Do you charge extra for Opti Coat?

Just wondering if and what you guys charge extra to apply Opti Coat for clients?

 

Absolutely. A permanent coating....little to no detailing needed for years? That is a WONDERFUL selling point and should be priced accordingly. I have fully coated my detail rig (GMC Sierra) and it looks great and I am VERY impressed with it...about 6 months and going strong. I coated the truck in sections and there is zero difference btwn the older coated panels and the freshly coated panels.

 

I haven't even used the product, but I would say yes.

First off, it's more expensive than, say, Powerlock.

Second, it's supposed to be a permanent coating. If you tell a client that a regular sealant provides protection for 4 months, then they would feel the need to return after 4 months for another detail. With OC, I could see that they wouldn't feel the need to return for a detail for a longer period of time meaning you lose business/money.


I dunno, I work in a tire shop. When I tell someone that a set of X tires comes with a 50K mile warranty and a set of Y tires comes with an 80K warranty, depending on which set they get, we won't see them for a while longer.

 

I use OG Ken but is certainly is an upsell on top of a full correction.

 

Starts at $200 for small coupe.


Jason

 

I say up the price a bit Ken especially since your locking in the art you did for them LOL.:thumb:

 

2+ - 3+ - 4+ / S - M - L. Keep in mind this is not the be all end all against bonded contaminates and as a customer's detailer will still be performing washes and spot claying..

Typically only after full correction or new car prep, but some customers who only have time for death tunnel washing(Yes, I have resigned to accepting this) have had their stuff opti coated after new car prep. My only reservation on doing non correction details is the additional charge when the customer wants more than 1 step of polishing AFTER the coating.

 

I haven't been up to date on the opti coat stuff, but could you layer it with let's say a sealant of you wanted to down the line? Or is it a stand alone product? Sorry if that's a dumb or rhetorical question, and don't mean to jack your thread ken. Feel free to air slap me if i did.

 

Thanks for bringing this topic up. Dave and Phil briefly discussed this topic while I was attending the DA class.

How do you guys explain the fact that the next time the customer might want their car corrected there is going to be an additional charge because the coating has to be compounded off? Do you guys explain this issue when trying to upsell this coating?

This is the only reason why I haven't Opti-Coated my cars. I don't want to spend additional time removing a coating next time I want to polish my vehicle. I wouldn't mind opti-coating a hard clear, but IMHO, I don't think it's worth the hassle on a soft clear.

 

Why would you "have" to compound the OC off? Even on soft clear coat the OC is harder and more swirl resistant than normal clear coat. If the vehicle was fully corrected and then OC'd the then swirls would be in the OC not the clear. You could correct the OC just like normal Clear coat. And the newer version of OG (and I believe OC) is layer able. So you could always put a second layer on.

 

This what Chris from Optimum said as well. If the paint is polished before applying the Opti coat, the wash induced swirls will probably be in the OC and should just polish out. You can add an additional layer at this time as well I believe. Thanks for the replies guys.

 

Opti coat is a stand alone product, no need to top with a wax or sealant, it wont bond anyways. Ken, Id start pricing at $150. You can get at least 2- 3 cars from one syringe.

 

I'm not doubting that OC will prevent marring, but I doubt that a coating will completely prevent a scratch from getting to the actual factory clear. If the customer came back with the car all jacked up, how would you know which scratch when through the OC and which one didn't? I personally would remove the entire coating and apply a fresh layer instead of layering over an old coating with different thicknesses.

 

I don't know Gianni. I understand what you are saying, but I would just polish as usual and layer a fresh coat over top. If you wind up with some areas thicker than others, ( assuming its not noticeable ) its just more protection, right?

 

Or, does the additional OptiCoat flow into the original coat, leveling itself off so there is no way to see it was applied over an area that had been previously OptiCoated? It (the newest version) has to be able to stick somehow, to the previous coat, right ?

Im thinking the same as you Ken on this and would really like to have the Manufacturer of the product chime in next week and tell us more of the "nuts and bolts" of how this stuff works on the paint in all the different scenarios paint has been putting up with before OptiCoat was invented..

The future sales of this product could go really high if all these excellent questions were answered satisfactorily,through results of field testing, etc.,by the maker as well as those who have been using it since its inception..

Dan F

 

The way I think about OC/OG has changed quite a bit lately. I think the big thing is that everyone is thinking about it as coat of sealant or wax that we all fully remove before re-applying. But IMO OC/OG is really like an additional layer of clear coat with better dirt and water shedding properties. So if you look at it like this there isn't reason totally polish everything off. You would simply correct and re-apply.


Now I'm not assuming that this is 100% correct or the only way. This is only my opinion and thinking after using and learning about the product.

 

You would be correct Troy.

 

I've never charged less than $150 on top of the correction work...and some charge $500.

You can top it, but the finish will take on the attributes of the topper while it is on there (dirt attraction, water beading, etc). The product life is also signifcantly reduced as it will not bond well with OC. I've never seen anything last over a month.

Opti Coat can be polished just like clear coat. If you go thru it, just reapply...and you do NOT have to fully remove it to apply another coat. Opti Coat can be layered until it fully hardens (around 30 days) and after that you only need to scuff it with a finishing polish to get another coat to adhere...so you'd never have to fully strip it to reapply. The selling point is that the average compound and polish job removes a significant amount of clear...with Opti coat you can add some back and you'll have more to polish next time than just what was left from the previous correction. Not to mention how much easier a vehicle is to clean and maintain with Opti Coat.

That's right, you can polish OC with a finishing polish or an AIO and usually not go thru it...and if you do you can always add a coat after roughing it up a bit with the polishing step.

I would use the word reduce marring instead of prevent. And you're right it will only protect the clear to the point of OC's thickness. There is no need to guess about what's still covered or not, just reapply to the whole panel after compounding...the old will not interfere or resist the new after polishing/compounding.

That is a very simple and accurate way to put it. It is not a sealant and does not need to be fully removed...just correct and reapply if needed.

 

How would one know if you polished through it?

 

Thanks for the info Chris, I didn't know you could use a light polish or AIO to level opti-coat.