economical version of opti coat?

dmercer3 · Jan 15, 2017

I have been reading a lot on the benefits on opti coat and similar protection services for our raptors.

What I am wondering, is what is the best 'economical' option for those like me who have a hard time spending over $1k for these types of services?

Would it be enough to just have a detailer clay bar and wax the truck every couple years?

Ckhris · Jan 15, 2017

I clay bar and wax 2 times a year, i do it myself though. Once the raptor comes in Ill be using a high end carnuba every 3 months, Pinnacle Souveran Carnauba Paste Wax. I cant see spending 1,000 bucks on this coating. Im OCD on cleaning and carying previous cars though. I have always had white cars since 1990, this will be my first black vehicle so I have been doing a lot of research on careing for dark colors.

I bought an electric power washer good for 2000 psi and 1.75 gallons per minute to get the grit off the paint before washing

I bought 2 5 gallon buckets with grit guards, one for soap one for rinse and the grit settles below the grit guards

I bought an electric leaf blower to remove water from the door seals and other areas

I enjoy doing this to my personal vehicles but I went over the top for the raptor cleaning. All my vehicles stay in the garage too.

Huck · Jan 15, 2017

So you just spent 65k on a truck and is your going to nickel and dime paint protection? Opticoat had a 3 year warranty I believe.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tg74 · Jan 15, 2017

Do it yourself

So if you want to save some cash put the final coat on yourself. Opticoat, Cquartz, or Gtechniq products are not that difficult to install. The key is preping your paint before hand. If your truck is new it won't cost to much to get it ready. Have someone clean, remove any environmental fallout, and a quick polish. Then apply your chosen coat in your garage. I used to detail cars on the side and I don't consider myself a professional by any means but have used both Cquartz and Gtechniq. I prefered the later for durability. I had a BMW 135 that was coated and sat outside for over two years in New England weather and that coating was amazing. Even after two years you basically sprayed the car with water and whatever dirt was there rolled right off. The point of these products is once applied maintenance is next to nil.
If you can't apply it yourself, in my opinion it's worth the cost to have it done.

Check out autogeek.com. They usually have great prices and any products you would need, and more.

Ballistic · Jan 15, 2017

Why not invest in the tools and do it yourself?

Starting out you can be under 500 bucks.

Between Chemical guys and Adams youtube videos you should be covered.

I shop mainly at
https://www.carpro-us.com/
Adam's Polishes | Premium Car Care Supplies
Autogeek - We Are Car Care, Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store

dmercer3 · Jan 15, 2017

Huck said:
So you just spent 65k on a truck and is your going to nickel and dime paint protection? Opticoat had a 3 year warranty I believe.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not sure why you need to judge my financial position instead of just giving help and advice but whatever... some people just need to be ***** I guess...

Tg74 said:
So if you want to save some cash put the final coat on yourself. Opticoat, Cquartz, or Gtechniq products are not that difficult to install. The key is preping your paint before hand. If your truck is new it won't cost to much to get it ready. Have someone clean, remove any environmental fallout, and a quick polish. Then apply your chosen coat in your garage. I used to detail cars on the side and I don't consider myself a professional by any means but have used both Cquartz and Gtechniq. I prefered the later for durability. I had a BMW 135 that was coated and sat outside for over two years in New England weather and that coating was amazing. Even after two years you basically sprayed the car with water and whatever dirt was there rolled right off. The point of these products is once applied maintenance is next to nil.
If you can't apply it yourself, in my opinion it's worth the cost to have it done.

Check out autogeek.com. They usually have great prices and any products you would need, and more.

Ballistic said:
Why not invest in the tools and do it yourself?

Starting out you can be under 500 bucks.

Between Chemical guys and Adams youtube videos you should be covered.

I shop mainly at
https://www.carpro-us.com/
Adam's Polishes | Premium Car Care Supplies
Autogeek - We Are Car Care, Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store

Thank you guys very much for this information. I just do not have a good eye for paint correction. I also do not think I have the patience or skill level to tackle applying the coating myself but I will start shopping for someone to apply 'something'.

So is there a middle ground between getting a detailer to just clay bar and wax for around $150 and opticoat for $1k+ ...seems like there should be some middle ground in there???

AdamsPolishes · Jan 15, 2017

I would say that the middle ground is to detail the truck yourself, and use an acrylic sealant like our Paint Sealant. This product will provide better protection that a traditional wax, up to 6-months on the sealant vs 1-3 months for carnauba paste wax.

If you don't have prior experience detailing, then I would hold off on applying a ceramic paint coating yourself, since it does require some technique, and it you make a mistake, it can cost more to fix it then the cost of a professional install, since the coating has to be machine polished off to start over.

Check out this thread for some information on our products, along with instructions and write-ups on how to take the best care of your new Raptor:

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f209/adams-polishes-detailing-guide-45736/#post940136

Also, for those considering ceramic paint coatings, either applied professionally or by yourself, I would recommend machine polishing the paint prior to the coating. Most reputable shops will include a machine polish as part of the install, but some do not.

While I have seen comments over the years that a new vehicle should not need to be polished, there are always going to be imperfections in the paint from assembly or transport, or from the dealer's prep. The last thing you want to do is pay big money for a coating, or spend all the time and money to do it yourself, to then find that there are swirls or scratches in the paint that you did not notice before, because once the coating is on, those are there to stay until the coating wears off, or is polished off.

In addition, even if a thorough inspection does not reveal any swirls or scratches, polishing the clear coat will remove imperfections that you cannot see with your eye, but do have a big effect on optical clarity and gloss on the paint. Since coatings typically do not have the gloss and depth that you can get with high-quality waxes and sealants, having that extra pop from the machine polish can make the coated paint look its best.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

-Dan

Tg74 · Jan 15, 2017

So I took a VW GTI in for detail Gtechniq coat and it cost me around $700. Shop around and see what you can find. If not in your budget the paint sealant is also a great option but lacks the longevity of a ceramic coating. Last I still suggest some hands on. With a random orbit polisher its hard to screw up, especially if you always start with the least aggressive polish and pad possible. There are plenty of tutorials on the sights mentioned above. That's how I got started.

dmercer3 · Jan 15, 2017

AdamsPolishes said:
I would say that the middle ground is to detail the truck yourself, and use an acrylic sealant like our Paint Sealant. This product will provide better protection that a traditional wax, up to 6-months on the sealant vs 1-3 months for carnauba paste wax.

If you don't have prior experience detailing, then I would hold off on applying a ceramic paint coating yourself, since it does require some technique, and it you make a mistake, it can cost more to fix it then the cost of a professional install, since the coating has to be machine polished off to start over.

Check out this thread for some information on our products, along with instructions and write-ups on how to take the best care of your new Raptor:

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f209/adams-polishes-detailing-guide-45736/#post940136

Also, for those considering ceramic paint coatings, either applied professionally or by yourself, I would recommend machine polishing the paint prior to the coating. Most reputable shops will include a machine polish as part of the install, but some do not.

While I have seen comments over the years that a new vehicle should not need to be polished, there are always going to be imperfections in the paint from assembly or transport, or from the dealer's prep. The last thing you want to do is pay big money for a coating, or spend all the time and money to do it yourself, to then find that there are swirls or scratches in the paint that you did not notice before, because once the coating is on, those are there to stay until the coating wears off, or is polished off.

In addition, even if a thorough inspection does not reveal any swirls or scratches, polishing the clear coat will remove imperfections that you cannot see with your eye, but do have a big effect on optical clarity and gloss on the paint. Since coatings typically do not have the gloss and depth that you can get with high-quality waxes and sealants, having that extra pop from the machine polish can make the coated paint look its best.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

-Dan

Cant thank you enough! Appreciate the reply and the 'depth' of information! Thanks!

AdamsPolishes · Jan 15, 2017

dmercer3 said:
Cant thank you enough! Appreciate the reply and the 'depth' of information! Thanks!

You are welcome!

And just to add a little comment if I could, I know that there are other quality detailing products available, and there are more budget-level products that do not work as well *cough* *walmart* *cough*, but the reason that I originally started using Adam's Polishes back when I got my 2014 Raptor (and when someone else was running this account on FRF) was that Adam's Polishes has an amazing level of customer service, and wants their customers to get the best results with their products. A big part of that is having shine-freaks like myself spend time on various auto-enthusiast forums helping answer questions. Currently, we have a team of people who manage 20 different auto forums, along with the Adam's Forum. This puts the service right at the forums where our customers like to spend their time, as opposed to just having an in-house forum that is only about detailing.

Anyway, you can check out his thread for a little info on how I came to use these products:

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f209/hello-my-name-dan-i-love-shiny-raptors-44376/#post906381

-Dan

economical version of opti coat?

dmercer3

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Ckhris

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Huck

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Tg74

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Ballistic

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dmercer3

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Tg74

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