Car Coatings - Any first/second hand experience is welcomed

[agorich]

Hi Everyone!

I have been away from this site for years. I got out of my '08 A4 and into a pick up for work. Now that I no longer need the truck, I went and got a CPO '15 S4 in Mythos Black Metallic. The car currently has bout 7300 miles on it and I am interested in putting one of the following on it: Opti Coat Pro, CQuartz Finest or Modesta BC-05. The questions I have are:

1) Has anyone seen one of these coatings on that paint before?
2) If so, what are your impressions? Any regrets?
3) I am in Houston, TX and garage the car most of the time, including at work - Does this suggest I go with one coat over the other?

What I really want out of the coating is to have the car look like it just got done being washed/waxed. A real nice clean shine when it hits the lights. I do intend to use Net Shield on the car about 1-2 months after the coating and then every 3-6 months after wards following a washing. However, if you have any other tips to help keep the coating lasting longer, that would be great.

Thank you everyone in advance.

-Richard

[agorich]

I say Modesta BC-05 because that is what a local shop states they have versus the other product lines. However, if anyone feels the BC-04 is better or any other line for whatever reason, please explain. Thank you again.

[GRUMPY-S4]

If Shine is your major concern then CQuartz

[The Fat Kid]

Make sure the paint is perfect before you put ANY coating on it.

I have Xpel (standard + full hood) and Opti-Coat Pro. CQuartz is supposed to be shinier but only comes with a two-year warranty, whereas Opti does not pop as much but is supposed to be more durable comes with a four-year warranty. My car lives outside in New England, so I went with Opti-Coat.

You can check out cars with Xpel, CQ, and Opti here: http://www.uccboston.com/ My S4 was the cheapest car in his shop, which was comforting.

You can go on Opt-Coat's website if you need a list of authorized detailers in your area, or you can go in AZ's regional section for member recommendations.

I have never heard of the Modesta stuff, but that does not mean it is not good.

[sonic32]

They all do the same shit, it's just a matter of how long you want or protected for, opti coat pro plus being the longest at 5 years. They're all good coatings and do their job as advertised. Swirls will still come back so don't fall for that, but in order for coating to be applied you need a paint correction to get rid of all the existing swirls and light scratches.


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[sirsycott]

They all do the same shit, it's just a matter of how long you want or protected for, opti coat pro plus being the longest at 5 years. They're all good coatings and do their job as advertised. Swirls will still come back so don't fall for that, but in order for coating to be applied you need a paint correction to get rid of all the existing swirls and light scratches.


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x2 on this, swirls come back , wheter it's swirls on clear coat, or swirls on coating is up to what you go with and how well you can maintain the coating and how crappy your car wash technique is

[S4inBC]

I had our car's paint corrected, then coated with Gtechniq Crystal Serum and EXO. This was put over the Xcel Ulimate film on the hood and fenders as well. The car is garaged, but when driven at this time of year it's out in the snow and muck. It's amazing how the crud just falls off of it. My garage isn't heated so I haven't done my weekly Optimum No Rinse wash since mid November but a hose down with the wand at the local coin wash has it looking pretty dammned amazing! As soon as we get a warmish day, I'll bust out my buckets and give it some love though.

[adamkb26]

As another option I have ceramic pro 4-6 layers of 9h on entire car and my wife's Q5. The protection and shine are incredible. Got it on the Q5 right after delivery and it still had no real paint swirls even though it has gone through an automatic car wash many times.

[agorich]

Thank you every one for your input. I think what I will end up doing is going to the local shop and see if they have any cars they are working on at that time to see the differences in person.

If the price of the Modesta coating was the same as the CQuartz, what would yall go with? I am leaning towards Modesta in this scenario.

[The Fat Kid]

Thank you every one for your input. I think what I will end up doing is going to the local shop and see if they have any cars they are working on at that time to see the differences in person.

If the price of the Modesta coating was the same as the CQuartz, what would yall go with? I am leaning towards Modesta in this scenario.

No one even mentioned Modesta, but that is what you are leaning towards? Ask question -> ignore answers ->

[torinalth]

the real top runners are opticoat and CQuartz. I wouldn't even consider modesta. if i could get a great deal I'd try Ceramic Pro 9h, but they are still very new to the market.

[waxxonMTL]

x2 on this, swirls come back , wheter it's swirls on clear coat, or swirls on coating is up to what you go with and how well you can maintain the coating and how crappy your car wash technique is

pro detailer here who used to be authorised optio pro and finest... they all do the same, heck my b8.5 got coated with CQ UK.. and look I'm a happy man.
dont fall for these ''pro'' BS!

[agorich]

No one even mentioned Modesta, but that is what you are leaning towards? Ask question -> ignore answers ->

yes, I don't mean to offend anyone. I have been talking to people offline and of course reading/watching videos on everything. The lighter tests...sharpie tests...etc. Is there anything you have against Modesta vs the other two that maybe I missed? I know you said you haven't heard of it in your previous post but perhaps you looked it up a bit since then.

this is the first car i've ever considered coating so any and all opinions are very valuable to me.

[agorich]

the real top runners are opticoat and CQuartz. I wouldn't even consider modesta. if i could get a great deal I'd try Ceramic Pro 9h, but they are still very new to the market.

Okay, that does help. I do like what The Fat kid mentioned in regards to Opti Coat's warranty / durability vs the others. What is the reason you wouldn't consider Modesta?

[BoostEasy]

I have opticoat pro on my black 2014 S5 and it is great. The pro version is around $500+ most places as they need to do a full paint correction as the coating will seal in any imperfections. Since your car is fairly new and hopefully the paint isn't too bad, it should be around $500 to OC pro it.

I went with OC Pro as I was looking to make the paint more resilient to bird poop, bugs and hopefully scratches. The detailer told me the shine would be a lot better and I said whatever to myself. Then after he had applied OC to 1/2 the hood and show me I was genuinely surprised. It was noticeably deeper and better shine. Honestly its still very easy to swirlmark the car so automatic car washes are still a no-go.

My only regret is, after getting in an accident and having the front end repainted and OC re-applied, not having paint-protection film put over the whole front/hood/fenders. Now I have a lot of chips to deal with.

If I buy another black car, it's gotta have PPF applied = kiss $1500 goodbye. Kind of like buying a BMW with run-flats- you have to replace before they crack/bubble.

[agorich]

I have opticoat pro on my black 2014 S5 and it is great. The pro version is around $500+ most places as they need to do a full paint correction as the coating will seal in any imperfections. Since your car is fairly new and hopefully the paint isn't too bad, it should be around $500 to OC pro it.

I went with OC Pro as I was looking to make the paint more resilient to bird poop, bugs and hopefully scratches. The detailer told me the shine would be a lot better and I said whatever to myself. Then after he had applied OC to 1/2 the hood and show me I was genuinely surprised. It was noticeably deeper and better shine. Honestly its still very easy to swirlmark the car so automatic car washes are still a no-go.

My only regret is, after getting in an accident and having the front end repainted and OC re-applied, not having paint-protection film put over the whole front/hood/fenders. Now I have a lot of chips to deal with.

If I buy another black car, it's gotta have PPF applied = kiss $1500 goodbye. Kind of like buying a BMW with run-flats- you have to replace before they crack/bubble.

BoostEasy, you know, I was about to put the question out there about getting the film underneath or not. If it would be worth it considering the car should be better protected with a coating. I know nothing will stop a large rock that is launched at you from a dump truck while going 70mph. So you suggest to go for the PPF and the coating? is there any noticeable negative difference in shine compared to the parts of the car that isn't covered from what you have seen? I just don't know anyone in my area that has any film and/or a coating.

[The Fat Kid]

yes, I don't mean to offend anyone. I have been talking to people offline and of course reading/watching videos on everything. The lighter tests...sharpie tests...etc. Is there anything you have against Modesta vs the other two that maybe I missed? I know you said you haven't heard of it in your previous post but perhaps you looked it up a bit since then.

this is the first car i've ever considered coating so any and all opinions are very valuable to me.

I researched this extensively back in the spring when I bought my S4 and never read anything about Modesta. Does it mean Modesta is bad? Not necessarily, but the lack of feedback here does not bode well for the product; be cautious if the guy recommending Modesta is the one selling it.

I can't tell you that the "pro" version of Opti is any better than the consumer-grade stuff, but my detailer will reapply it for free over the course of its warranty, so that works for me.

[The Fat Kid]

BoostEasy, you know, I was about to put the question out there about getting the film underneath or not. If it would be worth it considering the car should be better protected with a coating. I know nothing will stop a large rock that is launched at you from a dump truck while going 70mph. So you suggest to go for the PPF and the coating? is there any noticeable negative difference in shine compared to the parts of the car that isn't covered from what you have seen? I just don't know anyone in my area that has any film and/or a coating.

I have Xpel (standard + full hood) and would do the whole car if it were in my budget. Again, you need to find a top-notch shop to install it because the paint needs to be PERFECT, and you don't want them cutting corners with templates vs cutting it to fit your car. I did not take any photos of my car when I picked it up, but the clear bra is 99.9% invisible.

Again, check out the link I provided in my first post; you can see cars getting Xpel and what they look like after.

[torinalth]

If the paint is new I highly recommend PPF first, then coat on top. I had the car front wrapped and if I had the money I'd have done the entire car. I'm currently cross shopping opti. I was going to go CQuartz Finest, but the lower warranty and longer distance for the detailer is making it hard to go with CQ.

Like mentioned above, Modesta might be fine, but if the guys on the detailing websites don't even talk about it then how good can it be? the fight is always about CQ vs OC and people sometimes throw in Ceramic Pro, and the new Titanium coating.

regarding the tests, ignore them. they all will do about the same for the marker, fire, whatever test. it really comes to the price, warranty, and location of installer.

[BoostEasy]

BoostEasy, you know, I was about to put the question out there about getting the film underneath or not. If it would be worth it considering the car should be better protected with a coating. I know nothing will stop a large rock that is launched at you from a dump truck while going 70mph. So you suggest to go for the PPF and the coating? is there any noticeable negative difference in shine compared to the parts of the car that isn't covered from what you have seen? I just don't know anyone in my area that has any film and/or a coating.

I asked my detailer and his recommendation at the time was to Opti-coat the car then bring it to a high-end PPF installer and let them wrap the whole nose. film is always installed last. Some have coated over it but it's not recommended AFAIK.

I can't comment from experience what effects the PPF will have on the shine next to panel without it but I'm sure there are numerous people that did it on the forum so someone will chime in no doubt. My suspicion that it probably has little noticeable effect only visible under really low angles or some lighting conditions. But compared to seeing lots of chips in the hood fenders and nose, it's a no-brainer and you can't go back once you have the chips.

If I could do it all over again, right after the accident repair, I would have swallowed the $1500 and did the whole nose/hood/fenders. To me, it's completely necessary if you do a lot of highway driving or live in the snow belt where you're just going to get pelted. I wish I listened to others that said this when I first bought my car.

[EGPhoto]

i have cquartz on my s4 for like a year and chance and i swear by it.

[agorich]

I asked my detailer and his recommendation at the time was to Opti-coat the car then bring it to a high-end PPF installer and let them wrap the whole nose. film is always installed last. Some have coated over it but it's not recommended AFAIK.

Okay, that does help in regards to making me want to get the coating. Would you do the full hood or the partial hood/partial fenders? The price difference is about 1/2 between the full front vs partials. Also, i've read on some other forums...I think it was a lexus one that the film should go on first. So, it would be a clean/polished/correct surface, then the film, then the coating. Someone was saying that their film was coming off and someone chimed in (i think he was a detailer) that the film should go under the coating. The local shop here (the person on the phone who isn't a detailer) stated the wrap should go on first before the coating as well.

[14S4GWM]

I had my car paint corrected then C-quartzed. Had Suntek PPF installed on the whole front end next and my detailer applied C-Quartz on top of the PPF. No issues and everything looks great.

[torinalth]

unless the paint needs a solid correcting, the film goes on first, then coating over top. the adhesive on the film will eliminate the casual swirl marks. then coat on top of the firm for the ease of cleaning. no point to coat first then film. but, consult your local dealer first as they may have a reason or package or something.

[BoostEasy]

Okay, that does help in regards to making me want to get the coating. Would you do the full hood or the partial hood/partial fenders? The price difference is about 1/2 between the full front vs partials. Also, i've read on some other forums...I think it was a lexus one that the film should go on first. So, it would be a clean/polished/correct surface, then the film, then the coating. Someone was saying that their film was coming off and someone chimed in (i think he was a detailer) that the film should go under the coating. The local shop here (the person on the phone who isn't a detailer) stated the wrap should go on first before the coating as well.

I'd absolutely do the whole front end in PPF. You can't see how hard I'm kicking myself for not doing it. It's $1500 around here to have the whole nose/hood/fenders done and I cheaped out and didn't want to spend the $ and now I have more chips than I can count and some significant ones. It's probably more of an issue for me since I was repainted after an accident but if I buy another black car in the next year or so, it's getting PPF over the whole nose. Hopefully sanity will intervene and I'll buy a white or gray car...

I've seen some cars with the "bikini" half-hood etc done and it looks like it's 1/2 done IMO. The line clearly shows up on the hood, esp if you wax the car or have some buildup etc. Perhaps better than nothing if you want to avoid chips but I'd throw the extra $700 at it and go full nose. With the full-nose done it's basically invisible if a good shop does it.

[RAF_S7]

If your having PPF installed, there are really only two suppliers worth looking at: Xpel or Suntek, both are installed professionally, and both are warranted products. You can CQ/CO/Genteq your heart out, but at the end of the day PPF will protect you from stone chips, and paint swirls whereas a chemical film will not, even if it does shine in the sun and make it easier to wash muck away.

Any PPF installer will tell you not to apply any chemical protectant prior to installation as it will interfere with the PPF adhesive bonding process.

I went with full frontal in Suntek, it was expensive, and I would have put put stealth all over if the budget had allowed.

I then had all non PPF areas ceramic coated, and have since applied same to the PPF. Colour just pops

[chaos2984]

I had our car's paint corrected, then coated with Gtechniq Crystal Serum and EXO. This was put over the Xcel Ulimate film on the hood and fenders as well. The car is garaged, but when driven at this time of year it's out in the snow and muck. It's amazing how the crud just falls off of it. My garage isn't heated so I haven't done my weekly Optimum No Rinse wash since mid November but a hose down with the wand at the local coin wash has it looking pretty dammned amazing! As soon as we get a warmish day, I'll bust out my buckets and give it some love though.

I have used Gtechniq products also. I used the C2 and it was awesome. Its very easy to do yourself. You just need to have the car's paint as good as possible before applying the coating. I did mine myself and it was super simple to do and it looks awesome. I could of done more prep work to take out more of the swirls. But ill get that next go around. I would do it yourself unless you find a place to do it for a reasonable price. Most places want around 1K or more to do it all.

It cost me about 100 in supplies to do it. I clayed the car and used rubbing compound on the paint before sealant. Then applied sealant. It goes on like rain-x. Super easy to do. Then once that has dried and curried for 24 hours put a good wax on it and your set. The coating will last 2-4 years depending on how you store the car and how much weather its exposed to.

[14S4GWM]

I use Gtechniq and 22ple on top of C quartz. Those coatings plus wax don't even compare to a ceramic coating. No way you can go 2-4 yrs with that, I wouldn't even try to go that long.

[S4inBC]

On their web site, the Gtechniq Crystal Serum / Exo coating has a 7 year warranty. I don't know what the warranty on the C1/C2 coatings are.

[agorich]

If your having PPF installed, there are really only two suppliers worth looking at: Xpel or Suntek, both are installed professionally, and both are warranted products. You can CQ/CO/Genteq your heart out, but at the end of the day PPF will protect you from stone chips, and paint swirls whereas a chemical film will not, even if it does shine in the sun and make it easier to wash muck away.

Any PPF installer will tell you not to apply any chemical protectant prior to installation as it will interfere with the PPF adhesive bonding process.

I went with full frontal in Suntek, it was expensive, and I would have put put stealth all over if the budget had allowed.

I then had all non PPF areas ceramic coated, and have since applied same to the PPF. Colour just pops

Okay, not a bad idea. I mean, I do have some wiggle room in the budget but not enough to do a spaghetti dance. hah.

Would there be any down side to doing a full front PPF then a while later do the coating? I figure the only down side would be the 2nd set of paint correcting that would have to do but it would be for the non covered parts, of course.