Paint Protection

[sharks1in50]

Matt at Time2Shine in Warriewood put the G Techniq crystal serum on my wife's new cx9 last week and it looks fantastic.

He will be doing my mustang in a couple weeks time.

How long did they need the cx9 for?

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[xcuzme]

sharks1in50, dropped it off at 8am first day, picked up early morning next day
he keeps it over night to allow time for curing/drying

 

[PPPony]

Just had Opticoat Pro x 2 applied by Affinesse in South Clayton.

I can't praise the team there enough, very friendly, car guys, they love their jobs, and they provide amazing customer service and feedback.

Awesome guys, I highly recommend them. They also had the car overnight for the coating to cure.

JJ took about 200 pictures of our Mustang, I'll post some when he sends them through.

We are VERY happy customers !

 

[PPPony]

If there is such a thing as a 5 star rating for a detailing paint protection service, I would without dought nominate the team at Affinesse in Clayton Victoria.
Having prepared a number of S550,they know these cars very well. A1 class service, and the results speak for them selves. Cannot be happier with these guys, here is a video of some of the process involved - amazing job.

I can't praise these guys highly enough !

 

[Myke]

Sorry I'm behind the ball, but does paint protection really work? I know it looks great and probably last longer than wax.. but... does it really do everything they say it does? And last forever?

I have relatives that just bought a mazda and they agreed to get paint protection amd was told, "it will protect against bird poo etc especially since the paints these days are weaker than before due to environmental requirements... but make sure you remove the poo quickly as oppose to immediately compared to if you didnt have protection"

Ummm.. doesnt that negate the protection if the urgency is still there? Also our cars have been sitting in the sun for months in the docks in us then in oz.. not to mention at sea for over a month... i whould have thought any damage is already done?

I'm not trying to offend anyone btw, I just want to be conveinced that it works and lasts. I like waxing my cars every month. But would be great if I get extra protection... but not at $1000-2000.. and not sure if it actually works?

 

[white880]

My advice to you is go down to a supplier and see it with your own eyes. I must say I don't think Ferrari and Mercedes f1 teams would use g techniq if it didn't work . Likewise it just won a award at sema and they wouldn't put their name to dodgy product. I just believe the original paint work looks delicate and needs some form of protection

 

[IngoStang]

Sorry I'm behind the ball, but does paint protection really work? I know it looks great and probably last longer than wax.. but... does it really do everything they say it does? And last forever?

I have relatives that just bought a mazda and they agreed to get paint protection amd was told, "it will protect against bird poo etc especially since the paints these days are weaker than before due to environmental requirements... but make sure you remove the poo quickly as oppose to immediately compared to if you didnt have protection"

Ummm.. doesnt that negate the protection if the urgency is still there? Also our cars have been sitting in the sun for months in the docks in us then in oz.. not to mention at sea for over a month... i whould have thought any damage is already done?

I'm not trying to offend anyone btw, I just want to be conveinced that it works and lasts. I like waxing my cars every month. But would be great if I get extra protection... but not at $1000-2000.. and not sure if it actually works?

No Ceramic paint protection lasts forever. Solely comes down to how well you look after your car which will determine its longevity and where its kept, whether its out in the street or a Garage Queen.

If your car is a DD you can expect a good 3-5 years of protection providing you maintain it properly i.e topping up with a paint sealant ( every 6 months or so ) or polymer / ceramic spray every month or 2 ( simple spray on and wipe off type )

Using a PH neutral soap also is a must. Bird bombs have an acid in them which left unattended for a long time can etch into any coating, including clear coat and ceramic coating.

Long story short, yes it does work, and work very well if you arent the type to want to wax / seal your car every month or 2. I had an FG XR6 which I had paint protection applied to when I bought it and then maintained the up keep with Adam's Polishes products ( wash, sealants etc ) and after almost 7 years before selling it, the paint still looked brand new, minus a few stone chips of course

 

[Frostee]

Sorry I'm behind the ball, but does paint protection really work? I know it looks great and probably last longer than wax.. but... does it really do everything they say it does? And last forever?

I have relatives that just bought a mazda and they agreed to get paint protection amd was told, "it will protect against bird poo etc especially since the paints these days are weaker than before due to environmental requirements... but make sure you remove the poo quickly as oppose to immediately compared to if you didnt have protection"

Ummm.. doesnt that negate the protection if the urgency is still there? Also our cars have been sitting in the sun for months in the docks in us then in oz.. not to mention at sea for over a month... i whould have thought any damage is already done?

I'm not trying to offend anyone btw, I just want to be conveinced that it works and lasts. I like waxing my cars every month. But would be great if I get extra protection... but not at $1000-2000.. and not sure if it actually works?

Good questions. Some are very good, others are crap. Some last a few months, others last a number of years. Price isn't an indication of quality. Typically the stuff that dealers sell is a short lasting product sold at a huge margin.

It won't do much at all to protect chips, but will provide a barrier to minimise damage from contaminants, but it's advisable to remove the likes of bird droppings sooner rather than later.

Yes, cars are left out in the open, and they do have a coating of wax from manufacture. The problem is that when they're waxed they're contaminated to start with. An important part of the detailing process is to remove all the wax that's on it and correct the paint to remove all the contaminants and mark that are there from manufacture. A professional detailer will put the car under lights to expose all these belmishes - I was quite amazed at some of the marks that were shown to me pre paint protection. Once the paint is corrected, the coating locks that work in.

I decided between two products GTechniq Crystal Serum and Opticoat Pro.
Both are excellent products.

The attached link will give you some idea as to how durable the products can be

https://www.glossboss.de/en/gtechniq-crystal-serum-test-application/

Do your research and make up your own mind. My only advice is so not purchase from a dealer, but talk to some reputable detailers.

I hope this was helpful

 

[Myke]

Thanks for the detailed answers. How come the paint protection that detailers use are not available off the shelf?

Is the process too involved? I was under the (false?) Impression that the prep involves, wash, clay, polish, then apply protection (which is wipe on and buff off?)?

 

[Frostee]

Thanks for the detailed answers. How come the paint protection that detailers use are not available off the shelf?

Is the process too involved? I was under the (false?) Impression that the prep involves, wash, clay, polish, then apply protection (which is wipe on and buff off?)?

My understanding is that it's because you can easily screw your paintwork if you don't apply it properly.

"Crystal serum if applied incorrectly can only be removed by using 1,500 grit sand paper."

G Techniq do offer a light version that can be purchased and applied yourself;

"Crystal Serum Light offers 80% of Crystal Serum's performance, but if applied incorrectly can be machine polished from your vehicle's paintwork"

http://www.gtechniq.com.au/

I suspect they don't make the stronger stuff available so as to ensure that it is applied correctly by authorised applicators, so as to avoid brand damage in the event someone screws it up.

I expect that this is the same for Opticoat Pro.

 

[apsilon]

Personally I'm not a fan. Everything has pros and cons. If you think a coating that's 1 - 3 micron thick is really going to make a difference and can afford it then go for it. They do look good when first applied but 95% of that is the amount of prep work that goes into paint before applying the coating. Do the same prep work then apply quality sealant and carnauba wax and it'll look just as good or better. The wax just won't last anywhere near as long.

You still need to maintain the coating by doing basically all the same things you should do without it so I'd rather save the upfront cost and the few microns of paint that'll be removed in prep and just do my own maintenance anyway.

Each to their own. Do your research and make a decision that's in your interest. My 5c worth.

 

[Frostee]

Personally I'm not a fan. Everything has pros and cons. If you think a coating that's 1 - 3 micron thick is really going to make a difference and can afford it then go for it. They do look good when first applied but 95% of that is the amount of prep work that goes into paint before applying the coating. Do the same prep work then apply quality sealant and carnauba wax and it'll look just as good or better. The wax just won't last anywhere near as long.

You still need to maintain the coating by doing basically all the same things you should do without it so I'd rather save the upfront cost and the few microns of paint that'll be removed in prep and just do my own maintenance anyway.

Each to their own. Do your research and make a decision that's in your interest. My 5c worth.

I respect and understand your position - it's the opinion I had until recently. You're totally correct with regard to maintenance. The application of a silica sealant/enhancer does what you would do for a waxed car with a detailing spray.

On my last car I went down the nano protectant path with nanolex and I was very happy with it, however it needs to be redone every 6 months approx. I did all the wax removal then claying and application of the protectant. I really liked the lower maintenance time with the nanolex, using a low ph shampooo that had the additive in it and a similar gloss enhancer.

I decided to go down the GTechniq path to avoid the need for regular re-applications.

Going on three months into ownership I'm tthrilled with my decision.

You're absolutely right that people need to do their research and make an informed decision about what's right for them.

 

[Aus-MustangGT]

I'm probably one of the few people who has opticoat pro plus as well as g technique on my decklid and spoiler (if I ever fit it)

Opticoat gives a great shine, it doesn't protect against scratches or stone chips. I've had mine for nearly a year now and I love the shine but I am disappointed that micro scratches exist. I will speak to my detailer at my yearly inspection.

It's still too early for me to make comment about G technique, but it is on a gloss black panel so I will see how it holds up

 

[RubyVert]

I also think where you live and what type of driving you do should be taken into consideration - city driving doesn't tend to get too many stone chips so Opticoat would be a more suitable product whereas regional driving throws up a lot more debris off the road, that's why we went with the protective film treatment.

Cheers

J

 

[Kaps]

My 2 cents worth.
A big advantage of Paint protection, it forms a layer between the paint and any contaminants that hit your car. These contaminants can now be removed very easily because they tend to stick to the washing foam than to the paint itself.
But you still need to be quick to remove these contaminants to avoid any damage to the paint protection itself.
In simple language, these paint protection coatings make washing easy but you now start taking care of the paint protection itself to keep the car looking good.
And maintaining the paint protection is different than the paint itself because every product comes with its own set of instructions.
I haven't seen any paint protection that will protect you from scratches or stone chips. All it does it save you from waxing the car every month and washing is much easier after this. Car looks great.
At the end of the day, it's individual choice whether to get it done or not. Same applies to the choice of product as well.

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