Opti-Coat application without polishing step?

[BeachZone]

Hello everyone,

I was contacted by a friend of mine yesterday who is interested in getting some vinyl work done and after we had come to an agreement he mentioned he'd like to get his car Opti-Coat'd as well.

He has a '12 Subaru Sti hatchback in Satin White Pearl, which has 1500 miles on her atm. Unfortunately he is forced to keep the car outside 24/7 but puts her under a car cover when it's not being driven. I know it has plenty of fine swirls being that we live in the desert ( and me being super familiar with Subaru paint :)) but I wasn't able to see any yesterday when we met up because it was overcast. He also has never waxed or protected the surface in any way.
That being said, he believes the car is in perfect condition with such low miles and didn't even want it clay bar'd. I explained that it is a must to clay before applying any paint protective product so he eventually agreed but doesn't think polishing is necessary.

Now onto my question for the 'Geeks...
Does the surface NEED to be polished before applying OC 2.0? In all my installs of either CQ or OC I have always polished up the surface after thorough decon to ensure the smoothest surface for the product to bond to. I'm thinking that if I were to just clay and apply OC, that the product would be filling fine scratches before it tops and forms a protective layer above the paint surface, essentially weakening the products performance.

Anyway, I'm not really excited about doing a job like this because it just doesn't make sense. Maybe Chris will chime in with his expertise ;)
Please let me know your thoughts! Thanks in advance guys!



-Beach

[ObsessiveAutoDetail]

I personally would NOT apply a coating without proper surface prep. IMHO, it is doing the client a disservice as I believe the longevity as well as the appearance will be compromised. Just my opinion.

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[VP Mark]

I don't believe it will compromise the coating. As long as you clay to remove contaminants and properly prep the paint it should coat just fine without polishing.

[tuscarora dave]

I don't have any photos to show but...Back in August 2012 I had my mother's 08 Camry for some basic cleaning and winter prep work. Being a guy who is constantly testing stuff in different real world situations, I got curious as to how Opti-Guard would fare on an unpolished and unclayed paint finish. I gave the Camry a good soaking with a degreaser and allowed it to dwell for about 5 minutes before giving the car a "Standard Joe" brush and bucket wash. After the wash I dried as thoroughly as I could and blew out all the cracks with compressed air then applied a nice coat of Opti-Guard.

10 months later she still hasn't washed her car. The car usually looks just washed and I can spot the gloss from about 8 homes away as I drive up her street. When I ask her if she washed it she always says no.

It worked just fine on her car so far.

[PiPUK]

OC really does very little to enhance the surface, think of it as a window. So if your surface is rubbish and full of marks before you apply it, most of these will be visible after. The only difference is that you have basically locked in the damage and won't be able to fix it in future (at least not without the removal of OC first). If you don't want to do a proper correction, you should think of using a traditional sealant type product which will do a much better job of hiding surface damage.

[ShaunD]

What vinyl work is your friend having done to the STI? And would you be appling OC to the paint and vinyl? If you your trend isn't seeing defects that would need correction then just OC it and let him be the judge of any defects he may see after OC. You can always remove any defects he sees after OC. With the color of the STI it will be difficult to see light defects either way. So, just do what the friend/client wants even after educating him.

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[dorkiedoode]

Educate him first, which you already did. Then do whatever he want. If he want oc without polish, do it. Let him deal the result after. He has been warned.

[zmcgovern45]

Educate him first, which you already did. Then do whatever he want. If he want oc without polish, do it. Let him deal the result after. He has been warned.

^This... all you can do is educate people. If they still make the wrong decision, all you can do is say "I told you so" afterwards.

[BeachZone]

First off, Thank you all for commenting!


I personally would NOT apply a coating without proper surface prep. IMHO, it is doing the client a disservice as I believe the longevity as well as the appearance will be compromised. Just my opinion.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
That's how I feel about it, but the appearance I don't really care about lol


I don't believe it will compromise the coating. As long as you clay to remove contaminants and properly prep the paint it should coat just fine without polishing.
I'm just really not sure... I mean by having fine scratches or swirls for the coating to fill instead of a uniform finish doesn't seem so great.

I don't have any photos to show but...Back in August 2012 I had my mother's 08 Camry for some basic cleaning and winter prep work. Being a guy who is constantly testing stuff in different real world situations, I got curious as to how Opti-Guard would fare on an unpolished and unclayed paint finish. I gave the Camry a good soaking with a degreaser and allowed it to dwell for about 5 minutes before giving the car a "Standard Joe" brush and bucket wash. After the wash I dried as thoroughly as I could and blew out all the cracks with compressed air then applied a nice coat of Opti-Guard.

10 months later she still hasn't washed her car. The car usually looks just washed and I can spot the gloss from about 8 homes away as I drive up her street. When I ask her if she washed it she always says no.

It worked just fine on her car so far.
No pics?!?! Ahhh!!
Very interesting none the less!


OC really does very little to enhance the surface, think of it as a window. So if your surface is rubbish and full of marks before you apply it, most of these will be visible after. The only difference is that you have basically locked in the damage and won't be able to fix it in future (at least not without the removal of OC first). If you don't want to do a proper correction, you should think of using a traditional sealant type product which will do a much better job of hiding surface damage.
I understand all of that and it's definitely not up to me whether to paint correct or not. Surface defects are a non-issue considering the paint looks flawless through his goggles, he just ants OC for some serious protection.

What vinyl work is your friend having done to the STI? And would you be appling OC to the paint and vinyl? If you your trend isn't seeing defects that would need correction then just OC it and let him be the judge of any defects he may see after OC. You can always remove any defects he sees after OC. With the color of the STI it will be difficult to see light defects either way. So, just do what the friend/client wants even after educating him.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using AG Online
I'll be wrapping his roof and will not be applying OC to the vinyl.
Exactly! I have a Satin White Pearl Sti as well (although mine is completely vinyl wrapped) and it hides scratches extremely good, which is a huge reason why he doesn't see anything wrong with his paint in the first place. I mean if he wants OC applied without polishing then so be it, I'll most definitely take his money and get it done! But I just don't want it to come back to me down the road negatively where he is discussing with others that he had OC applied and it's not all that great!

Educate him first, which you already did. Then do whatever he want. If he want oc without polish, do it. Let him deal the result after. He has been warned.
This is what I've thought about

^This... all you can do is educate people. If they still make the wrong decision, all you can do is say "I told you so" afterwards.
This is what I don't want to deal with lol




-Beach

[slimnib]

If the job comes out poorly you will take a hit. Why? because when people ask him who did the work he will say you. He will not tell that he limited you.
They will look at the car and say what shitty work, I would never let my car near that guy.

Do not do what you believe to be a junk job, it will effect your rep.

[VP Mark]

Of course not polishing and perfecting the paint is not ideal. You are putting a permanent coating on the vehicle the preference is always for it to be as flawless as possible.

Sometimes people want things imperfect. I know it goes against the grain of detailers but sometimes you have to work with the clients desires.

[BeachZone]

If the job comes out poorly you will take a hit. Why? because when people ask him who did the work he will say you. He will not tell that he limited you.
They will look at the car and say what shitty work, I would never let my car near that guy.

Do not do what you believe to be a junk job, it will effect your rep.
This is what my gut was telling me from the start. Only reason I have considered doing the job is because it is White, and looks to be in decent shape. I did however see the paint on an overcast day around 4pm and even though it only has 1500 miles, and we have all seen cars with much less miles that have been pretty thrashed from the get go! Keep in mind it constantly has a car cover put on and removed in the New Mexican dust filled desert without any sort of protection (wax or sealant) ever being applied. I am almost 100% certain, with it's soft and thin Subaru paint, it is pretty scratched up!


Of course not polishing and perfecting the paint is not ideal. You are putting a permanent coating on the vehicle the preference is always for it to be as flawless as possible.

Sometimes people want things imperfect. I know it goes against the grain of detailers but sometimes you have to work with the clients desires.
He is a friend so I may do it as a favor to him


-Beach

[cardaddy]

OC really does very little to enhance the surface, think of it as a window. So if your surface is rubbish and full of marks before you apply it, most of these will be visible after. The only difference is that you have basically locked in the damage and won't be able to fix it in future (at least not without the removal of OC first). If you don't want to do a proper correction, you should think of using a traditional sealant type product which will do a much better job of hiding surface damage.

THIS!

But if you don't care, I guess he 'don't' care.

Myself... I care!

I did a multi-step paint correction for an old friend back in March. He didn't care either. He griped the entire 8 hours we worked on it, but when it was done he had something on his wife's Lexus that NEITHER of them would have EVER done for themselves. They (BOTH) just think it is stupid for people to spend hours washing and waxing their cars.

But... he *IS* an old friend, and as such, I really didn't have a problem with it. What did I get paid to do it? We had a home cooked steak dinner and $50 to cover expenses.

Thing is, your work will speak for itself. If he ends up showing somebody else and they really love it, then he tells them they DON'T have to waste their money having the car all 'detailed' you'll find you've started a vicious cycle that'll be hard to stop. :dunno:

[rustytruck]

Opti is clear. What you see is what you get. You will see all the swirls and imperfections right thru the Opti-Coat. It will seal them in so your friend will be able to see them for years to come.

[BeachZone]

THIS!


But... he *IS* an old friend, and as such, I really didn't have a problem with it. What did I get paid to do it? We had a home cooked steak dinner and $50 to cover expenses.

Thing is, your work will speak for itself. If he ends up showing somebody else and they really love it, then he tells them they DON'T have to waste their money having the car all 'detailed' you'll find you've started a vicious cycle that'll be hard to stop. :dunno:
Yikes! I hope to get more than that! lol
I see your point and I'm glad you mentioned that side because I definitely didn't think of that possibility!


Opti is clear. What you see is what you get. You will see all the swirls and imperfections right thru the Opti-Coat. It will seal them in so your friend will be able to see them for years to come.

I understand that... It is not the appearance that I worry about most. My question is below...


Hello everyone,

Now onto my question for the 'Geeks...
Does the surface NEED to be polished before applying OC 2.0? In all my installs of either CQ or OC I have always polished up the surface after thorough decon to ensure the smoothest surface for the product to bond to. I'm thinking that if I were to just clay and apply OC, that the product would be filling fine scratches before it tops and forms a protective layer above the paint surface, essentially weakening the products performance.



-Beach