Just say no to free dealer washes...
 

Recently we have been doing quite a few Opti Coat permanent coating jobs on new cars. Most of these cars have been less than a couple of weeks old with next to zero miles on them. Unfortunately, more than a few of these cars have needed upwards of 5-6 hours of polishing to remove dealer installed damage before we could apply the Opti Coat. Here are a few pics of an Audi we had in last week.

This brand new Audi A4 came in for possibly a light polish and Opti Coat. After washing and stripping the dealer applied fillers, the amount of dealer installed damage was apparent. After trying a few different combinations of pads and polishes, it became apparent the car would need at least a two stage polish at a cost of around $600.

This pic shows how bad the scratching was.
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...hots/Audi1.jpg

THis 50/50 shows the results after using Megs D300 / 101 on a Megs MF cutting disc via my Griots DA and followed up with Menz RE5 on a finishing pad.
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...hots/Audi2.jpg

A free wash is no deal if this is the result. Just saying....

Beside this A4, were most of your clients brand new Subaru customers? :troll:

Meh, shit gets old.

Scion paint has been known to scratch very easily, a coworker of mine has a new tC in dark blue, and while he does as much as he possibly can to keep the paint in good condition, it's not that great overall, and I see a lot of scratched paint on other models, especially ones with the pastel grey paintjob.

excuse my ignorance..

can someone tell me more about opti coat? is it really a permanent solution?

The only way to remove Opti Coat is through abrasion ( polishing ). Other than that, regular washing and even touchless carwashes will not remove it.

How much is opti coat?

Very interested in getting opticoat, just bought a 2010 tsx in black and the swirls are killing me. Pm me a quote on a full detail + opticoat?

It's a 2011 dodge ram quad cab. There are swirls on the passenger fender where a body shop fixed a scratch from the dealer lot, it's always drove me nuts because you can see it in the sun.
Posted via RS Mobile

Ken, could you describe the benefits of opticoat, and if we got it, what we would or would not have to do anymore regarding detailing?

I figured there would be a price difference...what is the benefit of this?
Posted via RS Mobile

The main benefit of Opti Coat is that it is a permanent coating. What that means is that nothing short of abrasion ( polishing ) will remove it. Say for instance you lived in an area ( Yaletown ) where you had no access to a wash area in your building. With Opti Coat applied, you could safely use a touchless carwash without any fear of damage. In fact, you could use that touchless carwash for the entire time you owned the car and it wouldn't remove the Opti Coat. As far as regular washing, once cured, the Opti Coat is harder than the factory clear and thus will be a bit harder to scratch. That doesn't make it scratch proof, just more resistant to scratches from washing and drying. The Opti Coat also has the ability to be polished once with a finishing polish to remove light swirls without removing the coating. The other main benefit of Opti Coat is that it can be used on wheels - faces and barrels. This means that clean up on cars that puke brake dust like BMWs etc, will clean up easily. Most time, a steady stream of water from a hose or pressure washer will remove most, if not all of the brake dust IF the wheels are cleaned regularly. Even neglected wheels will clean up a lot easier with minimal effort. Given that most cars, regardless of the type of protection, will acquire swirls from washing and drying, at least you will know that your car will remain protected until you remove the coating.

As for maintenance, regular washing will still be in order. You will find the car easier to clean as dirt has a hard time sticking to Opti Coat. You will not have to apply any other protective coating to your vehicle. Nothing will bond to Opti Coat and anything applied to it will last at most, two weeks. You may find yourself just pressure washing the car weekly and hand washing every second or third week. If you wash the car carefully, and no polishing is necessary, you shouldn't have to reapply Opti Coat for at least two years.

Pricing is as follows....

Cars ( new condition with no polishing required )
*wash, decontaminate, Opti Coat $275

Trucks / SUVs ( new condition with no polishing required )
*wash, decontaminate, Opti Coat $375

Any polishing is assessed at $50 / hr.

Wheels ( brand new )
*remove, clean, Opti Coat, reinstall and torque to factory specs $100

Wheels ( more than 3 months old )
*remove, clean, Opti Coat, reinstall and torque to factory specs $150

These prices are for FT86 and Revscene members and reflect a $100 discount for the paint and wheel packages.

Thanks for the detailed response Ken, I'm quite interested in the OptiCoat. You did my car a few months ago, so hopefully not too much correction is required. I guess it's best for me to come by to get a full estimate?
Posted via RS Mobile

So once this is applied you can't add anything over top for some extra shine?

From the sounds if it, you won't need to, other than a finishing wax. I will definitely be looking into this, where are you located? I'd love to bring my truck by for an estimate.
Posted via RS Mobile

You can, but nothing will stick for more than a few weeks. We are looking at a couple other products that do look better, but durability isnt as good. Around the 12 -18 month mark so I've been told.

I think I know exactly where you are!
Posted via RS Mobile

hey ken, would this be good to use on a car fresh back from the body shop?