.

I installed it myself. It took a whole afternoon including using a claybar on the paint. The MMC7 system I used was $99 and the claybar kit was about $20.

Please start the thread!
Going to look into this. I wonder how good the polish is though

[morswestford]

when i say paint protection i mean a glossy coating.

i used to have a 3m clear bra on my vehicle. i had a very bad experience. it got so many scratches on it. i ended up removing it because it got too many scratches.

i have reload and use that since i have cquartz finest. but i was wondering if i should choose a longer protection coating, more than just a few years. ceramic pro could last 5 years, if i pay the price for it.

Originally Posted by mixtape

By "paint protection" are you referring, specifically, to coatings that maintain gloss and shine, or clear bra?


I have my whole front end covered with clear 3M and the car still looks brand new after 4,500 miles on the interstate.


Front bumper, full front fenders, full hood, half roof, half mirrors, headlights.


It makes it easier to wash and keeps it completely safe. In regards to coatings, I have three friends who detail professionally and they all use Opticoat - their customers are nothing but happy. Opticoat once every few years with Reload in between every few washes keeps the car looking brand new for an extensive amount of time.

[Hot-Lava_Dave]

Originally Posted by morswestford

when i say paint protection i mean a glossy coating.

i used to have a 3m clear bra on my vehicle. i had a very bad experience. it got so many scratches on it. i ended up removing it because it got too many scratches.

i have reload and use that since i have cquartz finest. but i was wondering if i should choose a longer protection coating, more than just a few years. ceramic pro could last 5 years, if i pay the price for it.

+1 for Opticoat

[86geek]

Originally Posted by soulreapersteve

If I recall correctly, @86geek has his car Opticoated. I'm sure he will be happy to share his experience.

(I hope its you! LOL)

Yup, my car has Optimum Opti Coat Pro. 5 year warranty.
Check out the Optimum forum.

http://optimumforums.org/

Best thing is to find a authorized Opticoat installer in your area.
It's the prepping of the car that is a long process. Determining the cost will depend on whether or not your car needs a lot of paint correction before the Opticoat is applied. I got my car done 3 weeks after I bought it so not much paint correction was done. It only cost me $400.00.
The owner of the detail shop I went to now does Cquartz finest. I guess he got authorized for that product as well.

BTW the new coating Optimum has is called, "Optimum Gloss-Coat".
http://optimumforums.org/index.php?showtopic=51487

[NLS8520]

I would first purchase some Carpro Reset shampoo to see if that brings back some of the beading by breaking down any traffic film remaining on the surface of the coating.

If that does not resolve the issue, coating wise Cquartz finest is highly respected in the detailing community, I would contact your detailer for a quick polish, clay and re-application of finest.

[morswestford]

I just contacted about 10 detailers in my area. I am interested in either going with the Ceramic pro coating, or Modesta. I want to find something as glossy as Cquartz Finest but something that lasts longer than 2 years. Something scratch resistant and more durable.

Modesta is a new coating and can be used with a primer, and Ceramic Pro can be applied in layers as well.

Each detailer has their own opinion and experiences about the pros and cons of each coating. Pricing wise they both range between $1400-$1800 which includes a paint correction. It's just basically going to come down to which one I like better.

Anyone else have any experiences they want to share before i make up my mind?

[CFC BRZ]

As soon as I bought the car, I had a detailer put on Opti-Coat Pro. The warranty is for five years but the product, supposedly lasts forever as it permanently bonds to the paint.

What it will do: You'll have an amazing shine regardless of the weather or conditions. Waxing is not needed so you cut out a lot of time and effort for amazing results. You'll still want to clean the car properly, but the coating makes cleaning easier. My neighbors always comment on it.

What it won't do: protect from regular wear. Eventhough my entire car is opti-coated, my bumper still looks horrible from highway driving (even at just under 10K miles). Rock chips, shopping carts, etc.

My honeymoon phase of worrying over every scratch is now over. Still, I think it was a great decision as the WRB sparkles every time.