X-Pack Paint protection?

[Merrick]

It is good that you added the insult about my wife to your pointless comments.

I did not insult your wife at all, you come up with the diamond ring and I just replied to your comment. As you know the diamond can be scratched by diamond only.

[Merrick]

1. There is a differentiation between new and used vehicles for a very good reason. Used vehicles have spent however long being neglected prior to being coated. This may have produced defects in the factory paint system and potential for failure in later years. 12 months was selected as the cut off date for this.

I don’t understand your explanation; I would like to know more about potential failure of the factory paint treated with Opti-coat in later years. What can happen?

[Merrick]

3. You clearly don't understand how scratch resistance is measured.

Believe or not but I actually do understand. How the scratch resistance is measured is not important for a customer, but if you are saying that the coating is so hard (9-9.5) on the Mohs scale the customer may think, hmm... this paint protection is good my car won’t get scratched. Unfortunately as you know this is not the case, isn’t it?
I also understand that the hard mineral (or any material) can scratch the softer mineral (or any material) but not vice versa.

[blake_jl]

We said it measures 9H on the scratch test. You should know what this is but you don't. You keep going back to Moh's scale of hardness. Carborundum does measure over 9 on Moh's scale which forms the backbone of this product.

I am still looking for this ‘Holy Grail’ of paint protection.

This says a lot about the product you are peddling. Best of luck with your business.

[Merrick]

We said it measures 9H on the scratch test. You should know what this is but you don't. You keep going back to Moh's scale of hardness. Carborundum does measure over 9 on Moh's scale which forms the backbone of this product.



This says a lot about the product you are peddling. Best of luck with your business.

Perhaps you can educate me what 9H is. Are you refering to pencil hardness scratch test?

[Merrick]

What is so called Opti-coat?

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. But that is really just a marketing gimmick. There are plenty of silanes that will moisture cure at room temperature and form films that contain SiC (silicon carbide like) bonds. To achieve the properties associated with silicon carbide, all of the organic segments of the coating would need to be oxidized or burnt off. Then a porcelain material would be left which is untenable on a flexible substrate.
The Opticoat is a sealant and does not add additional gloss except for that which is incidental, i.e., when seen at an angle rather than directly where the substrate properties are magnified; the water beating effect is due to silicones that make up a good portion of the coating and these silicones will eventually leach out of the film or abrade from it and then the water will lie flat; the method of application and the amount that is applied results in a very thin film relative to its solid content, i.e., by wipe on and wiping off, the majority of the coatings is removed from the applied surface.

[blake_jl]

Merrick what you have to say is based on nothing and untrue. Opti-Coat is not a sealant - Opti-Coat does not contain silicone oils - the application does not remove the film and the silicon carbide is not a marketing gimmick.

What is important here is the performance of the product. Too many impressed clients to count. Not a single dissatisfied customer.

We just have PITA people like yourself that demand we break down the product formula and explain how it is possible a product performs like it does. Clearly it is....our customers are telling you so!

And as usual it turns out you are a representative of an inferior product. I can purchase it online and the more I pay for it, the longer it lasts apparently. You my dear friend are the gimmick and no better than the "ming moles" you so nicely referred to previously

At the end of the day, continuing any further with this argument is just bringing us down to your level and is bad for business.

[Merrick]

Merrick what you have to say is based on nothing and untrue. Opti-Coat is not a sealant - Opti-Coat does not contain silicone oils - the application does not remove the film and the silicon carbide is not a marketing gimmick.

My apology for saying Opti-Coat is sealant; the Opti-Coat is a clear coat as is stated on your website.
Could you point me to my statement that the Opti-Coat contains silicone oils? I can’t recall it saying that.
Unfortunately I have to stay behind my words in the article above and the silicon carbide is same marketing gimmick like Ming Titanium Dioxide and it is impossible to deny the laws of chemistry.

What is important here is the performance of the product. Too many impressed clients to count. Not a single dissatisfied customer.

I can’t agree with you more the product performance is important, not marketing gimmick about silicon carbide. I do believe you that many customers are happy with their choice at least for some time yet like many people are happy with Ming, G-tech or Permanon paint protection.

We just have PITA people like yourself that demand we break down the product formula and explain how it is possible a product performs like it does. Clearly it is....our customers are telling you so!

I am not asking you for your secret formula, you don’t have to be Einstein to find out all gimmick behind the clear coat. Every chemist will agree with me what I said even Dr David in USA, just ask him.

And as usual it turns out you are a representative of an inferior product. I can purchase it online and the more I pay for it, the longer it lasts apparently. You my dear friend are the gimmick and no better than the "ming moles" you so nicely referred to previously

Have you noticed that you are trying to attack me for just speaking out about your product?

At the end of the day, continuing any further with this argument is just bringing us down to your level and is bad for business.

You know what I don’t like is when someone is saying how superior their product compare with competition is but as we can see Opti-coat is no different to other paint protection coatings or sealants. I know the truth sometimes hurts.

[Merrick]

MotorOne paint protection is (X-pack, Ming, Platinum Plus, Fifth dimention, etc ) ...

To who are interested what MotorOne paint protection is (X-pack, Ming, Platinum Plus, Fifth dimention, etc ) or any paint protection containing TiO2 (titanium dioxide)

My understanding of the use of photocatalytically induced TiO2 is that in order for it to truly "burn-off" (oxidize) the organic matter (soils) it must possess an activity that will also oxidize the organic binder holding the mineral in place. This was also the conclusion that a world provider of nanoscale TiO2 also shared with me, i.e., that they could not find a binder (coating resin) that would withstand the bond breaking action of the TiO2 they manufacturer. Hence, if the mineral is to be truly affective in oxidizing the road grime, it will also destroy the polymers (which contain organic cross-linkers) holding it in place.
One clue to whether or not the product does in fact contain TiO2 that is working to produce a "self cleaning" effect, is to check for water bead. If the water lies flat, that is, flatter than normal (with no wax or sealant on the surface) like it would if it was on a mineral surface, then TiO2 is probably present. Also, for the mineral to be effective, it most likely needs to be in a continuous film like surface, that is, in contact with itself. If this is the case then, as a white coloured material, the paint's gloss would be greatly diminished. The film would also be very brittle. Hence the need for organic connecting points to maintain flexibility.

[Merrick]

nanolex

This product appears, from the website, to be very similar to that of the gtech, i.e., the "nanotech" label pertains to the physical structure of the film that is formed and not any actual nanoparticles.

While I'm at it, let me also mention what might be considered a related technology to that of the "nanotechs", i.e., the sol-gel process wherein the silica is formed during a reaction that takes place just prior to the application of the product and essentially continues until it is polymerized into a rubbery mass (the next day, for example). The 2 years that is given to the longevity is due to the inherent brittleness of the coating which is very much akin to glass with its Si-Si formations. Hence, once the organics are "burnt" off from the sun or alkaline contaminates, the film becomes silicate like and flakes off, though the material is too small to notice by the naked eye.

[Coolio]

Hi Merrick,

Obviously i won't be purchasing the dealer paint protection after reading all of this so that is one positive result from reading the last three pages, but could you please clarify which product you would recommend? My impression from this forum, the Detailing World Forum and CCP's recommendations is that the Nanolex is an excellent product. I was probably looking to go down the Nanolex path when i receive my car. Reading your post above suggests Nanolex may not be the best option. I would like to know your thoughts if possible. Cheers.

[Corey_R]

Coolio, Merrick owns a detailing business and is the importer/seller of a specific range of car care products. So I believe he would pretty obviously end up recommending his own products... if he didn't, it would be a worry

However, Merrick is not a forum sponsor, so I would presume the actual forum sponsors would be upset if he came along and started advertising them here...

[Coolio]

Right yes thanks Corey, understood. I am in Brisbane so i will send a PM. At least i'm not left with any confusion as to whether i should go with dealer paint protection!

[Merrick]

Hi Merrick,

Obviously i won't be purchasing the dealer paint protection after reading all of this so that is one positive result from reading the last three pages, but could you please clarify which product you would recommend? My impression from this forum, the Detailing World Forum and CCP's recommendations is that the Nanolex is an excellent product. I was probably looking to go down the Nanolex path when i receive my car. Reading your post above suggests Nanolex may not be the best option. I would like to know your thoughts if possible. Cheers.

Please don’t get me wrong I am not saying that this paint protection system on the market is good or bad. What I am saying is, those “excellent” products have their weaknesses as well. For example you will find expressions like “diamond hard”, protection against bird droppings, lifetime warranty etc. and later on you will find that “diamond hard” well actually is not that hard at all, the same apply to bird and/ or droppings, lifetime warranty is as long as you get yearly inspection and we can go on and on. I do understand that the distributors of those paint protection systems don’t like my comments. Someone said about me I am a straight shooter and I tell you what I think and how it works, I never mislead my customers.
I do believe you will be happy with any of those products like many people on this forum as you need to do something to protect the paint. But also I do believe on the market are much more advanced products than you can find on this forum.
I can’t suggest you any paint protection as Corey_R said I am the owner of a competing detailing business and I would be banned from this forum if I say more details about my bussines. My application to be a sponsor of this forum was denied, so I can’t unfortunately give you more straight answers. What I can tell you is to search Google for car paint protection or whatever the keywords you may choose.

[Maverick]

Coolio, Merrick owns a detailing business and is the importer/seller of a specific range of car care products. So I believe he would pretty obviously end up recommending his own products... if he didn't, it would be a worry

I've recommended Merrick's business Ducoscratch many times to forum members and in my dealings with him have found him to be trustworthy when he makes recommendations. He doesn't peddle any of the 'magic' products that claim to do everything from protect your car from bat vomit to metorite strikes nor does he push products onto you. I had Merrick apply my PPF over 3 years ago and have dealt with him a number of times since then, everyone who I referred to him has been happy with the service and advice and indeed I was referred to him by another satisfied customer (a member on here from Toowoomba). So unlike some of the others who have posted in this and other threads I can strongly recommend that if anyone want's good advice to speak to Merrick.
(and before some of the others ask I have never been paid nor given goods to spruik Ducoscratch - they are a business that I have had good dealings with and will deal with again)