[Trev88]

Has anyone tried either of these detailing products and how did u find it? Detailers have these 2 different products and I am wondering which would be the best. Apparently the final inspection FMJ makes water beading really good. The opticoat seems to be a layer of protection that seems more durable

[NeT335]

Originally Posted by Trev88

Has anyone tried either of these detailing products and how did u find it? Detailers have these 2 different products and I am wondering which would be the best. Apparently the final inspection FMJ makes water beading really good. The opticoat seems to be a layer of protection that seems more durable

I have used the fmj spray wax and it works well for what it is. The beads are good and easy to apply.

I haven't used the proper fmj coating but apparently that is much better and lasts 12 months

[Trev88]

Originally Posted by GeTiNQ

I have used the fmj spray wax and it works well for what it is. The beads are good and easy to apply.

I haven't used the proper fmj coating but apparently that is much better and lasts 12 months

Was it easy to apply? Do you think the opticoat and FMJ can be layered on top of each other?

[Pyro335]

Trev

I had my car detailed with 2 layers of opticoat which was then finished off by a layer of kamikaze over coat. Few washes on and the car is still beading like crazy. I have got my own products on the way to keep maintenance on it as well (HD touch & Kamikaze overcoat)

Here is how my car turned out

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6241984&type=3

[Socket]

+1 pyros car is baller shiney

[ATTN]

I need to detail my car. Any recommendations? I would do it myself if I knew what I was doing. I do have a car buffer machine.

[totti84]

Originally Posted by ATTN

I need to detail my car. Any recommendations? I would do it myself if I knew what I was doing. I do have a car buffer machine.

Check out TWD (The Weekend Detailer) on 1addicts or FB Tony

[mrtanz]

Check out "In the Clear"
John uses RestorFX and the work is amazing.
Swirls and scratches gone
Beading lasts an incredibly long time
I have seen the pre and post and was blown away

[DR-JEKL]

Originally Posted by ATTN

I need to detail my car. Any recommendations? I would do it myself if I knew what I was doing. I do have a car buffer machine.

It's not really all that difficult just takes a lot of time, practice and dedication.

What buffer do you have? What products do you have?

I recommend menzerna correction products as they've been developed for bmw paint with the extremely hard ceramaclear clear coat. (most jap cars have soft paint)

There are millions of tutorials online also, personally I enjoy DIY detailing as its extremely satisfying putting in the hard work and enjoying the end results!



A very broad outline of what would be required:

1. Wash car in the shade and dry

2. Inspect the paint to determine the level of correction required

3. Start by prepping the paint by decontamination. This typically can be done using various decontamination fallout products such as iron x or you can just commence by clay barring the paint. The claybar will require a lubricant and most commercial clay kits come with a detailer spray. I tend to buy the clays without the spray and just use a car wash solution (soapy water) as a lube

5. Once clayed you start by masking all jambs and trims (I also add newspaper over the glass so that if there is any spray from polishing it doesnt dry hard on the glass)

Start correction with an aggressive pad and FG400 menzerna. I like the orange CCS lake country pad.Like washing a car start from the roof and work your way down.

If the swirl defects aren't being removed with this pad/compound make note of where these defects are then its time to step it up with a lake country purple wool pad (I generally use my rotary on a high speed for the wool pad) take care and be sure to keep the pad lubed and to continually move the pad so as not to add excessive heat. One tip with aggressive cutting compounds is you have to continue to work them so to speak, during the polishing actions the polish breaks down in size so that after a period of time you get a really nice finish on the paint (If you don't work it for long enough you may find the paint still has some machine mark swirls) This is also important to continually keep applying the cutting compound as you polish (four dots on the pad)

6. Sometimes I've found that the FG400 produces a great finish with an agressive pad and I can skip an intermediate compound and go for a finishing compound. I use a soft Lake country blue finishing pad and menzerna PF2200. This basically requires the same method as the step above.

7. Once the finish compound has been completed go over the car and check for any swirls/defects you may have missed. The paint shall be really gleaming now and one of the final stages is to seal the paint with a sealant or wax. Remove any masked areas and clean any polishing dust from the car (I use an air gun)
As for sealants there are a plethora of options out there, and these days it difficult to get a bad product, each product has its own advantages/disadvantages. Dodo juice, zymol, auto glym, sonax, duragloss to name a few all produce great products then you have the expensive harder lasting sealants such as opticoat wolf chemicals etc etc
From my experience on car paint I personally prefer a carnuba wax, as I prefer the softer deeper shine that they provide, whereas the opticoat etc don’t provide the same level of gloss and in my experience the water doesn’t bead as nice. Having said that the carnuba wax requires more upkeep and arguably doesn’t provide as much protection as the opticoats etc

FWIW I purchased a tin of zymol titanium wax years ago, and I’ve been really happy with it. I paid say $150 for it and its lasted me 6 years and I still have half a tub left (weird fact most of zymol products are all natural products and are to be stored in the fridge to prevent degradation over time)
If you leave your car parked outside, don’t detail your car yourself then you may find that the opticoat is for you as it will protect the paint better than a carnuba wax, whereas if you like detailing your car by maintaining the paint by waxing it every 3 months or so and store the car under cover and prefer the glossier finish of a carnuba go for a conventional wax. At the end of the day both products are just sacrificial layers, they will all wear off over time and opticoat FMJ etc all will eventually swirl.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines, as curing times vary wildly. I know with zymol I warm the warm up in my hand apply it to the paint with my bare hands (like a hair wax) it’s essentially almost a wipe on wipe off product after 5 mins of curing, where some manufacturers recommend 24-48 hrs to achieve the best adherence with their formulated sealant.

8. After you’ve sealed the paint now is a good time to clean the glass, door rubbers and polish the glass also. I use metho and a rag on door rubbers etc, stones glass cleaner, duragloss glass polish and nanolex glass to seal the glass. I use a finishing pad to polish the glass, but if your glass is in poor shape you may need a more aggressive pad and compound. Windscreens Obriens use to sell a bag of brown powder for $10, It’s an oxide and essentially looks like mud when mixed. I’ve also heard of guys using toilet bowl (porcelain polish) but personally I haven’t used that, or you can also buy 000 steel wool which is a fine steel wool used for polishing glass or things like exhaust tips etc

9. After this has been done it’s recommended to go over the paint one last time to ensure you’ve removed all the wax, and then wash the car to remove any dust etc.

Setting yourself up cost quite a bit as you need a heap of pads, towels, compounds etc but really $500 or so (what you would spend on one paint correction by a pro) should get you a pretty good range of products (if you already have a decent RO) and this will last you for years.

[jevanh]

No FMJ and opticoat cannot be layered

[BEE35i]

Originally Posted by ATTN

I need to detail my car. Any recommendations? I would do it myself if I knew what I was doing. I do have a car buffer machine.

mate if you have never detailed a car before I would NOT recommend learning on a black car..

Even some PROFESSIONAL detailers steer away from black cars because they can be a hdfk

[Trev88]

Originally Posted by Pyro330d

Trev

I had my car detailed with 2 layers of opticoat which was then finished off by a layer of kamikaze over coat. Few washes on and the car is still beading like crazy. I have got my own products on the way to keep maintenance on it as well (HD touch & Kamikaze overcoat)

Here is how my car turned out

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6241984&type=3

Pyro I love the detailing on your car plus your awesome rims! Haha how much did u pay for your detailing?

[Socket]

Originally Posted by Trev88

Pyro I love the detailing on your car plus your awesome rims! Haha how much did u pay for your detailing?

I can answer that,

1 Billion dollars Brrrewwwhhahahahaa (evil laugh)

[Pyro335]

Originally Posted by Socket

I can answer that,

1 Billion dollars Brrrewwwhhahahahaa (evil laugh)

Not too far off lol.

[Trev88]

I saw on the website its $850