Ceramic-Pro or Opti-coat pro??

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Raptor_man

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Has anyone had either Ceramic or Opti-coat sealant done to their raptor?

I'm sick of washing and waxing the truck on a constant basis.

It's a 2013 in really good shape.

I'm also looking for dealer recommendations in Michigan that can do this.
 

ittybittyfds

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im prepping to do a Optimum Gloss Coat. i have been researching doing this for a while. I looked at few types of ceramic coatings. I decided on Optimum Gloss coat. From what i have seen its pretty easy once you have your Raptor surface prepped. you have to make sure you have No paint swirls or orange peal!
 

shelteredraptor

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CQuartz UK is what I did, and paint correction is everything, if you think it's good enough, it's not. I prepped for 7 hours and my truck was brand new. Smartest thing I have done though, it is amazing how much easier it is to wash, I can literally hose it off.
 

jorligan

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I had Opticoat Pro put on my wife's black Macan, No swirl marks and looks like glass even though she drives through the car wash. Used Motor City Auto Spa in Royal Oak but would also recommend Autolavish. Autolavish does amazing detailing and had not been applying ceramic coatings when I did the Macan. Will probably use them for the Raptor.
 

Darkfluid

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Has anyone had either Ceramic or Opti-coat sealant done to their raptor?

I'm sick of washing and waxing the truck on a constant basis.

It's a 2013 in really good shape.

I'm also looking for dealer recommendations in Michigan that can do this.

I don’t know how much use my input will be, but I’ll let you know my opinions based on my research.

I think all of the coatings may have their pluses and minuses, but I don’t think there is enough data out there to reliably choose one over the other at this point. As long as they are 9H rated, they should in theory provide similar results. They all seem to have five year warranties with dubious limitations and yearly inspections. And I think the most important part of all of them may be paint prep and application.

That being said, I think the most important thing you can do is choose a great vendor...and lacking that, one that is close by and will at least stand behind their work. Here is my reasoning:

1. We don’t know how any of these will hold up, so the inspections and the shop standing behind their application will be important. I get the idea these companies will rely on their network of vendors/shops to honor and support their warranties.

2. As stated by others, paint prep is key. Once these are on...they aren’t supposed to be coming off for years...so that paint needs to be in good shape. That being said..decide how far you want to go. I, for example, didn’t feel wet sanding for factory orange peel correction was worth the cost or risk.

3. As stated...I don’t know if there is any real significant difference between any of the 9H products, so, much like bed liners, it may just come down to professionalism of the shop.

I got Liquid Armour done myself, it’s what my local shop does, so it’s what I went with. I’ll try and update a year from now with my impressions. The look is great if you loved that Klasse SG look. I hope the ease of cleaning reputation these coatings have stands up.
 

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AndrewLuz

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Check out Gtechniq’s Crystal Serum Ultra. I used to detail for a living and used a lot of their products because they were some of the best I could find. And just like others have said, the most important thing is finding a good Detail shop that has experience applying ceramic coatings. And black vehicles are the hardest to apply coatings with zero residue marks left. I would expect your truck to need a 2 stage correction which will probably cost you $1,700-$1,900 at a good shop FYI.
 

Sasha4

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I used to own a Mobil and fixed shop detailing company that did everything from boats to planes, 18 wheelers, fleets and dealership cars. I always love testing new products just to see how they work. So based on all the hype given to these coatings, I decided to give them a try. I went with CQuartz. I tried their standard 110 and UK versions

First thing you need to know- they require maintenance by means of washing and reapplication of their product (works like a quick detail spray wax- not difficult). So it’s not apply and forget. Second is bird crap eats through them. Don’t care how great they claim to be- all state it must be removed within 12-24 hours. So it’s not a miracle potion.

Third point is they don’t like automatic car washes so unless your into handwashing- that $1500-$1700 coating won’t last.

The good sides are they work as a coating, extremely well and what is an absolute shocker- are some of the easiest products to apply for a DIY. Like many state, prep is the key.

I used the the two polishes CarPro makes for CQuartz prep. One is a one step (Finisher) The other requires two steps (Fixer) and removes down to 1500 grit sandpaper marks. To prove it was DIY, I bought all the stuff needed and it was close to $260. I already owned a Cyclo polisher and pads so a polisher would add to your costs but the only thing you would be required to buy for the second car application is the ceramic coating at $60. If you can work an orbital sander- you can polish paint. It’s realky a no brained. Plenty of videos on YouTube can show you how to mask off, correct pad types, position of polisher and speed. After using both products on my wife’s 2010 BMW, I wiped it all down with Eraser to remove any residue, old wax, grease and any other contaminants. Did that twice and changed towels a lot.

After that you apply the coating. It’s rubbing in one direction, then at 90 degrees to the original direction. The application pad is a sponge and you use a small piece of supplied chamois over that. Coating takes only a few drops to cover a 2’ x 2’ area. Once it’s been applied, wait till it flashes, and remove with a microfiber towel. Flip the microfiber towel often and discard after use (gets gunked up).

So my wife’s black BMW used the 110 formula and I felt it lasted the longest. I used the recommended Reload every month and found the coating held up very well. Washing off road grime was as easy as turning on the pressure washer and spraying it down. I used the UK version on my Juke and it did not last as long but to be fair, was an outside car versus the other stayed in the garage at home and work. Texas sun does wear this product down.

Main thing to do is watch a lot of videos on application and realize this is something you can do yourself and not spend the price of a decent aftermarket front bumper doing so. Also note if your paint is really bad, the prep side will take longer but most of CarPros products were very easy to use (comparably to other compounds, polishes and glazes I’ve used) and performed very well.
 

Dalamar

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Yes, i've done a ceramic sealant, just posted a 1 year after photo in my "White raptor Luv" thread in this forum.
Did a cut/polish detail, and applied the sealant.

Highly recommend, It's been much easier to clean the truck, i've just washed/dried for the last year, and my truck is parked outside.
 
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