Ceramic Pro (Superior Shine) VS Opti-coat (Reflect effect)

[raybow13]

Hi all,
As some of you may have noticed, i am quite bew to the VW scene, and i am about to pick up my new United Grey Golf R next week.

I was hoping to get some opinions in regards to getting paint protection either from Dave at reflect effect at $645/$725 dunno if the R is classified as a small or medium car. Or by Scott at Superior Shine at $490 for a medium car. (Prices from their websites)

If people have recently been to either recently and can give me an insight to whether prices are negotiable or not?
As both seem to have positive reviews.
Is there much difference with the opticoat vs ceramic pro products? Or whether one is better for the united grey paint?

Thanks i advance
Ray

[VWindahouse]

Hi Ray, also google Permagard to add to your research. It is exactly the same formula they coat the commercial airplanes with such as Virgin & Qantas etc for it's protective and regenerative properties as well as saving the airline millions in fuel per year also. There really is nothing as good on the market but the trouble is tracking down places that offer it as it's extremely controlled and they have just signed a deal with Porsche Australia.

[Dutch77]

I had a paint correction and Opticoat done about six weeks ago including wheels and a window treatment for around $500; pretty happy with the outcome. The paint is definitely holding a deeper red shine and is more resistant to marking. The water beading is beautiful too, I think the detailing nuts on here like to call it bead porn.

My old man had his Liberty GT wagon done with Opticoat last week for around $400.

However these are prices in suburban Adelaide with a low overheads business, so I'd expect the prices to be higher elsewhere. Hopefully that's a reasonable guide though..

[cktsi]

Opticoat seems to be getting great reviews on the BMW forums. Dave did my 328i and i do find the car easier to wash.

However, think twice about getting him to do the window tint as well. I am not too happy with the tint and my wood trims were nicked as the door trims had to be removed. If you get the wrong tint, you risk damage to the rear window heater element if you want to redo it. It is worth paying extra to get a tint specialist do the tinting.

[levendi001]

Ceramic Pro (Superior Shine) VS Opti-coat (Reflect effect)

Dutch 77 what Detailer did u use? Thanks stage 1 2 or 3 correction?

[Dutch77]

Dutch 77 what Detailer did u use? Thanks stage 1 2 or 3 correction?

Elite Finish @ Somerton Park, Hamish is the contact.

He actually has a lot of his work up on his website which is worth a look. I guess I would describe it as a mild stage 1.. mine's a daily driver and as hard as I try it cops a few marks here and there so I was keen to reduce some of those and get some of the swirl out. I suspect it would have come up cleaner had I done it a few years ago!

[levendi001]

Ceramic Pro (Superior Shine) VS Opti-coat (Reflect effect)

Thanks will look into

[AdamD]

Elite Finish @ Somerton Park, Hamish is the contact.

He actually has a lot of his work up on his website which is worth a look. I guess I would describe it as a mild stage 1.. mine's a daily driver and as hard as I try it cops a few marks here and there so I was keen to reduce some of those and get some of the swirl out. I suspect it would have come up cleaner had I done it a few years ago!

I had a stage 1 done by Hamish on my TR GTI as well. He did a great job and I'd recommend him.

[nickows]

I have Ceramic Pro on my car. Had to get it re-applied to a small section because part of the car was not decontaminated properly.

Very happy with the product. Dirt and grime/bug guts are removed easily, and the paint feels glassy smooth after a wash. Water beads off the car exceptionally well.

[raybow13]

I have Ceramic Pro on my car. Had to get it re-applied to a small section because part of the car was not decontaminated properly.

Very happy with the product. Dirt and grime/bug guts are removed easily, and the paint feels glassy smooth after a wash. Water beads off the car exceptionally well.

Hi Nickows,
I just want to ask who applied the ceramic pro for you? And how much did you pay?

How long have you had it applied for on your car? And how often do you maintain the car/wash etc??

[JonP01]

Hi,

I had Ceramic Pro applied to my new Polo back in September last year by Scott of Superior Shine. It included a stage 1 paint correction (brand new car - two weeks old which had numerous imperfections and minor scratching but nothing too serious) plus I had the Ceramic Pro fabric protection as well. I also got the alloy wheels done with Ceramic Pro as well. I also asked for two coats, not one (I think you can go to three if you really want). I think I paid mid $700s for all of this but it was easily well worth the money. Bear in mind the Polo is a class smaller than the Golf and the more things you ask for during the one visit, the better the chance of a discount.

Seven months later, the paint looks as good as the day he did it, the water beads off the exact same way it did the day after he did it and virtually no pressure at all is required to wash the car. The only part of the car that is not exactly as it was the day after the protection was done is the small painted plastic front splitter under the front bumper. That is still fine, but the water does not quite bead off like it did when new. Given the abrasion that part goes through as it gets hit by the air at 80 kmh plus every single day and it is the most forward and lowest part of the car, I can easily forgive that. And it is only a strip about an inch wide anyway. But everywhere else - still looks better than new and it is as if the protection was applied yesterday.

btw, I wash my car about once every 3 weeks. It is actually the wheels that get the dirtiest - were it not for the wheels, I would only need to do it once per month, but VW brake dust is something else...

The only caveat is don't believe any stories about these paint protections making the paint substantially tougher. It may be more tough, but I get stone chips just like anyone else, and bad washing will still easily scratch the paint (there is no way I would put it through an automatic wash, despite the protection). But it is still far better than having to polish or wax imo, as well as saving a lot of labour in terms of maintaining the appearance of the car.

Also, this probably applies to Opticoat as well, but if you get stone chips, you can't blend them in - all you can do is touch them up by hand using the VW paint supplied by dealers.