opti coat question

[mohamedmaark]

Hey guys quick question, i was thinking of offering opti coat as one of my additional services and was thinking what would happen if a customer got a detail and then paid roughly 400 plus to have opti coat applied and then scratches his paint later. Because the bottom line is opti coat offers a permanent coating that repels dirt, and also adds a little more clearcoat that is harder than most oem which makes it a little more scratch proof, (not completely scratch proof) Since its not completely scratch proof i could imagine you putting some swirls in with a wash eventually right? So then after the customer gets swirls again they decide they want to remove it. And im pretty sure that polishing the paint will remove opti coat. So now they dont have opti coat on and if want to add it have to pay an additional 400 plus again. Am i correct with all of this? Im just trying to think in the customers perspective.

[405HP_Z06]

This happened to me a week ago. I had my 2015 STi Opti Coated about 6 weeks prior and took the car into the dealer for a few TSB`s. One of the TSB`s was for replacement weatherstripping around the trunk. The dealer left stringy adhesive all over the rear of the vehicle and tried to remove it in a few spots inducing spot hazing and micro marring. I`m in the process of getting it corrected by paying the original detailer to correct the paint and reapply Opti Coat to the affected areas.

This wasn`t something I thought about or anticipated with a coating. It does suck to have to deal with this.

[TroyScherer]

You are correct in your thinking about OC being able to be swirled / scratched. But I think you need to focus on the fact that the swirls will mostly be in the OC not in the original ClearCoat. So while over time you might need to re-polish; you will be polish the OC first and not the CC. So you will be removing less CC thus extending the life of the paint system. If you then re-apply OC you are rebuilding the protection again and extending the protection.

It really comes down to how long you plan on keeping a vehicle and what kind of maintenance & protection you are after.

[Setec Astronomy]

It really comes down to how long you plan on keeping a vehicle and what kind of maintenance & protection you are after.

He`s talking about offering it to his customers and worried about the above situation when a week after he does a $400 coating job for the customer, the customer takes his car to the dealer and they give it a courtesy scratch n` swirl, then they bring it back to him to be deswirled and he had to charge them again for recoating.

[gret]

He`s talking about offering it to his customers and worried about the above situation when a week after he does a $400 coating job for the customer, the customer takes his car to the dealer and they give it a courtesy scratch n` swirl, then they bring it back to him to be deswirled and he had to charge them again for recoating.

To avoid this situation you could first tell the customer to only use a proper wash method to extend the life of the coating. Explain the situation of getting wash induced swirls by dealership washes and by washing improperly, and once again tell the customer the price of recoating. If you offer car washing in your service (mobile or at your detail location), offer the customer your service and price per wash. That way instead of paying 400 for another opti coat application, they may pay you to properly wash their car to extend the life.. If not, they will be back for another 400 buck coating.

I thought in detainers showcase I saw a detail where a sticker was applied in the door jam that opti coat was used and it said something like "please do not wash, an opti coat application was used" or something.

[RaysWay]

Hey guys quick question, i was thinking of offering opti coat as one of my additional services and was thinking what would happen if a customer got a detail and then paid roughly 400 plus to have opti coat applied and then scratches his paint later. Because the bottom line is opti coat offers a permanent coating that repels dirt, and also adds a little more clearcoat that is harder than most oem which makes it a little more scratch proof, (not completely scratch proof) Since its not completely scratch proof i could imagine you putting some swirls in with a wash eventually right? So then after the customer gets swirls again they decide they want to remove it. And im pretty sure that polishing the paint will remove opti coat. So now they dont have opti coat on and if want to add it have to pay an additional 400 plus again. Am i correct with all of this? Im just trying to think in the customers perspective.

Yes you are correct in all of this. But if a client asked me this same question and I was trying to sell or upsell them to Opti-Coat, I would explain the benefits of Opti-Coat. It`s one of the best sacrificial barriers you can apply to your paint. It adds hardness, UV protection, makes cleaning your car much easier, etc etc. I would tell them if they want to protect their (insert car here) with the BEST protection possible, use Opti-Coat and maintain the Opti-Coat. If the car does end up having having swirls or scratches, at least it will be in the Opti-Coat and not in the OEM clearcoat. Technically you can scratch your car with any wax or sealant or coating. But with proper maintenance, you will find it`s difficult to add scratches to the thickest surface coating on the market - Opti-Coat. If you can, show the client pictures of previous cars. This works for me. Most people are visual learners.

I tell them, check out this Subaru 227 days after a coating was applied. After the 4th wash in 227, it still looks GREAT and the protection is still on the vehicle.







They usually make an appointment after the benefits are explained.

[TroyScherer]

He`s talking about offering it to his customers and worried about the above situation when a week after he does a $400 coating job for the customer, the customer takes his car to the dealer and they give it a courtesy scratch n` swirl, then they bring it back to him to be deswirled and he had to charge them again for recoating.

Understood.

To me the fact that he would be polishing the OC instead of the CC is a selling point to focus on. If you sell a customer OC and they understand the product & the limitations then I believe and and have found that they are more than willing commit to the coating. Also a nice offering would be to provide "Do not wash" sign for them to put in their vehicles if / when they go in for service. Because for me the people I have done coatings for wanted to keep that look.



A question I have is: Do you not do a coating for someone if they tell you they will continue to use the swirl-o-matic car wash even after you explain that the coating will not prevent the swirls; but they still want it and are willing to pay?

[RaysWay]

How about offering a discount on maintenance washes? This way they keep coming back and get a discount for using Opti-Coat.

[mohamedmaark]

You are correct in your thinking about OC being able to be swirled / scratched. But I think you need to focus on the fact that the swirls will mostly be in the OC not in the original ClearCoat. So while over time you might need to re-polish; you will be polish the OC first and not the CC. So you will be removing less CC thus extending the life of the paint system. If you then re-apply OC you are rebuilding the protection again and extending the protection.

It really comes down to how long you plan on keeping a vehicle and what kind of maintenance & protection you are after.

Yea your right, so pretty much explain to them all the benefits and the biggest one being it adds more clear coat...

[mohamedmaark]

To avoid this situation you could first tell the customer to only use a proper wash method to extend the life of the coating. Explain the situation of getting wash induced swirls by dealership washes and by washing improperly, and once again tell the customer the price of recoating. If you offer car washing in your service (mobile or at your detail location), offer the customer your service and price per wash. That way instead of paying 400 for another opti coat application, they may pay you to properly wash their car to extend the life.. If not, they will be back for another 400 buck coating.

I thought in detainers showcase I saw a detail where a sticker was applied in the door jam that opti coat was used and it said something like "please do not wash, an opti coat application was used" or something.

Right, a lot of advice to the customer before hand would be very good, and also offering a swirl free wash as a service would help.

[mohamedmaark]

Yes you are correct in all of this. But if a client asked me this same question and I was trying to sell or upsell them to Opti-Coat, I would explain the benefits of Opti-Coat. It`s one of the best sacrificial barriers you can apply to your paint. It adds hardness, UV protection, makes cleaning your car much easier, etc etc. I would tell them if they want to protect their (insert car here) with the BEST protection possible, use Opti-Coat and maintain the Opti-Coat. If the car does end up having having swirls or scratches, at least it will be in the Opti-Coat and not in the OEM clearcoat. Technically you can scratch your car with any wax or sealant or coating. But with proper maintenance, you will find it`s difficult to add scratches to the thickest surface coating on the market - Opti-Coat. If you can, show the client pictures of previous cars. This works for me. Most people are visual learners.

I tell them, check out this Subaru 227 days after a coating was applied. After the 4th wash in 227, it still looks GREAT and the protection is still on the vehicle.







They usually make an appointment after the benefits are explained.

Very good, so i think ill give it a go and hopefully end up getting pics like you have and this way i could show the customers the durability of the coating.

[mohamedmaark]

How about offering a discount on maintenance washes? This way they keep coming back and get a discount for using Opti-Coat.

Yea i do offer swirl free washes, so this could bring me more business, that would be good.

[tropicsteve]

just be careful about implying a warranty unless you are prepared to back it up. could be a real headache.

[Stokdgs]

Ok, you are going to make me have to take a picture of my (2011) 3+ year-old Opti-Guard on my Grand Cherokee...

I coated it and the Ex`s 3 cars, left home forever, drove it 7K miles, ran it through slap-along long strips car washes, or no-touch carwashes at the Union 76 stations along the way, and hand washed it when I could, and have to tell you, I have no swirls, etc, on any of the paintwork.. This coating is pretty darn hard, I`m thinking...

Wow, wonder what I would have if I had the time to put 2 coats on it the first time???

I have had it in every 2.5k miles for oil changes, and later, diff, transfer case, auto transmission oil changes, and I guess Im just really lucky - but I do tell the Svc Manager to NOT wash it or touch the Exterior for any reason - EVER..

To the STI guy who got scratched - I am so sorry this had to happen..
Were they trying to sand out the stuff or what?? Perhaps your coating had not cured yet?

Dan F

[405HP_Z06]

To the STI guy who got scratched - I am so sorry this had to happen..
Were they trying to sand out the stuff or what?? Perhaps your coating had not cured yet?

Dan F

The coating was 6 weeks old; I assume it was cured. They used blue shop rags and a lot of elbow grease. I stopped them when I saw what they were doing.