Review and Extreme Testing: Opti-Coat 2.0 and CQuartz

[JBJB]

Originally Posted by richy

If you've read any of the many jobs I've done this summer, all of them were done with OG, and all were topped with either Permanon or FK425 or DG AW. You should wait a minimum of 12 hours before doing so. Chris is now saying that after fully cured (30 days?) that you can actually polish with an AIO (I would do DG 501) to add slickness. I've never tried this. Sounds interesting.

Hi richy, when you apply Permanon 12 hours later (or the next day), any additional surface prep required? e.g. rinse the car again or wipe it down again? As my car is parked outside under cover (but not fully enclosed garage) I suppose there might be some dust over 12 hours.

[Chris@Optimum]

Originally Posted by JBJB

...Now I've read that Opti Coat itself is not very glossy or slick (it's similar to the car paint). So to add gloss and slickness something like Carpro Reload or Permanon can be added on top. Old Tiger mentioned to me that adding either will make it look and feel like glass... which is an exciting prospect.

Now should Reload or Permanon be applied soon after Opti Coat is done or should it be after curing (I read that Opti Coat has a curing time)?

Those products are boosters to the nano coatings that "wear" off over time. You can certainly use them, but due to the nature of Optimum Coatings their life will be only around a month. I have found that Optimum Car Wax and Opti Seal work well if you want something quick and easy...but Optimum's Coatings don't need a booster. All you have to do is regular washes and clay/decon as needed.

Because the coatings are "wiped on" and some "go over" the application too much as it flashes. It may "feel" less smooth than possible...but most of my applications feel very slick and glossy. If you find that your application needs to be slicker, just wait until it fully hardens and go over it with Poliseal or GPS or Finish II. Not like you would for defect removal, but just a pass or two with light pressure on a finishing pad. This will level the application and bring the "feel" to its potential. Keep in mind that aggressive combinations will remove thickness, so use it like a cleaner wax...not a correction step.

Originally Posted by richy

If you've read any of the many jobs I've done this summer, all of them were done with OG, and all were topped with either Permanon or FK425 or DG AW. You should wait a minimum of 12 hours before doing so. Chris is now saying that after fully cured (30 days?) that you can actually polish with an AIO (I would do DG 501) to add slickness. I've never tried this. Sounds interesting.

I'm sorry you hadn't seen it before, but I've recommend this over topping since it came up. I really do need to wright a FAQ for the coatings since all my info is spread over several forums and hundreds of threads.

Originally Posted by embolism

I used some poliseal on a pinnacle foam applicator by hand to level a couple high spots on the hood of a Miata I did recently and was surprised at how simple it was to level. It literally took less than a minute.

Granted this was only after a week after application but it was still surprising to me.

Now one week and one month are very different time frames (wasn't 3 months also mentioned at one point for full hardness of OC 2.0?) but I wouldn't try using an AIO on the entire car, especially by machine. Maybe do a test spot on the trunk lid or someplace where you can recoat if you removed your OC by mistake.

It would be such a shame to undo all your prep work in the name of adding some slickness.

You're thinking is right. You should wait till full hardness before polishing...and when you do, it should be by hand or low speed with a finishing pad (like applying cleaner wax, not doing a correction step). Also, keeping in mind that Opti Coat 2.0 is not as concentrated as Opti Guard, so it takes a little longer to cure and won't be as forgiving if you get too aggresive with your leveling.

[spyghost]

if you were to polish an opti-coated surface, how would you know that you've gone way too far? will it look like you've gone through a clear coat?

[gmck]

if you were to polish an opti-coated surface, how would you know that you've gone way too far? will it look like you've gone through a clear coat?

No it would not look like you had gone through the clear coat. If you go through the clear coat you will see colour on your pad, obviously the colour of your paint. Clear coat on most modern vehicles has no colour pigment so obviously with normal compounding/polishing you should not see any colour on your pad.

The standard test to determine if you have removed an OC/OG application is to clean the surface after compounding or polishing and determine if there is any beading. If the rinse water just lies flat on the surface without any sort of beading then you have totally removed the OC/OG application.


Please keep in mind that the standard OPT recommendation is to use Poli-Seal. Poli-Seal also contains a sealant/wax which then also has to be removed before you can determine that the surface no longer beads. The correct recommendation should probably be the milder Polish II which doesn’t contain any sealant/wax so using Polish II would save the extra step.


You’ll actually be surprised at how little polishing is required to totally remove an OC/OG application even after the full cure time of 90 days. More on than in another post.

[itsinthedetails]

What an informative, detailed thread-wow! I hope to l one day be as useful to the autogeek community as you were with this thread. Kudos!

[spyghost]

Originally Posted by gmck

You’ll actually be surprised at how little polishing is required to totally remove an OC/OG application even after the full cure time of 90 days. More on than in another post.

Ok, worst case scenario - will regular 2 bucket washing wear away an "unwaxed" OC?

[gmck]

will regular 2 bucket washing wear away an "unwaxed" OC?

Of course not. Please read back through the rest of this 33 page thread or the info sheet here Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 Permanent Paint Coating FREE BONUS

Washing an OC/OG vehicle with any type of detergent will have no effect, other than cleaning it.

To remove OC/OG you need to abrade (polish) the paint surface.

[richy]

Originally Posted by JBJB

Hi richy, when you apply Permanon 12 hours later (or the next day), any additional surface prep required? e.g. rinse the car again or wipe it down again? As my car is parked outside under cover (but not fully enclosed garage) I suppose there might be some dust over 12 hours.

Sorry I missed your question! Not unless the car is dusty, then I'll do a quick ONR wipedown. My method of choice now for Permanon is via a spray gun with my compressor followed up by an ONR wash. Permanon says to hose it down, but I find the ONR just as good and quicker and less messy.

[arack]

[quote=Rsurfer;652097]It bothers me that you say that OCW will only last a few weeks. Granted it's so easy to apply, but when Optimum states that it could last up to 5 months, I'm a little shocked at your statement of a few weeks. I understand all the variables, but five months to a few weeks is a huge difference.

Originally Posted by Chris@Optimum

If you like a Nuba look, just use something like OCW to top and it won't matter that it only last a few weeks because it only took 10 minutes to apply.

Rsurfer. As you know, anything on top of OptiCoat does not last long. Chris was saying that you could apply OCW due to its ease of application.

OCM by itself could provide up to 5 months of protection on a non opti coated vehicle. The OCW will stay on longer on a no opti coated vehicle.

I hope this clears up the confusion for you.

[BKM3]

Can someone check out there opti-coat 2.0 and look real carfully at it to see if there are tiny little brown particles like floating in it? I had an old unopened syringe for months just sitting and wonder if it's normal or went bad.

Thanks,

BK