re: Anyone with opinions on paint protective finishes for cars?

I have an opticoat finish that I applied about 2 years ago. I like that the clear coat is protected from chemicals and bug guts and has better scratch resistance.

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The only complaint I have is water spots. My water has a lot of minerals and the coating seems to show water spots more than before. I'll probably bring it back to the detail guy before long and get him to polish it to remove them.

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This.

I have the GM white diamond tricoat (pearl white) so for me the water spots aren't an issue since they hide. But the down side of having a dark paint job is that the water spots will start to show.

It's also not recommended that you use any sort of abrasive polish on the surface because it will remove the protective coat. So for a dark car this is a very tricky situation.

I would also highly recommend against getting a clear plastic over your paint like clear bra. It will fade in sunlight and discolor to a yellow and you won't be able to polish out any marks that are left behind. Plus removing it is a multi-hour process that involves a heat gun and a ton of sticky glue.