Recommendations on paint protection - NJ

Rutgers-05

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Residents of NJ, anyone that can recommend a decent auto body/detailing shops that provide paint protection services for a reasonable price?

There's one nearby my town that uses "Glare 5 year protection" for $ 299.99 and another in southern NJ that uses CQuartz but charges $1,250. Some of you guys recommended Simoniz Glasscoat, but I can't find a shop that carries the product. CQuartz and Glare any good?
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Xenu

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I'm pretty new to this as well, and have been doing a bunch of research for paint sealing and detailers in NJ.

From what I've gathered so far, ~$1300 retail cost for something like Opti Coat Pro is common.
A portion of the price goes to prepping (wash, clay bar, polishing out swirls etc) and any color correction (even factory new).
The rest goes to sealant + application which admittedly seems high, but ultimately imho we are paying for quality of workmanship
and even future reputability as a return customer.

I would definitely ask how the $300 application process is performed, and ask to see their work, price sounds on the low side, tbh.
Even better is schedule a stop in to visit the businesses and ask any questions in person, such as what does the job cover, how does the warranty work.
The fine print on Opti Coat Pro Warranty, for example, under 1.3 - General Warranty Invalidation, reads a bit like fluff,
leaving the manufacturer plenty of wiggle room for deciding whether they're willing to honor a claim.


I'm looking to get my car prepped and sealed asap, hopefully by next week or week after.

You're welcome to PM me after it's done if you'd like to see the results for comparison, I definitely wish I could have seen a detailed and sealed Civic in my area before deciding!
 
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Rutgers-05

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I'm pretty new to this as well, and have been doing a bunch of research for paint sealing and detailers in NJ.

From what I've gathered so far, ~$1300 retail cost for something like Opti Coat Pro is common.
A portion of the price goes to prepping (wash, clay bar, polishing out swirls etc) and any color correction (even factory new).
The rest goes to sealant + application which admittedly seems high, but ultimately imho we are paying for quality of workmanship
and even future reputability as a return customer.

I would definitely ask how the $300 application process is performed, and ask to see their work, price sounds on the low side, tbh.
Even better is schedule a stop in to visit the businesses and ask any questions in person, such as what does the job cover, how does the warranty work.
The fine print on Opti Coat Pro Warranty, for example, under 1.3 - General Warranty Invalidation, reads a bit like fluff,
leaving the manufacturer plenty of wiggle room for deciding whether they're willing to honor a claim.


I'm looking to get my car prepped and sealed asap, hopefully by next week or week after.

You're welcome to PM me after it's done if you'd like to see the results for comparison, I definitely wish I could have seen a detailed and sealed Civic in my area before deciding!

Awesome! Let me know know which detailer you've picked and post some pics! Also let me know about the quality of their prep work, cause I need to have paint chip and scratches fixed before applying on the protection.

The detailer with the Glare products is "CAR RX LLC" if you're curious. Got a lot of good reviews on yelp, but no pictures on their Glare work.
 

jjccrv

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I'm pretty new to this as well, and have been doing a bunch of research for paint sealing and detailers in NJ.

From what I've gathered so far, ~$1300 retail cost for something like Opti Coat Pro is common.
A portion of the price goes to prepping (wash, clay bar, polishing out swirls etc) and any color correction (even factory new).
The rest goes to sealant + application which admittedly seems high, but ultimately imho we are paying for quality of workmanship
and even future reputability as a return customer.

I would definitely ask how the $300 application process is performed, and ask to see their work, price sounds on the low side, tbh.
Even better is schedule a stop in to visit the businesses and ask any questions in person, such as what does the job cover, how does the warranty work.
The fine print on Opti Coat Pro Warranty, for example, under 1.3 - General Warranty Invalidation, reads a bit like fluff,
leaving the manufacturer plenty of wiggle room for deciding whether they're willing to honor a claim.


I'm looking to get my car prepped and sealed asap, hopefully by next week or week after.

You're welcome to PM me after it's done if you'd like to see the results for comparison, I definitely wish I could have seen a detailed and sealed Civic in my area before deciding!
If your car is new and in good condition, you can buy glare online and do it yourself. The complete glare kit is under 100.00, and you actually don't need all of the stuff that comes with it, but it's nice to have if you have other cars in not so good condition. I have used glare and I like it.
 
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Rutgers-05

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If your car is new and in good condition, you can buy glare online and do it yourself. The complete glare kit is under 100.00, and you actually don't need all of the stuff that comes with it, but it's nice to have if you have other cars in not so good condition. I have used glare and I like it.
I've never detailed a car in my life...is there room for error? Hope the kit is very self-explanatory and easy to use; I just don't want to mess up the paint.
 


jjccrv

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I've never detailed a car in my life...is there room for error? Hope the kit is very self-explanatory and easy to use; I just don't want to mess up the paint.
private message me and I will give you more info if you are interested.
 

Xenu

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@Rutgers-05 sorry I didn't reply sooner, I went out of state shortly after I got my paint sealed, and over this weekend someone put a half-dollar sized dent in my front panel which is absolutely infuriating. Sooooo I guess I'll post pics after I get the dent out and get the first wash since sealing the paint.
 
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Rutgers-05

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@Rutgers-05 sorry I didn't reply sooner, I went out of state shortly after I got my paint sealed, and over this weekend someone put a half-dollar sized dent in my front panel which is absolutely infuriating. Sooooo I guess I'll post pics after I get the dent out and get the first wash since sealing the paint.

Talk about crappy luck, but at least it should be an easy fix.

After looking into Glare and some other paint protection products, I've decided to get Opti-Coat Pro done on my car. Honestly, I don't trust myself with DIY car prep and applying any sort of sealant.

Looked up a reputable detailer and saw some of his work on Autopia, Autogeek, and various high-end car forums. He's rated pretty well and is willing to do the job on my budget (below 1k). PM me your results, and if you'd like I'll send some pics of my car after the job is finished.
 

Ma_deuce

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I had opti-coat pro applied to a 2015 Tacoma. It did not hold up very well. Especially on areas of the truck that got muddy.

With the paint protections, what you really want to look for is the warranty that comes with it.

For example (this is not my endorsement, just an example) Xzilon comes with a 5 year unlimited mile warranty. The company actually honors their warranty. The warranty will cover both the outside of your vehicle AND the inside. You can probably find a dealership that will do the application for a few hundred dollars plus detailing charge. I believe Simoniz offers a good warranty too, but I haven't had personal experience.

My opti-coat had a warranty, but it required taking the vehicle to be detailed by the installer once per year and nothing on the interior was covered.
 
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Rutgers-05

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I had opti-coat pro applied to a 2015 Tacoma. It did not hold up very well. Especially on areas of the truck that got muddy.

With the paint protections, what you really want to look for is the warranty that comes with it.

For example (this is not my endorsement, just an example) Xzilon comes with a 5 year unlimited mile warranty. The company actually honors their warranty. The warranty will cover both the outside of your vehicle AND the inside. You can probably find a dealership that will do the application for a few hundred dollars plus detailing charge. I believe Simoniz offers a good warranty too, but I haven't had personal experience.

My opti-coat had a warranty, but it required taking the vehicle to be detailed by the installer once per year and nothing on the interior was covered.
Once a year? How much do they charge the second time around?
 


OO7

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i just applied Meguier's Cleaner Wax on my new BNP EX-L i picked up yesterday, does the job just fine and saves a butt ton of $$$.
 

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I'm not sure, I ended up selling my truck before taking it back. Standard detailing charge I'm guessing.
We use xzilon on aircraft and it holds up very well, think about the friction that paint sees. great stuff! (when buffed on) you can slide a Terry cloth from one end of the wing to the other it's so slick
 

Ma_deuce

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We use xzilon on aircraft and it holds up very well, think about the friction that paint sees. great stuff! (when buffed on) you can slide a Terry cloth from one end of the wing to the other it's so slick
Lol, that's good to hear. They did say it started out as a way to protect aircraft.

After hearing about how much our head detailer loves the stuff and seeing how well they handle their warranty claims, I had to put on my Shelby.
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