So, does anyone actually WAX their cars anymore?
 

Not trolling, just curious, but just on the front page alone there are 14 threads dedicated to Opticoat or similar coatings. Is wax just not getting the job done anymore? Is Subaru paint really that soft? Or do the majority of you guys just not want to be bothered keeping up with the hassles of regular detailing?

I have to admit, never having a garage, detailing could oftentimes be a major pain in the ass, but there was always that pride of a job well done afterward. I dunno, maybe I'm just an old fart that can't embrace new tech, but there has to be some drawback to these kinds of coatings and clear bras, right? Are they similar to say an anti-glare smart phone screen protector? In otherwords you don't have to look at rotten fingerprints anymore, but the resolution is sacrificed? Do these coating serioulsy look as deep and wet as couple coats of carnuba? I mean is it really that easy? Just pay a couple hundred bucks and never have to worry about a swirl mark of stray pebble again?

As far as this "soft Subaru paint" bussiness. I'm coming off a GM car made of plastic and and done by a retarded robot with half-empty shake cans. The factory paint on my IRL was terrible, is Subaru even worse?! Like can I drive the damn car home on Saturday or should I encase it in a bubble and have it shipped directly to a professional. You guys got me all paranoid now! :lol:

My being an older fart than you I think the big difference is generational. I remember when the only products available for detailing your car were Simonize, Blue Coral and Turtle wax. We used scrouring powder on our white walls. There was no such thing as "tire dressing". A while back I mentioned I used an old, worn bath towel to dry my car when I went to a do-it-yourself car wash and one guy almost went ballistic because of the damage I was doing to the paint on my car.
:burnrubber:

This is the first forum I have been on where loads of people are using the Opticoat type products. I think it has to do with it being a brand new car And as stated the paint on these cars is not that great. People have had it measured and shown to be thin in critical areas. To add to that the car is an economy car so you can't expect top of the line paint jobs. Also, i think alot of it has to do with marketing hype. Once someone gets something done and shows a few pics others will want the same thing. This forum is pretty bad for the bandwagon thing. A lot of first time modifiers and first time new car owners so they are following the crowd. Nothing wrong with that in this case as all it's doing is causing people to take preventative action to protect their paint.

Another point I'd like to mention - clear bra's are great at preventing stone chips but have a serious draw back if you are like me. They are easily noticeable in photographs. Maybe not so much with a phone camera but I own a DSLR and have professional shoots done of my cars and can't handle the matte finish the clear bra creates. I'd prefer to have my front end resprayed if it got bad enough.

In the end I think I'm old school as well. I will always prefer to lay my own wax/sealants as the sense of accomplishment is great. I'd want nothing to do with a car that stayed mint looking all the time - half the fun of these things is maintaining and showing off your hardwork.

I would say the correct term today is polish rather than wax. I am big fan of Zaino. Opticoat is interesting. I use Zaino 2x per year on all my cars and I love the results. What you don't see much anymore is carnuba based wax fans.

Orthow hit it right in the head!

The best way i find to protect your car is by applying layers of synthetic wax, though not every synthetic wax can be layered.

But of course the best shine is to apply Carnauba wax, i rarely put it since its only really lasts about 2 days if its all natural which is what you want. Nothing can beat the look of Carnauba wax, its king and has been for years. :bow:

The Subaru paint is very thin, its not half assed but very thin and full of orange peel.

I've waxed mine once since I got it. Need to do it again soon.

What is this "wax" thing you speak of?

;)

I agree with you. I use a synthetic sealant and then put a layer of carnauba on top. After every wash I use either a spray wax or carnauba. Always looks great. But I also live in California and have a garage.

I wax mine regularly. No clear bra on mine, though I do have quite a few dings and chips now after 12,000 miles. My long-term plan was to get it repainted anyway, and i just hate the l look of the clear bra. When i first got it i waxed once or twice a month. Now it's every 4-6 weeks or whenever the weather is decent enough.

I do it often, it's quick and easy. I only use the regular Meguiars stuff, works really well and really shines once it's done...so easy to use you can't do it wrong unless you use dirty applications / wipes.

Ah, good, so there are still some purists out there! :)

Okay, so maybe carnuba "wax" is a bit too oldschool and impractical these days. I agree, it doesn't really last long enough and even I don't want to be out in the dway every weekend for 4-6 hours, either.

I'm not opposed to sythetic, just don't know much about it. I was always a Mother's 3-stage guy. I never explored anything else.

So, you think maybe there's a good middle ground here? Would it be unreasonable to take it to a pro detailer to do a "new car prep" and paint correction, but rather than have it Opticoated afterward, just have them apply the first layer of synthetic and then take over afterwards?

I had mine Opticoated the day after I picked up the car. At this point, I just use the two bucket wash method and finish with a detail spray. Shines bright and beads water great, so until those results diminish there will be no more waxing for this guy.

You should try a few synthetic waxes, they won't put that much of a hole in your pocket.

The problem is people want a product that lasts for years, protects the cars paint for weather and rock debris, but also gives them a shine. A product like that will never really exist, there is no end all product when it comes to detailing.

I think this is a great solution. Majority of people don't have a clue how to correct paint and unless you've been shown by a pro or practised on an old car (method I used) I would not suggest the average person to attempt it. Making the initial investment into polishers and compounds can get costly but will always result in the best results. My suggestion. Do as you said and take the new car to a pro to have it corrected. Even have the detailer throw on a sealant and wax. If you are around I'm sure he will give you tips and tricks to help with your own waxing endeavours. After that you just maintain it. I have a good friend who refuses to correct paint so he gets his car professionally detailed at the beginning or every season. The money he spends versus me allows me to pay for all my shows/tracking throughout the season so I am glad I tought myself how to take care of my paintjobs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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. :D

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

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

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 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.

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

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. :D

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.:bellyroll:

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.

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!

I guess I'm old to and rather wax the car.
So is this Opticoat as expensive as I hear?

I try to wax most of my cars once or twice a year. The wax lasts longer than most people's cars since mine are garaged all the time, and since I work nights, they don't get the sun beating down on them very much. Might get a clearbra on the front of the BRZ this spring to help protect against (further) cone damage.

I've used Zanio for years too, and continue to do so even though I opti-coated my BRZ.

And, the Zanio seems to stay on the opti-coat...if I missed a spot buffing the zanio out, that hazy are can be found on the car days later!

With the Zanio it makes the surface very smooth and adds another layer of protection.

Opti-Coat is still over hyped.

:thumbsup:

Opticoat attempts to repel anything you put on it. It's a permanent coating, similar to a layer of clear coat. The only way to remove it is to polish it off. You can choose to wax on top of Opticoat, but it won't last as long as bare paint.

For the purists, traditional wax is still the preferred method. However, unless you like waxing your daily driver every 2-4 weeeks, then I believe Opticoat is the better solution as far as paint protection goes.

Waxes may last for a few months, or it may last for only a few weeks. Opticoat is a permanent coating. Take some Dawn dish washing soap and wash your car with it. It will most likely strip the wax off the paint. Do the same thing on an Opticoated car, and the Opticoat layer will still be there.

$70 a bottle, which will be enough for 2-3 cars. The expensive part is the correction process. You want your car to be scratch free before applying the Opticoat layer because it's a permanent coating. It's not mandatory but it's highly recommended.

A tube of Opti-coat 2.0 only costs $50...the expense comes from the prep work you MUST do beforehand. The thing about opticoat is it is a PERMANENT coating, therefore any impurities on the car at the time of application will be permanently bonded to your car underneath the opticoat. The only way to remove them would be to buff and polish the car until the opticoat is gone which would take hours.

That means you MUST clay bar, iron-x and polish your car as well as rub your car down with isopropyl alcohol to remove any oils or residue from polishing BEFORE applying the opticoat. Not only that but any imperfections in applying the opticoat are very difficult to remove because the coating is so hard.

It will usually cost someone $400 to get an application of opti-coat by a professional. The cost of a full detailing ($350) plus the cost of a tube of opti-coat.

I like the spray waxes, they only last a month or so, but you don't have to mask off the plastic and rubber parts on the car.

I may be misunderstanding you, but polishing and waxing are two completely different things. Polishing is using abrasives to get out the scratches and swirls in the car, but it does nothing to protect the paint. That's where waxing, sealant, opticoat, etc. come in.

Personally, I still wax and polish (only the minor stuff, anything bigger is done professionally) with a random orbital during the summer. For the winter, it gets a coat of sealant because I really don't want to be outside once a month freezing my butt off. It's looking pretty funky right now.

I'll break it down to you in the simplest way I can to help educate you on new technology. The best part that not many people grasp as a benefit to these new coatings is you can't etch them. I'll explain, have you ever burned ants with a magnifying glass? You wax creates beads which everyone likes right? Beads act as magnifying glasses and consolidators of minerals on your paint allowing your clear coat to etch, making a depression in the clear that can only be fixed by polishing with abrasive compounds. Opti coat on the other hand is immune to etching, from water, bugs or bird crap. Can you say this about ANY wax or paint sealant? No.. Also like someone else has mentioned, the thickness of the coating, allowing you to wash the car, 85% of swirls come from the washing and drying process. You will damage the coating, allowing you down the road to polish the coating to remove the swirls thus saving your clear coat and the uv protection built mainly into the top % of the factory applied clear.

I'm from the old school and have polishing cars for 17 years, but even I realize the benefits of this new technology. Ease of maintenance along with truly protecting your paint, coatings are the future, embrace it. Coat your car and top it with wax for nostalgia purposes if you like :)

Yep.... love my opticoat. I hated waxing. Although I have to admit it is much less frustrating to clean the FR-S than my old Wrangler.