Most Durable Sealants to Date

[Ike21]

Hi all,

What's the best line of paint sealants out there these days in terms of durability and staying power? I wasn't really able to find a thread about this for 2014.

I'm looking to seal the finish on my new car now while I have the free time to baby it. In about 3 months, I'll be lucky if I even see a day or two off in a row for a few years! Thus, I want to set up a durable base now, and not have to go back to the beginning every year or two with polishing, etc. Does anything stand up to the dreaded touchless carwash these days?

Thanks in advance!

Mike

[Setec Astronomy]

A coating is the only thing that meets the requirements you have set out. The king is Opti-Coat, but some other coatings have some other properties that make people like them more, like Cquartz or GTechniq.

I think I hit all the ones sold here that are in the "permanent" category.

[Flatlander]

Hey, good luck with you upcoming schedule change! I have many different coatings on various panels on my car and I can tell you the best experience I have had was with GTechniq Exo (http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-exo-paint-coating.html) and C1 (http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-c1-crystal-lacquer.html). C1 by itself is excellent but put the Exo over the top and BOOM! Shine sandwich! I have had a lot of trouble with Opticoat and it's durability. Seems to "wear" off after 6 months. Probably user error. Anyway, good luck!

[EVOlved]

A coating is the only thing that meets the requirements you have set out. The king is Opti-Coat, but some other coatings have some other properties that make people like them more, like Cquartz or GTechniq.

I think I hit all the ones sold here that are in the "permanent" category.

He is correct. Although he did forget Pinnacle Black Label.

[silverfox]

DG 105 will last up to a year and will withstand commercial touchless washes with ease. I used it two winters ago and ran my car through touchless over 20 times. Still beaded in spring and was the longest lasting sealant I've tried. Looks great too.



But seriously...I'd go with a coating and never look back at this point.

[Ike21]

Hey, good luck with you upcoming schedule change!

Thanks! I'm going for a master's, and it's one of those programs where you just can't stop to breathe, even during the holidays.

Coatings sound like the way to go for sure. Haven't used one before, so this should be interesting! I Had the chance to do some research on it, and all the above sound like great choices, each with different strengths. Pinnacle Diamond sounds like a good choice, for the all around application factor, but then again, for the price, it seems like you could buy a specialized glass coating and paint coating separately. Is that a wise decision?
I'm thinking OptiCoat 2.0 would be ideal for the body paintwork and wheels. I love the idea of serious scratch resistance and permanence. Then, maybe something else for the other stuff? (Headlights, metal work, glass). Anything that would fit the bill?

Good to know the DG 105 is such a beast of a sealant! I may buy some for taking care of my family's cars, where there isn't as much time to apply a coating. Wish I knew about that stuff for the winters up in the mountains of Boone, NC.

SilverFox, did you get that level of performance with using the DG pre-cleaner, or just 105 alone?

[The Guz]

Klasse sealant can get you pretty close to a year. Detailer's Pro Poli-Coat is another that can net you almost a year.

If you want longer than that the a coating as others have stated. Sonus Ion looks to be a good one as well as the others stated as well as Duragloss Enviroshield Ceramic Coating System.

[silverfox]

Its important to get paint surface squeaky clean as you would for a coating. DP prep polish or DG squeaky clean are perfect for this purpose. I also mixed DG 601 with 105 (4 parts 105, 1 part 601) together when applying the sealant



I've since gone to the new DG coating. Crazy easy to apply. Doesn't alter the look of the paint. Impressive stuff. Leaves the paint slick as glass. I've not needed a two bucket wash since. Just high pressure rinse, foam, then hp rinse again. Final wipe with DG Aquawax or UWW. Done.....or just wash with DG rinseless. Done.