Best coating for scratch resistance?

[Thomas Dekany]

Chad, the more I read your Opti Coat related posts, (since you have stopped being an OCP installer) the more I don't want to use OCP or offer it as a service. BUT, then I read this:

+1 with Thomas Dekany regarding Optimum Pro (which you cannot purchase but an authorized Installer can) for the best scratch resistance..

Its on my Business vehicle - '09 Black Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 with 32k miles and hardly a scratch after 5 years..
If you are really after scratch resistance and durability more than anything, this has worked for me and all the vehicles I had, not to mention numerous Clients who are happily enjoying not having to do anything but wash and dry..

Alo, my "new" car is 11 months old today and not one swirl.

No, proper washing and drying is the answer.

Do you really think that I don't know that washing and drying creates swirls?

Lets look at those 2 after pictures. Are you saying that Opti Coat didn't prevent scratches/swirls because of the condition of that paint? Or are you saying that some of your customers are incompetent and can't follow your instructions?

Because whether you are blaming OCP or not, the paint should be pretty much swirl free, since you "train" your customer. So please enlighten me why you posted these pictures? To prove what? I am a little slow.

No, proper washing and drying is the answer.

Prime example right here...

corrected and coated with OCP


And then this OCP after 1 year, still had good gloss, good beading, but....







The above results would have been the same had any of the coatings I've tested been used.

 

[silverfox]

Any thread that starts with the word "best"...is a non starter in this business imo. These kinds of threads are all over the board and rarely produce anything beyond the intended result.

 

[RaskyR1]

Opti Coat IS the best scratch resistant coating. Right?

I guess if the marketing info says so...

 

[RaskyR1]

Chad, the more I read your Opti Coat related posts, (since you have stopped being an OCP installer) the more I don't want to use OCP or offer it as a service. BUT, then I read this:



Alo, my "new" car is 11 months old today and not one swirl.



Do you really think that I don't know that washing and drying creates swirls?

Lets look at those 2 after pictures. Are you saying that Opti Coat didn't prevent scratches/swirls because of the condition of that paint? Or are you saying that some of your customers are incompetent and can't follow your instructions?

Because whether you are blaming OCP or not, the paint should be pretty much swirl free, since you "train" your customer. So please enlighten me why you posted these pictures? To prove what? I am a little slow.

Thomas, I love Opti-Coat, period! It's performance had zero to do with me dropping it from my offerings. That beings said, I hate what's become of the coatings industry as a result of over selling coatings. Fact is that they do very little to protect against scratching and my images are just one of many examples of that. Regardless of what coating is used, without proper washing, they always get swirled up. I'm my 5 years of coating cars now I'd estimate maybe 5% of the owners out there actual follow proper care. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink it.

My truck is 11 months old as well and not a swirl on it, but we are detailers with OCD and most are clients will never care for their vehicles that way.

 

[allenk4]

Is Thomas Dekany on salary or a percentage commission from Optimum Polymer Technologies?

If so, I believe his methods of communicating the obvious superiority of OPT coatings to all other available products is a net negative for the brand.

Just my personal opinion.


Preparing myself for the dreaded "Thumbs Down" from Thomas Dekany

 

[JSFM35X]

I saw a video on youtube when I was looking for a coating choice for my new Jeep.

I saw a ceramic pro coating being beaten with a lighter and a quarter. No one mar. I call BS, a hood should have dented from that beating.

Of all the coatings I have experience with (All Non Pro formulas) EXO v1, EXO v2, Opticoat 2.0, Gloss Coat and Polish Angel Viking coat (This one is too new to say) all provide good protection. The EXO and Viking are more hydrophobic making them easier to dry woth a master blaster. The Optimum products stay more mar free and my son is no where close to an Autopian. Thinks nothing of leaning on the car in jeans. wiping up Bird bombs dry with a napkin and the 2.0 was awesome for 2 years and was polished and coated with Gloss Coats this past may and its doing great.

I think the mar resistance among the ones I mentioned is close. Each coating once you live with it has its strengths and weaknesses. For me it looks and slickness, for my wife and kids it ease of maintenance washes and durability to marring.

If I cant get 1.5 years minimum from a coating then the product is not for me unless its for a garage queen.

 

[Stokdgs]

Is Thomas Dekany on salary or a percentage commission from Optimum Polymer Technologies?

If so, I believe his methods of communicating the obvious superiority of OPT coatings to all other available products is a net negative for the brand.

Just my personal opinion.


Preparing myself for the dreaded "Thumbs Down" from Thomas Dekany

You have one from me, bud !

And no, none of us are salaried Optimum ANYTHING - simple as that..

We have all found a great product that started YEARS ago, and what do you know - is still going strong..

There are coatings-of-the-month-year-etc., out there now and notice how no one bashes them or the people who use them or talk about them ???

There are way, way, more Detailers out there and I know many, who only use what has been proven to work, does all the right things right, has absolutely no after-care-rub-this-on-it-monthly-yearly-etc.., who have a few bottles of those other products sitting on their shelves, gathering dust, and will probably never be used, because they just dont have the best overall performance of this product that came out first, many, many, years ago..

That is all Thomas or me or anyone else who has really used this in the Business is trying to say here.. No slamming, no bashing, no opinionated ga-ga..

This product really works, there are all kinds of ways to wreck anything, and if you do not wreck it, you can go YEARS with it and not have to do anything to improve the looks and durability of the protected paint underneath it..
Dan F

 

[RaskyR1]

I saw a video on youtube when I was looking for a coating choice for my new Jeep.

I saw a ceramic pro coating being beaten with a lighter and a quarter. No one mar. I call BS, a hood should have dented from that beating.

Of all the coatings I have experience with (All Non Pro formulas) EXO v1, EXO v2, Opticoat 2.0, Gloss Coat and Polish Angel Viking coat (This one is too new to say) all provide good protection. The EXO and Viking are more hydrophobic making them easier to dry woth a master blaster. The Optimum products stay more mar free and my son is no where close to an Autopian. Thinks nothing of leaning on the car in jeans. wiping up Bird bombs dry with a napkin and the 2.0 was awesome for 2 years and was polished and coated with Gloss Coats this past may and its doing great.

I think the mar resistance among the ones I mentioned is close. Each coating once you live with it has its strengths and weaknesses. For me it looks and slickness, for my wife and kids it ease of maintenance washes and durability to marring.

If I cant get 1.5 years minimum from a coating then the product is not for me unless its for a garage queen.

I believe the hardness of the paint itself is a factor too. Use the same coating on a really soft paint like the OP's Lambo and then something like a rock hard clear and the scratch resistance likely won't be the same....at least from my understanding.

Coatings will help a little, people just need to be realistic about it.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

Is Thomas Dekany on salary or a percentage commission from Optimum Polymer Technologies?

If so, I believe his methods of communicating the obvious superiority of OPT coatings to all other available products is a net negative for the brand.

Just my personal opinion.


Preparing myself for the dreaded "Thumbs Down" from Thomas Dekany

Just my personal opinion, Allenk4 doesn't like me.

ANYTHING I write is MY own. I do not work for Optimum. But I do use it in my business, so when I see it being "downplayed" I will express my opinion.

You do know that you don't need to read a thread? You can just skip it. Hope things are doing well in the IT business.

Please Allen, forgive me? I wish I could I conduct myself like you - I am trying. Actually I don't want to do that, because then I'd get banned.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

My truck is 11 months old as well and not a swirl on it, but we are detailers with OCD and most are clients will never care for their vehicles that way.

Yes I am careful when washing my car, but that only means I don't put pressure on the wash mitt or the drying towel. To see that car in that condition with Opti Coat on it, they not only did not follow your suggestions, the car was most likely "neglected and or abused" when it came to maintenance. I would have to put some effort into scratching up my car like that.

This is NOT the norm.

Now do you have similar shots of Cquartz after 1 year?

 

[zmcgovern45]

As someone who is always testing things on my own car... I can tell you that the areas with a coating look no different than an area without a coating when it comes to amount of swirl marks/marring after 2 years of routine maintenance.

As already stated - the scratch resistance of any coating is minimal. Maintenance will make or break how your car looks over time regardless of what you've applied to the paint. Not sure why this conversation is even still going on given that the OP has clearly checked out by now and it's just turned into pointless banter.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

The scratch resistance of any coating is minimal at best... end of story.

And how did you come to this conclusion?

'09 Black Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 with 32k miles and hardly a scratch after 5 years..

I will take Dan's "Opinion" over yours on this one.

Opti-Coat Pro is a ceramic clear coating warrantied for up to 5 years[SUP]1 [/SUP]with superior resistance to scratching (9H), chemical etching, fading due to UV, and provides outstanding release properties
The Opti-Coat Pro pre-polymer cross links, and forms a continuous protective film on the painted surface it is applied to, similar to a single component isocyanate that forms a clear coat finish.
Opti-Coat Pro has better chemical resistance, scratch & mar resistance, and release properties than any automotive paint coating in use. It provides permanent protection for all modern factory paints and can also be used to protect metal and hard plastic surfaces.

Are we to take your word over what the company claims and what we who install OCP experience? I realize both of you (Rasky) use Cquartz and don't offer OCP. Why not just be happy with that? So what if Opti Coat has superior longevity? That should not be a surprise, after all, Cquartz claims up to only 24 months of protection. Optimum claims their product is permanent. What is the big deal if Opti Coat indeed provides a harder finish than OEM paint?

 

[Thomas Dekany]

Fortunately, you are not the only one who is testing things. For some reason, "some others" have the complete opposite results. Plus, how many coatings have you tested that actually claims 9H? Thank you.

As someone who is always testing things on my own car... I can tell you that the areas with a coating look no different than an area without a coating when it comes to amount of swirl marks/marring after 2 years of routine maintenance.

As already stated - the scratch resistance of any coating is minimal. Maintenance will make or break how your car looks over time regardless of what you've applied to the paint. Not sure why this conversation is even still going on given that the OP has clearly checked out by now and it's just turned into pointless banter.

 

[RaskyR1]

Yes I am careful when washing my car, but that only means I don't put pressure on the wash mitt or the drying towel. To see that car in that condition with Opti Coat on it, they not only did not follow your suggestions, the car was most likely "neglected and or abused" when it came to maintenance. I would have to put some effort into scratching up my car like that.



This is NOT the norm.



Now do you have similar shot of Cquartz after 1 year?

Thomas, I think you may have "selective" reading, or dyslexia, as this is not the first time you've misread a post of mine. The very last comment in my post clearly said the results would be the same for any coating, even CQF. I don't deny that car was abused at the dealer given the deep scratches on the upper door, but the whole car was swirled like the ones shown down low, which were likely from their auto wash. And yes, I have had many cars with Finest come back in looking swirled like the ones above. Ive also had cars come back in looking pretty good too, but NEVER one that is swirl free like my own cars, regardless of coating.



What's funny is that I never mentioned or pushed any products on the OP in this thread. I simply gave honest feedback based on my observations over the last 5 years. It wasn't until you came in here pushing OCP and promising the moon that I felt the need to post anything more and actually mention products.



You seem to think I have it out for OCP, which is not the case. OCP is a excellent product, maybe even superior in a few areas and I often wish I was still installing it. The issue is you are constantly overselling its abilities on here and then others have to deal with clients when it doesn't live up to the claims. We as detailers need to stop with the over selling of all coatings. All these videos of lighter smacking, setting hoods on fire, 9H marketing claims with out noting its actually pencil hardness and not mohs hardness....it all needs to stop!



With all the BS above you've now motivated to do another test panel. When I did it back in the day it was for my own knowledge, not to post which is better, but this time I will record the application off all coatings (to dispel your BS claims I apparently don't now how to apply them) and then I'll also record the scratch testing and the results. I'll use OCP, CQF, and 22ple Mistico Elemento and also leave an uncoated area like before to show how little they actually help. I know you will say the results are fixed, but at least others will be able to see the truth.

 

[Thomas Dekany]

What did I promise that is not true?

The OP asked for a product that he could use to prevent swirls. I suggested OCP. I am sorry, if that is promising the moon. It works, that is why I use it and suggest it. That is no BS.

I know what your beef is with me, but it was you who bragged about removing OCP immediately after applying it instead of following directions which is to wait at least 60 seconds - that right there will make or break the product. No wonder the paint doesn't have scratch resistant properties. My beef with you is that you refuse to take responsibility and you simply blame the product. Apply the product correctly and see if you don't get the same results we are getting. Because you don't have to be "OCD" with OCP on the car. That was made clear also by 2 other posters, yet you conveniently ignore those posts. Unless you think they are also full of BS.

Thomas, I think you may have "selective" reading, or dyslexia, as this is not the first time you've misread a post of mine. The very last comment in my post clearly said the results would be the same for any coating, even CQF. I don't deny that car was abused at the dealer given the deep scratches on the upper door, but the whole car was swirled like the ones shown down low, which were likely from their auto wash. And yes, I have had many cars with Finest come back in looking swirled like the ones above. Ive also had cars come back in looking pretty good too, but NEVER one that is swirl free like my own cars, regardless of coating.



What's funny is that I never mentioned or pushed any products on the OP in this thread. I simply gave honest feedback based on my observations over the last 5 years. It wasn't until you came in here pushing OCP and promising the moon that I felt the need to post anything more and actually mention products.



You seem to think I have it out for OCP, which is not the case. OCP is a excellent product, maybe even superior in a few areas and I often wish I was still installing it. The issue is you are constantly overselling its abilities on here and then others have to deal with clients when it doesn't live up to the claims. We as detailers need to stop with the over selling of all coatings. All these videos of lighter smacking, setting hoods on fire, 9H marketing claims with out noting its actually pencil hardness and not mohs hardness....it all needs to stop!



With all the BS above you've now motivated to do another test panel. When I did it back in the day it was for my own knowledge, not to post which is better, but this time I will record the application off all coatings (to dispel your BS claims I apparently don't now how to apply them) and then I'll also record the scratch testing and the results. I'll use OCP, CQF, and 22ple Mistico Elemento and also leave an uncoated area like before to show how little they actually help. I know you will say the results are fixed, but at least others will be able to see the truth.

 

[Ronkh]

 

[RaskyR1]

What did I promise that is not true?

The OP asked for a product that he could use to prevent swirls. I suggested OCP. I am sorry, if that is promising the moon. It works, that is why I use it and suggest it. That is no BS.

I know what your beef is with me, but it was you who bragged about removing OCP immediately after applying it instead of following directions which is to wait at least 60 seconds - that right there will make or break the product. No wonder the paint doesn't have scratch resistant properties. My beef with you is that you refuse to take responsibility and you simply blame the product. Apply the product correctly and see if you don't get the same results we are getting. Because you don't have to be "OCD" with OCP on the car. That was made clear also by 2 other posters, yet you conveniently ignore those posts. Unless you think they are also full of BS.

Lol! I can only assume your referring to a video I made when it was over 100 degrees in the garage. That was also the same video Dr. G asked if he could use, which I provided him at SEMA via flash drive. I won't argue that doing that video on such a hot humid day was bad, but it is what it is. Now you find one single post online where I say to remove it immediately and I'll eat my shorts! All my posts say to wait until it's about 70-80% flashed off.

This is reminiscent of when you accused me of bragging about how fast I could apply OCP, which I quickly shot down with actual screen shots...something you could not provide. If you're going to accuse me of something, you best be able to back it up.

 

[Ronkh]

 

[Stokdgs]

Gentlemen,

It's not a contest, an, I'm better than you at applying xxxxx product, etc.., and we all know that..

The OP just wanted to get opinions and experiences using the various coatings out there, and for the most part, those who have had much experience with one or more of them have expressed their opinions and experiences..

Would it not seem fit that any product that lasts longer, requires virtually no extra maintenance, has kept the paint protected from a lot of crapola out there, shines like heck and always look great after a simple wash, make one very happy and wanting to tell others so that they can partake if they so choose ??

And how would one feel about products that (since they are all much newer), appear to have a shorter life, and require extra time, product/s to renew it, etc.,?

Coming from those that were there when one of the best coatings first came out, went through all the growing pains, challenges, recalls, leaking syringes, etc., is it not worthy of at least being in the top with however many other coatings are still there after all those years?

It just takes one look at the dozens of vehicles one of the Professionals here has posted up here over the years to see that this product really looks and works great, and can take the abuse of the infamous weather that is part of the Pacific Northwest and still be there years later...

And as I have said based on my experiences a few times with others here, the key to any of these incredible coatings longevity is after really, really, performing a perfect correction, and hospital-grade-cleaning and wipe downs, applying the product as perfectly even as possible, allowing it to cure initially as long as possible, and then for the next few years, Leaving it Alone, and only washing it carefully (which all real Detailers know how to do after much experience and experimentation), you may help extend its life..

Possibly being the oldest on this Forum, I have had the awesome pleasure to see many of you start up your businesses, work harder than the law allows, make all kinds of sacrifices to please your Clients, get very little sleep and rest for years at a time, manage your family and children lovingly, absolutely ROCK all aspects of Detailing professionally, and still make the extra sacrifices to take all the incredible pics, edit, and post them.. You guys are the absolute BEST !!!

I am so proud of all your accomplishments and am always in awe of the things you post up so perfectly..

Thank you for all that you for all of us - AFTER you have just spent another 12+ hour day out there ..
Dan F

 

[Ronkh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-k5J4RxQdE