X-Pack Paint protection?

[Buller_Scott]

if Merrick isn't a scientist or hasn't conducted these tests either, how are his words any more valid than anyone elses here?

^ so it would seem that im not the only one who would like Merrick (well, to be honest, ANYONE will do at this point) to explain, with some measure of clarity and without necessarily bagging a competing product, just HOW the "pay once and you get 3 years, but pay twice and you get SEVEN years!" duco scratch manages to do what even nanolex professional / opti-seal cannot?

[Buller_Scott]

Is misquoting people and making thinly veiled personal attacks all you can do?

well im sorry if you feel i've made a personal attack. my.... "demeanor" was directed more at the content of the discussion that had taken place in the most recent posts between yourself and ryanr32.

im sorry if you felt i was getting personal - my placebo comment was directed at the idea of peoples' first hand experiences with a product as being dismissable, rather than at yourself.

we've never really seen eye to eye, but i dont intend to be scathing or personal.

[dopey]

Personally I think it's a bad deal and that's why I've opted to choose other options with all of my new vehicles.

Why?

No matter how good the product apparently may be at protecting the paint it is going to need to be renewed every couple of years at the most to truly keep the paint finish looking immaculate if that is indeed your goal. That goes for all sealant products. They eventually degrade and muck eventually does start sticking to the paint. With this in mind I think there are much better value products on the market.

You've got a couple of main choices with your new car;

1) Start researching about detailing on internet forums and spend some of your spare time keeping your paint maintained to the best standard you can. This could mean you opt to do things like clay, polish and wax or seal your paint yourself. For example you may want to seal the cars paintwork with a good quality, long lasting sealant like Nanolex or Zaino Z2 with ZFX. All depends how enthusiastic you are about it.

2) Take your car to a professional detailer and have them correct the paint and apply a sealant. Depending on how well you look after your paint this could end up costing you less or costing you more than what the "X-Pack" would have in the long run, but the resulting paint finish would undoubtedly leave any dealer applied paint protection for dead. I say in the long run because once again, it will need to be renewed every so often.

While a good paint sealant will help immensely with keeping your paint free from contaminants it will not perform miracles and good washing technique is crucial to keeping your paint in tidy condition. The more you look after your paint yourself, the less effort you will have to put in when renewing your choice of paint protection or the less you will have to spend at your preferred detailer if that's the avenue you choose.

For fabrics, once again, it will always wear down over time and need renewal. This is especially because of the constant contact from people when sitting in the seats or putting their feet on the carpet etc. Some cheaper options may apparently not last as long, but for the difference in price you can afford to renew it many times and still come out ahead. One product I can definitely vouch for is Nanolex Leather & Fabric Sealant. I've used this for the last few years on our cars, renewing it every 12 months. It does a fantastic job of repelling moisture and it stops things from sticking to the fabric. I had bubble gum mashed into one of the carpet mats in my car once, and it lifted straight out with a little bit of all purpose cleaner and some elbow grease. I have no doubt that the Nanolex sealant helped stop the gum from becoming permanently stuck to the carpet fibres.

Myself I've gone down both paths on my current two vehicles:

> The Golf has Nanolex sealant applied to the interior, and the paintwork I did myself too. The process is roughly as follows: Wash, Clay, Correct, Polish, Seal. I personally choose Zaino Z2 with ZFX additive and find it is effective for 12 months based on my personal driving conditions.

> The Passat had the swirl marks corrected and the paint sealed with Optimum Opti-Guard at a professional detailer. In fact, even with a full window tint job and the paint correction it still came in under the cost of what they are asking for the X-Pack paint protection only. Some can argue which product is the better protection, but as I said I have no doubts that both products will need to be stripped off and reapplied again in future.

My #1 tips - TWO BUCKET WASH METHOD!!! and NO CAR WASH CAFE'S OR FOAMING BRUSH DIY!!!

[Hail22]

Personally I think it's a bad deal and that's why I've opted to choose other options with all of my new vehicles.

Why?

No matter how good the product apparently may be at protecting the paint it is going to need to be renewed every couple of years at the most to truly keep the paint finish looking immaculate if that is indeed your goal. That goes for all sealant products. They eventually degrade and muck eventually does start sticking to the paint. With this in mind I think there are much better value products on the market.

You've got a couple of main choices with your new car;

1) Start researching about detailing on internet forums and spend some of your spare time keeping your paint maintained to the best standard you can. This could mean you opt to do things like clay, polish and wax or seal your paint yourself. For example you may want to seal the cars paintwork with a good quality, long lasting sealant like Nanolex or Zaino Z2 with ZFX. All depends how enthusiastic you are about it.

2) Take your car to a professional detailer and have them correct the paint and apply a sealant. Depending on how well you look after your paint this could end up costing you less or costing you more than what the "X-Pack" would have in the long run, but the resulting paint finish would undoubtedly leave any dealer applied paint protection for dead. I say in the long run because once again, it will need to be renewed every so often.

While a good paint sealant will help immensely with keeping your paint free from contaminants it will not perform miracles and good washing technique is crucial to keeping your paint in tidy condition. The more you look after your paint yourself, the less effort you will have to put in when renewing your choice of paint protection or the less you will have to spend at your preferred detailer if that's the avenue you choose.

For fabrics, once again, it will always wear down over time and need renewal. This is especially because of the constant contact from people when sitting in the seats or putting their feet on the carpet etc. Some cheaper options may apparently not last as long, but for the difference in price you can afford to renew it many times and still come out ahead. One product I can definitely vouch for is Nanolex Leather & Fabric Sealant. I've used this for the last few years on our cars, renewing it every 12 months. It does a fantastic job of repelling moisture and it stops things from sticking to the fabric. I had bubble gum mashed into one of the carpet mats in my car once, and it lifted straight out with a little bit of all purpose cleaner and some elbow grease. I have no doubt that the Nanolex sealant helped stop the gum from becoming permanently stuck to the carpet fibres.

Myself I've gone down both paths on my current two vehicles:

> The Golf has Nanolex sealant applied to the interior, and the paintwork I did myself. The process is roughly as follows: Wash, Clay, Correct, Polish, Seal. I personally choose Zaino Z2 with ZFX additive and find it is effective for 12 months based on my personal driving conditions.

> The Passat had the swirl marks corrected and the paint sealed with Optimum Opti-Guard at a professional detailer. In fact, even with a full window tint job and the paint correction it still came in under the cost of what they are asking for the X-Pack paint protection only. Some can argue which product is the better protection, but as I said I have no doubts that both products will need to be stripped off and reapplied again in future.

My #1 tips - TWO BUCKET WASH METHOD!!! and NO CAR WASH CAFE'S OR FOAMING BRUSH DIY!!!

Two bucket wash method with snow foam pre wash is fantastic, both buckets warm water one clear water and one soapy water this prevents basically re-applying the contaminants/soot on your vehicle thus creating swirl marks etc

Very logical way to wash ones vehicle

[Merrick]

Dr Ghodoussi stated:

"The hardness of Opti-Coat after the first week of curing is between 6-7H based on pencil hardness scale. The polymer however, continues to dehydrate with heat over time which increases the percentage of silicon carbide linkages. The hardness of silicon carbide is 9H. Therefore, the hardness of Opti-Coat starts at 6-7H and reaches 9H over time. Because of the silicon carbide backbone, it is also very heat resistant. You can do the flame test on sheet metal and there will be no change in color on the coated side".

This is what I said in my post on page 9 #81 about Opticoat - The Opticoat does not contain nanoparticles and certainly not those that are coloured black like silicon carbide. So the reference must be to the polymer itself. There are plenty of silanes that will moisture cure at room temperature and form films that contain SiC (silicon carbide like) bonds.
I am not sure how the heat resistance of any paint protection system is important for everyday motorist, unless you plan to drive your car into volcano.

[blake_jl]

I am not sure how the heat resistance of any paint protection system is important for everyday motorist, unless you plan to drive your car into volcano.

I'll ignore your comments about the formulation Merrick. I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing about it. But in reference to heat resistance of course this is important. Application to wheels, metal surfaces such as exhaust just to name a couple.

[Hail22]

This is what Gandalf thinks of some people errhmmm "forum trolls" making this once good thread a war of brands

[gonsped]

Gees....... what a thread. Keep the flames and useless banter on the low guys. Forum readers are only interested to see what works and for how long it lasted.

I recently had my new Golf done in Opti-Coat and so far so good after the first wash 3 weeks later. I guess I will only know in 12-24 mths time whether this product really works.

My car is under the sun every working day and garaged anytime else. It'd be interesting if the opticoat fades over time especially the opti-coat treated plastic headlights. Without protection, these surely will cloud over.

[Buller_Scott]

Gees....... what a thread. Keep the flames and useless banter on the low guys. Forum readers are only interested to see what works and for how long it lasted.

I recently had my new Golf done in Opti-Coat and so far so good after the first wash 3 weeks later. I guess I will only know in 12-24 mths time whether this product really works.

My car is under the sun every working day and garaged anytime else. It'd be interesting if the opticoat fades over time especially the opti-coat treated plastic headlights. Without protection, these surely will cloud over.

make no mistake, there are just as many forum members who love the banter and the isht slinging - it's great for popcorn consumption.

and of course your opti coat is going to be good 3 weeks later - opti seal (it's little brother) should be good three months later (especially if layered, like mine is).

[why_999]

I couldn't resist must say something...

This was/will be my first brand new car, and I was almost shocked with the MING MOLE...(I never heard that term before..lol)..
Any way from a chemist point of view, how can an inert molecule such as titanium dioxide, be self cleaning, etc... Yes it will UV guard the car but that's all.

I had a very good laugh, when some early stated it will clean itself, you must remember this molecule is in most sun creams. Excellent sales pitch to my customer.. Take this suncream it will CLEAN your child while protecting from the harmful uv rays... I wouldn't be about to say it with a straight face.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk