2 year ceramic vs carnuba test

[Dr Oldz]

Opti-Coat was the bomb when it first came out! The version I applied to a co-workers car in 2010 is still going strong today but unfortunately I can`t say the same for the versions after that. Cost explodes and performance goes down. Sad.

I agree. Not sure what happened to it. As they tried to make it more “user friendly” , it’s performance diminished. I never had an issue installing the early versions.

 

[Stokdgs]

I agree. Not sure what happened to it. As they tried to make it more “user friendly” , it’s performance diminished. I never had an issue installing the early versions.

Thanks Chad for the reminder - it was called Opti-Coat 2.0 back when I purchased it.. This was after the Opti-Guard product was out for a while as I recall..
Wow - that is amazing that your Client`s vehicle is still going strong with it, 8 years later !!! You did another great job back in 2010 !

Yes, I also agree - the Opti-Coat 2.0 was easily the best product in application and results after..
Too bad Marketing and Bean Counters probably ruined it..
Dan F

 

[RaskyR1]

Thanks Chad for the reminder - it was called Opti-Coat 2.0 back when I purchased it.. This was after the Opti-Guard product was out for a while as I recall..
Wow - that is amazing that your Client`s vehicle is still going strong with it, 8 years later !!! You did another great job back in 2010 !

Yes, I also agree - the Opti-Coat 2.0 was easily the best product in application and results after..
Too bad Marketing and Bean Counters probably ruined it..
Dan F

Actually, I think it was just Opti-Coat to start. Opti-Coat 2.0 was the watered down consumer version. I think the authorized only version went to Opti-Guard in mid 2011, then later it went to Opti-Coat Pro, and now its pro and Pro+....at least that`s how I remember it.

I stopped messing with it late last year after the last revision on Pro+ became fussy and don`t even bother offering it as an option now.

 

[The Guz]

I understand what u guys are saying but it refutes using ceramics especially given the crazy prices no?


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Depends on what your expectations are for a coating.

Is OptiGuard Optimum’s pro type coating? The one they sell now Optigloss doesn’t get any love at all. I was just getting into hardcore detailing when they pulled OptiGuard. Has anyone used Optigloss? Pro only coatings kind of pi## me off, but if manufacturers want to sell to a limited clientele who am I to stop them? It must work as a business model.

Gloss is coat is middle of the road. Nothing special in my experience. Not as durable as Optimum claims it to be. I was left underwhelmed by it. It is easy to apply though.

I ended up just giving a 20cc tube to a member on Autogeek to use as I have no intentions of using it anymore.

I have used a few tubes of Opti "Gloss-Coat". It really is extremely easy to use and apply. I have used it on a few sets of wheels but I tend to pull them off and do a decon and re-application yearly since it is my personal car and I run 2 sets of wheels. I have it on a few panels of paint and it is doing fine but its only been a year. I don`t really expect 2+ years out of it like I got from CQUK but it very well could. I feel like many people have gotten less than stellar results from "Gloss-Coat".

Keep us updated. I was underwhelmed by it`s performance. If anything 15 months is about all it lasted when I used it and it struggled to make it farther.

 

[The Driver]

Explain to me why I still have high spots from CQ UK from 2013? Just because something isn`t as hydrophobic as it was initially doesn`t mean it, a. doesn`t work, b. is equivalent to much less superior product.

This thread literally goes against science, Silica vs Wax...

 

[Accumulator]

Eh, sounds like I lucked out when I tried the early versions of OptiCoat...starting to wonder if anything now on the market will be worth doing (compared to FK1000P).

And yeah...those "Sold to Pros Only" product lines..[sarcasm]gee, ol` amateur Me would never understand how to use such stuff, huh?[/sarcasm]

EDIT: my wondering about today`s coatings has nothing to do with the perceived experience of the OP to this thread. I`m simply unable to address that "test" with the info provided.

 

[Dan]

Washing on a regular basis is 70% of the battle. Indoor vs outdoor is the next 20%. That last 10% might be the product. Coatings are great it certain use cases but I`ve yet to see any evidence they protect better than a regularly applied spray wax.

Personally I`d like to see video of the car getting hosed down. Static beading shots aren`t very accurate.

 

[Accumulator]

Washing on a regular basis is 70% of the battle. Indoor vs outdoor is the next 20%. That last 10% might be the product. Coatings are great it certain use cases but I`ve yet to see any evidence they protect better than a regularly applied spray wax.

Rather different experiences/opinion here, especially in the functional (protection, durability) diffs with various paint treatments.

IME very few LSPs provide satisfactory protection against etching, which I consider utterly crucial, but the few that do are virtual miracles compared to the also-rans (and also display near-miraculous durability). The OCW I use on my wife`s car provides virtually zero protection against etching (but hey, neither did M16 when it really counted ) and both it and the UQW/D156 need redone quite frequently compared to the LSPs I consider worthwhile. I`ve kind of gotten to where I just redo the Spray Wax almost every time I wash her car, at least on certain areas...easy enough since I always use some Drying Aid anyhow. Looks fine, but it`s not really protected compared to the other vehicles and some day I`ll probably redo it properly like the others.

Now that I keep our vehicles mostly indoors they seldom need much of *anything* compared to the ones I kept outside. Maybe because of them being indoors and wearing the right LSP, I can go a long time without washing my vehicles (my wife`s is enough, thank you) and only an Autopian who`s working at it would ever notice.

Not arguing, just showing another of those !YMMV! things..I know we Autopians are supposed to be detailing our vehicles all the time, but I`m over that, and my search for "how little can I get away with and still have a near-concours daily driver?" has taught me that some approaches can basically rewrite the rules (as I understood them).

Looping back to the original topic- Even the best conventional LSPs I`ve used, the ones that have worked near-miracles for me, would never last two years on an outside 24/7 black vehicle that experiences winter (even though my choice of Drying Aid might make it appear that they did as long as you didn`t look closely). The wheels I`ve coated would probably be OK, but I`d be pleasantly surprised and I hear the older versions of OptiCoat I used were unusually durable.

 

[Swanicyouth]

The funny thing about this isn’t whether this or that product lasted - but the net result.

What is the net result? OP can tell no difference. So what is the benefit of the coating to the vehicle over the long term demonstrated here? Nothing.

Was the OP happier with the coated side? Nope. Could he ever tell the difference over 2 years. No. Is the OP just a dummy? No. I’ve came to the exact same conclusion he has.

It’s basically a feel good thing to do IMHO. It’s the latest and greatest and mostly the costliest. It has to do something? Right?

They will tell you it makes your car easier to clean.. But in the next breath tell you the coating is contaminated. If they are sooo resistant to dirt and nothing sticks to them - why are they so frequently contaminated?

The bottom line is - you have to pass a mitt over a panel anyway to clean it. How much easier could it be? However, if I was detailing for dollars -‘you bet I’d be all over coatings. Total cash cow.

Then it’s like - we’ll you used this or that car wash - THAT’S why you can’t tell the difference. Really? Well, if the carwash negates the effect of the coating - why not just use that carwash? Shouldn’t there be SOME difference visible?

Nope.

 

[WaxAddict]

Another monkey wrench: beading duration also depends on the car and the paint.
Note I said “car”. My Volvo used to shed waxes in WEEKS, even good ones like Collinite. Contrarily, my Nissan would never stop beading.

I agree with the consensus that there’s something else at play with the OPs observations, but after years of testing and playing with this stuff, I’ve learned you can’t make observations on one car, one paint system, and then judge All Things.

 

[ttforcefed]

My biggest issue with ceramics is putting something on the paint that knowingly will need aggressive polishing to remove. Then people say you shldnt put ceramic on paint and rather better to put it on ppf. To that i say why spend 2500 bucks on ceramic when the ppf will likely be replaced every few years.


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[Accumulator]

My biggest issue with ceramics is putting something on the paint that knowingly will need aggressive polishing to remove...

Same concern here, and it would mess with the ability to spot-correct.

But then I wouldn`t trust myself to avoid high-spots/etc. anyhow, maybe that just biases me against the coatings...

Then people say you shldnt put ceramic on paint and rather better to put it on ppf. To that i say why spend 2500 bucks on ceramic when the ppf will likely be replaced every few years..

Yeah, I think of the PPF as supposedly *saving* me work/concerns. Not that I`d replace my PPF every few years...

 

[Stokdgs]

My biggest issue with ceramics is putting something on the paint that knowingly will need aggressive polishing to remove. Then people say you shldnt put ceramic on paint and rather better to put it on ppf. To that i say why spend 2500 bucks on ceramic when the ppf will likely be replaced every few years.


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No, it does not require "aggressive polishing" to remove a coating..
If the coating has been on for several years as it was on one of my cars, it took the lightest finishing polish Optimum makes, - Optimum Finish - to remove it..

No, clearbra`s do not need to be removed every few years... For example, the Venture Shield on my `09 Grand Cherokee is still in great condition at year - 9 - It is still very glossy and clear.. Why would I want to remove it?

Yes, you can apply a coating to a clearbra but it will not adhere as long to the clearbra because the clearbra is - plastic -.
Plastic is not paint..
Plastic has a life of its own and it is different from paint..

Apparently, the makers of coatings have not taken the time or do not care to figure out how automobile manufacturers, and every auto paint shop in the world can cause primer and paint to adhere very well to plastic bumpers, parts, etc., for as long as it does..

Or perhaps the plastic used in these auto parts is a different configuration that allows certain chemicals (primer, sealer, flex agent, paint) to adhere to it and not reject it later...
Dan F

 

[DetailZeus]

Rather different experiences/opinion here, especially in the functional (protection, durability) diffs with various paint treatments.

IME very few LSPs provide satisfactory protection against etching, which I consider utterly crucial, but the few that do are virtual miracles compared to the also-rans (and also display near-miraculous durability). The OCW I use on my wife`s car provides virtually zero protection against etching (but hey, neither did M16 when it really counted ) and both it and the UQW/D156 need redone quite frequently compared to the LSPs I consider worthwhile. I`ve kind of gotten to where I just redo the Spray Wax almost every time I wash her car, at least on certain areas...easy enough since I always use some Drying Aid anyhow. Looks fine, but it`s not really protected compared to the other vehicles and some day I`ll probably redo it properly like the others.

This is huge IMO. As a consumer you have to decide what you want from "protection". Do you just want water beading? Do you want that resistance to etching? Slick paint? There was a podcast somewhere that talked about Meguiars designing a coating for the north american market. They mentioned consumers wanting durable water beading and they said "well we have products that already do that"

 

[SWETM]

My biggest issue with ceramics is putting something on the paint that knowingly will need aggressive polishing to remove. Then people say you shldnt put ceramic on paint and rather better to put it on ppf. To that i say why spend 2500 bucks on ceramic when the ppf will likely be replaced every few years.


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What would it cost you to have a detailer to maintain a wax during a couple of years?
And how many times would he like you to have polishing done during that time?

It`s a difference to leave a vehical to a detailer and maintain it your self price wise. And if I understand you right the only maintance is a brushless car wash you use. And this is to almost every protection that you get the properties of the last one applyied. Then you say it`s no difference and that I understand if the brushless car wash is what maintain the car. But with a decon wash you can maybe see the coating properties and a sign of it still. That depends on much though. But 1 year in I would be certain to get the coating revived and you would see a real difference between the 2 sides.

What would it do for you is another question. If useing a brushless car wash that leaves enough protection behind your washes. That would make no sense for your situation to use a coating. Here comes the big but. How is the protection from the car wash protection and what does it protects. And this is the question from all protection applyied. Is it a wax or sealant or coating and what is just that protection protects from. There are so much variables that a protection products has. Then comes the environment you live in and what your specific need is. Some have found there protection and are very satisfied with it as it works for them. And sometimes it`s not only for protection you use a LSP but for the looks it gets on your car. Then for some the cost of the maintance is no problem and they can go to pretty costly products to be applyied on there vehicals. There is waxes that costs plenty more than a coating for an example.

Don`t really know what I will get out of this. Just that there are so many ways to protect your car. That it`s a djungle to find out what suits your needs. So if coatings is not for you then they are not. But for someone else it can suit their need and för others sealants is the way to go with. It`s just that the compare you did has no value with the maintance you did. And you have no idea if the coating is still under what ever the car wash leaved on it. If you don`t strip that off and see what happens. You could have protect the coating during this 2 years and have a year left from it who knows. I have revived sealants and coating toppers that the water laid flat on after a thorough PW rinse.

 

[ttforcefed]

I have 25 cars so i have a few guys i use. I guess im looking tl understand how hard working people justify 2k for ceramic.

I had modesta put on my ff in 2015 and i drive that through the northeast winters. 2 yrs later it took one of my detailers almost 6 hours of polishing to that crap off my paint.


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[Swanicyouth]

Another monkey wrench: beading duration also depends on the car and the paint.
Note I said “car”. My Volvo used to shed waxes in WEEKS, even good ones like Collinite. Contrarily, my Nissan would never stop beading.

Agree. Some clean paint is just more hydrophobic than others...

You should tell everyone you put a coating on your Nissan lol. As, I’m pretty sure that’s what’s going on with people claiming years and years from their coating. Their paint just naturally beads water well for whatever reason.

I have 25 cars so i have a few guys i use. I guess im looking tl understand how hard working people justify 2k for ceramic.

I had modesta put on my ff in 2015 and i drive that through the northeast winters. 2 yrs later it took one of my detailers almost 6 hours of polishing to that crap off my paint.


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Curious why you removed it after 2 years? Isn’t that the stuff that is supposed to last until the apocalypse?

The question I have is if the coating is sooo durable; how can you ever remove it 100%? Paint is peaks and valleys under a microscope. We know you can’t compound down the peaks - you must wet sand. So, if the coating is HARDER than the paint itself - why would you assume you could polish it out of the valleys?

 

[ttforcefed]

After trying ceramic on a few cars for a cple years i decided i wanted it off the ff and 430 spider. We used modesa, opti something and a 3rd one.


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[The Driver]

PPF and Coatings are entirely different and have entirely different uses.

PPF is an elastic barrier that prevents against physical damage, where as Coatings are mean`t for chemical damage.

Modesta is a PITA to remove I will absolutely vouch for how tough it is physically.

 

[ttforcefed]

PPF and Coatings are entirely different and have entirely different uses.

PPF is an elastic barrier that prevents against physical damage, where as Coatings are mean`t for chemical damage.

Modesta is a PITA to remove I will absolutely vouch for how tough it is physically.

So why use ceramic instead of ppf?


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