After reading some posts about Opti Coat I decided to look into it a bit. Piqued my interest after a friend spoke about having the process done on his aircraft recently, right after being painted by a high quality shop. I liked what I read about the process and the added protection but quickly decided that I had no desire to spend a day doing this. I was able to find a local authorized guy and after speaking with him, gave him a green light. Had the XJ-L done first, as I wanted to change the plastic protectorate on the Virage. He agreed that it would be better to coat over the new stuff. The guy I picked here in Dallas was great and took much pride in the finished product. He explained that the paint needed to be in the best shape possible before coating as whatever was underneath before was going to be underneath after. Made sense to me and the Jag needed a bit of paint work, about 3 hours. It turned out fantastic, putting an extra tough on the finish that just knocked you out. The Virage was another story to be told. Under his crazy lights I saw d/a marks, swirls, hand sanding flaws and naturally some wear (he car has about 20K on it already). He said that much of what the car was suffering from he's seen in the past with Astons, just not his level of quality paint finishing from the factory. The guy worked about 5 hours on the paint correction alone before applying the Opti Coat. This is on a car that I thought was just peachy keen, but lacking something. The paint took on a whole other dimension, deepening it like you wouldn't believe. Looks so much better now. I'll try to attach a couple of pics he took showing before and after. If in Dallas, TX, I'll turn you on to the guy! Real perfectionist - A Paint Geek

 

Looks good! It is indeed all in the prep. Both my current and past Astons needed some major correction of clear coat damage that was put there at the factory. There's a good paint job under there - it's just a shame that a company that boasts about the quality of their paint and hand finished products leaves it up to the customer to uncover it at his/her expense!

 

I will always opticoat my cars going forward. I think it is worth the investment.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-opticoat.html

 

I had a local detailer put Cquartz Finest on my Scud and it made the metallic really pop! I'm very happy with the results.

 

So, let me ask...if you have the paint correction done and the Opticoat applied, do you still need the clear plastic film protecting the paint?

Does Opticoat provide the same chip and abrasion resistance as the clear film that is put on?

 

I can't speak for Opticoat but for Cquartz you do paint correction, apply film, clean and correct, apply Cquartz. Cquartz provides additional protection but is not a substitute for a clear bra

 

Opticoat acts like a clear coat, so essentially if you don't correct the paint you are sealing in the imperfections. I had my Aston done to about 90% correction, which does reduce a bit of paint (we had paint thickness measured first). Once paint is decontaminated and corrected the coat is applied. * This based on my research.

Opticoat is more of a protection against the elements acid rain, bird droppings,minor scratches and keeps a thicker layer of protection around the paint.

It does not provide the same resistance as the clear film. I was quoted in the thousands for a clear bra and hundreds for opticoat.

 

Per my dealer, and with concurrence of the plastic installer, the Opti-Coat goes over the plastic. Helps protect everything.

 

I have Opti-Cote under my clear bra. it's great, and washes easier.