Paint Protection

[Nevyn72]

So a question for those out there who have recently had paint protection done.
Which one did you use and why?

My parents are getting a new Mazda CX5 turbo in a month's time and my brothers and I are giving them ceramic paint protection for a Xmas present.
They live in a rural environment and park their cars in the open, we just want to give the factory paint a bit of help.....

So far it looks like Opticoat Pro+ is the best all-rounder (Ceramic Pro seems more about the shine) but I would like to hear of real world experiences.

Also any recommended installers with their own location/building in the Sydney area (or Blue Mountains or Bathurst) would be great as on-site isn't going to work for a range of reasons.
BTW, I also know paint correction is a must and if they take less than two days they probably aren't doing a proper job!

[bruce]

Modern paints are more than good enough to last for years/decades if you take care of it.
I don't think it is worth it on run-of-the-mill cars.
Plus how long are they going to keep it?

[d4m0]

I have opticoat on my ND, and had it on my 3 before. I can’t rave about it enough - it’s significantly easier to wash, and the paint is as bright as it was on the showroom floor (for the 3) - only had the ND for a couple of months.

The good opticoat guys will do a paint correction as part of the whole process. Also, you can use heaters to cure it faster (meaning 24hrs is possible). They tell you not to wash it for a week after application too (so it bonds properly with the paint).

So yeah, I recommend it, even though it’s not cheap.

Bruce’s point about modern paints is absolutely true, but I’ll bet you the paint will be in significantly better condition 10 years down the track, not to mention less damage from stone chips and what not (??)

[apsilon]

IMO, calling these coatings paint protection is a misnomer. Claiming that it'll prevent rock chips and scratches is frankly, misleading.

These coatings are typically around 2 micron thick, maybe up to 10 if applied thickly. Compared to the paint on the vehicle which should be in the 70 - 150 micron range on a new car today. Yes the ceramic coatings are harder than the water borne paint but they can't perform miracles which is what it'd be for them to genuinely provide physical protection to the paint.

There's also one obvious question - If these are so good, why do the largest coating companies in the world not have their own versions? There's nothing fancy in the technology, they could do it easily. I can tell you for a fact these have been evaluated and dismissed.

The appearance improvement comes from the paint correction performed before the coating is applied. The problem here is the correction process is abrasive. It's removing some of the factory paint. The paint that could already be as thin as 70 micron. Another important fact to consider is all of the UV protection is in the clear coat. The colour base coat doesn't have any. So you're thinning an already thin layer that's providing all of the UV protection and to make matters worse, in many modern clear coats the UV protective components are designed such that they migrate towards the surface (where they're most effective) during the curing process so you could have say 75% of the UV protection in the top 50% of the clear coat layer, that layer itself could be as thin as 20 - 30 micron to start with.

To be fair these coatings probably, hopefully, contain UV protection but they're too thin to do anything on their own but at least they're topping up some of the factory clear coat removed during the correction.

In all likelihood you're not going to experience fading in the lifetime most people will keep the car but accidents requiring repairs become an issue. It becomes harder to blend between panels and so the job becomes more expensive. Given most people go for the cheapest insurer who use the cheapest bidder for a repair the odds of ending up with a subpar job increase plus you also need to go back and have the coating reapplied to the repaired panel.

I could go on but I think you get the idea. You will get an aesthetic improvement but really that's about it. You still need to be just as careful and thorough in maintaining the paint as you would without it and you will be disappointed when you discover your first scratch/rock chip.

I won't say don't get it if you like the look, just make an informed decision and have realistic expectations and definitely have it done aftermarket and not by the dealer.

[d4m0]

IMO, calling these coatings paint protection is a misnomer. Claiming that it'll prevent rock chips and scratches is frankly, misleading.

You make some good points, and I see what you're saying. To counter though, CSIRO have done chemical and scratch resistant tests (here's where I like to a "study" that's published on the opticoat site - so legit - https://opticoat.com.au/XC3166CoatingTesting.pdf). The paint correction process removing the clear-coat is obvious (now that you mention it), but it's only done where necessary, and surely they re-apply clearcoat prior to re-opticoating (yes, that's a verb now).

I have a rock chip on the front, so it doesn't prevent them, but I like to think it made it less-severe. Let me keep that thought at least... won't you?

[apsilon]

I've seen the tests and on the face of it the results look impressive but the results don't match real world experience which is why I've seen those coatings scratched by soft nylon fabric (done by a mate second day of ownership who insisted on getting a ceramic coating). There's so many variables in the real world.

Just think of them as what they are, an aesthetic, rather than how they're marketed, as armour.

Long term, appearance comes down to the owner. If the same person bought two identical cars, had one coated in one of these ceramic coatings then maintained them both the same way, same wash method, same car care products, same frequency, same care and attention to detail, then barring accidents and the same usage pattern you're not going to see a side by side difference at the vehicles EOL.

[hks_kansei]

TBH i've always considered these as justa long term wax.

It's mainly about adding some UV protection, and mainly, a sacrificial layer for bird droppings or other things that can mark/etch paint.

No different to a can of normal car wax, however the "paint protection" ones are much longer lasting, so you dont need to re-apply them as often.

[d4m0]

TBH i've always considered these as justa long term wax.

It's mainly about adding some UV protection, and mainly, a sacrificial layer for bird droppings or other things that can mark/etch paint.

No different to a can of normal car wax, however the "paint protection" ones are much longer lasting, so you dont need to re-apply them as often.

I'm completely with you there - the water still properly beads on an application that's 2.5 years old.

[ManiacLachy]

My thinking is the same as hks_kansei, it's long term wax, which is pretty cool. I know I wish I waxed my car more than I do, but I never seem to have the time.

It would be excellent if there was a magic coating that rocks couldn't chip!

[apsilon]

The old ones were basically a synthetic wax good for about 12 - 18 months. That's why when you read the fine print you had to have it reapplied etc but the dealer never mentions that and no one reads the fine print. The new ceramic coatings are supposedly permanent. That's the main difference IMO.

I must admit, I've become a lot lazier as I've aged. I should've done a new coat of sealant on the daily several months ago but just haven't had the time. I do try to wash monthly but occasionally that's more like every 2 months and use Bowdens Own Wax Wash followed up with After Glow. Still looks new, has that wet look to it and beads water like crazy so good enough, especially on a lease.

[bruce]

In the States they do clear wrap on their exotics but the real pro jobs charge $20K.

[Nevyn72]

Thanks for the replies so far!

TBH i've always considered these as justa long term wax.

It's mainly about adding some UV protection, and mainly, a sacrificial layer for bird droppings or other things that can mark/etch paint.

No different to a can of normal car wax, however the "paint protection" ones are much longer lasting, so you dont need to re-apply them as often.

This is exactly what we are expecting, and are after!
This will be the last car for my very retired parents and washing vehicles is a low priority for them as the physical limitations of age progress.....

Hence my early preference for the Opticoat brand (particularly the Pro+), it appears to have better longevity at the cost of less gloss.
I'm more after peoples actual experiences with different brands and installers in the Sydney area.

[apsilon]

In the States they do clear wrap on their exotics but the real pro jobs charge $20K.

There are places that can do it here and it does provide excellent scratch protection. Costs around $4k for an average size car. My Ranger is white so scratches don't show up too much but the mirrors and door handles are gloss black and there are no door scuff plates so I had the mirrors, handles and the door entries done for under $200 as bush bin striping on those gloss black parts would be obvious.

[Mr Morlock]

Bruce said - "Modern paints are more than good enough to last for years/decades if you take care of it.
I don't think it is worth it on run-of-the-mill cars.
Plus how long are they going to keep it?
I agree. If people want to spend the money they are very welcome but modern paints - last 20 or so years have paint jobs that can easily last the life of the car.
You can always get a paint detailer to do a car before its sold and most folks dont bother.

[Wolfgang]

Not all paint protection is created equal. Most silica based coatings are not truly chemical resistant and will breakdown over time with exposure to pollutants. Expect 2-3 years of protection. OptiCoat is ceramic based so is in a different class to silica based coatings and will not break down and can only be removed by abrasion.

A chemistry-based comparison as explained by Dr David Ghodoussi, founder of Optimum Polymer Technologies (yes his doctorate is in chemistry) will explain it better...

"The argument is not about bond energy but rather how inert the bonds are (e.g. Sodium Chloride has a bond energy that is over three times Si-O bond, however, it readily breaks down and dissolves in water). Si-O bond is readily hydrolized in the presence of acids or alkali. Therefore, most cleaners whether they are alkaline or acidic as well as environmental contaminants that contain acids such as bird droppings, bug splatter, acid rain, etc. will break down silica based coatings. That is also why most silica based coatings require use of boosters or reapplication.

The Si-C bond however is not affected by acids or bases since there is no catalytic mechanism to break it down. Therefore, silicon carbide chemistry is not affected by the environmental contaminants. Furthermore, Si-O bonds are prone to degradation by the enzymes in bird dropping and bug splatter whereas Si-C is not.

The proof is seen everyday since with Opti-Coated cars (Si-C based chemistry), the protection is permanent and the bond does not hydrolize or break down with cleaners or environmental contaminants and the paint is not damaged over time. On the other hand, Silica based coatings will break down over time and have a much shorter life expectancy and either acidic or alkaline chemicals can penetrate and damage the paint underneath."

Opticoat also provides a warranty and can be covered by some insurers, so if the vehicle needs to be repaired a reapplication of Opticoat by a licensed Opticoat dealer is included in the repair. The one thing I can not stress enough with any coating, they are not set and forget, you have to maintain them. People who see a drop off in performance have allowed contaminants to build up on the surface usually from not washing regularly enough or at all.

As for your concerns in regards to appearance, it's all in the preperation, a proper decontamination and polish is key. It is true that Opticoat is not as glossy as the others, this is because it doesn't contain gloss enhancers that most silica coatings do. The catch is, these enhancers wear off pretty quickly.

If you do decide to go with Opticoat Dave at Protekt Auto is the person to see. https://www.protektauto.com.au

Full disclosure: I have previously been employed by Opticoat but no longer have any association.

Bruce said - "Modern paints are more than good enough to last for years/decades if you take care of it.
If people want to spend the money they are very welcome but modern paints - last 20 or so years have paint jobs that can easily last the life of the car.

Unfortunately in the last 10 years paints have become very thin and will not be as durable as they could be. Manufacturers are saving money where they can and putting less paint on saves time and money. I measured the paint on a brand new (one of the first delivered) machine grey ND RF's that hadn't been polished by the dealership, it measured around 70 microns. For comparison my 2008 Golf measured 120. Can't tell me something nearly half as thick will be as durable.