HELP! What paint protection should I choose?

[grambow]

I am not a noob by any means. But still, I find myself semi-paralyzed by indecision. I just took delivery of a 2022 BMW X4 M40i in sapphire black metallic. This is my first black vehicle in about 20 years and also the first since I've started taking the condition of my paint, or should I say, my technique for maintaining the condition of my paint seriously/obsessively.
I am wondering what your suggestions are for paint protection? I am familiar with WG DGPS, Collinite 845, OPT Optiseal, OPT Spray Wax and Ultima Paint Guard, all of which I have in stock.
I will likely do a very light correction to remove the micro swirls from the factory and delivery. I have been kicking around trying my first coating but reading forums suggest it might not be worth it.
I live in WI so I see a lot of weather and road salt in the winter. Ideally, I would like the protection to last at least through the winter, so 7-8 months. I'd like to be easy to apply and moderately priced. I am not looking to buy a $189 coating.
I am committed to keeping the paint as pristine as possible which means touching it as little as possible. Any thoughts on what products I should entertain?

[crg001]

If you want to take a step towards the world of coatings, Gyeon Can Coat (Evo) is a much loved entry level type coating, for very good reason. It has outstanding performance and durability while being nearly as easy to apply as any spray sealant. I've used it on a few vehicles and really appreciate the application process for it. I've seen it hold up on a vehicle for over 6 months that lived under a tree and got taken through auto car washes periodically.

[Desertnate]

CanCoat or CQuartz Lite might be the answer if you want to dip your toes into the pool of coatings.

I was able to easily get 12 months out a couple vehicles wearing CanCoat, despite seeing daily use through a winter. On one vehicle with CanCoat, the single coat was about 6~7 months old as winter approached, so I applied a second coat which really extended the protection until the weather warmed up again.

As for the items you have on hand, 845 is another strong product I've personally used. My experience with it was about 6 months of durability through a winter, so you might want to do two layers or top it with a highly durable spray sealant to give you the extra boost to go 7~8 months.

There are plenty of reasonably priced coatings out there if you go that direction. A 30ml bottle of something like CQuartz UK should cover an X4 and only run you around $60. Maybe less if you catch a good sale.

[craigdt]

You already have basically the best traditional sealants.

You could look at Sonus Ion, which is basically a traditional sealant amped up a bit. Its super super easy to use. Probably the easiest wipe off I've ever experienced.

I have recently purchased the Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Spray Coating. Its apparently a "lite" coating, but application should be pretty similar to UPGP, which you are already familiar with. Was like $70.

[glen e]

Cancoat-easy and effective

[tim500]

If you want to take a step towards the world of coatings, Gyeon Can Coat (Evo) is a much loved entry level type coating, for very good reason. It has outstanding performance and durability while being nearly as easy to apply as any spray sealant. I've used it on a few vehicles and really appreciate the application process for it. I've seen it hold up on a vehicle for over 6 months that lived under a tree and got taken through auto car washes periodically.

I though can coat is easy to overspray causing high spots. I really wanted to try it but was concerned about high spots that's too much stress for me. I am not about to wet sand a car or compound it.

[glen e]

Spraying it on the car is not the way to go… You spray it on an applicator that is a half an inch away from the applicator and then you don’t have any problem with high spots, coverage or overspray.

Q² CanCoat EVO - YouTube

[briarpatch]

Since you're familiar with WGDGPS, consider WG SIO2 sealant. I've used both, and get a little bit more life out of the SIO2 version. Application of the product could not be easier.

[Desertnate]

I though can coat is easy to overspray causing high spots. I really wanted to try it but was concerned about high spots that's too much stress for me. I am not about to wet sand a car or compound it.

You do not need to wet sand or compound out high spots. They can easily be removed by hand with a soft pad and a finishing polish. It isn't hard to do. I would actually recommend high spot removal by hand since they are usually quite small and using a DA would be overkill in most cases.

[Epilogts]

You do not need to wet sand or compound out high spots. They can easily be removed by hand with a soft pad and a finishing polish. It isn't hard to do. I would actually recommend high spot removal by hand since they are usually quite small and using a DA would be overkill in most cases.

I totally agree with DesertNate. My first venture in to coatings was with CQUK and I found it to be really easy once I made it past the fear of F’n it up. I did find a high spot in the shadow around the license plate, it was easily removed with a little polish.

I just put a very small amount of CarPro Essence on a microfiber and alternated between light polishing with Essence and then a wipe off to check the progress. It knocked down the high spot easily without any need to re-coat the area.