Opticoat -- Worth it?

[twinturba]

Had mine done and can't be happier, contaminants like bird poop easily rinse off the coating. I did apply a few coats of wax over the opticoat after the first wash to add another layer of protection in reducing swirl marks.

My 2013 Scion FR-S detail and opticoat

Also, as mentioned tell the dealership to not wash the car after services, they will contribute to swirls.

[Snowblind]

I had opticoat pro applied to my car as soon as I drove it home. It has been well worth the money.

[FRiSson]

Opticoat doesn't pass the smell test. If there really were a top coat that was better looking and substantially more durable than clearcoat then the manufacturers would be all over it, offering it as an extra cost option. Really good products have a way of making it to the forefront on their own strengths, while mediocre products remain as small niche businesses. There is always an appealing story about a fantastic product that almost nobody know about - but it is almost always just a myth.

[Koa]

Originally Posted by FRiSson

Opticoat doesn't pass the smell test. If there really were a top coat that was better looking and substantially more durable than clearcoat then the manufacturers would be all over it, offering it as an extra cost option. Really good products have a way of making it to the forefront on their own strengths, while mediocre products remain as small niche businesses. There is always an appealing story about a fantastic product that almost nobody know about - but it is almost always just a myth.

wrong.. auto manufacturers (and commercial painters in general) have to abide by stringent environmental standards now. There's no secret why paint in the 21st century pales in comparison to non-water based paints of yester century. It's not just a 'this is the best' decision. The decision is "this is the best given our constraints", to which paint has much more today than ever before

[kberkel]

Originally Posted by Koa

wrong.. auto manufacturers (and commercial painters in general) have to abide by stringent environmental standards now. There's no secret why paint in the 21st century pales in comparison to non-water based paints of yester century. It's not just a 'this is the best' decision. The decision is "this is the best given our constraints", to which paint has much more today than ever before

100% agree, and my dealer did apply some paint protection coating and it sucked.

Opticoat is the real deal, I wish I had it. I tried Gloss-coat, and it's pretty great considering it's an easy DIY for $50. Nice to be able to buff a scratch and reapply.

[FRiSson]

Originally Posted by Koa

wrong.. auto manufacturers (and commercial painters in general) have to abide by stringent environmental standards now. There's no secret why paint in the 21st century pales in comparison to non-water based paints of yester century. It's not just a 'this is the best' decision. The decision is "this is the best given our constraints", to which paint has much more today than ever before

Opticoat is not a product of "Yester century" it is a current product. The fact remains that if it really was a vastly superior product it would be much more widely used. There is something called "Market efficiency" that says that if information is pretty much available to everyone, then price and value coincide. In short, if Opticoat was really such an incredible product and value, then pretty much everyone would have it. Take me for instance. If I was convinced that the product would leave a deep shine, eliminate most clearcoat scratching and extend the life of the paint, I would pay up $300 - $500 for it.

[drewbot]

People spend hundreds of dollars on cold air intakes that have little to no gains, so why not spend that money on Opticoat?

[FRiSson]

Originally Posted by drewbot

People spend hundreds of dollars on cold air intakes that have little to no gains, so why not spend that money on Opticoat?

As an intelligent consumer you want to make sure you get good value for your hard-earned disposable income. You want to spend on things that give you pleasure, satisfaction, or protect the value of your investments.

[Foobar]

Originally Posted by FRiSson

Opticoat doesn't pass the smell test. If there really were a top coat that was better looking and substantially more durable than clearcoat then the manufacturers would be all over it, offering it as an extra cost option. Really good products have a way of making it to the forefront on their own strengths, while mediocre products remain as small niche businesses. There is always an appealing story about a fantastic product that almost nobody know about - but it is almost always just a myth.

People buying Opti-Coat as scratch protection or paint life extender should look elsewhere. I went with Opti-Coat to eliminate the need to wax my car with every wash. Now, over two years and countless washes later, water still beads off my car and I've never applied wax to it. That passes the smell test for my requirement.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Foobar

People buying Opti-Coat as scratch protection or paint life extender should look elsewhere. I went with Opti-Coat to eliminate the need to wax my car with every wash. Now, over two years and countless washes later, water still beads off my car and I've never applied wax to it. That passes the smell test for my requirement.

Same here. It was just an added bonus that I've got less swirling as well.

[Koa]

Originally Posted by FRiSson

Opticoat is not a product of "Yester century" it is a current product. The fact remains that if it really was a vastly superior product it would be much more widely used. There is something called "Market efficiency" that says that if information is pretty much available to everyone, then price and value coincide. In short, if Opticoat was really such an incredible product and value, then pretty much everyone would have it. Take me for instance. If I was convinced that the product would leave a deep shine, eliminate most clearcoat scratching and extend the life of the paint, I would pay up $300 - $500 for it.

I never said opticoat is a product of yesteryear. I was refuting that auto manufacturers and other commercial painters need to adhere to more than just top quality in their chemical choices.. Using yourself as an example isn't representative of the aggregate demand for paint protection outside of more conventional wax, sealers, or wrap. In reality opticoat is a new product, like you said, and logic follows that new products gain a following through evidenced performance.. and no need to fill in on the elementary econ, deal with it enough at work

Originally Posted by FRiSson

As an intelligent consumer you want to make sure you get good value for your hard-earned disposable income. You want to spend on things that give you pleasure, satisfaction, or protect the value of your investments.

did you just take Econ 101 or 102?


Edit: additional question

[FRiSson]

Originally Posted by Koa

I never said opticoat is a product of yesteryear. I was refuting that auto manufacturers and other commercial painters need to adhere to more than just top quality in their chemical choices.. Using yourself as an example isn't representative of the aggregate demand for paint protection outside of more conventional wax, sealers, or wrap. In reality opticoat is a new product, like you said, and logic follows that new products gain a following through evidenced performance.. and no need to fill in on the elementary econ, deal with it enough at work



did you just take Econ 101 or 102?


Edit: additional question

Doesn't everyone?

[Koa]

Originally Posted by FRiSson

Doesn't everyone?

You'd be surprised! All this talk about disposible income, maximizing utility, and whatnot sure does help your position a lot.. except that you then shoot yourself in the foot and base your perspectives off of you alone. There's more to the manufacturer's decision than quality and utility, I'm sure you know.

I've seen first hand what opticoat does. Out here in the PNW we don't have the worst conditions to paint, but many get the treatment or treatments like this done and the results are consistent with product claims. I myself have 3M's clear bra on my vehicle, installed by Toyota of Kirkland.

What you may be missing is that you don't recognize people by and large will not spend north of $500-900 out right to further protect a new car's paint job because of various reasons I've listed earlier:
- Conventional (cheaper) wax and sealant applications
- faith in manufacturer's clearcoat (paper thin, ha)
- dealer-option clear bras or maintenance regimins that they can roll into their monthly payment (easier to most than dropping more cash after they sign their life away)
- Etc...

But to come here and simply state that YOU don't believe the product does what it does, simply because of some disconnected economic logic jargon without statistics to back up your claims is erroneous.. I am open to you providing evidence Opticoat and other treatments like it do not do what they say they do, though. Bring it here and I'll be first to read

[David-Fermani.com]

People pay upwards of $1000 to have their brand new vehicles paint and fabric proofed by the dealer with mediocre products at best. Did that require some kind of smell test? Optimum coatings will walk circles around this stuff yet people want to be skeptical about it? The reason why this product is being discussed here in the 1st place is because of all the positive reviews it's gotten from detailers & car owners. That in itself speaks volumes.