ccurtin1

I just picked up a nice dark brown, Tiger Eye Mica 2008 SC430 with 37k miles. Some minor scratches but paint is in great shape. I had planned to clay bar it and use a new tech coating like Gtechniq, Cquartz, etc. Any recommendations for a non-garaged South Florida car? How about a sealant like Klasse or Blackfire?

FastFord

I have used many different sealants. Make sure the surface is prepped properly for best results....assuming that's done...

Top four include: no particular order

Menzerna Power Lock Polymer sealant. Goes on easy, not too much dust, comes off easy, glass kind of finish. Durability is good but you will notice the water beading breakdown after 4-6 washes or 2-3 months. It depends on so many factors.

Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint sealant 3.0. Similar to Menzerna, slightly more wet looking shine. Durability about the same as Menzerna.

Klasse High Gloss sealant Glaze. Goes on really easy, more liquid that the first two. Very thin application. Glass looking finish. I think it may last a month or two longer ( 4-5 months) than the other two, but hard to tell.

Meguiar's Mirror Glaze 21, synthetic sealant 2.0. Goes on easy, not as easy to remove as the others, some dust, glass-like shine, good durability.

I like all four and have no particular favorite.

There is still protection after a few months for all four but the surface definitely does not feel as slick. I like doing my cars every 2-3 months to maximize shine and detail spray regularly, maintains the shine.

I have used the Blackfire, but it was awhile ago and the product has probably changed by now. Suspect it is on par with the other four.

Some people swear by Zaino, but I have never tried it.
No experience with Gtechniq, Cquartz.

Regardless of what sealant you use, it's better than nothing

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

A sealant is not the same as a coating... please refer to the sticky thread: Everything You Need to Know About Paint Coatings!


OP - there are many great consumer grade coatings out there. What is your main priority? Durability? Ease of use? Water beading?

Refer to this recent thread for more info...Recommend me a coating

ccurtin1

I had used Toughguard on a black ES320 MB and the shine and lasting time in South FL was amazing, but not sold to individuals anymore. My detail guy is going to clay bar my dark brown SC430 tomorrow and then prep it. He has used Meguiar's products before so I think I will let him apply the M21 Mirror Glaze Synthetic Sealant.

Thanks for your ideas and resource links.

ccurtin1

I had it clay barred and used Meguiar's Ultimate liquid wax (polymer). It has rained 3 times on me (South Florida lol), but looking good so far.

FastFord

Wow it turned out really nice!

MustangSal

How much do you want to spend? How much work do you want to keep putting into it afterwards? If you're wanting to keep it perfect (provided the paint is flawless - or correctable) than my recommendation is Gyeon MOHS through a certified detail shop. CQF would be another option but I am biased as I've got MOHS on my GS.

Once a week water rinses and a spritz of Mothers to make it a mirror. Light dust cloth in between. Easy days, but comes with has a fairly hefty price.