Minus the unneeded quotes that make scrolling this thread painful.

 

...The moderator should delete the excessively long quote...

and then these comments

 

Thanks so much for the info, I had no idea about bird poop being so harmful! I'm a little bit worried about it now lol

 

Sure thing. You're not alone... Many people fail to recognize how dangerous these common environmental contaminates can be.

As I mentioned, it's vital to maintain a good layer of protection on the paint and to remove things like big guts and bird droppings as soon as possible.

Check out the detailing sub-forum for more info, or feel free to reach out to me if you've got any specific questions

-Zach

 

Great post, zmcgovern4. Moderator shouldn't delete this useful post. Just as CorradoMR2, said, it should be a sticky.


I used to apply carnauba wax by hand (Zymol Vintage) in the past but I switched to car coating (mostly Polish Angel Cosmic 9H and some areas by CQUK) on 3IS.

The prep work was indeed a lot but I am used to hours of labor when applying Zymol products and so it was not a big deal. After a harsh winter, I think the hard work pays off. Prior to Spring maintenance (i.e., decontamination), the paint still looks decent with some beading.

 

I guess it was not clear that I was referring to removing the comments about the additional quoting/commenting... clearly the relevant information should not be removed

 

I am seriously considering getting Opti-Coat Pro on my NX. A good friend went for a dealer installed Xzilon sealant that cost her just as much as the Opti-Coat. Through research I found that Xzilon is nothing more than a sealant and you are really paying for a warranty and commission.

My reasons for Opti-Coat over Cquartz is the longer warranty since I don't want to have to pay $1000 to reapply every couple of years. I do park outside a lot as I don't have a garage so I feel either coating will be helpful. Both help with minor scratches but won't really help much if a shopping cart hits the car, someone bangs their door into mine, or if I get hit from loose gravel on a highway when traveling at 60 mph.

The detailer not too far from me charges $900 for Opticoat Pro and $1000 for Cquartz Finest. I may look to add a Clear bra too since I already have 1 tiny scratch from a tree twig that was overgrowing into the road that I couldn't avoid due to traffic. I don't think the coating will protect against rubbing a tree twig at 25-35 mph.

The downside which is probably a positive too is I need to leave my NX for a day and a half. I will need to rent a car probably. On a positive side it means they will spend a lot of time on the vehicle and let the coating cure in a proper environment. Of course it may also mean that they may do 1 part of the process and then let my vehicle sit while they work on another car and then come back to mine.

 

You're making the right choice in choosing a proven coating product over that Xzilon stuff.

You can't go wrong with OCP or CQF (I am/have been an installer for both). Both products are great. Finest is typically a bit more expensive due to the considerable amount more product used during installation as 2 coats are installed for a total of 50mL of product where OCP is 1 thin coat summed up with just 10mL of product. Neither coating will add much of any kind of noticeable scratch protection, so again you're wise to consider PPF on areas that may be prone to scratches or rock chips.

Either coating requires an extensive amount of prep work before installing OCP or CQF... we also require vehicles be left for a minimum of 2 days to complete the service appropriately. More extensive jobs (used vehicles in worse condition) will require 3-5 days to complete and obviously warrant an even larger bottom line on the invoice.

Proper maintenance will be the key to maintaining your vehicle after it has been coated (in fact, failure to use 'proper maintenance' may void the OCP warranty). Your detailer should fill you in on proper washing and drying practices, but in the event that you want to learn on your own, check out How to Properly Wash and Dry Your Vehicle.


Let me know if you've got any questions

-Zach

 

Also - based on your location, I am assuming you're going with Greg at Signature Auto Detailing?

Greg is a great guy! You're in good hands.

-Zach

 

Yes - been emailing with Greg

 

Hi All,

Now that the self-healing coat is coming to the RX, I had a couple questions after reading through this thread.

Sounds like self-healing does not work on deeper scratches, chips, or bird poop. But will it keep swirls off your black car after running it through the car wash?

If you apply opticoat on top of the self-healing coat, will it prevent swirls or still do self-healing?

Thanks,
Eric

 

The self healing properties are minimal at best... it will not prevent swirls, scratches, etching, chips, water spots, etc. It may eliminate very fine marring, but it is certainly no substitute for proper washing and drying along with other best practices.

Opti-Coat will not prevent swirls or any other sort of defect. Opti-Coat, and other ceramic coatings, are simply a sacrificial barrier that will help to keep harmful contamination from reaching your paint and therefore causing damage to the paint. This does not mean that the coating itself cannot get damaged... it will.


To date, there are no OEM options for a self healing paint that will actually provide major real world benefits to the end user. There are 3rd party companies who are working on this technology (google CarPro Immortal) but it has not made its way to the mainstream market, and I doubt it will for some time.


Hope that helps.

Let me know if you've got any other questions.

-Zach

 

Hey Zach,

Any recommendations on cleaning the NX's headliner and visor. I have "dirty hand" smudges on mine and am afraid to damage, pill or delaminate anything.

 

I got my NX Opticoated. It does not prevent swirls. I got it because I don't have a garage and it will help the vehicle look good longer. Swirls are not that important to me since anyone more than 2 ft away can't see them anyway.

 

See, coatings in my opinion are over rated. Someone who washes their car properly will not create clear coat cuts. I have owned my Camaro for 3 yrs, driven 10k miles, and washed it more times than most people wash their cars in a life time and I don't have a single clear coat cut. Same with the NX, not a single blemish to the paint after 10+ washes in the last 4 months.

Knowing how to properly clean is more important than putting 200 chemicals on in hopes that the chemical will make up for short comings in the person's ability to wash.

Wash it properly, apply a wax or sealant to protect from the elements, and you're done.

Anyone local to me...I'll gladly even show you.

Annnnd off my soapbox