Noob question on Opticoat , XPel ultimate and "Nanolex?"

[Premier Mobile]

As others have mentioned, look into not just the film brand, but the more important portion is the quality of the installer. We regularly cars come in with poorly installed film and upon removal of the film, there are razor cuts underneath. Below are just examples of bad jobs. Seek out companies with years upon years of experience in this industry and do not go with just pricing - you get what you pay for.

Take a look at the work in person indoor to get the best visuals of an application. Look for wrapped corners, stretch marks, distortions in the adhesives, etc.

If at all possible, have the installer put on a small piece to the car and look at it under fluorescent lighting to see how much the film distorts the paint (aka "orange peel" texture).

 

[hanl1]

Dropped by Phil's shop today. Really passionate and trustworthy guy. A bit surprised that he knows about this post.. guess we are still quite small a community anyways lol.

You're no doubt speaking with Phil.

Phil will take care of you and your car. I know the man and he is very ethical in how he takes care of his clients and strives for as close to perfection as he can get. Nanolex is superior to OCP imho. Phil has installed just about every coating available in the US market. He will not steer you wrong.

On the topic of price. These services are not commodities. They are skill-based crafts where not everyone's abilities are equal and not everyone is honest in how they deal with their clients. The recipe for success is to fine the most qualified person you can afford(rather, feel comfortable spending money on) and use them.

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Thanks for the advice.

As others have mentioned, look into not just the film brand, but the more important portion is the quality of the installer. We regularly cars come in with poorly installed film and upon removal of the film, there are razor cuts underneath. Below are just examples of bad jobs. Seek out companies with years upon years of experience in this industry and do not go with just pricing - you get what you pay for.

Take a look at the work in person indoor to get the best visuals of an application. Look for wrapped corners, stretch marks, distortions in the adhesives, etc.

If at all possible, have the installer put on a small piece to the car and look at it under fluorescent lighting to see how much the film distorts the paint (aka "orange peel" texture).

 

[tstafford]

FWIW - On the Opticoat Pro Plus, I am a first time buyer and a long term customer at this point. I paid $700 (I think) for the application and as far as I can tell the car is never going to need to be waxed. So you take a one time hit to have the car shiny every day and avoid waxing. There's surely an ROI on this and the length is just a factor of how often you would normally get a full detail.

I will get every car I buy Opti'd. It's well worth the money.

 

[atc789]

Just sent you a PM to find out where you got it done, I'm located in GTA and was finding a hard time finding someone to do paint protection film for under $1500+ (just for hood, bumper and headlights)

Xpel will protect your paint from stones, light scratches etc. Some folks have posted some great stories about keying and other vandalous acts being prevented. It's self-healing, too. A whole car at $3000 sounds about right. (I got the hood, front and front fenders done for about $1200 $ CDN =$900 US)




Opticoat and CQuartz are finish "sealants/coatings". They keep the paint shiny. Both are good, and use the same active hardening compound. They won't protect you from stone chips, but will make your car shiny and rain repellent. I'm not familiar with Nanolex. BTW, I paid about $1200 ($CDN = $900 US) for Opticoat on the whole car, which included about $250 for paint correction.

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XPel first, then coating:biggrin:

 

[cassiri]

I opted to get Xpel Ultimate on my P85D in June after taking delivery. I got a black car so I knew I would have to do something to keep it looking good. It was tough to cough up another $5k for the full wrap but I am glad I did it now. I will say the wrap is great for people like me who always want to have their car clean. It gives me the ability to wipe it down with a detailing spray in between washes without worrying about damaging the finish. The no-rinse Xpel wash solution they sell also works pretty well and will only take a gallon of water to clean your car (not accounting for truly heavy dirt)

I personally didn't see the point of a coating like CQuartz on top of the wrap. I understand it is more durable than the factory finish but you are still left with a more delicate non healing finish as your top layer. I suppose it gives it a nice shine but I think the wrap, even with a little orange peel, looks just fine. No one will know except you. If you want your car looking its shiniest and want to sell it at some point with perfect paint then both a wrap and finish makes sense. Otherwise it strikes me as overkill.

 

[Elmer99]

Xpel will protect your paint from stones, light scratches etc. Some folks have posted some great stories about keying and other vandalous acts being prevented. It's self-healing, too. A whole car at $3000 sounds about right. (I got the hood, front and front fenders done for about $1200 $ CDN =$900 US)


Opticoat and CQuartz are finish "sealants/coatings". They keep the paint shiny. Both are good, and use the same active hardening compound. They won't protect you from stone chips, but will make your car shiny and rain repellent. I'm not familiar with Nanolex. BTW, I paid about $1200 ($CDN = $900 US) for Opticoat on the whole car, which included about $250 for paint correction.

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XPel first, then coating:biggrin:

Hi DMC-Orangeville - I live in Gtown. Would you mind referring where you had the work done?

Thanks,

 

[DMC-Orangeville]

Hi DMC-Orangeville - I live in Gtown. Would you mind referring where you had the work done?

Thanks,

X-Pel done at Legere Graphics in Mississauga; Opti-Coat done at GTA in Detail, Mississauga. Both were good. PM sent with details

 

[chriSharek]

I can't understand this "paint protection" trend everyone seems interested in... Wouldn't $3,000 be enough to cover front of the car repainted twice? And why would paint need any protection after all...

My thoughts too . . .

 

[tomas]

Paint matching is usually poor, and re-painting of specific panels very obvious. The point of the paint protection is twofold: 1) have it look better all the time without frequent, expensive waxing, and 2) avoid having damage that requires re-painting in the first place. The cost of good protection is certainly more than the price of a few crappy paint repairs… but much less than a few high quality paint repairs. Certainly less than, say, having a quarter panel properly repainted and blended.

Everyone can decide how important it is to them. I understand many will not value it and will prefer to roll the dice. Hopefully those people will understand those of us who opt for paint protection.

 

[docrice]

Paint protection films have been around for a long time, but they've catered more to enthusiasts who are very conscious of these things.

In addition to repaints not living up to factory standards, there's also a certain pride of long-term ownership and maintaining meticulous, undamaged clear coat. It might enhance resale value as well, depending on the type of buyer although most people don't care much about (or are aware of) the intricacies of paint maintenance as long as "it's shiny." Film is also much more forgiving when washing/drying the car and reducing the chances of permanent scratches/etchings/other damage to the paint.

Over the years I've become much more particular for this sort of thing and to upkeep a crisp showroom appearance, I gladly spent the dime for paint protection film on the entire car and will likely replace it in five to ten years when daily driving has done its meteor storm damage. I'm very adamant about having a look where the painted finish is relatively unbroken by micro-scratches and other marring. It's difficult to completely avoid permanent rock chips, but at least I can rest easy that having film in place means the underlying clear is still there in pristine condition.

 

[zzzzdoc]

I was told (and do believe this from my experience detailing exotic cars) that the paint on Teslas is quite soft (so more prone to injury).

As I live in an area with hard water sprinklers that leave vicious water spots, I had Xpel Ultimate and Opticoat put on the car a week after delivery. It already had gotten one small rock speck on the hood in the one week.

So far, so good one year later. I just got my reminder to have the yearly maintenance on the Opticoat (wonder what they'll charge me for that).

Car looks pretty good.

 

[tomas]

yearly maintenance on the Opticoat (wonder what they'll charge me for that).

hmmm My installer did not mention that. Ask around.

 

[Jimmy 1]

I had Nanohide installed on mine. So much fluff on the internet, who knows if most of the coatings really work and last. This one has "self healing" properties that can be demonstrated. Others cannot claim this.

 

[chriSharek]

What can be applied by a diligent do-it-yourselfer? I am one of the weirdos that actually enjoys washing and detailing their car. But I want it to look showroom when I'm done. Thoughts?

Obviously I can't do a paint correction, but seems to me there's got to be something out there that's stronger than a wax now that can be applied by DIYers.

 

[msnow]

What can be applied by a diligent do-it-yourselfer? I am one of the weirdos that actually enjoys washing and detailing their car. But I want it to look showroom when I'm done. Thoughts?

Obviously I can't do a paint correction, but seems to me there's got to be something out there that's stronger than a wax now that can be applied by DIYers.

Check out Glare Professional Polish. Lasts about 4-6 months and highest gloss I've ever seen. Search @artsci's comparative tests of this product. Definitely a DYI and if you do it right is a weekend project.

 

[chriSharek]

Check out Glare Professional Polish. Lasts about 4-6 months and highest gloss I've ever seen. Search @artsci's comparative tests of this product. Definitely a DYI and if you do it right is a weekend project.

Cool. I'll try it out on my son's Volt first before I do anything stupid with my new MS!

 

[tomas]

What can be applied by a diligent do-it-yourselfer? I am one of the weirdos that actually enjoys washing and detailing their car. But I want it to look showroom when I'm done. Thoughts?

Obviously I can't do a paint correction, but seems to me there's got to be something out there that's stronger than a wax now that can be applied by DIYers.

Clay bar. Once per year before a wax/protectant.

 

[strider]

What do you guys use to wash an Opticoated car? I've been a die-hard Zaino user for years but there are times I'd rather not be out applying products to my car a couple times/year. Thinking ahead to my Model 3...

 

[tomas]

waterless wash. I've gotten proficient at it, and it now takes less time than driving to a car wash and waiting in line, plus my S is now in CA and we've got this drought thing....

 

[chriSharek]

MsSnow, I've ordered the Glare Professional Polish kit. It was about $85. I'm pretty diligent in taking care of my car - wax it at least monthly - so I'm opting for something that I can do myself and keep gorgeous.

I still wish there was a front bra/mask for the 1-2 weeks of lovebug season we get down here. I know the bra doesn't look good, but for only those couple of weeks, it just makes sense.