Help me pick a paint coating

[dparm]

Frankly, I am a bit overwhelmed with the choices for these paint coatings (Opticoat, Modesta, Cquartz, etc). I am planning to get the front sections of the car covered with Xpel Ultimate to protect against rocks and such, and the whole car will get the coating including the wheels.


Some background that might help:

Car isn't daily driven
It sits in a garage most of the time, out of the elements.

Car doesn't see snow
I store it November 1 to April 1.

I live in downtown Chicago
It can be difficult to wash the car often and thoroughly, but I do use quick detailer whenever I can. Waxing and more involved cleaning is tricky (I basically have to drive out to my parents' house to do it).

I track the car
The car gets pretty dirty at the track from pieces of tire and other dirt that are flung up at it. Historically those have been a real bitch to clean.

The factory Admiral Blue paint is vibrant
In bright sunlight, it really pops and looks great.

I'd like to balance price and protection
The Xpel Ultimate is going to be over $2k just for the front half of the car, so I'd like to find a coating that's reasonably priced.


One installer said I could probably get away with more of a mid-grade coating since the car doesn't get exposed to the elements and extreme conditions, and it will probably last a pretty long time as a result. His suggestion was Cquartz Finest instead of Modesta or Opticoat. I saw it on a Sakhir Orange F80 M3 in their shop and it looked amazing.

I talked to another installer and he suggested the Modesta BC-04, but also said I could probably do BC-05 if I want a bit more gloss at the expense of durability. I saw the BC-04 on a customer's CTS-V and it looked good, but not as "wet" as the Cquartz Finest.

Cquartz seems to have more nods than the Modesta when I look around on various forums (both for detailing and various cars). I don't need to see photos or anecdotal "I have X and I like it", I'd like to hear the more objective discussion about why one coating over another. Thanks in advance!

[doogee]

Is the paint being corrected first? Coatings and wax really don't change the look period, once the paint is corrected. Just pick which ever one lasts the longest. Coatings and wax are protection, not for looks

Opti-Coat Pro is a good choice.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by doogee

Is the paint being corrected first? Coatings and wax really don't change the look period, once the paint is corrected. Just pick which ever one lasts the longest. Coatings and wax are protection, not for looks

Opti-Coat Pro is a good choice.

Yes, all of these shops do paint correction first. The car only has 1650 miles so it won't need much.

[doogee]

Originally Posted by dparm

Yes, all of these shops do paint correction first. The car only has 1650 miles so it won't need much.

Perfect. Pick the longest lasting! If they offer Opti-Coat pro, go for it!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by doogee

Perfect. Pick the longest lasting! If they offer Opti-Coat pro, go for it!

Why do you recommend Opticoat?

[doogee]

Originally Posted by dparm

Why do you recommend Opticoat?

Because it's proven and it lasts.

[ghostofsenna]

Where in Chicago are you going? I'm going to seek out paint protection and correction after I get my bumpers re-sprayed. I'd like a solid recommendation.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by ghostofsenna

Where in Chicago are you going? I'm going to seek out paint protection and correction after I get my bumpers re-sprayed. I'd like a solid recommendation.

Either Chicago Auto Pros or Auto Image. I visited both in person. Specifically, I asked if they had wrapped a Z06/Grand Sport since it has some very unusual styling elements that are not considered "easy" for wrapping -- and yes, both had experience with my car. Both are also right by the Metra stations so it'd be easy to head back downtown while they have it for a few days.

FYI they will do paint correction before applying the film and/or any sort of ceramic coating.

[deansbimmer]

I used a lot of Cquartz when I was doing corrections on exotics...Laborious to apply well but results were always fantastic. I've been using GTechniq on my own cars these days- easier and looks just as good.

[tdott]

I have BC-04 on mine, it's only been 3 months, so can't really comment on durability yet. It's also the only coating I've ever done so not much to compare it to. It's definitely a higher end coating, not any ma and pa shop can get their hands on it.

Did a track day 2 weeks ago, washed the car the next day and most of the rubber marks came off super easy with soap and water. Some required a little more pressure to get off, but nothing compared to when I had no coating which required a hard scrub then compounding after, it was a bitch to remove those marks before.

[R3dliner]

Gt Techniq crystal serum and EXO combo works really well.

[///M3-=FiN=-]

GTECHNIQ crystal serum light with EXO is what I have. Couldn't be happier

[Grayblack]

I've used opti coat, cquartz and currently have gtechniq with exo. I'd say go with gtechniq or cquartz. They give the paint a deeper finish and have lasted longer than opti coat.

[doogee]

Originally Posted by tdott

I have BC-04 on mine, it's only been 3 months, so can't really comment on durability yet. It's also the only coating I've ever done so not much to compare it to. It's definitely a higher end coating, not any ma and pa shop can get their hands on it.

Did a track day 2 weeks ago, washed the car the next day and most of the rubber marks came off super easy with soap and water. Some required a little more pressure to get off, but nothing compared to when I had no coating which required a hard scrub then compounding after, it was a bitch to remove those marks before.

Spray on and wipe off! This stuff is magic!



https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-09224...rubber+remover

[EnVe46]

I'm getting CQuartz on mine July 25th. I've done a bit of reading my self and it's hard to determine one vs another. The guy locally doing mine said CQuartz is his more chosen coating over anything else he does. So going with the crowd favorite locally

[dparm]

I decided on CQuartz Professional. The car is going in tomorrow for the paint prep, Xpel, and coating. I'll post some photos once it's all done!

[Detailers Domain]

just a suggestion, why not film more with your budget for the coating, I think coatings are great we install a lot of it, but what I tell my customers if you truly want the best protection against rock chips and swirls etc, wrap as much as you can afford.

since you did mention it's not daily driven picking up a silica based sealant would be more than enough till you figure out which coating to go with...

hope that helps a little