Opti-guard , is it really worth it ?
 

Alright so I have been reading a lot about opti guarding , there is a lot of pros and cons , more pros than cons .

A lot of people saying it doesn't really last as long as advertised ?!

So the question is:

For the people that have opti is it really worth it ? How much did you pay ? And most importantly WHY did you do it?

For the people that don't have it, will you be doing it or will you look at other options .. Like DIY?

Would you clear bra or opti?
Or would you opti and clear bra ?

Thanks all in advance , as I forget to thank everyone .

Never done it before. Planning to do so though... I would do it mainly because it would protect the paint from everyday driving. Oh, and it's great for the lazy people as you do not require to wax the car as often as you should. Think of it as clear bra-ing your whole car but without the clear bra itself...Or as another layer of clear coat! :)

Optiguard works. Pay a professional to do it for you. If you're feeling adventurous you can buy opticoat 2.0 and do it yourself. And no it's not like a clear bra. It does help protect your paint but not as well as a clear bra. You only use about 12ccs for one entire car. And yes it does last for the lifetime of the paint.

@solidsnake , so clear bra is better ? Which would you do

I would do optiguard just because you can't see it. You can see a clear bra. Just know that it won't completely protect the paint. The great part of optiguard is that it works on everything..headlights, trim, rims, even the windows. I have already done opticoat to my car and it works wonders. cleaning the car is so much easier and no more need to wax. I would take the time to wax but I have no garage so it's just a pain the butt to see my car get dirty so fast.

I'm sorry I'm not too familiar with opti-guard so how much are we looking at in terms of cost? price range?

I've had great luck with tough guard but I'm always interested in learning about new products.

I have seen prices from 280-500, I think the sooner you get it done the less paint correction there is hence the 280$

I went the Xpel Ultimate route, for the full hood and bumper and partial wheel arches. Self healing even with a BBQ wire brush and will protect better for rock chips I hope.

Does anyone have any suggestions for finding someone local that does optiguard?

Calling around and asking would obviously work but I was just curious if there were some sort of locator available.

Thanks

Thanks. I suppose a little searching here would have worked wonders :)

Damn no one seems to know of any locals in Calgary

I would call Opti-Coat or Opti-Guard a very long lasting (if not permanent) wax.

It does nothing to protect your car like 3M ClearBra does. It offers the benefits of Wax but in a longer term. Paste wax usually doesn't last very long.. 1-5months I've seen from different waxes and sealants.

Applying Opti-Coat when the car is brand new is a good idea because the paint is still in good condition. Once the paint becomes scratches or marred it becomes more difficult because you need to correct those problems before applying Opti-Coat (since it's permanent)

I'm not sure why detailers charge $$$$ for applying Opti-Coat ontop of a regular paint correction detail. It really isn't that hard to apply... With a longer curing time than Opti-Guard you shouldn't make any mistakes if you follow the instructions carefully and do your research. I'm not sure if people know but Opti-Coat is only $60 for an fluid oz.

http://optimumcarcare.com/ocoat1.php?li=4

You can treat it like an extra layer of clearcoat but slicker and repels water and dirt like wax. Or you can treat it like a permanent layer of wax. The difficulty doesn't come with the application of the Opti-Coat but the paint correction that needs to be done before the application. Can you DIY paint correction? Of course you can. You need to do research and invest in products and equipment though. If that isn't worth it to you than pay someone to do a professional paint correction and apply Opti-Coat.

I've applied Opti-Coat on my car before but decided to polish it off as I like to go over my paint often with fine polish to bring the luster back out. Plus I love the shine and sheen of high quality paste wax. Something that I haven't found with the Opti-Coat. Of course you can put paste wax on top of Opti-Coat. Products like Collinite have given me enough durability so far to not feel the need for Opti-Coat on my own car. Opti-Coat is perfect for those who don't have the time or money to detail and wax their car every few months. You can apply Opti-Coat and it'll last you a very long time. Regular wax will fade with regular car washes, Opti-Coat is not going to (at least we don't know for now - hasn't been out long enough to see if it really does last forever)