Hey guys, let me start by saying this is likely my fault, but wanted to pass this along so others don’t damage their coatings as well. I picked up a black M3 recently and after agonizing over which coating and detailer to go with, I rolled with Opti-Coat Pro Plus and Fresh Start Detail in Portland. Fresh Start did an amazing job detailing and coating my Tesla, and even gave me a loaner to use while they had my M3. When I picked up my car, they gave me all off the paperwork, a bottle of ONR, and a microfiber towel to use with it. They also scheduled an appointment for me to come back in a month for a complimentary wash and checkup of the coating. Nice!
So far so good.
For the uninitiated, Opti-Coat Pro Plus needs time to cure to its full hardness. After 7 days, it becomes chemically resistant, and after a month, it’ll be at its maximum hardness. This little detail is the point of this PSA. I must of had a communication error and thought I was told I could wash it after 7 days, so armed with my freshly acquired Opti Big Red Sponge and my ONR, I went forward with my first wash. I immediately noticed that I had left small swirls and scratches in the coating and couldn’t believe I had just ruined a $1400 coating job.
Crestfallen, I called Fresh Start and spoke with Billy who let me know that I wasn’t supposed to wash the car for 30 days and the ONR and microfiber towel was for anything that got on it before they washed it, like bird bombs, sprinkler water, etc. He asked that I bring it by on the next sunny day so he could inspect it and see what needs to happen to fix it. He did say that it wasn’t ruined (you’d need a sander to get it off of the car), but they may need to perform a correction on it to get the scratches out of it. He also mentioned that there is a prep process for the Big Red Sponge that I was unaware of since it didn’t come with any instructions. Basically you’ll need to wash it out and soak in in ONR overnight before you use it, as well as keep it soaking in ONR between uses.
Fingers crossed that they’ll be able to fix it for me without much effort. I’ll follow up as things progress for anyone that is interested. I just need a sunny day to occur so I can get it inspected, which won’t be anytime soon…Portland and all.
So there you have it. If you get Opti-Coated, don’t be me.
Also, have any of you had the same experience? If so, how did it turn out?
TLDR:
Opti-Coat Pro Plus takes 30 days to cure. Don’t wash it until then.
Opti-Coat Pro Plus becomes chemically resistant after 7 days, so you can remove "accidental exposures” with the provided ONR.
The Opti Big Red Sponge needs to be soaked in ONR overnight before its first use.
So far so good.
For the uninitiated, Opti-Coat Pro Plus needs time to cure to its full hardness. After 7 days, it becomes chemically resistant, and after a month, it’ll be at its maximum hardness. This little detail is the point of this PSA. I must of had a communication error and thought I was told I could wash it after 7 days, so armed with my freshly acquired Opti Big Red Sponge and my ONR, I went forward with my first wash. I immediately noticed that I had left small swirls and scratches in the coating and couldn’t believe I had just ruined a $1400 coating job.
Crestfallen, I called Fresh Start and spoke with Billy who let me know that I wasn’t supposed to wash the car for 30 days and the ONR and microfiber towel was for anything that got on it before they washed it, like bird bombs, sprinkler water, etc. He asked that I bring it by on the next sunny day so he could inspect it and see what needs to happen to fix it. He did say that it wasn’t ruined (you’d need a sander to get it off of the car), but they may need to perform a correction on it to get the scratches out of it. He also mentioned that there is a prep process for the Big Red Sponge that I was unaware of since it didn’t come with any instructions. Basically you’ll need to wash it out and soak in in ONR overnight before you use it, as well as keep it soaking in ONR between uses.
Fingers crossed that they’ll be able to fix it for me without much effort. I’ll follow up as things progress for anyone that is interested. I just need a sunny day to occur so I can get it inspected, which won’t be anytime soon…Portland and all.
So there you have it. If you get Opti-Coated, don’t be me.
Also, have any of you had the same experience? If so, how did it turn out?
TLDR:
Opti-Coat Pro Plus takes 30 days to cure. Don’t wash it until then.
Opti-Coat Pro Plus becomes chemically resistant after 7 days, so you can remove "accidental exposures” with the provided ONR.
The Opti Big Red Sponge needs to be soaked in ONR overnight before its first use.
