Best Paint Sealant ?

[MDRN]

If you ask a detailer there are differences between a sealant and something like Ceramic and OptiCoat. A sealant in place of a wax can last about 8 months. The Ceramic can last up to a couple years if washed properly in between. And that bonds to the finish and repels dust and dirt and can be applied to almost any surface. And can range from 600.00-1400.00 if done professionally depending on which you buy. Each person you talk to recommends something different for their own reasons. The two detail shops I talked to one said Ceramic the other prefers Opticoat. But both do a standard paint seal for around 300.00 included withbtheir detail. I was quoted 650.00 for Ceramic for paint surfaces and 1400.00 for Opticoat from the other shop to do EVERY exterior surface. It was too much to think about and way too much money. I'm just getting a regular paint sealer applied with a detail for $250 from the first shop.

$1400 for opticoat is crazy high unless they're doing some form of paint correction before hand, even then it's pricy. Most vendors in the DC area charge $500 for opticoat, and the one that offers opticoat pro and ceramic pro 9h has an up charge on the ceramic. That being said both are supposed to be good products. I believe opticoat has been around a little longer and is more tried and true but ceramic pro 9h supposedly has a glossier finish compared to opticoat. Both, I think, are semi permanent with 5 year warranties with manufacturer claims stating they'll last longer than that.
That being said coatings are just that, a coating. They are, as another poster said, not a force field. What they are is a hard coating that is more resistant to lights scratches, swirls, etc and provide good protection against bird bombs and bug better than the clear coat. There's plenty of good information on these coatings online. Tesla owners forums has a lot of customer user input and autogeek.com has people who have tested the products and put out their impressions.

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[Wblv17]

im a tight azz so i use extreme top coat sealant by chemical guys, like 12 bucks for 16oz or 45 for a gallon. the easiest on off ive ever used. 25 minutes for the stang 15 on 10 off but i let it sit for 30 minutes in between.

 

[MoneyPit#53]

Menzerna Power Lock.

 

[fogus]

Has anyone used Gtechniq C1? I was getting my Stang tinted at Gotham Detailing in Danbury CT and an '03 GT owner was getting C1 applied. He said it would last 7 years, but the dudes applying it mentioned it would last 3-4. They quoted me $600 for a coat.

I see the product can be purchased for $60, but the shop guys says most of the effort was in preparation.

Anyone had this on their car for 2+ years? I really want to hear about a long term test.

I'm also interested in anyone who has had a clear coat applied. That's 4k+, but it sounds amazing.

 

[Blk2015GT]

Has anyone used Gtechniq C1? I was getting my Stang tinted at Gotham Detailing in Danbury CT and an '03 GT owner was getting C1 applied. He said it would last 7 years, but the dudes applying it mentioned it would last 3-4. They quoted me $600 for a coat.

I see the product can be purchased for $60, but the shop guys says most of the effort was in preparation.

Anyone had this on their car for 2+ years? I really want to hear about a long term test.

I'm also interested in anyone who has had a clear coat applied. That's 4k+, but it sounds amazing.

I'm sorry but as you can see the product costs under $100 but they charge 5-15 times that. As you can see too, no one can prove or really knows how long it lasts, a lot of slight of hand by installers/detailers to get people to do it pulling claims out of the air.

There is NOT that much prep in it on a new car. Anyone claiming otherwise is a blind sucker for whatever your shop is telling you. You should NOT have anything other than superficial minor scuffs or swirls on a car that cannot possibly be more than 1 year old yet; the first ones rolled to lots about 12-12.5 months ago from now.

A quick machine polish should be all the car needs for prep if you take care of your car (which if worried about coatings is likely). An hour tops. I machine polish and detail my own car so I do know from experience how long a quick superficial polish takes to do.

Anyone paying $600, $800, $1000, $1500 is being taken for a ride, bottom line no matter what anyone wants to believe about it. I will keep my money in my pocket for mods though.

 

[fogus]

I'm sorry but as you can see the product costs under $100 but they charge 5-15 times that.

There is NOT that much prep in it on a new car. Anyone claiming otherwise is a blind sucker for whatever your shop is telling you. You should NOT have anything other than superficial minor scuffs or swirls on a car that cannot possibly be more than 1 year old yet; the first ones rolled to lots about 12-12.5 months ago from now.

A quick machine polish should be all the car needs for prep if you take care of your car (which if worried about coatings is likely). An hour tops. I machine polish and detail my own car so I do know from experience how long a quick superficial polish takes to do.

Anyone paying $600, $800, $1000, $1500 is being taken for a ride, bottom line no matter what anyone wants to believe about it. I will keep my money in my pocket for mods though.

Yes, my car is one week old only

My question is this: opti-coat or C1? And if Opti-coat, where do I buy it?

 

[Blk2015GT]

Yes, my car is one week old only

My question is this: opti-coat or C1? And if Opti-coat, where do I buy it?

Yehhhhh you shouldn't need much prep if any after a week old. Getting taken for a ride.

A lot of those coatings are only sold to detailers. You can get Opticoat Glasscoat from Autogeek.com though- about $60.

 

[Fishman]

What about GlassCoat, by polish angel, mention in this forum. Members have recommended. Mine is in transit, same as my black Gt....

Winner winner chicken dinner!

 

[fogus]

Yehhhhh you shouldn't need much prep if any after a week old. Getting taken for a ride.

A lot of those coatings are only sold to detailers. You can get Opticoat Glasscoat from Autogeek.com though- about $60.

I don't see this listed on Autogeek.com. Do you have a link?

 

[fogus]

I found gloss-coat (not glass-coat) on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Gloss-Coat-Paint-Coating-FORMULA/dp/B00NAJ6HYQ

Is this the right stuff?

 

[Iceman2733]

Big fan of Chemical Guys Jet Seal

 

[fogus]

Big fan of Chemical Guys Jet Seal

Can you give us a long term review? Does it last years?

 

[Iceman2733]

Can you give us a long term review? Does it last years?

I can give a 6 month review from my ex car. It was applied once the first month of ownership. When I traded the car it was still very slick, water would still bead quickly off the car, at the 6 month mark when I traded the car in. At the time of using it I applied CG Pete's 53 also which works great. For one application for a DD that is subject to all kinds or nasty weather and washed pretty much weekly, I consider it pretty good for the cost of it.

 

[Khyber]

Can you give us a long term review? Does it last years?

years? nothing is worth the cost for years because you'll end up striping it all to paint correct or to wax again

jet seal lasts a long time though. most reviews on it claim up to a year but any one who pays that much attention to their paint to use jet seal to begin with will put it on more than once a year.

 

[fogus]

years? nothing is worth the cost for years because you'll end up striping it all to paint correct or to wax again

jet seal lasts a long time though. most reviews on it claim up to a year but any one who pays that much attention to their paint to use jet seal to begin with will put it on more than once a year.

Ok, so most of these "5 year" claims are bogus then (given 20+ washes per year @ 12-20k miles in the American northeast, garaged)?

I used NuFinish in the past. I liked the result, except that I got some on the vinyl and rubber and it never came fully off even after 4 years. The Jet stuff sounds great since it doesn't have that issue--right?

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