Yet another Opti-Coat thread...

[ObsessiveAutoDetail]

I recently purchased Opti-Coat and my intent was to use it strictly for headlight restos... however, I am quite intrigued by it and it's longevity. I thought about testing on the Wife's 2005 Equinox. My question is, and I know it is supposed to be a "permenant" coating, how do you know when it is no longer providing protection? Does it actually bead water until it is no longer? I know it is supposed to take quite a while to "wear off", but when it comes time to re-apply, what kind of prep is involved? How do you know when it's gone? Would Opti-Coat stick to itself in terms of a re-application down the road...?

Sorry for all the questions... that's whats been going through my sunburnt head all morning...

[silverfox]

I think the whole "permanent" thing is frankly the whole reason for any controversy regarding this product. It begs questions and assumptions and marketing issues, not to mention applying it...etc. Had this stuff just been marketed as a "super sealant" that lasts longer than anything else out there (instead of "permanent") there would be 1000 fewer posts, wrong assumptions, and craziness regarding this product.

[ObsessiveAutoDetail]

Yeah... but I am by no means bashing or questioning the durability of the product... Just that it's relatively new to the market and I am looking to the future when a client returns for a re-application. How do I know if the coating is still there doing it's job.

[CEE DOG]

No longer providing protection? It's providing some protection as long as it's still beading. What % of the full UV protection? I don't know.

You should not apply Opti-Coat over itself. Just to throw a number out there. Say you leave OC on for 4 years and it's still there and you want to apply more... You should polish the paint and prep it just like you did the first time before re-applying. After 4 years you will want to polish it anyway I'm sure.

Say the number of years is whatever it takes that you no longer see the same beading you once did. You will still want to polish the panels and prep etc before applying. For more than one reason but also becasue I would assume the OC is not going to wear evenly. Some places that receive more abrasion over the years will wear off sooner therefore you would at least have to polish the entire panel that you wanted to re-polish.

[rwright]

Opti-Coat has been out for around 10 years including field testing, I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's the information that I received. If you're using it on headlights then my guess that it is no longer working would be when the headlights turn yellow again. If using it on paint then my guess would be when it stops releasing water.

[ObsessiveAutoDetail]

OK... so I would look for the same characteristics as if I were removing a traditional sealant or wax: No more beading indicates removal.

[CEE DOG]

I am looking to the future when a client returns for a re-application. How do I know if the coating is still there doing it's job.

Theres a few answers Dr. G gives here that might help you. Not an answer to your question but as far as how to care for your clients paint that you have applied OC to. Specifically answer #7 and everything he has to say after Question #12.

Q & A with Dr. G of Optimum:

Dr. G, It was great having an opportunity to talk with you at Detail Fest again this year. I have a few questions I was hoping you could answer for everyone. This Q&A will be posted online in my Coatings Review and Extreme Testing article.

Corey, It was a great pleasure seeing you again also and congratulations on the well deserved award you won for your thorough forum reviews. Your questions here are a prime example of your thoroughness which is partly due to your engineering background.

I also want to thank Chris for doing a superb job of explaining how to apply Opti-Coat to make the process easier and more effective for all users.

1.-What would be the consequences of using more than light pressure to buff off high spots or ridges within minutes of application?

When applying Opti-Coat 2.0, the best results are achieved with an even and continuous coat. If you have any high spots, it will be hazy and stays hazy after curing. Using the foam applicator with light pressure helps even out the high spots while using too much pressure can release more product from the sponge and would defeat the purpose. Alternatively a microfiber towel can be used to remove the excess product, however, with this approach there is a possibility of removing all the resins.

2.-Approximately how many microns will Opti-Coat 2.0 add to paint?

By using the contents of the syringe on a large SUV, it will add 2-3 microns of Opti-Coat to the paint. For smaller cars you can achieve the same results with less product.

3.-Can Opti-Coat 2.0 be applied to single stage paints of any age?

Opti-Coat 2.0 was designed for clearcoat paint and it should be applied after the paint defects are removed. We have not done any long term testing with this product on single stage paint.
There are several professional detailers that have applied Opti-Coat to single stage paint after removing all the defects and oxidation with great results. They might be able to provide more information on this application but the main purpose of this product is to protect clearcoat from the elements and premature failure due to over-polishing.

4.-Consider a car with older single stage paint that is badly oxidized and faded and then polished to perfection and brought back to glossy condition. Can Opti-Coat 2.0 lock in the gloss or have any effect stopping the paint from regressing to its faded condition?

Please refer to the previous answer.

5.-Can Opti-Coat 2.0 be used on leather, vinyl, and interior plastics?

Absolutely not. Opti-Coat 2.0 is designed for use on exterior automotive surfaces only. It cross-links and forms a hard clear film therefore it should not be applied to flexible substrates including leather, vinyl, soft tops, tire, etc.

6.-What would be the outcome if Opti-Coat 2.0 was applied to a properly cleaned tire?

Please refer to the previous answer.

7.-I understand using Optimum Poliseal with a foam-finishing pad is the acceptable method of cleaning the coating down the road. Is this correct?

Yes, you can use Poli-Seal by hand or with a foam finishing pad to clean Opti-Coat or to add additional gloss.

8.-Are other Optimum products, such as OptiClean and Optimum No Rinse friendly with Opti-Coat 2.0? If they are friendly do they require any adaptation in their application compared with how they are used on non-coated paint.

Yes, we design all our products to be compatible with each other to make the process easier and that includes the products you mentioned as well as other Optimum products such as Optimum Car Wax, Opti-Seal, Instant Detailer, etc.

9.-What temperatures will cured Opti-Coat 2.0 withstand before failing?

Opti-Coat 2.0 forms ceramic bonds (Si-C) at very high temperatures and will not be damaged by extreme heat. Therefore, it can be used to protect wheels, brake calipers, engine compartments without any issues.

10.-Assuming its kept indoors in 65-78 degrees what is the shelf life of Opti-Coat 2.0 before being opened by the consumer?

Opti-Coat 2.0 has an infinite shelf life as long as moisture is not introduced into the product.

11.-If only some of the syringe is used and it is properly resealed with the cap what will the remaining shelf life be? Assume its kept indoors in 65-78 degrees.

Please refer to the previous answer.

12.-Can a small touchup spot of Opti-Coat 2.0 be applied over a previously Opti-coated panel. For instance: If you get a rock chip in your paint and need to touch it up then want to recoat the touched up area with Opti-coat can you simply apply OC to that one small area? Would there be any negative affects where the touch-up OC overlapped the existing OC?

Once Opti-Coat cures, it will repel most everything even the fresh resin. If you have to recoat a section, you will have to polish the entire panel first with Optimum Polish or Optimum Finish. Then, you will need to wipe the panel down with a damp microfiber towel to remove any residue before reapplying Opti-Coat 2.0 to the entire panel.

Thank you so much for your work on this innovative product and as always thank you for taking the time to answer my questions in such an insightful manner.

Corey, I appreciate the time you put into testing and educating forum members on how to use and benefit from different automotive appearance products. As a paint chemist, I was always puzzled why people over-polish their car paint and cause the paint to fail prematurely (we all have seen examples of clearcoat failure). Opti-Coat 2.0 is the most effective way to avoid premature failure of clearcoats.


Our research team spent over 4 years developing and testing Opti-Coat before it was released for professional use and another 3 years to develop Opti-Coat 2.0 for consumer use. This coating has better scratch and mar resistance, better UV resistance, and better chemical resistance than factory clears. Therefore the effects of the elements on Opti-Coat 2.0 is far less than factory clears and there will be much less need for polishing once this is applied on top of the existing clear. Even if you do remove Opti-Coat 2.0 by polishing, you can easily replace it by adding another coat.

[Chris Thomas]

...My question is, and I know it is supposed to be a "permenant" coating, how do you know when it is no longer providing protection? Does it actually bead water until it is no longer? I know it is supposed to take quite a while to "wear off", but when it comes time to re-apply, what kind of prep is involved? How do you know when it's gone? Would Opti-Coat stick to itself in terms of a re-application down the road...?

Your assumption is correct, you will see the beading fall off when the coating is gone, but you are incorrect assuming the product will "wear off". That is the permanent part. Opti Coat will not come off on it's own or when exposed to chemical cleaners/degreasers. It will need to be mechanically removed with abrasives. If you do need to reapply for some reason, just compound and/or polish the panel to scuff/disturb the surface and reapply. We recommend doing a panel edge to edge if a repair is needed and not just spot repairs.

[FUNX650]

Your assumption is correct, you will see the beading fall off when the coating is gone, but you are incorrect assuming the product will "wear off". That is the permanent part.

Is this an oxymoron? My humble attempt to understand this statement: Are you in effect saying, then, that the beading will never end (unless the Opti-Coat 2 coated surface has been scuffed/disturbed by a polishing/compound process)?

Opti Coat will not come off on it's own or when exposed to chemical cleaners/degreasers. It will need to be mechanically removed with abrasives. If you do need to reapply for some reason, just compound and/or polish the panel to scuff/disturb the surface and reapply. We recommend doing a panel edge to edge if a repair is needed and not just spot repairs.

I've seen people's reporting that "water beading" seemed to have caused water spotting on Opti-Coat(ed) surfaces. Is water beading, then, really a good thing to have on vehicles? Is water beading a true metric that a surface is protected?

Any input you may have on these questions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Bob

[CEE DOG]

Josh, I'm not sure you saw what I was getting at but answer number 7 from Optimum says you can "clean" the paint with OPS. So if you were to use OC and down you want to get the gloss back up this is a nice option. I'm not sure how many times you can do this before the OC starts getting thin but I would imagine it would a whole lot of times! If you look at the thickness of OC I imagince you would have to use poliseal an extrordinary amount of times before it could put a dent in the OC. Chris might be able to add some more insight on that but I imagine the variables of foam type, pressure, and machine would make more insight difficult.