Mineral White M-Sport with Opti-Gloss Coating Video

[Alan l.]

I applied the Opti-gloss coating myself when the car was new. Did the same with my last two F10's as well. This car has never been waxed aside from the coating and quick detailer/ speed shine. Everything from the body to the wheels to the carbon fiber bits were coated. Look at how the water beads and runs off the surface. Huge difference on the wheels too. Compared to my neighbors X5 that's never been waxed it's night and day difference.

[Doanster]

Nice video!
Coatings have certainly changed the detailing landscape the last few years. Everyone has some sort of coating in their lineup now and most are not pro-level application, which is great.

[Alan l.]

I agree. I use to spend hours waxing a car just to get that look which I have now just from a quick wash. My car stays cleaner longer, dry's quicker, and is super glossy. I recently applied it to my satin gloss wheels that were a pain to clean and now they are just as easy to wash as any other wheel. In most cases just spaying the car with a power washer is enough to blast off most of the dirt/grime.

My cars finish is always protected so I kinda forgot how water runs off the surface of a car that isn't cared for. When I sprayed my neighbors MW X5 the water just streaks and smears instead of beading off the car

[twelve535i]

What are the possible errors one can make?

[Alan l.]

Only mistake one can make applying this themselves is putting on too much on one spot. When that happens that area will look yellowish on a white car. Not a big deal though because you can just polish that spot to remove the coating and do it again. There's lots of DIY videos on YouTube teaching you how to do this. Applying this stuff is easy. It's the paint correction step (if needed) is where the real work is.

Alan

[1FastSicilian]

looks awesome! how much did it all cost to apply it to the whole caR?

[Alan l.]

A tube of Opti-Gloss cost about $70. More than enough to do the entire car and the wheels.

[Line Drive]

Alan, that's awesome -- thanks for the video. I just ordered the mineral white and want to do this to mine as soon as it comes in. This tube that's selling for $62 on Amazon is the same stuff that detailing places are charging $500 for, right?

[aw305]

There are two types of opticoat. One for general consumers which I believe has a 1 or 2 yr garuntee. And then there is the product that only professionals are allowed to install with mandatory paint correction before that coat is applied and that is garunteed for 5 model years of the vehicle.

[Alan l.]

Correct. There is consumer grade and professional grade of Opti-Gloss. Even consumer grade stuff is light years more durable than your typical wax.

[Kzang]

This is something that is on my list of things to do... Currently I am using Sonax polymer net shield which IMO works very good as far as water beading and repelling for as long as 4 months or until I need to reapply it.

[Line Drive]

Ah, OK. Thanks for the distinction between the two opti-coats. That's priority one first week I get mine.

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by Kzang

This is something that is on my list of things to do... Currently I am using Sonax polymer net shield which IMO works very good as far as water beading and repelling for as long as 4 months or until I need to reapply it.

I tried the Sonax net shield and it's not nearly as slick OptiGloss. I was using it on my satin BBS wheels and they were still a pain to clean. Now with the optigloss on the wheels dirt wipes right off the wheels.

[Doanster]

Originally Posted by Line Drive

Ah, OK. Thanks for the distinction between the two opti-coats. That's priority one first week I get mine.

The sooner you can get the car coated after delivery, the better, as any imperfections/swirls get sealed as well.
As Alan stated, a little goes a long way when it comes to coatings. They have the consistency of water so it's tempting to keep spraying the pad, but too much and you'll get high spots that need lots of elbow grease to polish back down. Consumer grade coatings don't flash as quickly as the pro-grades so they are very easy to apply.
The bottle on the left is the original Opti-Seal and it's enough to coat 4-5 cars, which gives you an idea about how little is actually needed.
The box on the right I generously received as gift for helping a vendor out with test fitting/refinement of a part on my other car. I used it on my DD's new wheels and it works just like Opti, CQuartz, etc. Breeze to clean.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I tried the Sonax net shield and it's not nearly as slick OptiGloss. I was using it on my satin BBS wheels and they were still a pain to clean. Now with the optigloss on the wheels dirt wipes right off the wheels.

Alan, which opti-coat did you apply the consumer or pro version?

[sdalpha]

Originally Posted by Kzang

Alan, which opti-coat did you apply the consumer or pro version?

Originally Posted by Alan l.

I applied the Opti-gloss coating myself

I hate to be a stickler with the terminology, but Optimum only names the consumer grade coating as Gloss-Coat. The pro version is Opti-Coat Pro, which is what used to be called Opti-Coat 2.0.

Coatings are gaining popularity, and I was tempted to coat my car during my last detail. I'm still thinking about it. But I honestly can't decide if I want to go with a consumer grade one or professional grade. Part of me wants to do it myself, but part of me wants to go all out and get CQuartz Finest if I am going to go with the option of coating the car anyway.

Then there is the part of me that likes experimenting with different waxes, sealants, and combinations thereof. Different products can provide different looks. Sometimes you can tell, sometimes you can't. And in a lot of cases, it takes a really careful look and a discernable eye to notice the difference. Then there is also the idea that I have enough sealants and waxes on the shelf that would last me multiple lifetimes.

[hamh]

If I'm doing it when the car is one month old, is there any prep work I'll need other than washing it?

[sdalpha]

Originally Posted by hamh

If I'm doing it when the car is one month old, is there any prep work I'll need other than washing it?

It depends. Even new cars that come straight from factory with the plastics on can have paint imperfections. At a minimum, the paint has to be clean, and when I say clean, I mean really, really clean. Coatings need a really clean surface to properly bond; otherwise, they can be subject to premature failure. Anything that is there before the coating (scratches, swirl marks, etc.) will be under the coating after application. If I were applying a coating, I would do the absolute minimum: wash, iron decon, clay, polish, panel wipe. The panel wipe will be the step where you remove polishing oils, and may even include a product that would promote coating adhesion. Depending on the product you choose to apply, the manufacturer may have specific instructions and products that help prep the surface.

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by sdalpha

It depends. Even new cars that come straight from factory with the plastics on can have paint imperfections. At a minimum, the paint has to be clean, and when I say clean, I mean really, really clean. Coatings need a really clean surface to properly bond; otherwise, they can be subject to premature failure. Anything that is there before the coating (scratches, swirl marks, etc.) will be under the coating after application. If I were applying a coating, I would do the absolute minimum: wash, iron decon, clay, polish, panel wipe. The panel wipe will be the step where you remove polishing oils, and may even include a product that would promote coating adhesion. Depending on the product you choose to apply, the manufacturer may have specific instructions and products that help prep the surface.

This guy knows what he's talking about

It all comes down to the condition of the paint and how perfect you want the paint to be.

Since my car is white and its not a garage queen I didn't need my paint to be 100% flawless so I didn't need any paint correction before I applied Opti-Gloss. I washed the car really well then wiped it the entire car down with 50/50 alcohol/ water mix.

Alan

[Alan l.]

Originally Posted by sdalpha

Then there is also the idea that I have enough sealants and waxes on the shelf that would last me multiple lifetimes.

I am guilty of this as well. I have countless bottles of all different brand polishes/waxes/sealants that could last me for the next 10 years easy

Now that I've become such a big fan of these types of coatings I just don't see myself going back to the traditional stuff. With two kids and work I simple don't have the time like I use to take care of my paint.

On my car I actually applied a old tube of Opti-Coat that I had then after a few weeks topped it with Opti-Gloss. OG def. looks glossier and feels more slick compared to the old OptiCoat but OC is suppose to be more durable.

Alan

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by sdalpha

I hate to be a stickler with the terminology, but Optimum only names the consumer grade coating as Gloss-Coat. The pro version is Opti-Coat Pro, which is what used to be called Opti-Coat 2.0.

Coatings are gaining popularity, and I was tempted to coat my car during my last detail. I'm still thinking about it. But I honestly can't decide if I want to go with a consumer grade one or professional grade. Part of me wants to do it myself, but part of me wants to go all out and get CQuartz Finest if I am going to go with the option of coating the car anyway.

Then there is the part of me that likes experimenting with different waxes, sealants, and combinations thereof. Different products can provide different looks. Sometimes you can tell, sometimes you can't. And in a lot of cases, it takes a really careful look and a discernable eye to notice the difference. Then there is also the idea that I have enough sealants and waxes on the shelf that would last me multiple lifetimes.

So Alan used the pro version

[Alan l.]

Actually you can't buy the pro version unless you are a detailer. I used the consumer grade version.