opti coat question

M

mohamedmaark

New member
Hey guys quick question, i was thinking of offering opti coat as one of my additional services and was thinking what would happen if a customer got a detail and then paid roughly 400 plus to have opti coat applied and then scratches his paint later. Because the bottom line is opti coat offers a permanent coating that repels dirt, and also adds a little more clearcoat that is harder than most oem which makes it a little more scratch proof, (not completely scratch proof) Since its not completely scratch proof i could imagine you putting some swirls in with a wash eventually right? So then after the customer gets swirls again they decide they want to remove it. And im pretty sure that polishing the paint will remove opti coat. So now they dont have opti coat on and if want to add it have to pay an additional 400 plus again. Am i correct with all of this? Im just trying to think in the customers perspective.
 
This happened to me a week ago. I had my 2015 STi Opti Coated about 6 weeks prior and took the car into the dealer for a few TSB's. One of the TSB's was for replacement weatherstripping around the trunk. The dealer left stringy adhesive all over the rear of the vehicle and tried to remove it in a few spots inducing spot hazing and micro marring. I'm in the process of getting it corrected by paying the original detailer to correct the paint and reapply Opti Coat to the affected areas.

This wasn't something I thought about or anticipated with a coating. It does suck to have to deal with this.
 

You are correct in your thinking about OC being able to be swirled / scratched. But I think you need to focus on the fact that the swirls will mostly be in the OC not in the original ClearCoat. So while over time you might need to re-polish; you will be polish the OC first and not the CC. So you will be removing less CC thus extending the life of the paint system. If you then re-apply OC you are rebuilding the protection again and extending the protection.

It really comes down to how long you plan on keeping a vehicle and what kind of maintenance & protection you are after.

 
TroyScherer said:
It really comes down to how long you plan on keeping a vehicle and what kind of maintenance & protection you are after.
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He's talking about offering it to his customers and worried about the above situation when a week after he does a $400 coating job for the customer, the customer takes his car to the dealer and they give it a courtesy scratch n' swirl, then they bring it back to him to be deswirled and he had to charge them again for recoating.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
He's talking about offering it to his customers and worried about the above situation when a week after he does a $400 coating job for the customer, the customer takes his car to the dealer and they give it a courtesy scratch n' swirl, then they bring it back to him to be deswirled and he had to charge them again for recoating.
Click to expand...

To avoid this situation you could first tell the customer to only use a proper wash method to extend the life of the coating. Explain the situation of getting wash induced swirls by dealership washes and by washing improperly, and once again tell the customer the price of recoating. If you offer car washing in your service (mobile or at your detail location), offer the customer your service and price per wash. That way instead of paying 400 for another opti coat application, they may pay you to properly wash their car to extend the life.. If not, they will be back for another 400 buck coating.

I thought in detainers showcase I saw a detail where a sticker was applied in the door jam that opti coat was used and it said something like "please do not wash, an opti coat application was used" or something.
 
mohamedmaark said:
Hey guys quick question, i was thinking of offering opti coat as one of my additional services and was thinking what would happen if a customer got a detail and then paid roughly 400 plus to have opti coat applied and then scratches his paint later. Because the bottom line is opti coat offers a permanent coating that repels dirt, and also adds a little more clearcoat that is harder than most oem which makes it a little more scratch proof, (not completely scratch proof) Since its not completely scratch proof i could imagine you putting some swirls in with a wash eventually right? So then after the customer gets swirls again they decide they want to remove it. And im pretty sure that polishing the paint will remove opti coat. So now they dont have opti coat on and if want to add it have to pay an additional 400 plus again. Am i correct with all of this? Im just trying to think in the customers perspective.
Click to expand...

Yes you are correct in all of this. But if a client asked me this same question and I was trying to sell or upsell them to Opti-Coat, I would explain the benefits of Opti-Coat. It's one of the best sacrificial barriers you can apply to your paint. It adds hardness, UV protection, makes cleaning your car much easier, etc etc. I would tell them if they want to protect their (insert car here) with the BEST protection possible, use Opti-Coat and maintain the Opti-Coat. If the car does end up having having swirls or scratches, at least it will be in the Opti-Coat and not in the OEM clearcoat. Technically you can scratch your car with any wax or sealant or coating. But with proper maintenance, you will find it's difficult to add scratches to the thickest surface coating on the market - Opti-Coat. If you can, show the client pictures of previous cars. This works for me. Most people are visual learners.

I tell them, check out this Subaru 227 days after a coating was applied. After the 4th wash in 227, it still looks GREAT and the protection is still on the vehicle.

IMG_4059.JPG


IMG_4061.JPG


IMG_4087.JPG


They usually make an appointment after the benefits are explained.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
He's talking about offering it to his customers and worried about the above situation when a week after he does a $400 coating job for the customer, the customer takes his car to the dealer and they give it a courtesy scratch n' swirl, then they bring it back to him to be deswirled and he had to charge them again for recoating.
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Understood.

To me the fact that he would be polishing the OC instead of the CC is a selling point to focus on. If you sell a customer OC and they understand the product & the limitations then I believe and and have found that they are more than willing commit to the coating. Also a nice offering would be to provide "Do not wash" sign for them to put in their vehicles if / when they go in for service. Because for me the people I have done coatings for wanted to keep that look.



A question I have is: Do you not do a coating for someone if they tell you they will continue to use the swirl-o-matic car wash even after you explain that the coating will not prevent the swirls; but they still want it and are willing to pay?
 
How about offering a discount on maintenance washes? This way they keep coming back and get a discount for using Opti-Coat.
 
TroyScherer said:

You are correct in your thinking about OC being able to be swirled / scratched. But I think you need to focus on the fact that the swirls will mostly be in the OC not in the original ClearCoat. So while over time you might need to re-polish; you will be polish the OC first and not the CC. So you will be removing less CC thus extending the life of the paint system. If you then re-apply OC you are rebuilding the protection again and extending the protection.

It really comes down to how long you plan on keeping a vehicle and what kind of maintenance & protection you are after.

Click to expand...

Yea your right, so pretty much explain to them all the benefits and the biggest one being it adds more clear coat...
 
gret said:
To avoid this situation you could first tell the customer to only use a proper wash method to extend the life of the coating. Explain the situation of getting wash induced swirls by dealership washes and by washing improperly, and once again tell the customer the price of recoating. If you offer car washing in your service (mobile or at your detail location), offer the customer your service and price per wash. That way instead of paying 400 for another opti coat application, they may pay you to properly wash their car to extend the life.. If not, they will be back for another 400 buck coating.

I thought in detainers showcase I saw a detail where a sticker was applied in the door jam that opti coat was used and it said something like "please do not wash, an opti coat application was used" or something.
Click to expand...

Right, a lot of advice to the customer before hand would be very good, and also offering a swirl free wash as a service would help.
 
Vega@Autopia said:
Yes you are correct in all of this. But if a client asked me this same question and I was trying to sell or upsell them to Opti-Coat, I would explain the benefits of Opti-Coat. It's one of the best sacrificial barriers you can apply to your paint. It adds hardness, UV protection, makes cleaning your car much easier, etc etc. I would tell them if they want to protect their (insert car here) with the BEST protection possible, use Opti-Coat and maintain the Opti-Coat. If the car does end up having having swirls or scratches, at least it will be in the Opti-Coat and not in the OEM clearcoat. Technically you can scratch your car with any wax or sealant or coating. But with proper maintenance, you will find it's difficult to add scratches to the thickest surface coating on the market - Opti-Coat. If you can, show the client pictures of previous cars. This works for me. Most people are visual learners.

I tell them, check out this Subaru 227 days after a coating was applied. After the 4th wash in 227, it still looks GREAT and the protection is still on the vehicle.

IMG_4059.JPG


IMG_4061.JPG


IMG_4087.JPG


They usually make an appointment after the benefits are explained.
Click to expand...


Very good, so i think ill give it a go and hopefully end up getting pics like you have and this way i could show the customers the durability of the coating.
 
Ok, you are going to make me have to take a picture of my (2011) 3+ year-old Opti-Guard on my Grand Cherokee... :)

I coated it and the Ex's 3 cars, left home forever, drove it 7K miles, ran it through slap-along long strips car washes, or no-touch carwashes at the Union 76 stations along the way, and hand washed it when I could, and have to tell you, I have no swirls, etc, on any of the paintwork.. :) This coating is pretty darn hard, I'm thinking... :)

Wow, wonder what I would have if I had the time to put 2 coats on it the first time???

I have had it in every 2.5k miles for oil changes, and later, diff, transfer case, auto transmission oil changes, and I guess Im just really lucky - but I do tell the Svc Manager to NOT wash it or touch the Exterior for any reason - EVER..

To the STI guy who got scratched - I am so sorry this had to happen.. :(
Were they trying to sand out the stuff or what?? Perhaps your coating had not cured yet?

Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
To the STI guy who got scratched - I am so sorry this had to happen.. :(
Were they trying to sand out the stuff or what?? Perhaps your coating had not cured yet?

Dan F
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The coating was 6 weeks old; I assume it was cured. They used blue shop rags and a lot of elbow grease. I stopped them when I saw what they were doing.
 
I have OC 2.0 on the front half of my car, and stuff happens. I had a bird bomb, washed it off the same day, but have some minor etching. A semi in front of me flipped up shredded tire debris and I got a light scratch. Both of these are on the hood. So, 3 months in, I have a couple of issues w/ my hood. The coating may be permanent, but it's going to get degraded by bad luck if nothing else. I would NOT sell it as a permanent coating that never needs to be replaced, but more as a coating that offers superior protection. I don't see mine lasting more than a year or two before I won't be able to stand not correcting it.
 
Sotra similar thing happened to me. Before I knew what was what, I had my new car corrected and had Opti Coat Pro applied ("heavily" according to the detailer who was really reputable and came at the suggestion of someone on the forums). About 2 week later I went on a road trip and wanting to arrive at my destination with a clean ride, I went to a "hand wash" spot. Made doubly sure it was going to be hand washed and not driven through their auto wash, even provided my own MFs. Well, the car came back clean, but with some light spiderweb marring. I have learned my lesson and then some.

My hope is the the marring is light enough that I can use a finishing polish (WG FG perhaps) and a white pad to knock out the marring without completely removing the OC Pro. Then maybe I can add a layer of OC 2.0 on top of that? The cost of the OC Pro was about $300 for me, maybe because I had a 2-step done and got a bit of a discount, I dunno (total was about $700). Maybe it would be better to take the car back to my detailer and have them add another lay of OC Pro after a light polish? Or do the polish myself and have another layer of OC Pro applied?
 
Tesla Tacket -
If you had the coating on only 2 weeks, I dont think it was cured yet, and that means fully hardened..

Did you watch the guys washing your car ? You just cant let people who know nothing about washing carefully, wash your car...

Once it has cured, you cannot just add a layer to it - it wont adhere to the existing layer..

There is a small window after the 1st layer when you can supposedly apply another, and after that, its on and that is the end..

You know, there have been probably thousands of applications of this product, since it came out, and what only 2-3 problems here ?

What I would do is go back to the Detailer that originally installed it and let him look at your paint and decide what can be done with it.

You can certainly polish lightly on it to remove stuff, but you have to be careful you dont remove it off the panel.

How about taking this to the Optimum Technologies Forum and calling Optimum and getting their opinion ?

Believe someone once said you can use Optimum Finish Polish on OptiCoat and carefully clean up marks..

Sorry this had to happen to you..
DanF
 
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