Anyone one here have Dealership "Paint Sealant" done that makes the car finish feel like it was just clayed? Is it worth the $600?

 

That is one of the biggest mark ups for a dealer and so not worth it. I am a professional luxury and show car Detailer. I can give you much better options for a DIY or point you to a reputable Detailer in your area if I know one.

 

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Please direct me as to where/what to do because my Turbo S is black and after just one drive, it seems to have been riddled with debris. You just breathe on this car and it shows a scratch. Thank you, in advance.
Robert

 

Black Porsche paint is a full time job! The dealer sealants will do nothing to inhibit scratching. It is a high profit paint sealant that you can do yourself. I know how easy your paint will scratch and there are some things you can do to lessen the marring.

First, a proper washing and drying regime is key. The less you touch the paint the less chance you have of scratching it. I recommend that you use the two bucket method. One bucket for your soapy water and the other with just water. Dip your wash media in the soap, wash the panel and then dunk and rinse out the wash media in the water bucket. Keep doing this until the car is washed. This way, you are not reintroducing debris into your wash mitt and putting it back on the paint and scratching it. Work clean. One of the biggest investments you can make is a quality ELECTRIC leaf blower. Use this to dry off the car. It will make a world of difference. A dry towel on dry paint is what will kill ya so touch it as little as possible.

Ok, now that we are washing and drying correctly lets talk coatings. One option, and pricey, is a full body clear bra. Your Turbo may have it on the hood already but you can wrap the whole car. Technology has advanced greatly over the past few years and there are some fantastic semi-permanent coatings that you can apply.

One that I use exclusively on my own cars and my clients is a product called Opti-Coat. Opti Coat is made by Optimum Polymer Technologies. Opti-Coat is actually thicker than the factory clear coat and is scratch resistant...not scratch proof but it does an incredible job, especially with the wash/dry regime. The only issue with applying it is that you need the paint to be as defect free as possible. The coating will seal in anything under it. You want to have the paint machine polished to as close to perfect as it can get. The coating will then be applied and you will never need to wax your car again. Even though it is marketed as permanent, you can take it off if needed. Any scratches that get put onto the car will be on the coating and not your clear coat. This stuff is a life saver.

You can buy it as a consumer and there is a learing curve to applying it. Again, the biggest hurdle is getting the paint perfected. Depending on where you live, I may be able to find a qualified detailer that can help you out. If you are experienced with machine polishing your own car then you can absolutely do this yourself.

Long post but please let me know if I can help any further. My advice is always free!
www.artofshine.com

 

What a great post Porsche Pilot, rep for u! Many don't realize the level of effort there is to keep the paint blemish free. Even with these procedures sooner or later u have to correct, god knows on a black car.

Ken

 

I believe anything like this from the dealer is a scam if your car needed a paint sealant it would of been done in the factory. Stick to making your car faster.

 

Sir,

You should put a seperate thread on this. I think a lot of us can benefit from this. thanks for the info !!

 

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen.

Another thing you guys really should look into is going to a rinseless wash product like Optimum No Rinse. You can completely wash your car with about 3 gallons of water. It is a high lubricity product that will most definitely help minimize the wash induced marring. I have not washed my car with a hose, bucket and soap for two years. I can wash it in the garage during hurricanes or blizzards in full comfort.

I know there are some excellent detailers on 6 Speed that can offer advice as well. Like I said in the earlier post, technology has advanced so much and it seems that every 6 months something new has come along. I fully test everything that is out there. Some is junk and some I swear by.

I am not getting anything from Optimum for pushing their products but I have full faith in the No Rinse and the Opti Coat. The owner is an organic chemist that developed paint systems for the car manufacturers. This dude knows vehicle paint and his products reflect that.

 

+1 Rep for you Porsche Pilot! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

 

Paint sealant = snake oil -- pure profit dealership rip off

 

Agree, skip the dealer.

I had used a similar nano tech sealant in my previous car, micro something I dont recall. had a write up I think which I will look for. To be honest, this is the enemy of your body shop. Scratch and they will need to sand that panel to paint it...

Go for something which is not generic, something from that enthusiastic chemist that PPilot spoke about (my rep pt as well sir). I am sure you can only gain from it. But from my experience, do note that whatever the condition of your paint now, it will be sealed... so make sure it is perfect.

PPilot, any idea of OptiCoat is available in Europe?

 

Some of the nano's will indeed need sanding. The plus with Opti Coat is that it can be removed with a machine applied polishing compound and that makes it very consumer friendly. The only downside to it is that you cannot top it with wax. The wax or sealant will not harm the coating but the coating will not give the proper lotus effect or hydrophobic properties. You really won't get the "wet look" like you will with a carnauba wax. It is more of a candy coating. I have it on my silver 996 and it is stunningly bright.

Nick, I will call the owner of Optimum and see if there is availablity in Europe. If not, maybe I can help facilitate something for you.

 

Ohhh thats bad. Have 10 coats or so of Zaino on my car. Bit of a OCD... :-))) I need to read up on Opti Coat a bit more, will look them up. From your experience, I have a few q's:
You said it is a permanent thing, but can you apply it again in say 6 months? Does it need to be applied occasionally? How long have you had it on your car? Does it have "hydrophobic" properties? Does it keep them over time?
If you cant top it with wax can you top it with other synthetic zaino type products to enhance the shine?

Thanks again, and for the offer to assist.

 

I have had it on my 996 for 14 months and my Acura ZDX for 12. It is just as hydrophobic now as the day I installed it. It will cure, or harden more, over 90 days or so. Just don't wash it with soap the first 7 days. There really is no need to reapply it periodically. It bonds to the clear and will not strip off like a traditional sealant or wax. They do sell a booster sealant that you can spray on every few months to boost it and to add some slickness.

I like the wet look like most of us. But, on a dark colored car it looks magnificent. Meteor Grey would look awesome. You could use Zaino over it without a problem but it just won't last very long. Dust, water, other waxes, etc don't stick well to Opti Coat. It is awesome on wheels also. My Porsche brakes dust like crazy and they are so much easier to keep clean now. Soap and water does the trick. No more caustic wheel cleaners needed; especially good news for the ceramic brake crowd.

I was very skeptical of this stuff when it first came out. After tons of research, speaking directly with the inventor and months of testing, I can't believe I waited to try it. My clients love it even though it is on the higher end of my detailing packages.

If your car is a garage queen then it's really not worth the effort. But,if you drive the car quite a bit or even track it, this stuff rocks!

The only caution is to not apply it to the windshield. It wont last long from the wiper friction. Other windows? Absolutely!

 

How does it compare to clear film? Would this product prevent the scratches/rock chips and dings just the way the 3M does?

Thanks