how much does this cost?

can this be done at home??

 

The commercial version of OptiCoat (OC2) is about $60 for a bottle that does two cars. That product can be used at home - but - it'll take a detailer a full day to properly prep the car before application. Remember that ANY imperfections (swirls, raildust, glue residue etc) will be locked in for many years.

Your new car isn't clean enough to apply this stuff.

In addition, I screwed up the first two cars I did with OC. They were beaters that looked better afterwards but the OC was pretty bad.

So - $60 for the product and a full day of labor. The guy who does my clear bra also does OC, so I had him do both on two new cars (each less than a week old) for $1700 - a really good price. Figure $400 per car for the OC.

 

I'd suggest zaino products, great results, far more forgiving. Opti coat if done properly will protect the paint, it's a big if I think if doing it yourself. Also not clear that opti coat actually provides shine, and will leave what is described as a "grabby" finish - not smooth. $100 or so in zaino products/applicators will last 2 years, and results are impressive.

 

Where did you get that ridiculous notion?

 

Google

 

this is from Nu Finish...

 

another one

 

Looks great!

 

I was/am still under the impression that opticoat will protect the paint but may not give the shiny appearance that you get after applying other products. I got the impression after doing some online research. Having said that I haven't done it myself or even seen a car which has been "opticoated". Correct me if I'm wrong. If it gives good shine also then I'll be more inclined to consider one.

 

OC will give a shine equivalent to a good glaze.

I used to use Menzerna products and "might" have gotten a slightly better shine but OC is still far better than "normal" polishes/waxes and the super low maintenance means that one can always have a clean car.

We're building a house and I drove there between rainstorms. Of course I got mud all over the car. A few hours later I got caught in the second rain and when I got out all was well again.

 

Wife's Cadillac came with Opticoat on it as a selling point...I wasn't impressed. It may protect the car overall and last longer but it still needed the wax every few months like I do on my 2 cars.

 

Dealsallthe...
Looking great, man!

Do you need more than that to be happy? Throw a little tire shine on there and you're done, bud.

 

Incorrect. Your wife's Cadillac most likely did not come with OptiCoat. It came with one one of those dealer applied "permaplate" or similar products. Additionally, if the surface isn't prepped properly then it won't look good either. NO dealership properly preps a car.

 

So...MAYBE "incorrect" then?

Either way, there's no permanent solution, ESPECIALLY if nobody applies it properly. Not sure where this thread became an ad for OC or any particular product...dude just wanted some guidance on getting his shine back.

Everyone just tells someone that whatever path they chose is the right one but you have to know your audience to give the best advice.

 

You could be right about the Opti, btw...sounds familiar but maybe that wasn't it. I'd have to research.

 

So, what are the odds of a 'car spa' who doesn't use the Opti or Zaino products being able to successfully apply it? These folks do a clay, polish and wax program; but with much less exotic goodies. I'm not looking for perfection; but a more durable finish would be a big benefit

Not looking for a DIY project; but something the 'common' detailer folks can use.

 

Bought my RDX 7 weeks ago. The dealer can apply a clear sealant called Resistall for $720 when I take it in for the first oil change. Any advice or any experience with this sealer would be appreciated.

 

Run away as fast as you can. Opti-Coat run usually less than $500 and I still question the need for it, other than in theory you do not need to wax any more, but I still think with al the crap that cars face that regular washing and waxing is the way to keep the finish looking good.

 

This^^^

 

Absolutely correct. In this case, the OP seems interested in getting a nice shine without fully delving into the full detailing scene.

From my experience, OC seems to be the best way of doing that. While those dealer add-ons claim the same benefits, the reality is that none of those dealer coatings work - in part because of the lack of preparation.

As I said earlier, everyone has their favorite products and most all will will work well - the difference is ease of application and how long the products protect the finish.

Glazes will usually provide the best shine for the least amount of work but require frequent re-application.

 

Let's assume for a moment that ResistAll works (it doesn't). The product itself costs about $25 per car. To do it properly, the car needs to be washed, claybar'd, Iron-X'd, polished , washed, prepped and applied. At that point it needs to properly dry, inspected for defects, touched up and washed.

The dealer is going to do that in what? an hour more than it takes to do an oil change?

The high school kid they have prepping cars get at best $10 an hour, so the cost to the dealership is $35. Double that for supplies and loss of bay income and you're looking at $70. Call it S100 and then decide if a profit of $620+ is appropriate for the dealership.

All that assuming of course that it works. You'll get better results running your car through an automated car wash and poring on a bottle of glaze.

A proper application of products like these require a full day's worth of labor, about $100 worth of disposable products and a dedicated dust free bay for the day.

 

ceb, are you a detailer by trade? you seem like you really know your shit. I love reading those correction threads on high end cars etc...

 

No, I'm just a guy who - once vaguely interested in something - researches stuff to death to determine if I'm really interested. If I'm interested, I jump in with both feet.

The problem is, I end up buying loads of stuff - things that I'm not really using now anymore because of OC. Now I got my niece interested in detailing and she is now starting her own business.

Now, with the house we're building, I can tell you all about LED lights, Geothermal, motion sensors and so forth. My current dilemma is Medeco or Abloy deadbolts - any thoughts?

 

thank you..yes tire shine would be nice

actually, what you don't see is some tiny little bugs on the front bumper and hood..would love to get those out but they are not coming out even after washing it and using a microfiber cloth twice

also, noticed a small paint chip on the hood...it's a black color car so that white spot stands out a little...any tips??

 

I've always heard Medeco is the best...but the current house I rent came equipped with Multi-Lock and I will tell you that they are some pretty serious looking keys and solid action bolt.

About detailing, you sound like me, save for experience with OC...I started with over the counter and now own every pad and size for both PC and Rotary and decided my sanity was worth more than a swirl free shine. So now I opt for a consistent wax every few months and swaying people from diving off the bridge without being prepared for the OCD and cash spending that comes with it.

 

Yes, I was contemplating Mul-T-lock too - but they are even more "industrial" looking than the Medeco residential. Several of my doors have sidelights so I'm doing removable/locking thumbturns. Abloy is probably the best (and has matching cam locks and padlocks so I can use my locker at work and padlock the pool cover with the same key) but also looks very industrial.

Yes, I liked using the Menzerna but after a while it became an obsession to keep the car clean. When the guy who does my clear bra said "I now do OptiCoat" I figured that it was worth a shot. It is so nice just rinsing off the car and have a car that looks better than when it rolled out of the dealership. Yes, spending a weekend detailing the car will give a better shine but then my 'honey do' list keeps piling up.

 

WRT to LED lights. I have them installed in my house and I am quite happy with them except for a minor issue. Not sure if it is a function of them not being a purpose built LED fixture (I have some of the retrofit kits installed in recessed dimmable fixtures) or what but at certain brightness levels the lights pulsate (get brighter and darker). The pulsing I'm sure is a function of the nature of ac power - it's not much of a bother I just adjust the brightness a bit with the dimmer switch and it stops.

Not sure where you are in the country but on a new build I would seriously look at solar panels on the roof - I'm in the northeast and the combination of federal and state tax credits along with rebates from the power company for solar make it a pretty attractive investment. I'm talking about an outright purchase of a PV system - not one of the leasing arrangements that seems to be growing in popularity. My power company only permits net metering (no off grid set ups with batter back up) and I'm seriously considering doing it.

 

Repeated soakings with water and soap (let the soapy water sit on the bugs) should eventually dissolve them. There are also bug and tar removers - I've never used it but Stoner's Tarminator should get the job done - their glass cleaner is fantastic.

For the paint chip - I'd just leave it be. I have never ever been able to use touch up paint to repair a paint chip and have it look better than if I had just left it alone. Using touch up paint requires applying less paint than I am capable of transferring to the car - it always comes out lumpy/bumpy and more noticeable than just leaving it.

I've heard people talk about blending it with some judicious wet sanding but there is absolutely no chance I'm taking a wet sanding pad to my car. So for me - if there's a paint chip I make sure it gets waxed to keep it from rusting and that's about it.

 

I find that investing in a small tiny painter's paint brush with very few bristles is the best way to apply the touch up paint to tiny chips.

 

Well, I don't do anything special at all. And since my RDX is only one week old. I just wash and skip clay bar this time. I apply one layer of Zaino Z2 and skip Klasse AIO and still get the mirror like effect.

 

Looks awesome.

 

Z2 is plenty.

 

Here's a 2014 after a wash, clay bar, Klasse AIO and one coat of Klasse Sealant Glaze.

 

shaded pictures of NBP can be deceiving...but I believe it feels slick and great!

Here's mine...3 weeks since washed after rain and dirt. Camera trickery!
DSC_1114 by swimex37, on Flickr

 

isn't z2 a polisher? I thought one is supposed to wax after polishing

 

It's a polymer...it protects.
Z5 hides swirls, supposedly. Z2 is a chemical bond...

 

Thanks to KeithL and ceb for the advice and feedback. I agree, they want way too much for the Resistall.

I've got a 2004 4Runner that still looks great, and has some kind of clearcoat finish. I want that kind of forgetabout it, always looking great finish on my RDX, which is graphite. The graphite is pretty dark, and getting that super gloss that is in the photos posted today on this thread would make my day.

 

I have almost 100 can lights so the energy savings may be quite substantial. I'm also swapping every other available light to LEDs.

I considered solar panels but they don't make economic sense in Virginia. They would if I were 5 miles across the border in Maryland but VA has crazy cheap electricity and zero incentives. Where MD has a break even point of about 8 years (after incentives, tax savings and the cheaper juice) in VA the break even point is at 26 years - and the expected life span of the panels is about 25 years. I have a great southern exposure so I researched it to death but no luck.

I hope I have sufficient savings from the geothermal and LEDs.

 

holy shit...now I am NOT happy with my wash and Nufinish wax...

wow..

I am not giving up...gonna try again with the products you guys mentioned here

 

btw, Mike..how much time did it take?