Rochester

iTrader: (8)

I feel like Blue Slates are a dime a dozen, but Lakeshore Slate... that was special. 2010 was the last year for LS. However, this Iridium Blue beats them both insofar as being eye-catching.

I've never owned a black car before. Something tells me that I'd go nuts maintaining a black surface.

'11G37S

iTrader: (4)

Yeah, I'm already trying to figure the best way to maintain it, part of me wants to take the mod money for this year and have paint protection film put on, at least the entire front of the car. The other part of me wants to go ahead and get an exhaust and springs if the budget allows.

Plus I've still got to do some paint correction to get the swirls out of the clear coat. I'll probably have to spend close to 40 hours to get rid of the swirls and apply a sealant and ceramic coating, but it's too cold to get out there and start on it.

C1Forged

Get it ceramic coated. It will protect the paint, without adding a clear bra that will discolor over time, or not cover 100% of your paint.

Kris9884

iTrader: (3)

Ceramic coat is a bit expensive but for a brand new car like yours, its a no brainer man...

C1Forged

If you shop around a bit you can usually find a place that will do it for a reasonable price. There are also multiple stages that shops will offer from basic protection to multiple layers of ceramic pro that will allow it to self heal in the sun.

'11G37S

iTrader: (4)

I plan on doing the ceramic coating myself. Over the past two years I've been trying to step my detailing game up. I've bought a pressure washer, foam canon, Rupes Bigfoot random orbital polisher, tons of Ammo NYC and Adams Polishes products, as well as Gyeon Quartz for ceramic coating.

The only issue I have with ceramic coating instead of PPF on the front of the car is that it doesn't protect the paint from rock chips 100%. It'll help a little bit, but I would like the best protection possible.

PPF won't discolor if the right adhesive is used. Back when PPF was still a new product there was a lot of discoloration, and that wasn't because of the film used, but because of the adhesive. Since then the adhesion technology as grown a lot and won't discolor nearly as fast, if at all. Most reputable PPF installers nowadays won't use the older PPF that has the discoloring adhesive. I had it on my Lexus for a year and a half and still looks like it did the day it was put on.

Now the biggest downside of PPF is the price. I was quoted $1,700 for the front bumper, entire hood, front fenders, and mirror caps. Is it worth the price? To some probably not, but I tend to be a bit obsessive when it comes to how my paint looks. If I had my way I would have the entire car wrapped in PPF, but I can't afford the $3,800 price tag that comes with it, so I can settle on having the front done.

Goonz

iTrader: (9)

I had expel installed on my previous coupe and now on my current Red Sport and man is it work the extra $. I'm extremely happy with it especially dealing with the harsh New England weather. Having a white car, I have to be on top of it so if I were you, I wouldn't think twice about getting PPF installed. You seem to have the correct cleaning/detailing arsenal so you should be all set in regards to maintaining your investment.

'11G37S

iTrader: (4)

Filed my tax return earlier this week, and with the refund and bonus coming up I'm thinking about getting the GTHaus again. This time around I'll probably go with the EV controlled front pipe, straight mid pipe, and the axle backs with gloss black tips. Decisions decisions...

Goonz

iTrader: (9)

I'm really feeling the need for the rear sway bar upgrade on my car, really wish Hotchkis developed some for the Q50 other than Stillen and Tanabe.

'11G37S

iTrader: (4)

Agreed. I like Stillen, but I want to go with what I know, and have experience with, which is Hotchkis. RSR is coming out with their lowering springs sometime in February, and I'm trying to decide whether to go with down or super down springs. Hopefully more aftermarket products come out soon.

Goonz

iTrader: (9)

Are you thinking about an exhaust yet? It seems the car needs to be driven in Sport/Spot+ mode to get any note out of the exhaust. Really loving the look of the Fast Intentions exhaust for the RS

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Those pipes are beastly!^^^

'11G37S

iTrader: (4)

Yes sir! Hopefully ordering the GTHaus mid pipe and axle back (with gloss black tips), and possibly the ev controlled front pipe, by the end of February.

Goonz

iTrader: (9)

I dont know man, the sound of the GTHaus has never really tickled me the right way. Maybe videos never do justice but it seems that the exhaust is obnoxiously loud and raspy. Again, this is an assumption from watching the videos for the G37 coupe/sedan with this exhaust.

'11G37S

iTrader: (4)

I completely understand. I had the GTHaus on my G back in the day and loved it. It is raspy, but videos make it sound much worse than it is in person. I had the opportunity to ride in RexHavoc's G with the FI cat back and I can tell you that the level of refinement of the GTHaus was not even close to the FI cat back. The GTHaus is very loud at start up and during acceleration, but once you take your foot out of the gas it's pretty tame. Doing 80 down the highway it's just a little louder than stock. I'm not trying to knock FI by any means, it just seems to be the popular pick when it comes to Infiniti and I didn't really want to go with the crowd.