[Buzz]

​I have been reading throughout this forum about those of you who will be installing XPEL AND another sealant PRIMARILY CQUARTZ FINEST. This confuses me because the CQUARTZ literature goes in to great detail regarding WHY it works so well. Because it bonds chemically with the paint to provide a sealed surface. To me it makes no sense to cover the car with XPEL or other plastic coating and then use the ceramic or liquid polymer sealant, or CQUARTZ on top of that. If there is plastic over the paint, how can it bond with the paint molecules, which is primarily how it works? Is it twice as expensive that way, providing little to no extra protection?

Conversly, if you do the CQUARTZ FINEST or other sealant first and then put XPEL over that, is it helpful or harmful? What do you do if you need to refresh the sealant for some reason?

The EXPEL literature does say that you can apply sealant over it to enhance shine etc, but it is their own brand and I am positive it will not set you back $800-$1000 for the treatment. So what makes the most sense: spending $2500 or more for XPEL protection, $800-$1000 for CQUARTZ OR CQUARTZ FINEST protection, or $3500 or so for both? Is there an added benefit to doing both, or is it the issue of "It's my car and I will do what I want with it."

It would be nice if the installers could get into this and help explain the added benefit (or not) of using both types of protection, so the rest of us can make some sense of it and perhaps save some money for other stuff we want for our babies.

 

[glen e]

Cquartz and other coatings make it eady to clean and not swirl. It wont do a damn thing against a rock you hit from the dumptruck in front of you at 60 mph...only a film or bra will protect then. Its a simple as that....

Xpel goes on the areas you want first, then cQuartz over the whole car.....

 

[thrilled]

I put XPEL over 2/3 of the car.Cquartz will go on the roof,doors,trunk lid,rear bumper.Xpel on the front,front bumper,front fenders,will
Help protect it against stones,rocks.cquartz gives A a great shine,but not as good A protection.Thats my opinion

 

[rdslon01]

You and me both, Buzz. It took me some time to come to a conclusion.

I personally now have no plans of cQuartz. I very well may, however, do 100% of the car in XPEL.

 

[Buzz]

My point was that IF you are going to use XPEL then why spend a ton of money to put something over it when you can put something over it that is cheaper and does the same thing? Remember, no contact with the paint means you are not getting anything out of the CQUARTZ....just sayin

 

[glen e]

The two are SEPERATE....apples and oranges.....if you are going to be like rodney and do the whole car for 3 grand, forget the cquartz, but if you are going to do just the bash areas with xpel like normal people, the cquartz protects the rest of the car from swirls and dirt. You dont need the roof done in xpel, but you need it sealed from water spots and dirt so you cquartz it.....Two different applications, i dont understand why this is difficult to understsnd. Most just coat the xpel with cquartz because they are doing the rest of the car....google both and read about them.

"Just sayin"

 

[rabelvett1]

Hi buzz I did xpel bra,lights and hood and c quartzs the rest.Cost $900 in Charleston.I hope this helps in your decision. have a good day

 

[Buzz]

The two are SEPERATE....apples and oranges.....if you are going to be like rodney and do the whole car for 3 grand, forget the cquartz, but if you are going to do just the bash areas with xpel like normal people, the cquartz protects the rest of the car from swirls and dirt. You dont need the roof done in xpel, but you need it sealed from water spots and dirt so you cquartz it.....Two different applications, i dont understand why this is difficult to understsnd. Most just coat the xpel with cquartz because they are doing the rest of the car....google both and read about them.

"Just sayin"

and THAT was what I have been saying..one or the other, or both in different places but not both on the whole car....now we agree..............

 

[Buzz]

actually on my last 5 corvettes i can count on one hand the chip damage I have had....stay off of non paved roads and do not follow too close and everyone should be fine....up to you....

 

[glen e]

actually on my last 5 corvettes i can count on one hand the chip damage I have had....stay off of non paved roads and do not follow too close and everyone should be fine....up to you....

I agree... see my rant in my build thread about this....id rather have the glass like gloss of a coating than the plastiky look of xpel.....my car is total cquartz/reload/rinseless vs xpel.....

 

[rdslon01]

and THAT was what I have been saying..one or the other, or both in different places but not both on the whole car....now we agree..............

In most things, I tend to be an "all or nothing" type of guy. I often do not know which way I will fall until I do it, but I can be certain it will NOT be somewhere in the middle.

Glen said above that I am not "normal"... Ummm, well, I think he is probably correct. LOL.

 

[thrilled]

Plasticky look of xpel.Ya can have 2 cars parked together.You can not tell the difference of xpel or non xpel.At least people that
I know can't tell the difference.

 

[Vigilance247]

I hope XPEL looks good. I plan to use it because driving on these Texas highways is like driving in a sand storm with rocks instead of hail. Back to OP question, I watched a Jay Leno's Garage episode about the film on his Mclaren. The installer explained that dirt was the enemy of the film and to keep the film clean. So, having Cquartz on the film, imo, would help keep it clean, just pricey...

 

[glen e]

Plasticky look of xpel.Ya can have 2 cars parked together.You can not tell the difference of xpel or non xpel.At least people that
I know can't tell the difference.

Oh god i can, esp when you detail the non xpel paint....

 

[JoshuaKM1]

Ok - Glen E - you're pretty much my hero on all things Corvette... but I have to disagree (very respectfully) on your take on XPEL and CQuartz. I think... like almost all mods on this forum.... the decision to go with CQuartz and/or XPEL just comes down to personal preference.

I purchased XPEL to cover just the high impact areas (front bumper, partial hood up to the central vent) and fenders) and had CQuartz applied to the rest of the car. My installer is an expert and did an incredible job - it does not look plastic-y ... you can't even tell it's on the car unless you're staring right at it (and looking for it). I like having the piece of mind that XPEL will protect the front from any rock chips. I agree that there is not a rock chip epidemic but let's face it... if you plan on keeping the car for 5+ years there's a good chance you may encounter a rock chip at some point (unless the car is a garage queen). My key point is that I don't think in any way that XPEL takes away from the beauty of the car. My main advice is that you have to make sure that you go with an authorized, expert installer... because there are TONS of crappy installers out there.

CQuartz, like many have suggested... is totally worth it. An expect, authorized installer (PLEASE make sure you go with an authorized installer) will do paint correction and fix any problem areas before applying CQuartz.

So, I guess in my mind they're both worth it. I think Glen E is in the top 1% of Corvette enthusiasts in terms of his ability to fix defects in the paint, etc. If I was Glen's neighbor I would have just saved the $ 1000 on XPEL and paid him to fix the paint.

 

[glen e]

Everyone should make their own decisions… there is no right and wrong!With Google and with the detailing sites you can decide what works for you. I just see a reflection that I don't like off of XPEL… That does not mean that it does not work for you, or it's not the best alternative for you. I just write rather bluntly and it's what I think , but it doesn't mean that it's AN EDICT! But sites seem to like to argue if anybody disagrees with anybody else , which is ridiculous.....

I'm just glad that everybody here has a different opinion and does what they think is best, .....after they research it.

Near the end of my build thread I directly answer this question as to how I feel about the subject in post 452.