Opti-Coat Pro Applied - Have Questions/Need Help

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Maxima777

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Hey all!


I had my 2016 Black Nissan Maxima applied with Opti-Coat Pro about 2 weeks ago. Everything looked great at first as I picked it up on on a cloudy day. The shine was great, but then the next day in the sun I noticed there were plenty of swirls and maring. Having paid $1,000 for this I was pretty bummed out because I had really high expectations. I got in contact with the shop owner (really great guy) and asked about this and was told to let it cure because it might come out a bit. I waited about 5 days and then I spoke to him in person. He explained that it looked like to him when they buffed the Opti-Coat Pro to level it out, it caught some of the microfiber residue and created some swirls. I'm not an expert by ANY means but to me it looks like the original paint correction wasn't done propery? In the sun there's a lot of swirling in my opinion, but I leave it up to you guys to tell me if I'm crazy or not. Another thing I noticed is that when I did a quick detail, I noticed scratching when I put a tiny bit of pressure on the microfiber towel. I know the goal is to put no pressure at all, but it makes me wonder why it's scratching?


A week from today I have an appointment with the company. I was told that by doing a light buff they should be able to remove the swirling. Any Opti-Coat that is removed will be re-applied.


Please include any comments, opinions, or concerns.


Thanks for the help!


Hood


Front Door


Back Door


Roof


Being Picky?
Opt
 
Did you notice the swirls before or after your quick detail. Also what kind of towel are you using?

Btw. That's not normal. I don't know one pro who'd hand a car back like that. Is this person a legit opticoat pro installer?
 
I would be upset also. If you paid $1000, the finish should look flaw less under the coating.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
 
cleanmycorolla said:
Did you notice the swirls before or after your quick detail. Also what kind of towel are you using?

Btw. That's not normal. I don't know one pro who'd hand a car back like that. Is this person a legit opticoat pro installer?
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I use wizards quick detail, 70/30 420 GSM edgeless microfiber towels
But, the pictures are from the day after the Opti-Coat in the sun
 
I wonder if they did any polishing at all before applying the coating. My hack sense is tingling.
 
This is what I was really hoping for... or like even 90% of this.
The cars about a year old, does that matter at all? I mean obviously it had some swirls which is
why I got it done... but they weren't terrible by any means

I wish I could post the videos going across in the sun

custmsprty said:
That's not proper prep work prior to applying the coating, that's for sure.

Be sure to get swirl finder light so when you pick it up after they "fix it" you can inspect the paint.

This is a great example of a professional coating installation pre and post coating. Zach and his team are one of the best.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...ating-my-last-detail-attention-detailing.html
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For $1000 I am sure he is a very nice guy to talk to... but you want results! Poor job and an even poorer explanation. I am not an "OptiPro", but I have applied it and not once have I ever considered buffing OptiCoat to level it out. The dang product needs xx days to cure so buffing at post-application is just ALL WRONG to me. Get some money back, and tell him to fix it and do it right the first time for the next customer. Also, send the pics to Optimum and explain the situation to them, maybe they can do something about this guys certification.
 
mwoolfso said:
Also, send the pics to Optimum and explain the situation to them, maybe they can do something about this guys certification.
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Maybe give the shop owner a shot at making it right? Everybody's had a bad day, if he's able to fix it correctly without trying to deny poor work no biggie. BUT if he tries to fight it then send it up the food chain!
 
custmsprty said:
That's not proper prep work prior to applying the coating, that's for sure.
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custmsprty said:
IMHO for $1,000 your Maxima paint should be flawless.
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Agree with the above. IMO the prep before the coating is likely the cause. I have never had to break out a buffer to level coatings either and I work on mostly black vehicles it seems. In terms of flawless, I would agree, but then that is subject to what the original poster agreed he was paying to have. I've worked with a lot of customers who are good with 80%+ topped with a coating for little to no maintenance going forward. That's not what I do by my choice but rather their budget. That said, I don't charge $1k for perfection on a sedan but if I did you would get perfection.
 
We're all human. As long as he is willing to fix it then he is fulfilling his part. That being said I would keep that documentation of this in case he turns out not to be a great guy and you can contact optimum directly. I mean look at how many people on this forum is asking questions about their applications that didn't go so well.
 
WillSports3 said:
We're all human. As long as he is willing to fix it then he is fulfilling his part. That being said I would keep that documentation of this in case he turns out not to be a great guy and you can contact optimum directly. I mean look at how many people on this forum is asking questions about their applications that didn't go so well.
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Oh absolutely, he said he is going to fix it to make me happy. I understand things happen, everyone makes mistakes including myself. My reason for posting was just to see if I was being too picky, or if my expectations were sky high. Not trying to bash the shop. However, I do want it to look nearly flawless because those are my expectations at that price. All in all I just hope my expecaftions are met and I'm happy. We'll find out this Wednesday.
 
Maxima777 said:
Oh absolutely, he said he is going to fix it to make me happy. I understand things happen, everyone makes mistakes including myself. My reason for posting was just to see if I was being too picky, or if my expectations were sky high. Not trying to bash the shop. However, I do want it to look nearly flawless because those are my expectations at that price. All in all I just hope my expecaftions are met and I'm happy. We'll find out this Wednesday.
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I think you're spot on with your expectations. My impression of why coating jobs are so expensive is because of all the prep that gets locked under the coating.

From the pictures, I agree with everyone else that it looks like they didn't have the paint 100% before application. I wonder if when he said "buffed the Opti-coat pro to level it out", he didn't mean by machine but actually by hand (at least you'd hope!). Kinda like "polishing the paint" is so often actually compounding then polishing.

Keep us posted with how it looks when you get it back!
 
I think the installer is going to need to correct the swirls by removing the coating with abrasives and completely re coat the surfaces. I believe with 90 percent of the pro coatings, a full paint correction short of wet sanding too deep scratches is part of the installation contract before application.
 
A lot of that marring looks very shallow and should have been removed with a 1-step correction, but some marks look like they would need a 2nd step. It definitely looks like minimal correction was done, if any. I've never had marring like that from leveling of the coating either, were they mobile? The vehicle will definitely need to be repolished and recoated. Was this installer listed on the Opti-Coat installer map?

Hopefully they make it right. $1000 is a little above MAP for the product and should have corrected the paint more and if the installer felt in needed more correction then it should have been mentioned.
 
Yes they are included on the Opti-Coat Installer Map. They also included a full interior detail, but in my opinion you're essentially paying for the paint correction/Opti-Pro right? I've been in there quite a few times before hand. Always took the time to answer questions, etc. They do a ton of $100,000+ cars.

I was quoted 1/4th that price to do a full buff process and a 1 year sealant at another shop.
But ultimately went with this because I liked the idea of the Opti-Coat.
 
$500 for materials and $500 for labor. $350 for the coating (materials), pads, polish, towels, misc another $150. Does that sound about right?
 
Maxima777 said:
Having paid $1,000 for this I was pretty bummed out because I had really high expectations. I
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custmsprty said:
IMHO for $1,000 your Maxima paint should be flawless.
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I think both of you have some pretty skewed assumptions!

$1000 is right around the MAP pricing for just the application of the coating. Some installers in certain territories are charging much, much more for this. "Flawless" for this price (especially for a 1 year old used car) should be no less than double what was paid out. Sounds to me someone's expectations were either way too high, or the installer talked up the outcome (or both). But, I feel for $1000 you got what you paid for on this job which is PROTECTION not PERFECTION.
 
Maxima777 said:
Yes they are included on the Opti-Coat Installer Map. They also included a full interior detail, but in my opinion you're essentially paying for the paint correction/Opti-Pro right?
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AND this included a FULL INTERIOR DETAIL.....?!?! Again, IMHO I think you got your money's worth for $1000 (which to me would revolve around the protection aspect of the service).
 
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