The GT350 Detailing Thread

[50 Deep]

Well boys, the clear bra is on the front of the ride, so now comes the rest of the ride. I haven't owned a new car before, so I always just got away with Turtle wax :doh:. Looking at some of the threads here I am learning there are some big boy ways to go about getting your car detailed and paint protected. I want to do things right, and more importantly do it once.

I would like to hear about what products your using on your GT350, treatments you have had done, and of course the price. Also a review of the after effects, how to care for it after detailing was done, and what things you tried that you wouldn't waste your money on again. Any other valuable info is also welcome, and if you have connections with a detailer somewhere please share.

This thread will be for the interior, exterior, and wheels.

I am looking at getting the Opti-coat done but would like to hear more about it and other comparable products/treatments.

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[zombiekiller]

cquartz finest is the cat's ass. I've never used opticoat before.

 

[50 Deep]

cquartz finest is the cat's ass. I've never used opticoat before.

Tell me more about the Quartz. DIY or guy had it done?

 

[zombiekiller]

Tell me more about the Quartz. DIY or guy had it done?

There are a couple different "levels" of cquartz. You cannot buy cquartz finest unless they certify you as an applicator.

you have to be careful when having it done. some guys will use cquartz, but not the top of the line, finest.

it is ceramic paint coating. once it is done, it looks like about 8 coats of primo wax. it is warrantied to not lose more than 20% of its shine over 2 years. after the 2 years, you generally only need a touch up.

pretty much, you do not have to way or buff your car. use a low psi powerwasher and you're done.

you'll see it on a lot of high end cars in the lambo, ferrari, porsche class.

http://www.cqfinest.com/

I have it on all 5 of the cars in my collection. its the first thing that i have done now. ( paint level, xpel, then cquartz finest.)

I like driving, buffing and polishing, not so much.

 

[65sohc]

Prior to receiving my car a week ago I spent untold hours reading the Autopia and Autogeek detailing forums. I am pretty well convinced that ceramic coatings are far superior to conventional waxes and sealants. One can easily spend $1000-2000 having a coating professionally applied but there are also plenty of DIY products available. As far as which one is "the best", there is really no standard on which to base such an opinion. I decided on Detailers Paint coating, purchased from Autogeek. The main reasons are that reviews are universally positive in both the appearance as well as ease of use. Under ideal conditions all the coatings produce excellent results but they vary greatly in the amount of effort and expertise required to apply. DP seemed to be among the most user-friendly. I applied it yesterday to my black Shelby and the results were spectacular. I first cleaned the car with Meguiars Rinseless Wash and Wax. That is what I cleaned my red Boss with for the past four years. However on this black car I realized that the wax residue it leaves is difficult to eliminate so I will not be using it in the future. This was followed by decontamination with Nanoskin Scrub and Glide (replaces clay), DP Prep Polish, and then the DP coating. I'm not a detail nerd but I am fanatical about the appearance of my car. The results are fantastic. After further investigation into the safety today I applied the DP coating to the textured plastic aero bits. This weekend I will do the wheels.

 

[mvic1518]

I was at cars and coffee and was talking to a guy who had a "got to have it green" Boss302 and the paint looked fantastic. He actually has a detailing service and he told me about ceramic sealer he uses. Parked right next to him was a new Grabber Blue Shelby which he also detailed with the same product and it also looked great. I decided to have him do my Shelby and my 50th L.E. I just wipe them down with the detailer I got from him and they look great. I don't drive them in the rain so the detail process in pretty minimal. PM me if you want more information.

 

[GT P-TREE]

If you go the ceramic coating route, you'll have to have a "paint correction" detail before you have the coating applied. Whatever the status of the paint and what it looks like will be locked in once it's applied.

 

[65sohc]

I had been planning this for months before receiving my car so I went through the process when it was five days old. After washing, claying and decontaminating with the DP prep polish I examined every square inch of blackness. In my eyes there was nothing to correct so I proceeded to apply the coating. It turned out great.

 

[Shift]

I had been planning this for months before receiving my car so I went through the process when it was five days old. After washing, claying and decontaminating with the DP prep polish I examined every square inch of blackness. In my eyes there was nothing to correct so I proceeded to apply the coating. It turned out great.

And no pictures? Blasphemy.

 

[zombiekiller]

If you go the ceramic coating route, you'll have to have a "paint correction" detail before you have the coating applied. Whatever the status of the paint and what it looks like will be locked in once it's applied.

it all depends on how much of a perfectionist you are. Orange peel bugs me.

i'm not a professional detailer in even my wildest imagination. I opted to let a pro to the paint correction and coating.

If you decided to level the paint after the coating, you'd be doing the coating all over again, after the leveling/correction.

 

[65sohc]

it all depends on how much of a perfectionist you are. Orange peel bugs me.

i'm not a professional detailer in even my wildest imagination. I opted to let a pro to the paint correction and coating.

If you decided to level the paint after the coating, you'd be doing the coating all over again, after the leveling/correction.

I know what you're saying. For a minimal investment I thought I would give it a try. If I wasn't happy with the outcome I could always turn it over to a pro. so far so good. Here is my feeble attempt at a photo.

 

[FPCV8YO]

I know what you're saying. For a minimal investment I thought I would give it a try. If I wasn't happy with the outcome I could always turn it over to a pro. so far so good. Here is my feeble attempt at a photo.

Damn, who is the Architect?

 

[zombiekiller]

I know what you're saying. For a minimal investment I thought I would give it a try. If I wasn't happy with the outcome I could always turn it over to a pro. so far so good. Here is my feeble attempt at a photo.

oh i completely understand. after years of trying to learn how to get my paint perfect on my galaxie, i finally got fed up and hired a professional.

the 1200 for the pro to to the correction, cquartz finest and cleanup was worth it to me at that point.

now i just use a power washer and a leafblower and i'm done in 20 mins. plus imo it just looks better than even when i'd spend an entire day on the car.

 

[Kung Fu English]

My local detailer spent all day paint correcting my 2 year old m3 and put a ceramic coat on. Cost $500. The correction was 450 and the application was 50.

Looks great and I don't have to worry about waxing.

I asked him about putting it on a brand new gt350 and he said it would need a correction but not as intense as my other car so it'd be cheaper. Probably definitely worth it.

 

[Bender]

I'll update back in a few days when I have my car back but my entire car was fully 3 stage paint corrected, front clip/rockers/mirror caps covered with xpel ultimate, and everything is being topped with Cquartz finest. Also 5% tint too

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