Opticoat or Optiguard beyond 3 years

[TimS7559]

I posted this on the detailing forum but didn't get any responses so I am posting here to see if anyone has longterm experience with Opticoat.

Looking for anyone who has had Opticoat or Optiguard on their vehicle at least 3 years.

How has the product held up longterm?
Does it still shed water (dirt) better than traditional wax after 3 +years?
Would you get the product applied again if you were keeping your car longer than 3 years?

How has the coating held up to scratches? I understand that the coating is not suppose to be polished to remove scratches after applied. So after multiple years of not being able to Polish does your paint finish still look good?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[Pilfer]

Hey, while not three years I've had mine for a year and it has held up great. I primarily wash my car with a touchless drive through spray wash which does a great job leaving a shiny finish. I would definitely get it again on a future car. You would pay a few hundred dollars maybe twice a year to have your car detailed and with opticoat it is more expensive up front but really makes washing and keeping the car clean easier.

I think it's a great deal and a great product, people who detail and wax their own car regularly may feel differently but I'm not planning on waxing my own car anytime soon.

[TimS7559]

You hit the nail on the head. I am looking at a way to save time with the waxing I typically do twice a year on my car. Typically it takes me 3-4 hours to clay, wax and Rain X. Some would say several hundred dollars for Opticoat is high for saving 8 hours a year. But with 2 young kids at home 8 hours of time is valuable.

[therippa]

I'm getting my car paint corrected and Opti-Coated on Monday. I have a black car that I plan on keeping for 5 years, so the way I look at it it's cheaper than paying for my semi-yearly waxing and I have the added protection of a much stronger clearcoat.

[Pilfer]

^ where are you getting it done? I'm moving back to SF in a few months [drive]

[therippa]

^ where are you getting it done? I'm moving back to SF in a few months [drive]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/distinctiv-detailing-fremont#query:distinctiv%20detail

[Pilfer]

Thanks, that guy sounds a lot like the guy who did mine out here.

[Pilfer]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/05/du9udaqa.jpg

And for reference, this was at the annual opticoat inspection for the lifelong warranty. This is after a wash only.


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[Deviruchi]

Got it a year ago (only 3-4k miles since then though) and I am still amazed at the finish when simply going through a quick touchless car wash.

There is still some swirling though.... guess you can't beat that.

[integroid]

Got it a year ago (only 3-4k miles since then though) and I am still amazed at the finish when simply going through a quick touchless car wash.

There is still some swirling though.... guess you can't beat that.

If you have swirling it was because your paint wasnt corrected properly before the opti-coat was put on.

Also, you can do it yourself if your paint is corrected or you have a means of correcting it before putting on the product. I just got done doing my new wheels and plan on the paint in the next few weeks when I get dedicate a full day on correcting the paint.

[BoostEasy]

It's not necessarily $500 to opticoat your car. Optimum products makes installers do a lot of prep work before installing it and the majority of the expense covers time and materials polishing the car before the coating is applied.

I had mine done at my house and watched and spoke with the installer as he did it, and no BS, he put a solid 5 hrs into washing and polishing the car with a DA polishing machine. About another hour or so to apply the opticoat. All this and my car had almost perfect OEM 3 month old paint.

On my black car the shine is amazing. Seeing is really believing. I doubted the installer it would get much more shine than the polished 3 month old Audi paint but when he put it on wet and then it dried...it's like it never dried. That's how much shine it added. I was surprised.

[Pilfer]

You can still cause swirl marks if your car has been opticoated.


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[Acejam]

You can still cause swirl marks if your car has been opticoated.

Is the finish harder to swirl though?

I just spent two days this weekend detailing my 2014 in Brilliant Black. I've had the car since October of last year and the paint was riddled with swirl marks. I've only hand washed the car using the two bucket method, so I was quite surprised.

I already have VentureShield on the front of the car which seems to work well. However if someone told me Opticoat/Guard prevented swirls, I'd have it installed in a heartbeat. (especially on a black car!)

[Pilfer]

Yea, it makes it harder to swirl but not impossible. I would get it done, most places that do opticoat also will do paint correction. Is venture shield a clear bra?


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[TimS7559]

Really leaning toward getting my car Opticoated towards the end of summer. But before I do looking to hear how well it stands up over time. Also curious to how well it stands up to future swirl marks. I don't think there is anything out there that is totally swirl resistant and you will still need to watch out how you car for the finish. But hope it holds up much better than the factory finish.

My wife's black Lexus is prone to scratching and swirling just as much as my car. Niether of these cars has come close to the durable finish I had on my old 2002 VW passat. The VW with 10 years on it had less scratches/swirls than the Lexus did after 2 years. They don't seem to make things like they used too!

[boss2k]

Opticoat is different from optiseal ?

[audistealth]

So people pay around $500 for opticoat, bottom line? Doesn't sound bad really.

[CrownSeven]

So people pay around $500 for opticoat, bottom line? Doesn't sound bad really.

If you factor in paint correction - I've seen prices as high as 1500 for paint correction and optiocoating for a reputable detailer.

[Pilfer]

If you factor in paint correction - I've seen prices as high as 1500 for paint correction and optiocoating for a reputable detailer.

Depends how jacked up your car is. I paid 600 for opticoat on the paint, wheels and calipers and all the windows. That price included paint correction as needed of which I didn't need much as well as some cleaning supplies. Considering I would spend close to 600 having my car waxed and detailed twice a year and the piece of mind it gives me when cleaning it I can't recommend it enough. It's better to do it earlier to minimize damage to your car.


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[Metrshr]

Had my S4 Opticoated this past Nov and it stood up great against the sand/salt/grime that our Ne wEngland winter threw at the car. Only hit the touchless car washes and each time the car came out looking great. Had my peeler power coated in heave silver and before I had the tires mounted back on, had the wheels Opticoated as well. Brake dust and grime hardly stick now to the wheels and cleaning them is a snap. Highly recommend Opticoat for the paint/wheels/glass.

Looking to have my wife's Q5 done later this summer and my MX-5 as well.

[The.Wizard]

A product which is considered very good in the Detailing fraternity is CQuartz Finest. It provides a ceramic nano coating which is harder than the lacquer that it's applied to. Not generally available to the public and considered as a professional product for trade use because of the preparation required before application.
I'm pretty sure that there is a video on YouTube showing a trunk lid half treated and then a demo where a washing sponge/scourer is rubbed over the 2 areas. Results are quite surprising.

[integroid]

A product which is considered very good in the Detailing fraternity is CQuartz Finest. It provides a ceramic nano coating which is harder than the lacquer that it's applied to. Not generally available to the public and considered as a professional product for trade use because of the preparation required before application.
I'm pretty sure that there is a video on YouTube showing a trunk lid half treated and then a demo where a washing sponge/scourer is rubbed over the 2 areas. Results are quite surprising.

I have seen comparisons on both products and the consensus is you can't really go wrong with either product. They both have their pros and cons but are pretty similar. The main advantage of Opticoat is that any consumer can buy it. The actual detailers use a different product.

[integroid]

Opticoat is different from optiseal ?

Optiseal is not permanent and Opticoat is.

[RynoS4]

This Opticoat stuff looks awesome! i went the vinyl wrap route to protect mine, with all the back road winter driving i do i needed something with alot of rock ship protection as well.

[boss2k]

Optiseal is not permanent and Opticoat is.

Ok i figured that out as it being expensive to put on a car, so the car needs paint correction and then opticoat , is that some kind of wax that can be applied by me or needs to be professionally done with buffing machines

[therippa]

Just an update with pretty pictures, here's the result of my OptiCoat Pro and 2-step paint correction...

http://distinctivdetailing.com/detailing-samples/2013-audi-s4-brilliant-black-2/

I can't recommend him highly enough.

[fibonaccov]

Just an update with pretty pictures, here's the result of my OptiCoat Pro and 2-step paint correction...

http://distinctivdetailing.com/detailing-samples/2013-audi-s4-brilliant-black-2/

I can't recommend him highly enough.

Thanks for sharing! great results - my B8 is 2011 and Black - I need some scratch corrections as well - comes from CPO - am hoping something can be done and then opticoated.

[integroid]

Ok i figured that out as it being expensive to put on a car, so the car needs paint correction and then opticoat , is that some kind of wax that can be applied by me or needs to be professionally done with buffing machines

You can do it yourself if you have the time and equipment. It is usually a 3 step process.

1. Wash/Clay bar the car
2. Polish Car using a compound to remove deep swirls and minor scratches
3. Use a finishing polish to remove the hazing/light swirls from compound

Then of course you will need to seal the pain with Opticoat or some other type of sealant.

It is very time consuming and the equipment/product you will need is probably not worth the investment if you dont plan on doing this yourself a few times. Plus you could permanently damage your paint if you are not careful.

[bombdiggity]

You can do it yourself if you have the time and equipment. It is usually a 3 step process.

1. Wash/Clay bar the car
2. Polish Car using a compound to remove deep swirls and minor scratches
3. Use a finishing polish to remove the hazing/light swirls from compound

Then of course you will need to seal the pain with Opticoat or some other type of sealant.

It is very time consuming and the equipment/product you will need is probably not worth the investment if you dont plan on doing this yourself a few times. Plus you could permanently damage your paint if you are not careful.

You forgot the part about washing the car again, post polishing, before opticoating. Cheaper to do it yourself, but man.. sounds like 2 days of work to me.

[BigBluu]

What's the price range I should be expecting to opticoat a brand new S4 straight from dealer delivery? That's what I plan to do. Is there much paint correction needed fresh from the factory? I will be instructing the dealer NOT to wash it after they unwrap the transport covers! Or just leave them on until I take delivery.

[Mark_S4]

What's the price range I should be expecting to opticoat a brand new S4 straight from dealer delivery? That's what I plan to do. Is there much paint correction needed fresh from the factory? I will be instructing the dealer NOT to wash it after they unwrap the transport covers! Or just leave them on until I take delivery.

I'd still imagine it being a few hundred, since they will still clay the whole car, and at least do a light polish over it all to remove any imperfections.

[Pilfer]

Depends on how much you have done. My car was 6 months old and it had already been through a Midwest winter when I had it done. He did a full wash and paint inspection, I had every external surface coated including wheels, calipers, windows and exhaust pipes for 500 plus tax and a few miscellaneous items


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[BigBluu]

So I got 2 initial quotes from local bay area guys recommended on the forum here. Both have stellar Yelp reviews as well. I specifically told them I plan to take the brand new car straight from dealer delivery directly to them. And will tell dealer to not prep exterior of car after they remove the transport covers. One quote came in at $800 and the other was around $1000. Seems a bit high to me from what I've read for a brand new car straight off the truck. Any thoughts from guys who've had it done?

[Pilfer]

That seems very high. As you can see in the post above what I paid for a car driven through one winter


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[BigBluu]

That seems very high. As you can see in the post above what I paid for a car driven through one winter

I know. Yours was one of the ones I was comparing to. Also read someone had it done for $400 (lowest I've seen) with almost zero paint correction needed.

[DetailersDomain]

You can still cause swirl marks if your car has been opticoated.


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100% you can swirl an opti coated car.

[DetailersDomain]

I have Opti Coat on a car now for over 4 years, it was sold just about 2 years ago and the new owner has reported that it still looks amazing!

here it is after the 2 year point before the sale of it.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f149/pyiu/2002%20996%20TT/IMG_8976.jpg

I have also Opti Coated my rims and they have held up for 1.5 years before I just decided to clean them up and top them again with Opti Coat.
http://i467.photobucket.com/albums/rr36/detailersdomain/2001%20Audi%20S4%20Build/photo_zps5cb44d2f.jpg