Opti-coated!

[15gtguy]

I had my new 2 week old mustang opti-coated this weekend. First my opti-coat dealer has been doing this since 2005, "I think." He said my car was the worse condition he has seen for a new car. The dealer washed my car and left swirls all in the paint. Overspray and junk all in the paint! I noticed a few scratches but wasn't too bad. After looking under the florescent light it was really bad.. Note to self, never let a dealer wash your car... Well all is well and Austin detail did an outstanding job!

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[FAST FRED]

Nice ! :ford:

 

[MyMustangVault]

I had my new 2 week old mustang opti-coated this weekend. First my opti-coat dealer has been doing this since 2005, "I think." He said my car was the worse condition he has seen for a new car. The dealer washed my car and left swirls all in the paint. Overspray and junk all in the paint! I noticed a few scratches but wasn't too bad. After looking under the florescent light it was really bad.. Note to self, never let a dealer wash your car... Well all is well and Austin detail did an outstanding job!

Can you explain what Opti-Coating is !? ...and how much it cost to have that done? I have the LE WW #381 - wondering if I should have it done. I'm in the Houston area.

 

[15gtguy]

As far as price I paid $800! Yes it is expensive. Most of the price is labor. The installer has to make sure that your paint is as close to perfect before opticoat is installed. Mine had to be wet sanded/compounded/clayed. Took about 14 hours to prep before the opticoat! Is it worth it? That is up to you. Here is some info below.
Opti-Coat (Opti-Guard) is a hard wearing, aftermarket, ceramic clear coat for superior resistance to scratching (9H) and chemical etching from environmental impacts. It provides permanent protection for all factory paints, and can also be applied to exterior glass, metal and hard plastic surfaces.

Opti-Coat is not a wax or sealant like other products on the market. It is a ceramic clear coating very similar to factory type clear coats. A layer of Opti-Coat measures approx. 2 microns in thickness, or about 100 times thicker than your typical wax or sealant. Unlike paint protection sealants such as PTFE, Nano Sealants, GlassPlexin that degrade over time and are easily removed through washing with water or chemicals, Opti-Coat does not degrade and cannot be removed by chemicals such as heavy duty truck wash or even caustic degreasers. It is totally resistant to these chemicals and produces a permanent film that is chemically bonded with the factory paint layers. Opti-Coat is effectively the vehicles new outer clear coat. It is far more resistant to chemical etching than factory clear coats and far more resistant than competing paint protection sealants. The 2 micron layer also provides a thick buffer between any damage and the factory paintwork.

 

[15gtguy]

Here are two before close ups... the little white spots is over spray.. There is also scratches and swirls that was over the entire car. This car had 2 miles on it when I got it and was washed one time by the dealer!

 

[H1 GT]

Well it looks good now. I'd love to have it done but there is no place in my crappy state that does it. May try to have it done when I go on vacation somewhere but who knows.

 

[slythetove]

I had my new 2 week old mustang opti-coated this weekend. First my opti-coat dealer has been doing this since 2005, "I think." He said my car was the worse condition he has seen for a new car. The dealer washed my car and left swirls all in the paint. Overspray and junk all in the paint! I noticed a few scratches but wasn't too bad. After looking under the florescent light it was really bad.. Note to self, never let a dealer wash your car... Well all is well and Austin detail did an outstanding job!

I specifically asked my dealer not to prep or wash my car and they honored my request.

I'm glad they did because I did my full 8 hour detail this weekend and this was by far the cleanest paint I've ever worked with. Very little iron particle reaction (used Iron-X), and very very little contamination came off in the clay bar.

Here's my detail thread for pics:
http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19194

 

[midnite9150]

I love optimum products!

 

[RevvdMedia]

I've done a substantial amount of research on Opti-Coat and the general consensus is that it doesn't last "forever" as they claim...some say they may re-apply it yearly.

Of course it could be here-say, but don't be sold on the "lasts forever" claim. I'd otherwise say it's a good product if you don't want to maintain the paint yourself multiple times a year.

 

[Blindside]

Can you explain what Opti-Coating is !? ...and how much it cost to have that done? I have the LE WW #381 - wondering if I should have it done. I'm in the Houston area.

If you're in the Houston area, check out Vive Houston. They are a premier detailer and share their office with EVS Motors which is a luxury performance studio. They work on the nicest vehicles in town and have worked on my vehicles. You can check out there website here for OptiCoat or C-Quartz protective coatings.

http://www.vive-houston.com/

 

[15gtguy]

You may be right but with proper care how long do you think it will last? I look at it as a little extra protection.

 

[gtmiller1001]

If you're in the Houston area, check out Vive Houston. They are a premier detailer and share their office with EVS Motors which is a luxury performance studio. They work on the nicest vehicles in town and have worked on my vehicles. You can check out there website here for OptiCoat or C-Quartz protective coatings.

http://www.vive-houston.com/

I'll vouch for EVS, they have done tint and "clear bra" on my last three vehicles...they do top notch work. I started looking at the coating offerings from VIVE last time I was in but never really looked further into it.

Regardless, those guys do amazing work.

 

[Blindside]

You may be right but with proper care how long do you think it will last? I look at it as a little extra protection.

They say it will last roughly 5 years before it starts to wear off. It's more durable than paint because it is basically a harder clearcoat and is much less susceptible to damage from washing/rock chips/etc. And there is little maintenance required. The hydrophobic properties make it hard for anything to stick to it, whether that's bug guts or wax.

I'll vouch for EVS, they have done tint and "clear bra" on my last three vehicles...they do top notch work. I started looking at the coating offerings from VIVE last time I was in but never really looked further into it.

Regardless, those guys do amazing work.

Yes, they do. The did the F1 Pinnacle and Solar Adaptive tint on my Raptor. I looked into the OptiCoat/C-Quartz thing, but figured this thing would be way too susceptible to damage off-road and I couldn't justify spending the money. Now, if it was a street car like a Mustang, I would definitely do Opticoat over a partial front wrap.

 

[luke1333]

my dad got a black ecoboost and car wasnt dealer prepped either and washed only once or so off truck probably and had scratches all over it. i have worked on hood and quarter but not whole car yet. paint is awful and the softest i have ever seen. did you encounter your paint being extremely soft as well? i am going to pick up some quartz to raise the hardness to 9H as well

 

[EngineerDave]

I've done a substantial amount of research on Opti-Coat and the general consensus is that it doesn't last "forever" as they claim...some say they may re-apply it yearly.

Of course it could be here-say, but don't be sold on the "lasts forever" claim. I'd otherwise say it's a good product if you don't want to maintain the paint yourself multiple times a year.

It really depends on what you get, and how it's applied. My detailer applies it by hand (not sprayed) and I'm fairly confident it will last at least 10 - 15 years. The very first vehicle he did with his brother is still used by the family and sits outside nearly it's whole life and after 7+ years the paint still looks brand new. He said it still requires some care, you will have to clay 2 - 4 times a year, but you don't have to wax it ever.

It is expensive to get it done correctly, by hand with the paint properly prepped prior to application to remove all the small swirls, scratches and imperfections that the dealer puts into the car (or ones from just driving the car.) but if you are going to be applying a coating and want it to be done right, it's worth it IMHO. I guess I'll have to do an update on the car in 1 year, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10.

He just applied Optiguard Pro (which apparently is a new higher gloss formula) to my Black GT and it looks amazing. Even better than it looked after it's first wash + wax.

The Pro series sets in 15 minutes, can be driven short distances after that, initial cure is around 2 hours, It shouldn't see water for the first two days or so depending on air temp, and shouldn't be washed for at least the first two weeks. You also must hand buff everything, as a powered buffer will remove the coating. While the initial gloss is very high (was surprised, since a lot of the reviews of the older stuff was that it was less glossy) the new stuff is supposed to get an even higher gloss look once the 2 weeks or so is up and you give it it's first wash.

On top of the whole hardness factor and hydrophobic properties, it's also a UV protectant, and if applied to headlights it should prevent them from yellowing/clouding, and if applied to plastics it should keep them from fading.

When water stops beading and shooting off the super hydrophobic coating, it means you need to clay it. You also can't put a lot of products on top of the coating because of it's hydro phobic nature. Opti has a gloss coating you can apply that sticks, and you can use 22ple on it.

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