2013 MX-5 - Gorgeous Metallic Paint gets polished and protected with Opti-Coat

[zmcgovern45]

The owner of this vehicle contacted me earlier this year seeking some information about paint coatings. He was interested in the Opti-Coat Pro coating, but had no certified installers near him. We decided to book an appointment on a weekend where he could make the several hour trip to me, and then leave the car with me for a couple of days.

The vehicle was not in bad shape, but it definitely benefited from the work that was done. After the typical cleaning and decontamination process, the vehicle was polished to remove the lighter surface defects and really bring out the gloss and shine. This car truly changed colors throughout the correction process and is now much darker, and the metallic paint is absolutely stunning. The paint appears black until you catch it in the sunlight and it has a sort of copper tone to it which I really liked. The paint was prepped with Optimum Opti-Coat Primer and then coated to provide a durable layer of protection that will make maintenance much easier and help keep the vehicle looking great for many years.



Process

Exterior
Tires: Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner & Tire Brush
Wheels: Sonax Full Effect with Various Brushes
Pre-Soak: CarPro IronX Snow Foam
Wash: CarPro IronX Snow Foam
Bug Removal: CG Bug Bugger & Tar Remover
Iron Removal: CarPro IronX
Other Decontamination: NanoSkin Fine Grade Mitt with Glide as Lubrication
Dry: DI Waffle Weave Towels and Master Blaster Sidekick
Tape: 3M painters tape
Paint Thickness Readings Taken (LOW!! averaged 75-80 microns)
Polish: HD Adapt on 5.5" White LC Polishing Pad via Rupes LHR21ES and 3" Pads via Rupes LHR75E
Coating Prep: Optimum Opti-Coat Primer
Coating: Opti-Coat Pro
LSP: CarPro Reload
Wheel Sealant: CarPro HydrO2
Tire Dressing: CarProp PERL
Glass: Meguiar's D120
Exhaust Tips: CG Metal Polish + Protection



Engine
Rinse
Wash: Meguiar's D103 and various brushes
Dry: Master Blaster
Dressing: 303 Aerospace Protectant on Plastic & CG Black on Black on hoses


Interior
Thorough Vacuuming
All surfaces wiped down with ONR to remove dust
Protected with 303
All Weather Mats scrubbed with D103, rinsed, and dried
Glass: Meguiar's D120




Before


The engine was in good shape with only minor dirt and dust buildup.





Bug splatter on the front end.








During


Cleaning the wheels and tires. Notice the tire cleaner turning brown instantly upon application.








Wheels and tires cleaned up, and the wheels sealed with HydrO2.





Next the vehicle was treated to a very thorough wash and decontamination process that started with an IronX Snow Soap foam presoak, then a hand wash, bug removal, iron removal, and clay bar process.





Once the vehicle was completely clean, it was brought inside for inspection. All panels had light swirls.





This is the damage caused by bird dropping that was left to sit on the paint for too long. The acid in the bird bomb etched into the paint... you can clearly see where someone had tried to scrub the area and created even more damage. Fortunately this etching was not too deep and was easily removed during the polishing process.





Scuff/scratch on the hard top.





Bug splatter that had etched into the paint. Bug guts also contain acid which will eat through your paint quite quickly if it is left unprotected. Unfortunately many of these marks were not removed.





My test spot yielded great results for the one step correction process. Notice how much more vibrant the polished side is. This metal flake really came to life!







Door before polishing





Door after polishing





This 50/50 shot shows the true color change that was happening. The top portion is noticeably deeper and darker than the lower area that has not been polished yet. This dramatic difference in color really made me love this paint job. The metal flake had so many different colors in it once it was polished.





Checking my work in the sunlight. Most of the defects have been removed, and the finish was brilliant.









Passenger door after polishing (guess I forgot to take the 'before' shot... oops!)





The car looked stunning after it was polished. The paint was then jeweled with Optimum Opti-Coat Primer to prep the surface for coating installation and to further enhance the gloss.





Once the coating was installed, the car was left to bake in the sun for many hours. This accelerates the curing process.





The exhaust tips were in fine shape with just some light buildup that needed to be polished away.





The tips were lightly polished and then sealed to restore a like new finish.







The interior was also cleaned and protected.







A small decal was applied to the driver's side window indicating that Opti-Coat Pro coating had been applied






A small sticker was also placed in the door jam to help provide a reference for dealership or other shops to avoid any washing or detailing of the vehicle

[zmcgovern45]

After


The engine was cleaned and dressed and looked great!





The paint looked stunning in the sunlight.







The reflections were amazing.





The paint was a completely different color now and appears to have a bit of a copper/grey undertone that really makes it stand out.





Check out the awesome metallic flake





This car was a lot of fun to work on and I am very pleased with the results!














As Always, Thanks for looking!

[CCC4me]

Great work as always--love the door jamb labels you had made!

When did Opt. come out with a primer? Time to go look it up...

[theautospa]

stunning! great work

[swanicyouth]

The car looks great, as yours always do.

But, I'm wondering if you were concerned about polishing with the paint being quite thin? Any idea how it got so thin? Or, is that normal for this particular vehicle?

[jamesboyy]

Marvelous work on that MX-5

[dcjredline]

You (and the owner) should be proud of that paint!!! Great job

[statusdetailing]

Love that paint color! I'm really liking the Opti-Coat primer and have noticed the jeweling effect. I had a small section on a panel, with very light micromarring leftover after the polishing step. I was considering repolishing but decided to see what the primer would do, just for the heck of it. It took care of the issue and I was able to go straight to the coating.

Is that sticker something you had done through Optimum or somebody else? I love the idea.

[Sicoupe]

You always amaze me with the work you do my friend! Looks fantastic

[EVOlved]

Beautiful work that Miata never looked so good.