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How to protect your RS

25K views 84 replies 26 participants last post by  wiltocking 
#1 ·
So what will you be doing to protect your RS? Will you just wash and wax? Any special products that you will use? How long to touch fresh paint, heard to wait 3 months cause too soft at first? Will you clay your car day one and put on some high tech poly-synthetic-nano-ultimate auto protective coating? Share your tips and dos and don'ts. Also, will any of you take your RS to a car wash or is that just taboo...
 
#2 ·
As soon as it comes off the trailer at the dealer, I plan on taking it without letting them wash it or even peel off any of the protective stuff and heading straight to getting the front end Clear-Bra'd. Should also have some WeatherTech mats ready to protect the carpet.
 
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#6 ·
Josh this is exactly what I had planned. I love the WeatherTechs I have in my FiST now. And the clear bra I have been reading up on. What do you think is a likely cost for such a process? I imagine you bring it to a shop to get it done. I've never had a clear bra installed on any of my last 4 vehicles.
 
#4 ·
dont forget to put pictures of a honda in front of it and tell it a VTech is better
 
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#9 ·
Chrisp, is Oakes the one in PA? (Just Googled them) I'm thinking of doing a clear bra at the very least because rock chips suck. How do they do theirs? I've been reading up on the topic, and I am leaning toward plasti dip being the best option for a clear bra due to how easy it is to repair, maintain, and also remove.

Anyone ever heard of Fluid Film? Considering finding someone who can do that professionally for the winter, but I don't know anything about it, especially the efficacy.
 
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#16 · (Edited)
I'm planning on putting some xpel ultimate or 3M pro on mine when I get it. Anybody have any first hand application experience? I've looked at several installation videos online and, with a few helping hands and the right equipment, doesn't look very difficult to install. I prefer to DIY whenever I can and this would be a great way so save several hundred dollars.
 
#18 ·
Is CQuartz an alternative to all of it? Damn, this is getting complicated! Haha :D

Seriously though, the pics in the link look goddamn amazing. I want that. Is that something that gets done before a bra? Instead of a bra?
 
#22 ·
C.Quartz and OptiCoat Pro are protective coatings that last for years, as opposed to months for wax and sealants. They also provide a measurable thickness and considerably stronger than your standard vehicles clear coats. This basically means scratches, swirls, and chips are drastically reduced (with proper care of course.).

PPF is plastic protection and the greatest protection you can provide your vehicle. Several even have the ability to self heal via the sun and/or warm water.
5
Typically, PPF can be topped with a coating, however they don't last as as long.
 
#21 ·
My plan is similar to CHRISP, in that the dealership will do the bare minimum in preparations and all plastic protection will be left untouched. I'll take the vehicle home and prep it for PPF installation, which at a minimum will be the front third of the vehicle. Afterwards, I'll be applying OptiCoat Pro Plus to all exterior painted surfaces, including the wheels and break calipers. OptiTrim Protect on all exterior plastics. OptiGlass on all exterior glass surfaces. OptiLeather and OptiFabric Gaurd to protect all interior surfaces.

Total cost should be under 1K ...it helps when your an authorized installer of Optimum's Pro Coatings!
 
#23 ·
Very funny. So, Mr Authorized Installer, what makes Optimum superior to other options? How much out of pocket for all the different stuff you listed? How do we get to you?
 
#25 ·
I ain't doing **** to mine. I'll wash and wax it once a month and after every trip to the snow. Clay bar every 6 months. Every rock chip, pit and knick is a battle scar. Chicks dig scars. It's not like this is going to be a trailer queen. My time is too valuable to be spend 1/4 of my available weekend time preening my car. And money is better spent elsewhere than paying someone to do it for me. This is a weekend toy car so it's already going to sit 70% of the time.
 
#28 ·
While this is your choice, you'd be an excellent candidate for a paint coating and would easily see the returns from the initial investment, via a better looking vehicle for years. Side by side a regularly washed and waxed vehicle that is garage kept and driven 30% of the time will show greater wear then that of a coated vehicle that's a daily driver parked outdoors 24/7. Just a thought!
 
#32 ·
I'm located in Marlton, NJ and my business is mobile, so I travel to my clients. My business' name is KJW Detailing and a quick search should reveal my website and social media. The OptiCoat Pro+ New Vehicle Prep Service starts at $950 + tax for a sedan. However, id likely work with that price for RS owners!
 
#31 ·
So I just saw on eBay they have pre cut kits of the 3M pro series clear bra for the focus ST for under $300. After seeing how easy the install is on YouTube, I'll probably just do it myself.
 
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#33 ·
What exactly detail a new vehicle prep servIce and how is the opticoat pro applied? Why better than a good wax or polymer product applied 3-4 times a year? How long does a service take? Given the smaller size of the RS I like the fact u r willing to work on that price. Please convince me this is the way to go. Anybody else used this before? Results? Worth the investment?
 
#34 ·
The New Vehicle Prep service is a detail that ensures the paint is properly cleaned and prepared for the coating (you would be very surprised of the lack luster condition in which people take new vehicles.). The vehicle is thoroughly washed, then a two step decontamination, followed by a primer polish to remove swirls and imperfections while also being a catalyst between the coating and clear coat, finishing with the application of OCP+. OCP+ is applied via a suede applicator, similar to applying a wax. The service can typically be completed in just one day.

OCP+ is a two step coating system. Part One begins with OptiCoat Pro. As you know OptiCoat Pro is a hard wearing, ceramic clear coat that provides superior resistance to scratching and protection from chemical etching due to environmental impacts. Part Two is a topper that bonds to the OptiCoat Pro, increasing slickness, gloss, and superior water spotting resistance.

OCP+ come with a 5 year warranty as long as you maintain it to Optimum Polymer Technologies standards.
 
#37 ·
After a quick search I found these prices. For a full car coating on:
- COP (complete exterior surfaces) - $1200
- C. Quartz (complete exterior surfaces) - $1200
- Modesta + (complete exterior surfaces) - $2200

Not sure does that include prep too but prices seem fairly low compared to what others have been quoted. What am I missing here?

Here is the source:

Detail | Window Tint | XPEL | Opti-Coat | Modesta | CquartzChicago Auto Pros | Opti-Coat Pro | Window Tinting | Modesta | Cquartz Finest | Xpel
 
#38 ·
Those would be a little out of my typical operation radius. Click this link Optimum Polymer Technologies : Find Dealers by state or zip and input your information. Fantastic Authorized installer all around the country. In Chicago, if personally recommend Detail | Window Tint | XPEL | Opti-Coat | Modesta | CquartzChicago Auto Pros | Opti-Coat Pro | Window Tinting | Modesta | Cquartz Finest | Xpel. Not sure for Texas, but there are 3 Houston based installers. If you guys have any questions, please feel free to ask!
 
#41 ·
Haven't seen anyone comment on Fluid Film yet. It's supposedly protection for the car's underside, particularly useful in Winter. I have no experience with underside protection though.

I looked up some info on OptiCoat, and it seems it's not self-healing like some wraps like XPEL and 3M, and is less durable than those. Would one install a film over the front surfaces after OptiCoat? Instead?
 
#44 ·
I hope to tare possession of the car and go straight to my detailer for a multi layer Ceramic Pro 9h application with full 1/4 front wrap, bumper, hood, a pillars, mirrors and fenders. With addition of rearward front fender splash guards and probably do the top section of rear bumper.
 
#61 ·
Finding how hard it is to get a damm protective covering just on my iPhone, I can't imagine doing a large section of car especially the curves on the front end. This is where experience and talent come in. You might get it on, but next month it's falling off already. I've seen pro-installed PPF and it can look great, but it will cost you. Road chips have me the most worried, but I can't drop another $2k for PPF right out the door. I did see color changing plastic dip and THAT would be awesome on the RS. Not sure how much that would cost and not that long lasting.
 
#62 · (Edited)
I'm gonna get a ckquarts or whatever coating possibly two. That ppf is too expensive for me lol. I'm going to need some type of rear bumper protector too incase I need my dog to jump in the back.
 
#63 ·
Liquid Glass states that once you have like 20 coats on very hard to chip the paint. I have used in past and you have to bake your car in the sun in-between coats. Will leave a hazy on black plastic if you are not careful. But it does let a tough coat. Some poured a can of coke on my car while I was working and after 8 hours of baking in the sunny just wiped it off with a damp cloth.

Anyone else use this stuff before?Liquid Glass | The Holy Grail of Car Care Products
 
#64 ·
Can anyone with a Focus ST tell me where the Focus collects rock chips? I know the obvious forward-facing surfaces - front bumper, hood, front fenders, lights, mirrors - and side-skirts will get rock chips at the track, but I wonder if the side doors and rear fender flares get chipped too. Do they?

I am trying to decide which surfaces of the RS to cover in PPF considering that the racetracks here in SoCal are covered in rocks/gravel and really sandblast a car. I'd prefer to avoid doing the doors if I could get away with it, but on my E90 M3 the doors are looking scratched and chipped too.

Thanks!
 
#67 ·
Everything I've read says that the most important decision in choosing a coating is finding the best installer. The prep is crucial for making sure you don't get locked in swirls and other defects. There's a Tesla forum where people get downright obsessive about these things and people seem to be happy with whichever coat they've used. It makes sense to focus most on the experiences of customers with the installers in your local area.
 
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