Opticoat/cquartz long term review pls?
 

Pls help out a newbie question..

Would appreciate those with Opticoat/cquartz comment how have these coatings held up over longer term eg. 3+ years after?

With these coating can you just car wash and dry or you have to do some waxing anyway but just easier/less frequent?

These are going for $1000+ where I live and am wondering if it's worth it for a $30k car... say if you got a new BRZ today would you coat it?

Am I right in saying for white paint colour opticoat is favored over cquartz?

This will be my DD and will be driven throughout winter with salt/snow on the road. Anything to take into consideration?

Thanks in advance

I have had Opticoat Pro on my car for almost 2 years. It makes washing the car much easier as the water just sheets off. Warranty is 5 years. Cquartz is only 2 years but IMHO so much more expensive. The detailer who did mine charged me only $400.00 since there wasn't much paint correction to do. My car was only a few weeks old when I got Opticoat Pro. You're basically paying for labor. It's prepping the car for the Opticoat & Cquartz that is labor intensive. If your car is brand spanking new the cost of Opticoat shouldn't be over $1000.00.

Here's a link to the Optimum forums:
http://optimumforums.org/

I believe Optimum Gloss Coat is the new product for paint sealant/coating.

$400.00 for my Opticoat Pro is the best thing I did for my car. My car is outside in the sun 24/7. Washing the car is easier and all I do is use Optimum Instant Detailer every other wash. I use Optimum Spray Wax every 3-4 months. But you really don't have to wax the car with Opticoat. Check out their forum and read up on stuff. Optimum Instant Detailer can be applied when wiping down car after a wash. That's my 2 cents! ;)

I've had opti-coat on my car for nearly 4 years now - if I got another car today I'd opti-coat it straight away. Pros and cons below over the years:

Pros:
• Brings out the colour of the car (especially for the red, you can see the difference from a mile away)
• Easy to wash, haven't waxed it since it was applied and it's still blindly shiny under any light condition after a good wash
• Protects against bird shit and other crap - I parked under a big fuckoff pigeon roosting tree one time and they carpet bombed it something good, took an hour to get everything off and no traces were left behind

Cons:
• Doesnt protect against paint swirls, unless you're anally retentive careful you'll probably still get them
• Doesnt protect against chips, you'll still get plenty of those especially from highway driving

Biggest draw factor for me was the fact it provided a waxed/mirror look to the paint without me lifting a finger.

You can also look into Ceramic Pro 9H, which is a competing product to Opti-Coat Pro and C.Quartz Finest. I've been looking into these options as well for my fairly new FR-S. I'm likely going Ceramic Pro as it seems to be the best of both of those products (the warranty and long lasting effectiveness of OCP with the shine and gloss of CQF).

Project BRZ on YouTube just posted a 2-year review of a similar ceramic coating done on his BRZ. Unsure if it's a local Australia product or just a different brand name, but it looks pretty good.

This guy also just did his BRZ in Ceramic Pro. https://youtu.be/WzEObvAFDZk?t=1m32s

To help prevent chips in the bumper, you can have a clear bra applied, but do it BEFORE coating. Put the coating of your choosing on after the clear bra (and do that after paint restoration/correction if any is required).

I would 100 % recommend a coating on a new car, most coatings are 100 times thicker than a coat of wax and are also much harder then wax so they protect the paint (to an extent). Protection from things like bird poop, outdoor elements and contamination especially UV damage which is a clear coat killer, and wash induced swirl marks.

Also a huge selling point and bonus is it just makes cleaning your car so much easier because nothing sticks. If your car will be stored outdoors, its a must imo. Now I really think you cant go wrong with either coating, I assume for that price point your looking at Optimum Opti-Coat Pro or Cquartz Finest? My personal experience is only with Optimum, but I have several of their chemicals and they all work great. I have personally applied Optimum Gloss Coat on my car, and I absolutely love it. It takes some research and prep prior to installing the coating, but the actually application is easy. That is only a semi-permanent 3 year coating, but its so easy to reapply, just takes some additional prep.

I've only had my Opticoat Pro coating for just under a year now, but I can affirm everyone else's sentiments. Cleaning and keeping the car looking clean/shiny is so easy now compared to my past experiences with cleaning cars. I will be getting all my future cars coated without a shadow of doubt!

I've had Opti Coat Pro + for 1 year, 3000 miles.
Cleaning the car is still as easy as new.
Keeps the shine up like others have said.
When I had it done, the certified Opti Coat dealer told me 3-5 years is typical of any coating before it needs some love.

Hey i did that car! on the video. It was a really fun car to work on too Laurance is a great guy when it comes to these cars take his advice... CP is the way to go i used to install other coatings many you guys talk about, but Ceramic pro is my life and i am so proud of how amazing the products are and the support you get from the company.

I Opticoated my car when I got it 4 years ago. Still going strong with no issues. I did put Xpel Ultimate on the hood, bumper, fenders, and side mirrors as well and no chips/dings/scratches.

Key to avoiding scratches/swirls is in how you wash/dry your car. I use a pressure washer and foam canon along with some high quality microfiber towels and wash mitts. I dry with an air blower and finish up with Optimum gloss enhancer.