Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Vendor 2014 MS Multi color red...New Car Prep with Gtechniq Crystal Serum

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
We were contacted by the owners of this Tesla when they first ordered the car. After asking a few questions, knowing what their expectations were and inspecting the car at arrival, we decided to perform a single stage paint correction to remove most of the surface scratches the Models S usually arrives with and protect the car with the strongest coating in the market at this time - Gtechniq Crystal Serum topped with 2 layers of Gtechniq EXOv2 (a super-hydrophobic coating). We also tinted the windows and windshield with 3M Crystalline for the utmost comfort and safer driving by eliminating sun glare.

Enjoy the post and feel free to ask any questions here or messages me privately

MS at arrival
IMG_2222.png
IMG_2227.png
IMG_2236.png
IMG_2265.png
IMG_2266.png
IMG_2278.png
IMG_2285.png
IMG_2298.png
IMG_2303.png
IMG_2313.png
IMG_2314.png
IMG_2317.png
IMG_2320.png
IMG_2333.png
IMG_2252.png


After completion
IMG_2358.png
IMG_2337.png
IMG_2354.png
IMG_2338.png
IMAG2223.png
IMG_2340.png
IMG_2345.png
IMG_2346.png
IMAG2224.png
IMAG2222.png
IMG_2349.png
IMAG2225.png
IMG_2351.png
IMG_2352.png
IMAG2226.png
 
Pete,

Another beautiful job. Your attention to detail is always impressive.

Glad that you did my Tesla also.

Roland

Thank you..It was my pleasure to work on your Tesla Roland

Another beautiful job, Pete! Are you doing window tinting now too?

Yes Steve, 3M Crystalline..We're also doing paint armor (clear bra)

Is it weird that these "after" pics always make my heart beat a little faster? Really nice work!

Thank you Mrs.
 
So, this is a new coating type to me. Can you give a nice comparison between this coating vs. Modesta/Opt-Coat/CQuartz?

A nice perspective on Hardness, Perceived look (like what it does to the paint and how it changes that dynamic), Hydrophobic properties, and lastly cost (more expensive does not mean it is better, but it is a nice thing to help compare against them).

So from my experience cost goes something like this: ~250 CQuartz < ~500 Opti-Coat < ~1000 Modesta (Of course your area and such might change that price a bit)

It does look really great!

- - - Updated - - -

Haha! Wow, I just checked out your website and I guess I shouldn't have posted prices... you might get jealous of my VA prices from my local detailer :D

So to clarify I have Modesta put on my car, and I guess looking over your sight if I were to base it on cost only it seems that Gtechniq fits in between Opti-coat and Modesta. Does it fit in that same spot as far as the other features it provides?
 
So, this is a new coating type to me. Can you give a nice comparison between this coating vs. Modesta/Opt-Coat/CQuartz?

A nice perspective on Hardness, Perceived look (like what it does to the paint and how it changes that dynamic), Hydrophobic properties, and lastly cost (more expensive does not mean it is better, but it is a nice thing to help compare against them).

So from my experience cost goes something like this: ~250 CQuartz < ~500 Opti-Coat < ~1000 Modesta (Of course your area and such might change that price a bit)

It does look really great!

- - - Updated - - -

Haha! Wow, I just checked out your website and I guess I shouldn't have posted prices... you might get jealous of my VA prices from my local detailer :D

So to clarify I have Modesta put on my car, and I guess looking over your sight if I were to base it on cost only it seems that Gtechniq fits in between Opti-coat and Modesta. Does it fit in that same spot as far as the other features it provides?

Modesta is an excellent coating when layered for example Modesta BC-03 with BC-05 or BC-04 with BC05. The BC-03 is a scratch resistant coating but the hydrophobicity is not the greatest that's why is better when layered with BC-05 which is the hydrophobic coating from Modesta

C.Quartz Finest is another great coating. Offers high gloss and good hydrophobic properties, makes the cleaning of the car much easier BUT it doesn't last..it only comes with a 2 year warranty..Here at my studio we can extend the life of it for another year IF we maintain the car on a regular basis.

Opti Coat Pro is the most popular among all of the coatings and Tesla owners. Good warranty, Good protection, good scratch resistance, acceptable hydrophobic properties but my clients hate how it feels..Surface feels like it needs to be wax, a little grabby, when removing bugs you might find yourself scrubbing the surface which can cause you to introduce scratches to the paint.

Gtechniq Crystal Serum is the strongest coating on the market at this time. It offers a high gloss, good scratch resistance, great protection and when layered with EXOv2 which is the hydrophobic coating, it makes the water fly off the car, bug removal is a breeze as well as the regular maintenance of it.

I always advise my customers on the best coating for their individual situation..If the car is a lease I will tell them to go with C Quartz Finest or any other of our entry level coating. If the car is a light color and a daily driver I'll recommend Opti Coat Pro. If they are more concern about high gloss and ease of maintenance for a car they bought I will offer Gtechniq or Modesta IF it's in their budget. At the end of the day, I ALWAYS allow my customers to make the decision on what coating they want on their cars. We just stand behind our work.

I hope this answered your questions :wink:
 
  • Informative
Reactions: nico180
Modesta is an excellent coating when layered for example Modesta BC-03 with BC-05 or BC-04 with BC05. The BC-03 is a scratch resistant coating but the hydrophobicity is not the greatest that's why is better when layered with BC-05 which is the hydrophobic coating from Modesta

C.Quartz Finest is another great coating. Offers high gloss and good hydrophobic properties, makes the cleaning of the car much easier BUT it doesn't last..it only comes with a 2 year warranty..Here at my studio we can extend the life of it for another year IF we maintain the car on a regular basis.

Opti Coat Pro is the most popular among all of the coatings and Tesla owners. Good warranty, Good protection, good scratch resistance, acceptable hydrophobic properties but my clients hate how it feels..Surface feels like it needs to be wax, a little grabby, when removing bugs you might find yourself scrubbing the surface which can cause you to introduce scratches to the paint.

Gtechniq Crystal Serum is the strongest coating on the market at this time. It offers a high gloss, good scratch resistance, great protection and when layered with EXOv2 which is the hydrophobic coating, it makes the water fly off the car, bug removal is a breeze as well as the regular maintenance of it.

I always advise my customers on the best coating for their individual situation..If the car is a lease I will tell them to go with C Quartz Finest or any other of our entry level coating. If the car is a light color and a daily driver I'll recommend Opti Coat Pro. If they are more concern about high gloss and ease of maintenance for a car they bought I will offer Gtechniq or Modesta IF it's in their budget. At the end of the day, I ALWAYS allow my customers to make the decision on what coating they want on their cars. We just stand behind our work.

I hope this answered your questions :wink:

You sound as good as my go-to guy up here in NOVA, so I am glad that it seems like you offer fair work and are honest about the products rather than just trying to push people to pay for something they don't want/need.

I am intrigued by the comparison between Modesta and Gtechniq, I might have to ask Brian at Speedfreak if he has considered making use of their product and how he feels about it. Because it seems like Gtechniq might be on the slightly cheaper side of things while being a slightly better product, at least, that is the impression I am getting from you.

In either case your work speaks for itself and from the pictures it seems like you are doing a fantastic job for your clients :D Thanks for the info!
 
You sound as good as my go-to guy up here in NOVA, so I am glad that it seems like you offer fair work and are honest about the products rather than just trying to push people to pay for something they don't want/need.

I am intrigued by the comparison between Modesta and Gtechniq, I might have to ask Brian at Speedfreak if he has considered making use of their product and how he feels about it. Because it seems like Gtechniq might be on the slightly cheaper side of things while being a slightly better product, at least, that is the impression I am getting from you.

In either case your work speaks for itself and from the pictures it seems like you are doing a fantastic job for your clients :D Thanks for the info!

I personally love Modesta BUT it's an expensive coating...I charge $2000 for the application of primer, BC-03 layered with BC-05. Another thing to keep in mind is that Gtechniq and Modesta require more labor than any other coating and that has an impact on pricing.
 
I personally love Modesta BUT it's an expensive coating...I charge $2000 for the application of primer, BC-03 layered with BC-05. Another thing to keep in mind is that Gtechniq and Modesta require more labor than any other coating and that has an impact on pricing.

I just did the Primer and BC-04 on mine. But this is because mine is a daily driver not a "show car" otherwise Brian likely would have steered me more toward doing a BC-05 on top.

I have two regrets:
1: That I waited until 10k miles to get anything extra done to the car
2: That I got the Tesla Paint Armor instead of just paying someone to do like Xpel or some such

The reason for 2 is not because the Paint Armor sucks, because it has already proven itself. The reason is because it doesn't coat the whole hood and as such I have some rock chips on the hood where there is no protection. I am actually really glad that Tesla took the Paint Armor away from customers being able to order it. Spend that 950$ toward a high end detailer and get the whole hood covered, not just partial. Also detailers (the good ones... but why would you go to anyone who isn't good? :D) tend to do a fantastic job of hiding the seams and such so you can't tell which panels have the film and which don't.
 
Last time I had xpel installed before pickup in Rockville by skip at ppfilms.com. This time I'm going to drive it from pickup to a detail shop. Just need to figure out which one.
 
Last edited:
I just did the Primer and BC-04 on mine. But this is because mine is a daily driver not a "show car" otherwise Brian likely would have steered me more toward doing a BC-05 on top.

I have two regrets:
1: That I waited until 10k miles to get anything extra done to the car
2: That I got the Tesla Paint Armor instead of just paying someone to do like Xpel or some such

The reason for 2 is not because the Paint Armor sucks, because it has already proven itself. The reason is because it doesn't coat the whole hood and as such I have some rock chips on the hood where there is no protection. I am actually really glad that Tesla took the Paint Armor away from customers being able to order it. Spend that 950$ toward a high end detailer and get the whole hood covered, not just partial. Also detailers (the good ones... but why would you go to anyone who isn't good? :D) tend to do a fantastic job of hiding the seams and such so you can't tell which panels have the film and which don't.

90% of Tesla owners who schedule with me they do so when they order their car. I always advise them to cancel the paint amor (if they ordered it) and allow us to install it for a seamless look..I offer my customers our Ultimate New Car Prep package which includes full front wrap with Xpell, 3M Crystalline including full windshield, single step correction and coating. It saves them over $400 by getting everything done at once