How hard is it to apply opti coat ?
 

Hi guys just wanted to know if it's really difficul to apply opti coat on my FRS. I got my car out of the dealer a month ago. I see opti coat is sold as a syringe and a an applicator pad. Is it that simple as to wash the car with a neutral PH shampoo and afterwards just apply a bit of the syringe of opticoat on the applicator pad and let it cure? .
Tnx

Do some searches in here and on YouTube for Opticoat videos. It's somewhat labor intensive. I used the Nitro 3D product (different company) and was very happy with the results.

Did you mean HD Nitro Seal?

Yes

Similar question.

Locally, an Opti-Coat job is $400+. I can buy Opti-coat for $80 and do it myself, I'd assume. Is it somewhat user-friendly? I'm not a novice, but I'm also not a super professional, either.

Let's assume I would have the car professionally detailed ahead of time.

Look for videos and see if it's something you want to tackle. I'm 58 and have been cleaning/waxing/detailing my cars since I could drive and the Opti was not something I felt comfortable doing without having seen someone do it in person, that's why I did the Nitro. My car is black and I did not want to screw it up by not knowing how to do it. The Nitro is also a 2 part system but I felt comfortable using it and I was happy with the results. The Nitro once applied can be left on for 24 (recommended if you have a garage) before buffing off.

First 3 pictures are with the Nitro on waiting to buff off.

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(This was done about 18 mos. ago)

Looks sharp. How does it hold up against rock chips up front?

So far, so good. Can't complain. Nothing is really going to stop a rock with a little heft to it from leaving a mark.

So has it still chipped all the way to the plastic?

A wax/low mil thickness coating is not going to stop rock chips. You need a high mil clear film for that

Opti requires a full car treatment before application. Which is why it's so expensive for a detailer to apply. It requires a full wash, buff and polish followed by another wash and rinse. The reason being that Opticoat is a permanent ceramic coating and any debris or impurity in the paint will be trapped underneath the opticoat and the only way to get it out would be to buff and polish the car until you physically wear away the coating because it is impervious to chemicals. So it is VERY important to remove any impurities from the paint before application.

The application itself is also very tough (although it's much easier with the new formula apparently) as the working time for the product is only about 10 to 15 minutes and the cure time is about an hour. If the product is applied unevenly and is allowed to cure then it wont looks right and will need to be buffed until it is removed or fixed which is difficult and risks burning your paint.

Original Opticoat was originally only sold to professional detailers who could provide Opticoat with proof of insurance. However with Opticoat 2.0 that practice is no longer needed as it has a longer working time and it is now sold to the general public.

Opti-Coat 2.0 is the general public/more user friendly version of the product. However, it is not as durable as the Pro version. The Pro version has a MUCH longer durability and is reserved for pro detailers only because of the extremely short work time. Be sure that you are comparing apples to apples as the 2 products differ greatly.

It's fairly easy to do. I wouldn't say go for it if you don't have a random orbit DA. You need to wash, clay, polish with optis de irnoizing polish, whipe down, apply even thin rows of opti across the panel your working. Minimal amount of liquid on opti applicator.
I would do a light cut and polish with a DA like my rupes before I began optis polish then the coating.

It's not that simple or depends on how anal or perfect you want the finish to be. If you can do it yourself...then do it...otherwise let a pro do it...what is required is wash, clay, and polish/color correction, then opti coat. I am leaving out a lot of steps of wipe down and making sure dust and other things don't land while applying opti coat. It's like a layer of paint. It won't stop from etching or anything else. It just gives you one layer of protection while giving you a wax like look.

If you want rock protection and go with film...but it's 4 to 6 times more expensive.

If you want to take time to learn and do it yourself...then you don't have to be so careful about washing and getting light scratches because you can polish again and reapply opti coat or C. Quartz is another brand...just don't mix and match.

FYI, cars from the dealers new is not perfect by any means. They don't give a shit and just wash your car and leave swirl marks all over. They also leave the cars outside to get water etched and the stickers as well as people come to see the car to scratch the paint with their fingernails. Opti coat will not fill that in...it has to be corrected before you apply OC or you will see it and it gets locked in...that's why you have to prep the car...new or old it needs to be done unless the car came right out of the paint booth from factory.

What the hell is the PPF guy doing with OC :p. Rupes bigfoot is the bomb when it comes to cut and polish. I put a condom on my car if I made time to learn how to do PPF.

OC looked easy when my detailer did it...not saying it is...but looks fairly easy. The hard part or where the experience lies is the prep... you have to get all the blemish of the paint off before you apply OC.

On top of that...if you the wrong prep material...it may react to OC and causes fish eye defects... even if IPA (alcholol) wipe down. Not trying to scare anyone just pointing out my experiences...

If you want to invest in good eqiupment then you get all the benefits of doing this all yourself and save money...otherwise you got to pay the detailer if you want a pro job. I'm still on the fence because I prefer to do things myself...but also realize when to pay a pro to do it.

Also if you do it yourself...you might want to check out C.Quartz Finest...seems more resistant to scratches...but I don't have any experience with C.Quartz

I made the mistake of picking up my car during a rainy period, so numerous clear-coat scratches were not visible until I washed the car a few days later. During that time, my wife noticed that a piece of plastic/rubber on the side of the windshield well shroud was chipped/chewed up. The dealer replaced it, and guessed it was probably chewed on by squirrels. I guess it's hard for dealerships to do much about squirrels, but them scampering up our hoods can't be good for the paint.

The car only had 8 miles on it when I first took it for a test drive (the day before I bought it), but I guess it was on the lot long enough.

What is the quote for professional detailing with paint correction in your local area? How much money will you save by doing it yourself?

If paint correction is necessary, doesn't touch up paint usually suggest waiting 30 days+ before sealing/waxing? How does an Opticoat professional do this?

-Z

You save a decent amount of money on paint correction, but I'm not comfortable with a machine polisher and as such the extra expense is worth it to me.

Also, Opti-Coat 2.0, which is what you can get off the shelf is NOT the same as Opti-Coat Pro / Opti-Guard (same product). Opti-Coat Pro is ONLY sold to licensed professionals and costs like $400 a pop.

"Worth it" is entirely subjective, but to me, I think it is due to a lack of confidence in my own abilities and the resulting willingness to farm things out to people who can do them better. :thumbsup:

Oh, I completely understand that "worth it" is subjective, and I think I did a poor job of asking the following:

I did not mean how much would you save by doing the detailing yourself--I meant how much would you save by paying for a professional detailing ($X) and then opticoating yourself ($80) vs paying a professional to opticoat ($400+). I assume the professional would also detail your car?

-Z

Gotcha. I've been quoted $600 for full paint correction AND an opti-coat job, which is honestly a hell of a deal compared to what you see elsewhere.

zinzan, depends on who you go to and if they use pro version or not. Non pro online I've seen $400...pro version is $600 and up...$400 for the opti-coat charge (what the registered installer are supposed to charge) and then paint correction...depends on how much work is required on your car.

Far as touch up paint..talk to the detailer...I know OC they say takes days to week to properly cure.

I'm nuts about paint mang. I do it all. Minus actually painting haha. Color sand, cut, polish, sealants, OC. What ever a customer wants.
My frs is full car wrapped in a PPF condom :D

Dealership "detail" departments are a joke and a half hahahaha out here in Cali it's just a bunch of semi indignant peoples running a dewalt orbital at full speed with a wool pad. Ohhh godd what I've seen is scarey!

Now if you did window tinting as well...I say you are pretty much doing all besides a full detail on the inside that a detailer would do... that would be a one stop shop. Does your shop have a computer cutter for the windows and PPF for the car as well?