Do coatings resist scratches?

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Romans5.8

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Hey all,

I know coatings are becoming really popular these days. Considering Opti-Coat or Pinnacle (side note, is there anything definitive that makes either of them better or is another one of those Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge type things?)

My question is this. Daily driver, parked outside, driven in everything from rain to heavy snow, salt, sludge, you name it. Black car with soft paint. Will spend almost it's entire life from new outside.

Now, that sounds like the ultimate canvas for a coating right? Well here's my thought, what about swirls and scratches? Am I going to end up polishing off that coating and re-applying?

As I live in an apartment, care and maintenance is going to include a lot of rinseless and waterless washes, along with pressure washing winter gunk (in the winter) off of the car at the coin-op car wash. I don't in the least mind applying sealants and waxes (Enjoy it actually) but I understand coatings will offer the best protection. However, again, I'm concerned about fine scratches and swirls showing up on my paint simply because of the environment and abuse the car will take (or should I not be worried if it's washed correctly?)

So my question is, does Opti-Coat or Pinnacle coating scratch as easy as clearcoat? If so, can it be fixed without re-applying the opti-coat?

Thanks guys!


-John
 
Words mean things... just ask any lawyer...


I say a quality coating will help your car's paint to resist marring and possibly scratching...

The key word being help...

Also, the word scratch invokes the idea of deep straight line scratches in paint but maring is also a type of shallow scratching as is scuffs or scuffing.



:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Words mean things... just ask any lawyer...


I say a quality coating will help your car's paint to resist marring and possibly scratching...

The key word being help...

Also, the word scratch invokes the idea of deep straight line scratches in paint but maring is also a type of shallow scratching as is scuffs or scuffing.



:)
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks Mike!

So let me choose my 'words' a little better. Let's just assume I'm not talking about RIDS. But the kind of fine swirls that may come from the grit and dirt of every day driving. Now, using the right wash methods I should have very little, right? But since this Ford Tuxedo Black paint is fairly soft, one could assume that some of these swirls are bound to happen, even just from pressure washing grit off or just grit sliding around the paint as I drive... right or wrong? (I don't know, that's why I'm asking!). Or, if I wash it correctly, it'll never get any real accumulation of swirls and so it's all moot?

Assuming the former though, I guess you're saying, if it helps, then no I won't have to worry about swirls (properly washed) on my car with a coating? Maybe it's a silly question, but I just got to thinking, am I gonna end up polishing all of this stuff off anyway as I remove swirls here and there?
 
As I understand it, many coatings will have a higher (sometimes only very slightly) hardness than you standard clear coat. For this reason, it is technically more difficult to scratch them... but they can and will still show marring (light swirls) and scratches overtime... hopefully it reduces the amount of wash induced marring in the long run though.
 
I think coatings help resist scratches in videos when your beating a panel with a lighter in an uncontrolled manner. But, in the real world with my experience with OptiCoat it doesn't do much.
 
A few of the things I've been thinking about when it comes to opt-ing for a 'Coating'.

1. Scratch Resistant vs. Scratchproof (None are bullet-proof):
Care still should be observed when performing maintenance wash/dry-sessions;
claying<<<(per:"Baggie Test"); QD-ing; etc.

2. If the 'Coating' ever becomes blemished (by whatever/whenever):
a.) Better to perform polishing on the 'Coating'---even though
its thickness will be diminished, somewhat, overtime...

Than:

b.) Polishing a similarly blemished, un-'Coated' CC paint-film; and thereby reducing its
thickness, over time, to the point where the CC paint's built-in UV protectors...et al...
may be affected---reducing the expected duty-life of the CC paint.

3. Less maintenance required during the expected life of what is
considered to be a more-hydrophobic surface.

:)

Bob
 
FUNX725 said:
A few of the things I've been thinking about when it comes to opt-ing for a 'Coating'.

1. Scratch Resistant vs. Scratchproof (None are bullet-proof):
Care still should be observed when performing maintenance wash/dry-sessions;
claying<<<(per:"Baggie Test"); QD-ing; etc.

2. If the 'Coating' ever becomes blemished (by whatever/whenever):
a.) Better to perform polishing on the 'Coating'---even though
its thickness will be diminished, somewhat, overtime...

Than:

b.) Polishing a similarly blemished, un-'Coated' CC paint-film; and thereby reducing its
thickness, over time, to the point where the CC paint's built-in UV protectors...et al...
may be affected---reducing the expected duty-life of the CC paint.

3. Less maintenance required during the expected life of what is
considered to be a more-hydrophobic surface.

:)

Bob
Click to expand...

Hmm, so OC or equivalent can be polished? Well that sounds promising. In that case it sounds like a perfect solution. I know this is kind of an out there question but; how often can it be polished before it needs to be re-applied?
 
Romans5.8 said:
Hmm, so OC or equivalent can be polished? Well that sounds promising. In that case it sounds like a perfect solution. I know this is kind of an out there question but; how often can it be polished before it needs to be re-applied?
Click to expand...

I had polished a spot on my car that is coated with 22ple VX1 Pro with crimson lc pad + sf4500 and it appeared to remain in tact, however I would not make a habit out of polishing a coating.

I think what Bob is saying is that it is better the damage occur to the coating, and thus the coating would be removed by machine polishing to fix the damage rather than damage occurring to the clear coat and the paint be removed by polishing to correct the damage.
 
Okay.

Ideally, I'd never polish other than the first time! But I'd rather polish coating than clear!

I've been reading around but, for a black metallic (very metallic) Ford, which is the favored? Been thinking about the new pinnacle.
 
Its unfortunate that scratch proof clear coats don't exist. They can send a man to the moon but can't produce a scratch proof clear.
 
Romans5.8 said:
Hmm, so OC or equivalent can be polished? Well that sounds promising. In that case it sounds like a perfect solution. I know this is kind of an out there question but; how often can it be polished before it needs to be re-applied?
Click to expand...

There is NO equivalent to Opti-Coat. Period.

And, yes it can be polished. Preferred method and product?

Poli-Seal by hand...not machine, for cleaning the coating~ Dr.G.
Finish polish has also been suggested but I don't remember by whom.
 
Vegas Transplant said:
There is NO equivalent to Opti-Coat. Period.

And, yes it can be polished. Preferred method and product?

Poli-Seal by hand...not machine, for cleaning the coating.
Click to expand...

Have you tried the new pinnacle? I'm a newbie at this; for what reasons is Opti-Coat superior to the new stuff from Pinnacle, or CQuartz, etc.?
 
No sir. I have my product line of choice.

Put it this way: Have you read the Pinnacle product marketing? I haven't.

Does it state anything about ability to withstand scratches, bird bombs, etchings, waterspots?

Not interested in the Cquartz myself, but product marketing states ability to withstand alkaline...not acids. Bird bombs and waterspots are acidic AFAIK.

One has to READ the marketing to understand stated and unstated product ability.

for what reasons is Opti-Coat superior to the new stuff from Pinnacle, or CQuartz, etc.?
Click to expand...

I know the answer, but let me find the quote. Back in a jiffy :p

Found it.

Dr. G said:
...Opti-Coat (2.0) is a clearcoat automotive paint and does not wear off over time like a wax/sealant/nano sealant/nano coating. Therefore, when using car wash soaps, Dawn detergent, IPA, or Prepsol, there is no change in the film thickness of Opti-Coat (2.0) a year later or 5 years later. Just like automotive paint, you need to reapply Opti-Coat (2.0) only if it is removed by polishing, wet sanding, or using paint removers.



Waxes/sealants/nano sealants/nano coatings need to be reapplied since they wear off over time and at best they last a couple of years. However, as the film thickness of temporary coatings diminishes over time, so does the protection they offer. Unlike temporary coatings, once Opti-Coat (2.0) is applied to a surface, it does not wear off and the film thickness does not change over time and neither does its protection. There is no need to reapply Opti-Coat (2.0) unless it is removed intentionally by polishing, sanding, etc. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance or if you need further clarification regarding our "pure marketing".



Regards,

David
Click to expand...

My use of bolding/underline.
 
Last edited:
artofdetailing said:
Its unfortunate that scratch proof clear coats don't exist. They can send a man to the moon but can't produce a scratch proof clear.
Click to expand...

What would a scratch proof clear look like though? A lot of that has to do with the hardness of materials. Diamond is nearly impossible to scratch because it's incredibly hard. But if we ignore the fact that it's rare and expensive, it's hardness also makes it pretty much impossible to turn into something that can coat our cars with!

We could coat the cars in a hard plastic resin maybe. Wouldn't look nearly as good but it wouldn't marr or scratch near as easy (aside from sharp, deliberate scratches). But it sure wouldn't look as good as painted metal!

You know I know some people who spray plasti-dip on their cars whenever they go on a road trip to protect surfaces on a long drive. Now THAT is a coating! LOL.
 
Vegas Transplant said:
No sir. I have my product line of choice.

Put it this way: Have you read the Pinnacle product marketing? I haven't.

Does it state anything about ability to withstand scratches, bird bombs, etchings, waterspots?

Not interested in the Cquartz myself, but product marketing states ability to withstand alkaline...not acids. Bird bombs and waterspots are acidic AFAIK.

One has to READ the marketing to understand stated and unstated product ability.



I know the answer, but let me find the quote. Back in a jiffy :p
Click to expand...


Haha, so it's a personal preference thing then? What I'm looking for is WHY. What does Opti-Coat do that Pinnacle or CQuartz won't do?

Pinnacle doesn't specifically list acids but it does make the claim that 'virtually nothing can penetrate' it. It also seems easier to apply which is attractive.
 
see edited post above.

Some don't want permanent.
Some want slicknes not found in 2.0
Some want top-ability.
 
Romans5.8 said:
Pinnacle doesn't specifically list acids but it does make the claim that 'virtually nothing can penetrate' it. It also seems easier to apply which is attractive.
Click to expand...

You have to decipher for yourself what is implied...and what is purposely omitted and why.
 
Vegas Transplant said:
see edited post above.

Some don't want permanent.
Some want slicknes not found in 2.0
Some want top-ability.
Click to expand...

So, is Opti-Coat not slick? Can you not top it with waxes/sealants? I don't know what I'd do with myself if I couldn't wax my car! LOL.

Interesting. Well thanks for your input. I'll keep researching it.

Also; nothing is permanent! If it was, this entire forum wouldn't exist; because our permanent paint would never fade, chip, scratch, wear, or marr with use!
 
Romans5.8 said:
So, is Opti-Coat not slick?
Click to expand...

No it is not. Once cured it had a dragging feeling.

Can you not top it with waxes/sealants? I don't know what I'd do with myself if I couldn't wax my car! LOL.
Click to expand...

You CAN wax Opti-Coat BUT The wax will no bond properly like it would with a OEM clear coat. You can get a week or two of the wax on the surface but it will then wear off.

Interesting. Well thanks for your input. I'll keep researching it.

Also; nothing is permanent! If it was, this entire forum wouldn't exist; because our permanent paint would never fade, chip, scratch, wear, or marr with use!
Click to expand...

Opti-coat often get very confusing but what it comes down to is that its just another protective layer. It is not scratch proof by any means and just like anything else it will be exposed to the wonderful dangers the world has to offer like fallout, bird bombs, acid rain, rocks, and etc. With all these thing that can do damage to the clear coat on a car they can also do damage to the Opti-Coat when applied.

Opti-coat needs proper maintenance once it is applied. You can clay the Opti-coat and polish with a fine finishing polish a few time before it would need reapplied.

Remember that Waxes Sealants and coating are all a sacrificial barrier for your cars paint. :props:
 
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