What coating would you recommend for my car? Corvette C4

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jay23ls

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What's up Autogeek world! Its my first post. Long time forum user though (like forums in general)

I'm in the middle of paint correction using Meguiars Ultimate Compound and a Griots random orb. Been reading for hours about sealants and coatings but you guys seem to be experts on all these and not a lot of guys at the corvetteforum know about em. I want to try a coating over sealants for thicker/better and longer protection. Dont want to have to keep digging into this 22 yr old clear coat too much in the future. Here she is!

View attachment 52783View attachment 52784

I know the pictures are crappy, I rushed taking them bc I was just excited about the car. This is pre-claybarring and pre-polishing, taken the day after I bought her a few months ago. What do you guys recommend that will really make this blue pop?? I'm willing to add a wax or sealant on top of the coating if needed for more pop or depth. Budget is $500! lol jk I love her but lets say $100-200 ;) Thank you!

View attachment 52785
 
Great looking car. The color really sets it off. Will look great once coated.

Coating wise, you'll get lots of opinions. My suggestion would be based on your experience with them. None are terribly difficult but some like Pinnacle, McKee's 37 and Wolfgang's are pretty easy and do a great job. I went with McKee's as it's super easy to use and the cost is very low compared to many others. Will work extremely well on a car that isn't perhaps your daily drive. My two below are coated and see daily use and are holding up excellently.
 
Hello, and welcome to the forum!

Congrats on the purchase, nice car, and color.

I'm no expert, or professional who has run through all the major players, and you will find numerous fans of many of the Coatings, GTehniq, such as EXO, Carpro's CQuartz Line, Optimum, with their Gloss Coat, 22PLE, Polish Angel, and other newer players, such as Wolfgang Uber, and probably a 1/2 dozen more, McKee's, Pinnacle Diamond, etc.

I myself have used Carpro CQuartz UK, and like the product. It is a very durable coating, very mar and scratch resistant. Hard as a rock after curing.

Having owned a few collectables in my day, I know well how prep is a very time and labor intensive ordeal, particularly on a vehicle which was pre-owned, and has been in circulation many years.

That one thing leads to another, initially seemingly innocent and simple processes in the restoration process can run much longer than mere hours, that hours turn to days, and turn to weeks to accomplish, and complete. Areas such as Door Jambs, Weather-Stripping, Light Lenses, Hardware, Engine Compartment, Interior, Plastic Trim, then the replacement of some parts, Belts, Hoses, Tune up Parts, Tires and Wheels, Wheel Wells, Undercarriage, etc etc.

Sometimes it seems it will never end and multiple $1,000's of dollars can be spent in the process. I know all too well, the Corvette Parts Suppliers, and their Catalogs are "highly addictive"!

One can spend numerous days just going over every crack, crevice, nook and cranny removing such as old dried Waxes, and Sealants, stripping and removing lesser protective products off of the vehicle.

Sometimes this means removal of many of the trim pieces, lenses, etc to better restore individually. Yep, and sometimes when inside, one decides things like "well, while I'm in here, I might as well replace Lamps-Bulbs, clean Bulb Sockets", etc.

And of course the more careful time and hard labor spent on such will definitely show positive end results.

It can be overwhelming at times, and reckon the best way is to create a plan, of what processes should be done, and need to be done.

As Mike Phillips, our Forum Expert would say as one basic one rule of thumb, "work clean".

Have the needed tools on hand, a good selection and quantity of Polishing Pads, Towels, Applicators, and the needed products.

Again, a big welcome to the forum, wish you the best of luck, and enjoyment, you have most definitely come to the right place!
 
As most know who have been here, or know the basics of proper car detailing, and bringing a vehicle's appearance back to as best as it can be, and in particular, the paint finish, the Steps needed will be these:

Wash, de-contaminate, polish, protect.

There's many ways to go about it, as well as a endless host of products to use to get there.

As an example, one should seriously consider both the use of Clay, and as well a good Iron Particle Removal Product. Pinnacle Blue Poly Clay is about the most gentle, but at times one may need to resort to a more aggressive Clay to remove stubborn stuck on contaminates. Saps can be a bear to remove, or paint overspray that has sat on the paint surface for many long years.

A product such as Carpro Iron-X is usually a must have. A liter should be minimum, because you also may wish to use such a product to as well de-contaminate the wheels, and best way would be "off vehicle". Iron De-Con should be done generally prior to claying.

And yes, one will need to wash the car numerous times as the processes are done, and prior to getting ready to Polish the Paint.

Auto Painter's Masking Tape is a definite must have item, and besides the big box stores, you may have a auto paint supply shop in your town. It's good to have a number of widths on hand. The Tapes will protect trim, and areas you do not want polished, and can also be used to prevent Polish residues from getting into places that you do not want them.

As for polishes, there's literal 100's of brands and types, various chemistrys, some are referred to as SMAT (super micro abrasive technology), DAT (diminishing abrasive technology), or a hybrid combo of both.

Rule of thumb, is the proverbial "test spot" on a finish, and to always use the least aggressive products and methods to get the job done correctly.

Products such as the "Wolfgang Trio", which are WG Uber Compound, Total Swirl Remover, and Finishing Glaze come with my highest recommendation. Yes, seemingly pricey, but they are all fantastic products, have little peer, and can transform a finish to magnificent with the right accompanying Pads, and Techniques.

Now that you've gotten through the Polishing, one should then use a good "panel wipe" product prior to applying a Coating. There are many, and probably best advice would be to use the manufacturer's suggested Panel Wipe-Prep Product to then remove any Polishing Oils that are left behind.

Car-Pro Eraser is one very good one, and there are others.

When Coating, it is wisely advised to have a number of very high quality Microfiber Towels on hand to level-smooth the coatings. Yes, dependent upon coating used, and if they harden, they may have to be disposed. And very good lighting, and proper weather conditions such as temps and humidity will be of great help.
 
MarkD51 said:
As most know who have been here, or know the basics of proper car detailing, and bringing a vehicle's appearance back to as best as it can be, and in particular, the paint finish, the Steps needed will be these:

Wash, de-contaminate, polish, protect.

There's many ways to go about it, as well as a endless host of products to use to get there.

As an example, one should seriously consider both the use of Clay, and as well a good Iron Particle Removal Product. Pinnacle Blue Poly Clay is about the most gentle, but at times one may need to resort to a more aggressive Clay to remove stubborn stuck on contaminates. Saps can be a bear to remove, or paint overspray that has sat on the paint surface for many long years.

A product such as Carpro Iron-X is usually a must have. A liter should be minimum, because you also may wish to use such a product to as well de-contaminate the wheels, and best way would be "off vehicle". Iron De-Con should be done generally prior to claying.

And yes, one will need to wash the car numerous times as the processes are done, and prior to getting ready to Polish the Paint.

Auto Painter's Masking Tape is a definite must have item, and besides the big box stores, you may have a auto paint supply shop in your town. It's good to have a number of widths on hand. The Tapes will protect trim, and areas you do not want polished, and can also be used to prevent Polish residues from getting into places that you do not want them.

As for polishes, there's literal 100's of brands and types, various chemistrys, some are referred to as SMAT (super micro abrasive technology), DAT (diminishing abrasive technology), or a hybrid combo of both.

Rule of thumb, is the proverbial "test spot" on a finish, and to always use the least aggressive products and methods to get the job done correctly.

Products such as the "Wolfgang Trio", which are WG Uber Compound, Total Swirl Remover, and Finishing Glaze come with my highest recommendation. Yes, seemingly pricey, but they are all fantastic products, have little peer, and can transform a finish to magnificent with the right accompanying Pads, and Techniques.

Now that you've gotten through the Polishing, one should then use a good "panel wipe" product prior to applying a Coating. There are many, and probably best advice would be to use the manufacturer's suggested Panel Wipe-Prep Product to then remove any Polishing Oils that are left behind.

Car-Pro Eraser is one very good one, and there are others.

When Coating, it is wisely advised to have a number of very high quality Microfiber Towels on hand to level-smooth the coatings. Yes, dependent upon coating used, and if they harden, they may have to be disposed. And very good lighting, and proper weather conditions such as temps and humidity will be of great help.
Click to expand...

Curious as to what you use that stains the trim on cars?
 
I use CQUK almost exclusively. With that being said, do yourself a favor and give Opti Gloss Coat. Very easy to apply!
 
Wolfgang Uber Coating ... you don't need to top it. The gloss and reflection is incredible. Its also very user friendly to apply.
 
MarkD51 said:
Hello, and welcome to the forum!

Congrats on the purchase, nice car, and color.

I'm no expert, or professional who has run through all the major players, and you will find numerous fans of many of the Coatings, GTehniq, such as EXO, Carpro's CQuartz Line, Optimum, with their Gloss Coat, 22PLE, Polish Angel, and other newer players, such as Wolfgang Uber, and probably a 1/2 dozen more, McKee's, Pinnacle Diamond, etc.

I myself have used Carpro CQuartz UK, and like the product. It is a very durable coating, very mar and scratch resistant. Hard as a rock after curing.

Having owned a few collectables in my day, I know well how prep is a very time and labor intensive ordeal, particularly on a vehicle which was pre-owned, and has been in circulation many years.

That one thing leads to another, initially seemingly innocent and simple processes in the restoration process can run much longer than mere hours, that hours turn to days, and turn to weeks to accomplish, and complete. Areas such as Door Jambs, Weather-Stripping, Light Lenses, Hardware, Engine Compartment, Interior, Plastic Trim, then the replacement of some parts, Belts, Hoses, Tune up Parts, Tires and Wheels, Wheel Wells, Undercarriage, etc etc.

Sometimes it seems it will never end and multiple $1,000's of dollars can be spent in the process. I know all too well, the Corvette Parts Suppliers, and their Catalogs are "highly addictive"!

One can spend numerous days just going over every crack, crevice, nook and cranny removing such as old dried Waxes, and Sealants, stripping and removing lesser protective products off of the vehicle.

Sometimes this means removal of many of the trim pieces, lenses, etc to better restore individually. Yep, and sometimes when inside, one decides things like "well, while I'm in here, I might as well replace Lamps-Bulbs, clean Bulb Sockets", etc.

And of course the more careful time and hard labor spent on such will definitely show positive end results.

It can be overwhelming at times, and reckon the best way is to create a plan, of what processes should be done, and need to be done.

As Mike Phillips, our Forum Expert would say as one basic one rule of thumb, "work clean".

Have the needed tools on hand, a good selection and quantity of Polishing Pads, Towels, Applicators, and the needed products.

Again, a big welcome to the forum, wish you the best of luck, and enjoyment, you have most definitely come to the right place!
Click to expand...


Thank you sir, you are a detailing encyclopedia! I just looked up CarPro Iron X. Ive never heard of this kind of product. Got great reviews on Amazon, says to use before claying or polishing but damn I already clayed the whole car and polished half of it. You think I could use it on the half that hasn't been polished, the whole car or just not buy it? lol
 
What 2nd polish would you guys recommend for this color? Just got pointed in the direction of Menzerna SF3800. If I'm gonna do all this work, might as well get that real "gloss like a boss" look :cruisin:
 
jay23ls said:
Thank you sir, you are a detailing encyclopedia! I just looked up CarPro Iron X. Ive never heard of this kind of product. Got great reviews on Amazon, says to use before claying or polishing but damn I already clayed the whole car and polished half of it. You think I could use it on the half that hasn't been polished, the whole car or just not buy it? lol
Click to expand...

You could perhaps place a halt on your processes at this point, if you wished to use a Iron decon product such as Iron-X.

As many other members, and probably the forum master here, Mike Phillips has no doubt shared, that when you clay a paint, you will remove some of the iron particulates bonded-stuck to the paint, those that are above the paint surface, but will not remove all of it. Only shave the protruding fraction of the particles, the remainder of the iron particles are actually imbedded into the paint surface, akin to like a cactus thorn in a finger.

Iron particles eventually erode a paint over time, like thousands of little microscopic craters in the paint's surface that the iron eats into the paint, and as time passes, the damage progresses.

Never too late, as long as it would be before the coating application. You might have to do a minor quick light polish again,as you may slightly mar-swirl the paint from the "massaging" of these iron removers into a naked, unprotected paint finish.

On a darker colored car, it will be a little bit harder to see such a product in action, with the tell-tale purple spots all over the vehicle. That there has to be faith-trust in the product, to use as directed, spritz a few sprays per panel, massage in with a dampened sponge or MF Towel, let linger, but under no circumstances do you let the product dry upon the paint.

This can be difficult when done outside, as the sun can possibly speed drying, but for sure, and under no circumstances do you want to Iron-X a vehicle in your garage! Because Iron-X is one of the most foul smelling products you'll ever come across in your life! And that's no under-estimation!

Someone here once exactly described the smell, a combination of rotten eggs, and hair dye. I did my Tahoe once outside under the carport, and I could smell it outside two weeks later, no matter how much I came behind and rinsed with water.

On dark colors, the final rinse off, with purple all over the ground will tell the tale, that Iron was indeed present. Definitely keep the product away from things like Brake Rotors, or raw, unprotected Aluminum.
 
jay23ls said:
What 2nd polish would you guys recommend for this color? Just got pointed in the direction of Menzerna SF3800. If I'm gonna do all this work, might as well get that real "gloss like a boss" look :cruisin:
Click to expand...

A product which is probably very similar, or perhaps even the very exact same product as Menzerna SF3800 is probably Wolfgang Finishing Glaze.

It has been stated by others here, that Wolfgang Finishing Glaze is actually not a Glaze at all, but a very ultra fine final step finishing Polish. And as well, that it is supposed fact that Menzerna themselves manufacture all of the Wolfgang Polishes.

I am not sure just how far Menzerna's "reach" is but might suspect some of the other polishes sold by PBMG (Autogeek) such as Pinnacle, Pinnacle XMT, and perhaps some others are as well made by Menzerna.

Keep in mind that not just a polish will define the clarity, removal of all defects, and final show quality finish of perfectly perfected paint should be relied upon. That Pad choice, arm speed, downward pressure, how long you work, or perhaps under, or over work a product will have their effects upon perfection of finish.

The hand, eye, and experience of "reading" a paint is needed, but is something too, that doesn't necessarily have to take a person years to learn and understand.

If you're new to the use of a DA, then it is wise to practice on some other vehicles first to get the feel of what you're doing, and to see and understand how particular Polish and Pad combos behave. That's a start. Paint hardness is another factor. Commonly, GM Paints have been typically known to be on the hard side.
 
jay23ls said:
Thank you sir, you are a detailing encyclopedia! I just looked up CarPro Iron X. Ive never heard of this kind of product. Got great reviews on Amazon, says to use before claying or polishing but damn I already clayed the whole car and polished half of it. You think I could use it on the half that hasn't been polished, the whole car or just not buy it? lol
Click to expand...

While I'm 61 years old, have been detailing for a long time, there are many here who far surpass me, and like anything else in life, when one "thinks" they're the very best at what they do, trust that there's always somebody who's better.

For many here, vehicle detailing is their livelihood, they are professionals, and there are some who are factory authorized coating installers. To be authorized, it usually means you must perform a minimum number of vehicles per month,, and buy a minimum of product on a timely basis, otherwise you are history.

Coatings for sure can be finicky, and have their problems during application, and even post application.

Waxes and Sealants are usually much easier by comparison.

And as I have found, one does not have to rush out and immediately coat their vehicle. That it can live for awhile with other products while a person gains more knowledge, and does more research into these products. This was what I did, and when I first came here to autogeek, there were many things that I did not know. And I'm still learning as well. There's always room for learning, no matter who.

There are countless hacks out there who call themselves pros, but generally in this particular forum, most know the rituals of proper-correct techniques and the products and tools to use.
 
MarkD51 said:
While I'm 61 years old, have been detailing for a long time, there are many here who far surpass me, and like anything else in life, when one "thinks" they're the very best at what they do, trust that there's always somebody who's better.

For many here, vehicle detailing is their livelihood, they are professionals, and there are some who are factory authorized coating installers. To be authorized, it usually means you must perform a minimum number of vehicles per month,, and buy a minimum of product on a timely basis, otherwise you are history.

Coatings for sure can be finicky, and have their problems during application, and even post application.

Waxes and Sealants are usually much easier by comparison.

And as I have found, one does not have to rush out and immediately coat their vehicle. That it can live for awhile with other products while a person gains more knowledge, and does more research into these products. This was what I did, and when I first came here to autogeek, there were many things that I did not know. And I'm still learning as well. There's always room for learning, no matter who.

There are countless hacks out there who call themselves pros, but generally in this particular forum, most know the rituals of proper-correct techniques and the products and tools to use.
Click to expand...


That's exactly what I'm doing! I thought I was just going to pick a coating fast and soon realized I"m just gonna have to wax the car after all the polishing is done and then strip the wax in a couple wks when I have the coating selected. I didn't even know how work intensive the 1st step polish was going to turn out. I thought "eh with this DA machine its gonna be a breeze" And then I saw how every section needed more than 1 pass =x lol its kicking my ass and I'm in my 20s haha Looking fwd to the results tho!

I appreciate the help, just ordered IronX!
 
I appreciate all the responses guys. One of the top choices right now is Wolfgang uber based on this forum and the vette forum.

Can anyone chime in on how long that usually lasts w/ good maintenance?
 
jay23ls said:
I appreciate all the responses guys. One of the top choices right now is Wolfgang uber based on this forum and the vette forum.

Can anyone chime in on how long that usually lasts w/ good maintenance?
Click to expand...
WG Uber Ceramic is quite easy to apply. Have it on two of our black cars since last spring. Refresh them every month or so with Gyeon Cure or similar. Cars stay very clean and shining even after driving in rain. Very pleased with the combo (s).

Before coating them used WG Total Swirl Remover w/ orange Lake Country flat pad, then WG Finishing Glaze w/ Lake country white pad. Have since switched to Menz 2400 & Menz 3500 respectively as they seem to be WG equivalents only less pricey.

Have and used Menz 3800 a few times to try to eek out that last little bit of gloss; it is very, very mild with respect to cut, mostly a final touch 'play' that sometimes improves shine/clarity over 3500, sometimes not.

Menz and WG are DAT compounds so search/read up on how to get the most out of that kinda polish/compound vs SMAT (Megs 100, 101, 105, 205)...makes a difference in how they finish out...something I neglected to consider initially.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
 
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