Just booked my car - what type of PPS to recommend?

[Arch1984]

Yeah. Need to pay for annual maintenance. Most cant deal with watermarks as well. 

[Maddriver]

Woohoo how come I missed this thread. Finally i see what you guys just realised, " Is not scratch proof!!". I received many enquiries about Opti-coating and when I say the same thing" not scratch proof", "not stone chip proof" "not watermarks proof" People just say you have no confidence in your product but this is FACT!! And even manufacturer says that!

 

Opticoat manufacturer has again mentioned that their coating still considered sacrificial layers which means they can still be scratched or damaged. Basically what i see is many people buy in because of videos showing hydrophobic effect. Imagine I pour some cooking oil on surface and start rubbing it.. I think effect should be same or even better.

 

When I see how people promote this coating, i got worried. One can talk about 9h, the other is promoting 10h, seriously I wonder if they know how this H are derive.

 

Sharing my experience on coating, I shall only talk about the brand I used.

 

Optimum a U.S detailing products manufacturer had launched their paint coating back in 2010 and probably one of the very few coating company claiming permanent coating in the market. Coming from a wax and sealant guy, I never never believe anything can last for years in this climate. I have been testing opticoat and obtaining feedbacks from detailers for the last 6 years and finally I am convince what they can produced and what this coatings are good at.

 

Back then, the Opticoat Pro is durable and although it has good water sheeting but still attract water spotting. However one thing for sure and what I observed, the shine is there for years. I used to detail with wax and sealant every 6 months to pop the shine but with Opticoat coated surface, the shine remain pop after numerous car wash and this is where I am convince it is chemical resistance .

 

I kept telling DR G the CEO and chemist of Optimum about water spotting issue and until 2015, he came with 2 stages coating called Opticoat Pro+ which further reduce water spotting. You can see that he mentioned the word "reduce" and not "prevent". After trying for a year, yes is indeed much better than Opticoat pro standalone. I can see water spotting are much much less obvious.

 

So what it is good at? The coating does indeed prolong and maintain the shine of the existing clear coat for years and this is also feedback from one of my long known detailing enthusiast. Indeed lesser maintenance such as elbow grease waxing is needed to pop the shine. When I sold my ex-love on the 8th years, the buyer not convinced was a factory paint until he brought it to his friend paint shop. It was much glossier than some younger age cars.

 

To me, getting a coating is like getting a spray job. I once had my car re-sprayed for $800 but the paint job became dull in one year and no matter how I waxed it, the paint was dull. Then I came to know that a good clearcoat/laquer played an important role. How uv-resistance it should be etc. Likewise for the coating.

 

If you noticed some of those big boys have launched 2 stages coating to counter water spotting issue.

There are many coatings in the market, from China, U.S, Taiwan, Japan and local made etc. Most importantly know what you are getting and what is your expectation. On one hand you see a good chemical resistance test report and on the other you are told not to use a shampoo . Minimising water spotting is not by washing daily or weekly but washing the car at the right time.

 

Note: I am just sharing what I observed and tested and this are purely my observation on the coating I used.

Edited June 24, 2017 by Maddriver

[SheldonTan]

3M film is good for protection, ceramic coating generally gives you a car that's easy to clean and shiny (cause it's hydrophobic) but it doesn't give you that much protection against stone chips and key scratches etc.

 

It's hard but it's also brittle, if you apply a thick layer on a piece of paper and let it dry, you'll find that it's very very easy to break it into pieces so imagine you applying it at say 2 microns and some stuff hits your car. I don't think it'll help much. But it will help against water spots and bird dropping in general.

One downside of all PPF is it turns yellow after some time.

 

[Yuan]

I had bad experience with signing package years back with one grooming centre. From that on, I go with one time off deal.

 

I had similar bad experience too with a certain detailer many years ago.

[Loudexhaust]

Any recommendation for PPS? Not looking for something that last forever cuz that's not possible. Also won't be buying any package cuz I want to have the freedom to change detailer anytime I want. So just looking for a one off PPS to give the new car protection. Will follow up with other paint maintenance as the years go by.

[TylerWelsh]

3M film is good for protection, ceramic coating generally gives you a car that's easy to clean and shiny (cause it's hydrophobic) but it doesn't give you that much protection against stone chips and key scratches etc.

 

It's hard but it's also brittle, if you apply a thick layer on a piece of paper and let it dry, you'll find that it's very very easy to break it into pieces so imagine you applying it at say 2 microns and some stuff hits your car. I don't think it'll help much. But it will help against water spots and bird dropping in general.

 

One downside of all PPF is it turns yellow after some time.

 

 

Heard about the yellowing of 3M film as well, but apparently there are other brands of PPFs that are more resistant against yellowing? 

 

Trying to decide between PPS and PPF. Anyone with experience who can weigh in on this?

[Jamesc]

Anyone know what brand is this?

 

Scratch also no problem, heat also cannot penetrate.

 

I want to get this one. 

 

 

[Jamesc]

[Lava]

our cars came with paint work warranty within warranty period (5 yrs).

 

my experience:

 

car 1: purchased a pps package came with 2 applications 1 year apart. mean a maintenance application will be done 1 year later.

 

pro:

it indeed make washing easier and paint work remain smooth after 6 months but done expect too much.

con:

it won't prevent scratches and stone chips after a high speed drive in nshw. it may void paint work warranty coz chemical applied to paint work during pps.

can't avoid water spot and bird poo can't be clean off that easy as per detailer claimed.

yearly maintenance still a must to maintain the smooth paint surface.

 

car 2: done ppf and price is much more higher than pps.

 

pro:

self healing for light scratches and stone chips. no chemical applied to original paint work so it will not affect paint work warranty.

con:

costly and it may turn yellow years later. you may not be able to notice the yellowish effect if your car is not white or sliver in color.

shine level is lower than pps but base paint work remain at it original stage.

 

a regular car wash is still a must regardless you are on pps or ppf.

[RogerNg_185295]

 

Paint correction is the most important step before applying any coatings. Any Detailer that coat your car without doing the above mentioned is "cheating " their customers. The hard work lies not in washing or coating the car. Paintwork correction is the tedious and most time consuming and hardest process. Only flawless paint conditions can bring out the true qualities of the PPS.

Edited March 29, 2018 by RogerNg_185295

[Maddriver]

Paint correction is the most important step before applying any coatings. Any Detailer that coat your car without doing the above mentioned is "cheating " their customers. The hard work lies not in washing or coating the car. Paintwork correction is the tedious and most time consuming and hardest process. Only flawless paint conditions can bring out the true qualities of the PPS.

 

Detailers only correct the paint surface if swirl, hairlines or oxidisation are visible. Each time when we correct it is basically trimming down the clearcoat to rectify it. So unless above defects are found,  not require or recommended to correct each time you apply a LSP.

A simple cleaner polish is sufficient.

 

60% rely on prep, 30% on LSP and 10% on the quality of clearcoat from factory = the final result,

[RogerNg_185295]

What type of over the counter cleaner would you recommend? Hand polishing lacks the speed and quality of a machine.

Detailers only correct the paint surface if swirl, hairlines or oxidisation are visible. Each time when we correct it is basically trimming down the clearcoat to rectify it. So unless above defects are found,  not require or recommended to correct each time you apply a LSP.

A simple cleaner polish is sufficient.

 

60% rely on prep, 30% on LSP and 10% on the quality of clearcoat from factory = the final result,

 

[Maddriver]

What type of over the counter cleaner would you recommend? Hand polishing lacks the speed and quality of a machine.

 

Of the shelf you can get autogylm SRP or Meguiar cleaner wax..if the surface is flawless especially new without those defects, hand polish with above products using is good enough to remove surface dirt that cannot be removed by shampoo or claybar. Machine is good because is quicker and less tedious but risk of damage the paint is there especially wrong technique and equipment/products use..

[HolaHola]

Of the shelf you can get autogylm SRP or Meguiar cleaner wax..if the surface is flawless especially new without those defects, hand polish with above products using is good enough to remove surface dirt that cannot be removed by shampoo or claybar. Machine is good because is quicker and less tedious but risk of damage the paint is there especially wrong technique and equipment/products use..thumbs 

thumbs up

[MadDog70]

Need advice how to maintain a new black car if I don’t do any coating.

[Vinceng]

Need advice how to maintain a new black car if I don’t do any coating.

-          Avoid commercial wash

-          Keep a 1.5 PET bottle filled with water in your boot to wipe off bird poo immediately upon spotting it

-          Shampoo at least once  a week

-          Shine your tyres with tyre polish, else your tyres will look a greyish pale due to contrast against your black body paint.

[inlinesix]

- Avoid commercial wash

- Keep a 1.5 PET bottle filled with water in your boot to wipe off bird poo immediately upon spotting it

- Shampoo at least once a week

- Shine your tyres with tyre polish, else your tyres will look a greyish pale due to contrast against your black body paint.

Wet wipe is the best for bird poo

Need advice how to maintain a new black car if I don’t do any coating.

Wash your car as & when it is dirty.

 

1 cloth for soap. 1 cloth for drying. 1 cloth for rim.

[Vinceng]

Wet wipe is the best for bird poo

 

 

Advisable to pour water on the spot to soften bird poo before wiping over with wet tissue, to avoid scratching the paint.

Edited April 13, 2018 by Vinceng