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.

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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.

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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.