So, does anyone actually WAX their cars anymore?

[A5D5TRYR]

Originally Posted by fasteddy

I clay bar my car and touch up what is needed with the buffer before applying wax. That would remove any coating such as opticoat. There is nothing wrong with a quality wax.

Not saying one is better than the other or that anyone is wrong in their opinion but don't want misinformation out there either. Claying a car with opti-coat will NOT remove the opticoat. As has been said, opticoat does not react the same way to things as wax does, so while claying a car will remove wax, it does not remove opticoat and actually if you wait too long between washes with an opticoated car it's a good idea to clay it, although if washed somewhat regularly you should never have to.

I opticoated my car because I learned from my last one that even though I have the best intentions of keeping my car clean, I don't have the time to spend on it and it inevitably ends up looking dirty. At least with opticoat I just wash it and dry it and it looks really good.

Am I a purist? To some degree probably. I do my own oil changes and anything else I feel I'm capable of. But I drive my car everyday and it is not really feasible to wash my car regularly here when it is below freezing most of the time for months on end and it's nice to know that with opticoat my not washing the car regularly isn't allowing permanent damage to happen to the paint on my car.

[Sony]

Originally Posted by fasteddy

As a former professional body man who has spent quite a bit of time detailing I am not drinking the "opticoat" koolaid. I do not want to add a semi permanent coating on top of the clear. I clay bar my car and touch up what is needed with the buffer before applying wax. That would remove any coating such as opticoat. There is nothing wrong with a quality wax.

You are spreading mis-information...

1) Opti-coat is NOT "Semi-Permanent" it IS PERMANENT, once it's on there it's on there virtually forever. It is literally a second layer of clear-coat that you can apply yourself. In fact the original opti-coat was so fast drying and difficult to remove that Opti-coat required that it be installed by a professional detailer and that that detailer provide Opti-Coat with proof of their insurance in case they screwed up a customer's car.

2) Regular Polishing or Buffing WILL NOT REMOVE Opti-Coat, Opti-coat has a 9H Hardness rating...it is hardly affected by polishing or buffing. It is affected less than even your natural clear-coat. So unless you spend HOURS polishing/buffing your car with a VERY coarse abrasive every time you wax....you wont even phase the opti-coat.

There is nothing wrong with a quality wax, and if you prefer wax then that is fine, everyone has their own preferences and they are allowed to do whatever they want, but don't go around pissing on a product you obviously have never used. You may have been a professional body man in a past life, but opti-coat has only been around for a couple years and I doubt you ever used anything like it in your time as a body man (depending on how long ago you were a body man.) That and Opti-coat isn't just talking out their asses...they may have been out for only a few years but in those few years they have garnered rave reviews from pretty much EVERY professional detailer who has used it, and thousands of car owners as well. If it didn't hold up to the hype...people wouldn't still be using it just like every other faux detailing product out there.

Opti-coat is new science, it IS proven to work and do what it says it does and it does it well. Whether or not it has the same sheen and luster of wax is a subjective opinion for all people who use it and if you prefer to wax your car then that's your prerogative and you're welcome to do as you wish, it will look just as good if not better than opti-coat from a visual standpoint. It WILL NOT provide the scratch protection and peace of mind that opti-coat does however and you will have to redo the wax in a few months whereas you will NEVER have to reapply opti-coat.

[Here2rock]

Originally Posted by chenshuo

my car is having a opti-coat done, but i'm still planning to wax it once a year in the summer. i love cleaning my car.

What is the point of having OC in the first place? Isn't one of the argument put forward by the manufacturer is that there is no need to use abrasive products, wouldn't waxing damage the coating? I see it pointless if you are still going to use two products, either use OC or stick with the old school of waxing.

[kch]

Originally Posted by Here2rock

What is the point of having OC in the first place? Isn't one of the argument put forward by the manufacturer is that there is no need to use abrasive products, wouldn't waxing damage the coating? I see it pointless if you are still going to use two products, either use OC or stick with the old school of waxing.

Wax doesn't protect against physical damage. OC is used basically as another clearcoat to protect the factory paint underneath.

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by radroach

After wash and proper drying technique by slapping the car with a shamwow and then driving the car full speed, I use a cleaner wax -Meguiar's, and buff the car clean with microfiber towels. If the weather is going to be really good, the next day I'll wash it again and repeat drying technique; and then I put on a layer of carnauba wax with pure polish oils -Meguiar's Gold Class.

When you drive it full speed to dry it off, are you driving it in a vacuum or other dirtless/dustless/contaminant free environment?

Me, I give it a good wash, a VERY thorough rinse, dry w/ chamois, re-wash and rinse any areas that I notices I could have done better during the dry-step, then wax. I don't worry if the car's TOTALLY bone-dry; you're supposed to wax with a slightly damp applicator anyway, so I figure some slight dampness on the car ain't a deal-breaker. Seems like a good fast drive after washing but prior to waxing would be an EXCELLENT way to make sure you get some dirt and grit swirled into your wax job.

Am I missing something?

Barry

[Here2rock]

Originally Posted by kch

Wax doesn't protect against physical damage. OC is used basically as another clearcoat to protect the factory paint underneath.

Let me get this:

Paint thickness is measured in microns. 1 Micron is a thousandth of a millimetre.

Average paint thickness is between 125 microns being very thin and 200 microns which is very thick.

Most coatings, opticoat, Ceramic Pro is less than 0.1 microns. How is it going to protect it? It is less than 1% of the thickness of the thinnest paint. It is a lot of smoke to me. People get the wow factor when the car is detailed, paint corrected, opticoated and to finish it off, it is polished to give the car glass like surface. All three other components (detailed, paint corrected and polished) play a larger part than the Opticoat.

[kch]

Originally Posted by Here2rock

Let me get this:

Paint thickness is measured in microns. 1 Micron is a thousandth of a millimetre.

Average paint thickness is between 125 microns being very thin and 200 microns which is very thick.

Most coatings, opticoat, Ceramic Pro is less than 0.1 microns. How is it going to protect it? It is less than 1% of the thickness of the thinnest paint. It is a lot of smoke to me. People get the wow factor when the car is detailed, paint corrected, opticoated and to finish it off, it is polished to give the car glass like surface. All other three components (detailed, paint corrected and polished) a larger part than the Opticoat.

yeah i dunno; that's just what people say. i just do a sealant and wax myself.

[RichardsFRS]

Yep once ever season unless I've gone into a saltwater city or salt has been on the roads from ice/snow. I wax it the old fashion way, with my hand and a soft rag, mostly a t-shirt. I don't use machines never have because I don't want swirls all over the car

[Laika]

Originally Posted by Orthow

That being said, I gather from your post you don't much care about being the cleanest car on the block. Which is fine but not an ideal shared buy the purists so to speak.

I might be the exact opposite of a purist because as much as I like looking at my car, I like driving it infinitely more

No wax. Opticoat. Two bucket wash. 30-45 minutes for the paint. Once every when I feel like it.

[NLS8520]

Originally Posted by RichardsFRS

Yep once ever season unless I've gone into a saltwater city or salt has been on the roads from ice/snow. I wax it the old fashion way, with my hand and a soft rag, mostly a t-shirt. I don't use machines never have because I don't want swirls all over the car

Machines do NOT install scratches, poor technique and improper washing procedure does. Your probably thinking of rotary hackjobs you have seen(and again nothing wrong with a rotary its an excellent machine in the right hands), a DA polisher is idiot proof with proper technique and working clean.

[ZionsWrath]

I've had my car since they shipped in 2012.

Never waxed it.

I do a pre-wash with my foam cannon and rinse it off. Then I do a two bucket wash with opti no rinse wash and wax.

Once or twice a year I use a product called wet paint. I guess that's the closest thing I've done to waxing.

I'm not very anal about detailing. But the fact I've never been to the swirl o matic really shows as there are few swirls even though Im just a casual DIY car washer.

[asia_minor]

Washing the car with ONR+W biweekly negates having to do the traditional wax job.

Still have to de-con once a year, I've found.

[ZionsWrath]

Originally Posted by asia_minor

Washing the car with ONR+W biweekly negates having to do the traditional wax job.

Still have to de-con once a year, I've found.

I like the product but I'd say my washes are more like every six weeks. More in season as I try to do a wash after track events. Less in winter as it sits under a pile of snow for 3 months or so

[Packofcrows]

Originally Posted by ZionsWrath

I've had my car since they shipped in 2012.

Never waxed it.

I do a pre-wash with my foam cannon and rinse it off. Then I do a two bucket wash with opti no rinse wash and wax.

Once or twice a year I use a product called wet paint. I guess that's the closest thing I've done to waxing.

I'm not very anal about detailing. But the fact I've never been to the swirl o matic really shows as there are few swirls even though Im just a casual DIY car washer.

Any wet paint before and after pics?