So, does anyone actually WAX their cars anymore?

[Zgrinch]

Originally Posted by Orthow

Even the cheapest "off the shelf" waxes I have used will bead water amazingly. This is not an adequate frame of reference when looking into waxing solutions. It's all about the DEPTH of the paint. 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.

???? The detailer spent five hours on paint correction alone before the opticoat treatment. Maybe you mistook my statement about shine to not include depth. I detail my car every other weekend, and I do have the cleanest car on the block. Sorry I'm not considered a purist in your mind, but please don't make assumptions about me when you don't know me.

[Orthow]

Originally Posted by Zgrinch

???? The detailer spent five hours on paint correction alone before the opticoat treatment. Maybe you mistook my statement about shine to not include depth. I detail my car every other weekend, and I do have the cleanest car on the block. Sorry I'm not considered a purist in your mind, but please don't make assumptions about me when you don't know me.

I'll break it down for you.

I didn't mistake your statement. Your statement came off as - "Bought car, paid to have it corrected/coated, wash regularly and don't plan to ever wax the car until the water beading isn't present". Even with an opticoat or similar process I would still wax the car as it surely would help that much more. I don't see opticoat as an excuse to not have to wax your car ever but apparently you do. That's where the inference about the non-purist came from.

Also, it wasn't an assumption it was an inference.. big difference. I took what you said an inferred something as a result. You will find this is how web communities work. Less than 5% of active users on a forum will ever meet in person (stat I've read as I too own a carclub forum) so inferences and assumptions will be made to help support a claim. Sorry you don't like it but it's the way of things.

[mangostick]

bottom line is that subaru paint sucks. It just SUCKS. Its thin, its brittle, it scratches if you breathe on it sideways...

Do whatever you feel necessary or can afford to protect it. Everyone has a different method and most work comparably so it boils down to personal preference/spending ability.

What ever you do, however you do it.. maintain it. You'll thank yourself later when the car still looks good after years of battle with the elements and road hazards.

[djdnz]

I just don't have time like I used to. I'm lucky to find the time to wash it now, compared to my first car I would wax twice a year, hand wash every week/two weeks. Times have changed, and free time is hard to come by. The opti-coat sounded promising so I gave it a shot - pretty happy with the results, though there was nothing quite like the feel of fresly waxed paint.

[SubieNate]

Originally Posted by Orthow

I'll break it down for you.

I didn't mistake your statement. Your statement came off as - "Bought car, paid to have it corrected/coated, wash regularly and don't plan to ever wax the car until the water beading isn't present". Even with an opticoat or similar process I would still wax the car as it surely would help that much more. I don't see opticoat as an excuse to not have to wax your car ever but apparently you do. That's where the inference about the non-purist came from.

Also, it wasn't an assumption it was an inference.. big difference. I took what you said an inferred something as a result. You will find this is how web communities work. Less than 5% of active users on a forum will ever meet in person (stat I've read as I too own a carclub forum) so inferences and assumptions will be made to help support a claim. Sorry you don't like it but it's the way of things.

Optimum Polymer Technologies (The creators of opti-coat) say specifically that waxing is pointless because it will slide right off the car in very little time. They say it won't hurt, but for long run protection it's not going to do squat. I personally follow my washes up with a light spray wax or good instant detailer.

A GOOD layer of wax is about .2 microns thick once buffed out. Opticoat lays out anywhere between 2 and 3 microns thick. You want depth? Thickness of the clear layers protecting the car is a big part of that. Additionally, it's WAY more scratch resistant than a standard clear coat, so when you do wash it, you don't develop new swirl marks nearly as quickly (Some swirls are going happen regardless of care and technique if a car is washed regularly, it's impossible to get 100% of the surface contaminants to lift into the wash mitt/towel/etc.), and the coating is immune to UV damage, meaning, if you miss a few washes your clear isn't suffering greatly as a result.


Does it give exactly the same look as a wax? No. But the science behind the coating and why it works is sound. The guy that runs the company is PhD chemist afterall.

Especially when comparing to waxes that cost $200 a can, if a car is daily driven, there is no reason not to at least consider a permanent coating like Opti-Coat or even CQuartz as an alternative. The level of protection is so much higher it's not even really a comparison.

Tradition is cool and all, but function trumps all. At least learn up on the science before making negative "Inferences" about how people care for their vehicles.

Cheers
Nathan

[SubieNate]

Originally Posted by djdnz

I just don't have time like I used to. I'm lucky to find the time to wash it now, compared to my first car I would wax twice a year, hand wash every week/two weeks. Times have changed, and free time is hard to come by. The opti-coat sounded promising so I gave it a shot - pretty happy with the results, though there was nothing quite like the feel of fresly waxed paint.

I will agree here, straight Opti-Coat does not have that "slick" feel when you run your hand or a microfiber over it. But man is it slick when it comes to actual contaminants or water droplets staying on the car. I got hit by a rainstorm right after I had my coating put on and when I got home my car was basically dry from the wind.

To get a bit more shine and a slicker feel, I like to use a light misting of a good spray sealer/wax/instant detailer over the opti. I've been using Surf City Garage's Loaded instant detailer and it works great, but I want to try one of the optimum spray products next.

Nathan

[Rayme]

Originally Posted by SubieNate

Optimum Polymer Technologies (The creators of opti-coat) say specifically that waxing is pointless because it will slide right off the car in very little time.

Pure marketing talk. It's like saying, washing a car is pointless because it will get dirty in very little time. I don't think was meant to be a VS thread but this is completely BS, my car's paint beeds a long time after I waxed it, even months later - and that's because there is still wax on it.

[SubieNate]

Originally Posted by ottopilot

Pure marketing talk. It's like saying, washing a car is pointless because it will get dirty in very little time. I don't think was meant to be a VS thread but this is completely BS, my car's paint beeds a long time after I waxed it, even months later - and that's because there is still wax on it.

I've researched it myself. It's not the wax that's the issue, it's the coating. It's designed to have very high release properties to encourage bugs, bird crap, etc to come off of the surface easily so that you can be less aggressive when washing. Go look at the posts on the detailing forums where opticoat beaded water and looked great 2 years after application by a third party, non paid reviewer. Let's see wax do that.

I work in aerospace with release agents that form a crosslinked polymer layer over the surface of a mold that even epoxy won't stick to. The properties of an opticoated paint surface remind me of these coatings. It's no joke. The stuff is designed to not let anything cling to it.

The results and testimonials of those that have used the product speak for themselves, regardless of any marketing talk. Don't knock something you have zero experience with.

EDIT: I think the 2 year test is buried somewhere in this thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...0-cquartz.html

[Rayme]

Originally Posted by SubieNate

I've researched it myself. It's not the wax that's the issue, it's the coating. It's designed to have very high release properties to encourage bugs, bird crap, etc to come off of the surface easily so that you can be less aggressive when washing. Go look at the posts on the detailing forums where opticoat beaded water and looked great 2 years after application by a third party, non paid reviewer. Let's see wax do that.

I work in aerospace with release agents that form a crosslinked polymer layer over the surface of a mold that even epoxy won't stick to. The properties of an opticoated paint surface remind me of these coatings. It's no joke. The stuff is designed to not let anything cling to it.

The results and testimonials of those that have used the product speak for themselves, regardless of any marketing talk. Don't knock something you have zero experience with.

EDIT: I think the 2 year test is buried somewhere in this thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...0-cquartz.html

I didn't knock opti coat one bit lol. I just don't like reading things like "wax is useless" when it clearly isn't.

[dabocx]

I just have a sealant on mine, i want to put a layer of wax on it every now and then for when i go to meets. I have no idea what wax to get though.

[Zgrinch]

Originally Posted by Orthow

I'll break it down for you.

I didn't mistake your statement. Your statement came off as - "Bought car, paid to have it corrected/coated, wash regularly and don't plan to ever wax the car until the water beading isn't present". Even with an opticoat or similar process I would still wax the car as it surely would help that much more. I don't see opticoat as an excuse to not have to wax your car ever but apparently you do. That's where the inference about the non-purist came from.

Also, it wasn't an assumption it was an inference.. big difference. I took what you said an inferred something as a result. You will find this is how web communities work. Less than 5% of active users on a forum will ever meet in person (stat I've read as I too own a carclub forum) so inferences and assumptions will be made to help support a claim. Sorry you don't like it but it's the way of things.

Oh wise sage thank you for your wisdom...I now understand how the web communities work. Thank you very much grasshopper.

[RAWR BRZ]

I never waxed my BRZ because it is my daily driver/track car with rock chips already everywhere. I wash it once every 2-3weeks. The touch-less drive through chevron. And when it is too dirty i take it to one of those hand wash places.

[mact]

I had to purchase my car with the dealer's non-negotiable $500 "Paint Protection" wax.. According to them I don't have to wax my car for 7 years.

I do want to try Opticoat though.

[Sony]

Originally Posted by mact

I had to purchase my car with the dealer's non-negotiable $500 "Paint Protection" wax.. According to them I don't have to wax my car for 7 years.

I do want to try Opticoat though.

That whole "Non-negotiable" bit is bullshit, if you actually bothered to fight them I bet you could have got it removed or got the price of your car dropped by $500. There is no way a dealer is going to lose a sale over a coat of wax...if they wont remove it, then walk out, you'll get a phone call 15 minutes later begging for you to come back and they will drop the price. This is what happened when I bought my Tacoma, I wasn't happy with the dealer and the crap they were trying to pull, so I walked away, 30 minutes later they called my cellphone and were trying to give me the truck at $2,000 less than what they were asking before. This was in 2006 too when the new model Tacoma was just coming out and everyone wanted their hands on them so they had a high demand. When it comes down to it...dealers would rather make a sale now, rather than later.

Originally Posted by ottopilot

I didn't knock opti coat one bit lol. I just don't like reading things like "wax is useless" when it clearly isn't.

I do believe he meant applying wax OVER a car that has already been opticoated is useless, not wax itself is useless. Opticoat will reject the wax chemically and the wax will wash off at the first sign of water so you would have to re-wax after every rainstorm...or even puddles. That is what opti-coat is DESIGNED to do and it does it very well. Unless you're about to head out to a car show and want a bit more shine, there is no point in waxing a car that has been opticoated. Wax is great for cars that haven't been opti-coated and some people still believe the shine of wax is better than Opticoat. Opticoat does however provide far better scratch protection than wax, that is NOT debatable. Opticoat has a 9 hardness rating and is applied as a layer 2 to 3 microns thick as stated before. Wax is very soft and is only applied in about 0.2 micron layers so it doesn't really protect your car from scratches or paint swirls. To each their own!