Opti-Guard vs Opti-Coat 2.0.....what effect will it have on pro use?

W

white gecko

New member
Opti-Guard is a great product and really revolutionized things. Also from the perspective of professionals, it gave us additional services that we can charge for which is great for the industry. Now that OC 2.0 is out and available to the general public where does that leave things for the pros? This once exclusive coating now available to the average guy and with the popularity of this product growing at such a rapid pace, how long before clients say "Just come out and polish the car, I got the Opti-Coat 2.0 so I don't need you to do it." ?



Not that this is a major hit that will pull massive amounts of money from the pros, but consider what might be the long term effects of this? The do-it-yourself guys, or the "money-conscious" clients (to put it politely), will run with this I believe. So what do you think the long term effect is?



Also, with OC 2.0 easier to apply and level out, is there any point to buying Opti-Guard anymore?
 
Jeff--I'm one of those "do it yourself" guys. I've been detailing my own cars for the last 15 years, but never made the jump to buying a DA polisher etc. I am contemplating using OC 2.0 and feel I have the experience to apply it on my own as I've used ZCS and Opti-Seal with great success. However, if I do move ahead with the OC 2.0 I would most likely have the cars polished by a pro before I applied the coating. I have allot of friends who are in the same situation as me who are also looking at the OC 2.0 and would take the same steps. So in the end the OC 2.0 might generate more business for some pros in the short term.
 
Personally, most of the customers that I see probably don't know what opticoat is unless I told them. Those that do know probably wouldn't be coming to me anyways because they know enough about taking care of their car that they would attempt anything themselves first before paying someone else to do it (kind of like myself).
 
As already noted, "pros" should have no worries about the 2.0 version because while an informed enthusiast may apply the 2.0 him or herself the area of paint correction may be another story.



You'll always have the money conscience people who think they can save a buck or two doing it themselves and you'll always have others thinking, "Yeah, I can do that!" yet they usually mess something up somewhere along the lines and have to then call a pro.



We get a lot of people trying to fix their own dents which in turn makes more work for us but allows us to also charge more for the repair. Opti-Coat is designed to create work for pros, not take it away and it will do just that.



There are thousands of leaf blowers and mowers sold every year but not everyone who buys them is planning on starting a lawn care business nor has it seemed to hurt the professional lawn care field.



Anthony
 
Jeff, I think most of your customers are going to rather have you do it than risk doing it wrong themselves.
 
Great question Jeff and I agree with Anthony above.



Sales of PC's, Flex's, waxes, and sealants haven't hurt us, so why would anything else? We're still serviced based. If we were in the business of selling "long lasting wax" we might have the be worried.

Hope all is well out West!
 
CEE DOG said:
Jeff, I think most of your customers are going to rather have you do it than risk doing it wrong themselves.
Click to expand...



Just had that happen. Customer bought some Opti-Coat 2.0 but just didn't feel comfortable applying it himself. Since he purchased the OC I used, I only charged him for my time.
 
Most will never hear of it. When I talk about it to my clients I just call it "a ceramic coating". I've never been asked for the name - I just go into the details of its properties and benefits and they're happy.
 
It really depends; if your business is centered around catering to car guys who don't want to do their own detailing (or can't due to lack of developed skill) then it might have a small effect. However, noting that those people are 10% or less of the car buying public, there are still many, many more who won't be aware of the product and want to order/apply it themselves.
 
Couldn't you say the same thing about auto detailing and car forums where there are pros giving advice to the general public about how to detail their cars?
 
Jeff I've actually had a increase in my Opti-Guard sales since the release of Opti-Coat 2.0. Most likely because it's getting my publicity now, but most are still to afraid of the application or lack the skills to properly level the paint. ;)



I will continue to use the Pro version but the 2.0 is nice on very hot and humid days.





Just my $.02



Rasky
 
Do you need to get training from Optimum Polymer Technology to properly apply Opti-Guard? Is there a license or certificate for proof of this training?



That's another thing: I haven't seen a whole lot of photos and how-to's on applying Opti-Coat 2.0. Coatings seems like the next development in vehicle paint surface care.



Lastly, if it's so good, why don't dealerships offer it? I still see a plethora of non-descript dealer-applied "lifetime guaranteed*(see the fine print!)" paint sealants being offered for new and used vehicles. Must be a buyer-ignorance-and-make-money-off-the-customer, or this-company-gives-me-discount-on-this-product thing that I am not aware of at dealerships.
 
I had Chris at Integrity Detail apply OptiCoat to my GS400 in July 2010. Although I maintain my car pretty well for an amateur, I still wanted him to polish it to get it looking as good as possible before applying the OptiCoat. My GS needed almost no correction since I was able to do that myself but I wanted the best look possible under the OptiCoat since it lasts so long.



My point is that knowlegable amateurs may want a pro to do it for the same reason as I did instead of trying to scrimp at just the wrong time IMHO.



I have a new Lexus CT200H F Sport Special Edition that should arrive within the next week or so and one of the first things I want to do is get back to Chris and get the Opticoat applied.....I am going especially for the wheels and I even plan to have him do the wheel wells before they even get dirty and also the interior glass in the back where my dogs may occasionally do a little slobbering.



It is worth a few extra bucks to have it done right ..... I even have to drive out of state to get this done but it is more than worth it to me.
 
Lonnie said:
Do you need to get training from Optimum Polymer Technology to properly apply Opti-Guard? Is there a license or certificate for proof of this training?



That's another thing: I haven't seen a whole lot of photos and how-to's on applying Opti-Coat 2.0. Coatings seems like the next development in vehicle paint surface care.



Lastly, if it's so good, why don't dealerships offer it? I still see a plethora of non-descript dealer-applied "lifetime guaranteed*(see the fine print!)" paint sealants being offered for new and used vehicles. Must be a buyer-ignorance-and-make-money-off-the-customer, or this-company-gives-me-discount-on-this-product thing that I am not aware of at dealerships.
Click to expand...



No training needed, but you will have to sign a waiver form in order to order it (if that still applies anyway). If you're a professional detailer, applying this should be no problem, and if you mess up the application you should have enough knowledge to fix it (which most consumers do not have).



There is not a lot of training out there, but there are lots of threads and I did create a review with my application process a while back.

Product Review: Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 – Detailed Image



I'm sure dealerships could obtain it if they wanted, but lets be honest, most outsource the work and those places can't tell their head from their a$$ as it is! They would also have no knowledge of the product unless they frequent detailing forums. Unlike the current paint protection programs offered, where dealers have tons of local high volume shops kicking down their doors trying to sell them worthless products, which take far less money, skill, and effort to apply. Opti-Guard isn't marketed in anyway and its not listed on the companies web page either. It's geared for an Autopian level of detailer, not hacks. If Dr. G really wanted this product being offered at new car dealers he would probably be sending out all kinds of promotional information to dealers across the world, along with cheesy sales people...I'm pretty sure (hope) that was not his goal with this product, and I'm glad we have some exclusivity.



Just my $.02 ;)
 
The reason you don't see Opti-Coat/Guard offered at dealerships is because it is still a very new product, plus most dealerships offer a package deal with paint and interior protection. My understanding is that Optimum is working on an interior protectant (something like Scotch-Guard I believe) but it isn't ready for sale yet. In addition, the application is a bit more involved than simply grabbing a rotary with a filthy wool pad and applying whatever was cheap on the vendor truck that week as quickly as possible to as many cars per day as possible.
 
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