WEBSRFR

I'm curious if anyone had applied Opticoat Pro on their Mercedes. It seems to be really popular on the Tesla forum and I was curious to see if anyone has had that in their car and how effective it has been.

I realize for paint protection you have products that you apply like wax and then you have products that you apply like a film. Opticoat Pro is apparently a wax like product that protects the paint long-term and makes it easy to keep the car clean.

Other than Opticoat Pro, any other products I should consider?

K-A

People all around seem to swear by Opticoat. The "Pro" version is ironically the "non pro" version, i.e the one where you can actually and more easily apply it yourself, right?

The biggest key to Opticoat is getting the car paint corrected FLAWLESSLY before you put it on, otherwise you're locking in all the defects under the Opticoat "armor".

I'm so ready to get out of a black car, although it hasn't been nearly the nightmare people made it out to be (or maybe I'm just more careful), I with a white car, a good wash and coat of wax was all I ever really needed, you really can't notice anything on those things (namely the most important part; swirls), just how clean and shiny they are (and it even does a good job of neutralizing that, when it needs to).

lsdreem

Opticoat is pretty permanent so like k-a said, the paint needs to be decontaminated and any scratches and swirls polished out before application.

There are other coatings such as gtechniq and cquartz work just the same. None of these can be removed without using some kind of abrasive compound. Unless you want something like that, Just get a good sealant like klasse sg or menzerna powerlock and that should last you up to 6 months and work just as well when it comes to keeping clean.

Whichever you choose you still have to maintain it by washing often. It is just basically a 2nd thin clear coat.

clembo

I have Opticoat on two new cars - Diamond White and Obsidian Black. The white car is in a dry climate and always looks great, I put on the Opticoat for protection. The black car is in Boston and even though I have only owned it for two months, it seems to resist getting dirty better than other black cars that I have had.

I would get it again.

WEBSRFR

Thanks for the the feedback! The car I'm considering getting it seems many are applying Opti Coat as soon as they pick up the car. And yes, it has to be applied by a professional after thoroughly cleaning and paint correcting the car.

People who have it on claims it's the best paint protection "wax type" product they had tried but I hardly see this product mentioned on the Mercedes forums so I thought I'd check...

BTW have you considered a film type protective layer on top of the Opti Coat for rock chips and such? I thought a rock chip would penetrate most paint protection films but then I saw this XPel video.


It seems the best thing to do is have the paint dipped in OptiCoat and then apply XPel film on top of that. Anyone tried the two products together? Perhaps it's best to just use a film based product such as XPel so that paint chip damage can be fixed quickly by just replacing the film in the affected area...

K-A

Honestly, when it comes to those paint protection things, I hate that they even slightly alter the shine of a cars paint, usually.

IMO, best bet for that is a good touch up paint. I know we enthusiasts like to obsess about everything in hi-res i.e right up close, but fact is, it's extremely hard to notice rock chips. A decent touch up paint application will have it to where you won't notice it again, until maybe when you wash it and get to everything in hi-res again.

It is funny that MB Forums don't talk about OptiCoat, while other enthusiasts elsewhere are all obsessed with it.

clembo

On my black car (S550) I have the combo of Expel and Opticoat. It is the reverse of your plan. My detailer starts by Clay Bar the entire car, even though it was one day old. Then he does total front with Expel, no lines, you can't see it. Then adds Opticoat. I don't know how well Opticoat works on top of the Expel hood, but it does repel water, and the Opticoat protects the rest of the car.

I have a guy that I have used for my Porsches, don't rely on the dealer, get a good custom installer, and it will cost more, but you may think it is worth it. I have also had many cars without the Expel, and then did the touch up process.

TomS

I have OptiCoat on both my Mercedes. On the S550, my detailer prepped the car which included clay bar and a full polish), then after the clear bra (Xpel) went on the front bumper, he opticoated the whole car including the wheels. I think someone said it right: it is just another little something between the clear cost and the world. I know they say you never have to wax the car again as after all, wax is only a protective coating.

My detailer has a new car deal where he charges $400 to prep and OptiCoat a brand new car. I then pay him $60 a month to do a full detail on the monthly maintenance schedule.