*Erased*

So it looks like there is only one local shop that advertises ceramic paint protection, and they use cquartz. You mentioned that your shop reserves that for garage queens. Is there a reason for that? Is cquarts acceptable for a dd?
 
Zalvern said:
BizzyGeek said:
I tried to quote Crystal Serum here in Denver, found only one certified dealer and they want $1,350 to do it plus  $300 to top it with EXO (CS Black). It looks good and all, but damn. I might just have to find someone who can do Opticoat Pro+ for a reasonable rate instead.

Zalvern, have you gotten a legit 0-60 time on your 3.0t? I'd love to know what it runs.  I'm at altitude so I haven't even bothered.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

Sometimes you gotta shop around for detailers. Though my shop in Cincy Ohio area gave me a discount for bundling Crystal Serum with Suntek Clear Bra. The clear bra was more expensive with how much I got wrapped.

As for 0 to 60, I haven't done a legit test yet. But it feels to be around 4.5 second range. I definitely whoop 2015+ stock 5.0L stangs even if they weigh less and bit more HP cause of turbo and AWD advantage.

Though I am using pilot super sports and BND fluids for an additional performance edge.

BOT_ROCKET said:
So it looks like there is only one local shop that advertises ceramic paint protection, and they use cquartz. You mentioned that your shop reserves that for garage queens. Is there a reason for that? Is cquarts acceptable for a dd?

As my detailer suggested as to why they suggest the CQuartz on the garage queen or weekend warrior:

Mostly because its less in warranty and Crystal Serum is tougher for all the things a daily driver goes through. Less swirl marks and such after having to wash compared to CQuartz. Serum also better for the car that deals with winter salt and sits outside.

CQuartz lasts better being garage kept and less exposed to things like UV rays and bad weather in general. It'll need touch up sooner than Serum will.

Also good to combine either one with CarPro Hydro2 for super hydrophobic effect against water.
@ SHOdded, sorry for lack of bio.  I'm waiting to take some good pics. I'm driving a magnetic gray 2017 MKZ 3.0t awd, almost fully loaded.  No mods yet. I've only had it a few weeks. No Black Label for me, because I can't use the inflatable seatbelts with my kids' car seats.

Thanks Zalvern. Sorry about your Bengals  8) 

I'm not switching out my Primacy because I haven't decided if I'm going to get 18"s with snow tires yet for the winter months.  The weather here is so inconsistent that I would end up driving them on dry pavement a lot. 

I do wish the drivers package came with upgraded brakes instead of just painted calipers. You've put the car through more than I have. Have you investigated upgrading the rotors and pads?

What fluids did you change out for exactly? Thanks.

BG

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 
Jeez. Glad you're okay. What dash cam are you using? I'm thinking about getting one.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 
Zalvern said:
BizzyGeek said:
Thanks Zalvern. Sorry about your Bengals  8) 

I'm not switching out my Primacy because I haven't decided if I'm going to get 18"s with snow tires yet for the winter months.  The weather here is so inconsistent that I would end up driving them on dry pavement a lot. 

I do wish the drivers package came with upgraded brakes instead of just painted calipers. You've put the car through more than I have. Have you investigated upgrading the rotors and pads?

What fluids did you change out for exactly? Thanks.

BG

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

Lol, I am no way devoted to the Bengals. So no worries there, hahaha.

I feel ya about inconsistent temps. Honestly I'm sticking with Summer/All Season combo, which I'll use the stock all seasons when its too cold for summers. Winters are nice if stuck in areas with deep snow and poor road cleaning.

I'm personally fine with the stock pads and rotors for now. Plus I like how the rotors never get that nasty rust look after a car sits in the rain. I use the shifters more often (paddle extensions help make them more favorable) and thus engine brake a lot more before needing to hit the brakes. Only thing I'll change is the brake fluid to QuantumBlue.

As for fluids, I'm using all of BND Automotives QuantumBlue good stuff. Motor Oil, Coolant, Transmission, and ACES IV for fuel. Just neex to swap in Brake Fluid, PTU, and RDU fluids to complete. It's simply better than OEM or many aftermarket custom fluid that keeps warranty in tact. Best part: its performance you can feel and much longer life. I wager it equal to a tune in terms of improving a car.

Aiming to bring back a Hot Rod Lincoln!
I'm not 100℅ but I think ACES IV is in fact against the terms of warranty. What of the other fluids do you feel are giving you a big performance bump? I'm pretty ignorant about this stuff but I'm trying to learn  :D

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 
BizzyGeek said:
Zalvern said:
BizzyGeek said:
Thanks Zalvern. Sorry about your Bengals  8) 

I'm not switching out my Primacy because I haven't decided if I'm going to get 18"s with snow tires yet for the winter months.  The weather here is so inconsistent that I would end up driving them on dry pavement a lot. 

I do wish the drivers package came with upgraded brakes instead of just painted calipers. You've put the car through more than I have. Have you investigated upgrading the rotors and pads?

What fluids did you change out for exactly? Thanks.

BG

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

Lol, I am no way devoted to the Bengals. So no worries there, hahaha.

I feel ya about inconsistent temps. Honestly I'm sticking with Summer/All Season combo, which I'll use the stock all seasons when its too cold for summers. Winters are nice if stuck in areas with deep snow and poor road cleaning.

I'm personally fine with the stock pads and rotors for now. Plus I like how the rotors never get that nasty rust look after a car sits in the rain. I use the shifters more often (paddle extensions help make them more favorable) and thus engine brake a lot more before needing to hit the brakes. Only thing I'll change is the brake fluid to QuantumBlue.

As for fluids, I'm using all of BND Automotives QuantumBlue good stuff. Motor Oil, Coolant, Transmission, and ACES IV for fuel. Just neex to swap in Brake Fluid, PTU, and RDU fluids to complete. It's simply better than OEM or many aftermarket custom fluid that keeps warranty in tact. Best part: its performance you can feel and much longer life. I wager it equal to a tune in terms of improving a car.

Aiming to bring back a Hot Rod Lincoln!
I'm not 100℅ but I think ACES IV is in fact against the terms of warranty. What of the other fluids do you feel are giving you a big performance bump? I'm pretty ignorant about this stuff but I'm trying to learn  :D

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
What makes you think that?

I suppose if they can prove 3 oz of ACES caused a failure then sure but how would they know it wasn't in the fuel you got from the pump? Where would they start?

I guess Ford could go to the trouble of trying to have it analyzed but I suspect they wouldn't find anything except a large bill, disappointment, and failure.

I've done a ton of research on ACES and I think I know what it is..

If I'm correct it would be like trying to find a specific needle in a 55 gallon barrel of needles. 
 
FoMoCoSHO said:
BizzyGeek said:
Zalvern said:
BizzyGeek said:
Thanks Zalvern. Sorry about your Bengals  8) 

I'm not switching out my Primacy because I haven't decided if I'm going to get 18"s with snow tires yet for the winter months.  The weather here is so inconsistent that I would end up driving them on dry pavement a lot. 

I do wish the drivers package came with upgraded brakes instead of just painted calipers. You've put the car through more than I have. Have you investigated upgrading the rotors and pads?

What fluids did you change out for exactly? Thanks.

BG

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

Lol, I am no way devoted to the Bengals. So no worries there, hahaha.

I feel ya about inconsistent temps. Honestly I'm sticking with Summer/All Season combo, which I'll use the stock all seasons when its too cold for summers. Winters are nice if stuck in areas with deep snow and poor road cleaning.

I'm personally fine with the stock pads and rotors for now. Plus I like how the rotors never get that nasty rust look after a car sits in the rain. I use the shifters more often (paddle extensions help make them more favorable) and thus engine brake a lot more before needing to hit the brakes. Only thing I'll change is the brake fluid to QuantumBlue.

As for fluids, I'm using all of BND Automotives QuantumBlue good stuff. Motor Oil, Coolant, Transmission, and ACES IV for fuel. Just neex to swap in Brake Fluid, PTU, and RDU fluids to complete. It's simply better than OEM or many aftermarket custom fluid that keeps warranty in tact. Best part: its performance you can feel and much longer life. I wager it equal to a tune in terms of improving a car.

Aiming to bring back a Hot Rod Lincoln!
I'm not 100℅ but I think ACES IV is in fact against the terms of warranty. What of the other fluids do you feel are giving you a big performance bump? I'm pretty ignorant about this stuff but I'm trying to learn  :D

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
What makes you think that?

I suppose if they can prove 3 oz of ACES caused a failure then sure but how would they know it wasn't in the fuel you got from the pump? Where would they start?

I guess Ford could go to the trouble of trying to have it analyzed but I suspect they wouldn't find anything except a large bill, disappointment, and failure.

I've done a ton of research on ACES and I think I know what it is..

If I'm correct it would be like trying to find a specific needle in a 55 gallon barrel of needles.
As to whether you'd get caught or not, I make no claims whatsoever. I'm just saying that I believe fuel additives are explicitly admonished against in the MKZ owners manual on pain of voided warranty, if I recall correctly. It makes no big difference to me. Zalvern said the fluids are a good mod within the boundaries of the warranty, and I was just saying that I don't think the ACES IV technically qualifies as such.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 
BizzyGeek said:
FoMoCoSHO said:
BizzyGeek said:
Zalvern said:
BizzyGeek said:
Thanks Zalvern. Sorry about your Bengals  8) 

I'm not switching out my Primacy because I haven't decided if I'm going to get 18"s with snow tires yet for the winter months.  The weather here is so inconsistent that I would end up driving them on dry pavement a lot. 

I do wish the drivers package came with upgraded brakes instead of just painted calipers. You've put the car through more than I have. Have you investigated upgrading the rotors and pads?

What fluids did you change out for exactly? Thanks.

BG

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

Lol, I am no way devoted to the Bengals. So no worries there, hahaha.

I feel ya about inconsistent temps. Honestly I'm sticking with Summer/All Season combo, which I'll use the stock all seasons when its too cold for summers. Winters are nice if stuck in areas with deep snow and poor road cleaning.

I'm personally fine with the stock pads and rotors for now. Plus I like how the rotors never get that nasty rust look after a car sits in the rain. I use the shifters more often (paddle extensions help make them more favorable) and thus engine brake a lot more before needing to hit the brakes. Only thing I'll change is the brake fluid to QuantumBlue.

As for fluids, I'm using all of BND Automotives QuantumBlue good stuff. Motor Oil, Coolant, Transmission, and ACES IV for fuel. Just neex to swap in Brake Fluid, PTU, and RDU fluids to complete. It's simply better than OEM or many aftermarket custom fluid that keeps warranty in tact. Best part: its performance you can feel and much longer life. I wager it equal to a tune in terms of improving a car.

Aiming to bring back a Hot Rod Lincoln!
I'm not 100℅ but I think ACES IV is in fact against the terms of warranty. What of the other fluids do you feel are giving you a big performance bump? I'm pretty ignorant about this stuff but I'm trying to learn  :D

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
What makes you think that?

I suppose if they can prove 3 oz of ACES caused a failure then sure but how would they know it wasn't in the fuel you got from the pump? Where would they start?

I guess Ford could go to the trouble of trying to have it analyzed but I suspect they wouldn't find anything except a large bill, disappointment, and failure.

I've done a ton of research on ACES and I think I know what it is..

If I'm correct it would be like trying to find a specific needle in a 55 gallon barrel of needles.
As to whether you'd get caught or not, I make no claims whatsoever. I'm just saying that I believe fuel additives are explicitly admonished against in the MKZ owners manual on pain of voided warranty, if I recall correctly. It makes no big difference to me. Zalvern said the fluids are a good mod within the boundaries of the warranty, and I was just saying that I don't think the ACES IV technically qualifies as such.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
My manual calls out these specific chemicals...

Fuels containing metallic based additives, including manganese-based
compounds.

• Fuels containing the octane booster additive, methylcyclopentadienyl
manganese tricarbonyl (MMT)

ACES uses none of these.
 
Talked to a couple detailers in omaha and I think im gonna get a winter jacket for Obsidian. The detailer im going with has a few options, and seems to be the go to guy in the area. he's the only authorized cquartz finest dealer in the area. He says he got a request to be a crystal serum dealer, but they wanted him to commit to advertising and quotas so he passed on the offer.

He said he does a triple coat of Finest for ~$1200, a triple coat of IGL for ~$800, or a single coat of IGL for ~$400.

The triple coat options include full prep for show quality. The single coat includes minor prep, which he said would be fine for a new car as long as there isn't any major damage.

I'm going with the single coat as soon as I can. He also does full detailing (exterior only i assume) of coated cars for $100, which includes reloading if needed.
 
I filled out the contact form on the BND website. No reply yet. Denver is a rough place to try and get detailing services. The best I could do is $2,500 for a light prep polish, Xpel Ultimate ppf on the full hood, front bumper, lights, fenders and mirrors, two coats of Gyeon Mohs (regular not pro) on paint and wheel faces topped up with their Can Coat gloss coat product, leather and windshield treatments.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk

 
BizzyGeek said:
I filled out the contact form on the BND website. No reply yet. Denver is a rough place to try and get detailing services. The best I could do is $2,500 for a light prep polish, Xpel Ultimate ppf on the full hood, front bumper, lights, fenders and mirrors, two coats of Gyeon Mohs (regular not pro) on paint and wheel faces topped up with their Can Coat gloss coat product, leather and windshield treatments.

Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
I just heard from Brian today and my ACES will be shipped Monday. Spent an hour catching up on each others lives and chatting about cars and chemicals. Good stuff. I hope to take a field trip to BND automotive one of these days, maybe we can make it a group endeavor.
 
Back
Top