Review and Extreme Testing: Opti-Coat 2.0 and CQuartz

**arisking** · 04-16-2014, 03:44 PM

I don't believe Opti-Coat should be applied over anything besides bare, IPA wiped clear.

Originally Posted by 01svtL

Can Opticoat be applied over Blackfire Crystal Seal? I applied a coat of BFCS to my new car about 2 weeks ago.

If so, what kind of prep should I do prior? Claybar?

**01svtL** · 04-16-2014, 04:22 PM

Thanks guys. So I'm assuming the OC is a better product than the BFCS? Why would one choose to seal rather than coat? Serious question.

If I want to strip the BFCS in order to go the OC route, what would be the best way to do that? Dawn Ultra wash or something? What's the proper IPA mix?

**Dr_Pain** · 04-16-2014, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by 01svtL

Thanks guys. So I'm assuming the OC is a better product than the BFCS? Why would one choose to seal rather than coat? Serious question.

If I want to strip the BFCS in order to go the OC route, what would be the best way to do that? Dawn Ultra wash or something? What's the proper IPA mix?

The main reason to sealing over coating is that you can change your mind and strip as many time as you want with little more than a few hours, whereas the work involved to coat/recoat is a LOT more (therefore cost more).... and if you change your mind you basically have to polish the coating off to restart

Dawn does leave some residue. Proper stripping includes claying, polishing and IPA wipe down will take care of that for you (or finishing with a coating prep, which is what I do)

Proper IPA mix depends on the manufacturer. PBL suggests using the dedicated coating prep, but PBMG did reply that a 15% IPA was Ok; CQuartz suggests Eraser etc.. so best to check with the manufacturer

**01svtL** · 04-17-2014, 01:29 PM

Seal over coat? It sounds like these coatings offer more protection, so why seal over coat. If its coated and protected, why would you want to remove it? Trying to learn.

Originally Posted by Dr_Pain

The main reason to sealing over coating is that you can change your mind and strip as many time as you want with little more than a few hours, whereas the work involved to coat/recoat is a LOT more (therefore cost more).... and if you change your mind you basically have to polish the coating off to restart

Dawn does leave some residue. Proper stripping includes claying, polishing and IPA wipe down will take care of that for you (or finishing with a coating prep, which is what I do)

Proper IPA mix depends on the manufacturer. PBL suggests using the dedicated coating prep, but PBMG did reply that a 15% IPA was Ok; CQuartz suggests Eraser etc.. so best to check with the manufacturer

**Becciasm** · 04-17-2014, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by 01svtL

Seal over coat? It sounds like these coatings offer more protection, so why seal over coat. If its coated and protected, why would you want to remove it? Trying to learn.

I think he meant seal 'as opposed to' coating

choosing the sealing option 'over' the coating option, as 'instead of'

**01svtL** · 04-17-2014, 02:28 PM

Haha no I got that. My question was why seal as opposed to coating? If coating is better protection, I cant see a reason to choose to seal instead. But I just don't know, I'm trying to learn.

**coredump4** · 04-18-2014, 07:57 AM

Whether to seal or coat is purely personal preference. Speaking from my own experience, you have to reset your expectations a bit when switching from sealants to coatings. The coatings' primary purpose is paint longevity, not appearance. So you don't get quite the gloss or the feel of a top-notch sealant when switching to coatings. Not to say a coated car doesn't look sharp when properly cleaned up; they sure do. I personally like knowing the vehicle has an invisible shield on it, protecting it from dirt, IFO, bird droppings, and water spots, and will accept a drop in glossiness. But it depends on what your goals are, and what the vehicle is primarily used for. If I had, say, a fully-restored classic car I took to shows, but rarely drove, I'd probably favor sealants over coatings. However, to maintain the new appearance of a DD, a coating is probably your best bet.
One of my beefs with marketing (and Internet lore) related to the coatings is the notion that they're "permanent." While a coating may be permanent in a chemical sense, in the real world, sooner or later you're going to need to have a door-ding repaired, or a panel replaced due to accident, and the coating will have to be re-applied to the panel. So the notion of "permanent" coatings bugs me a bit, but I've gotten over that now.

Right now, I've got one vehicle with OC 2.0 on it, applied by me; another vehicle has OC Pro, applied by a professsional. In my case, the OC Pro vehicle has a noticeably nicer gloss to it, and I'm very happy with it. I'd probably recommend going that route, if you decide to try a coating.

**01svtL** · 04-18-2014, 10:17 AM

Awesome, thanks for the clarification! Will the sealant provide at least a little bit of protection from things like bird droppings, bugs, sap etc? Short term anyway? As long as its removed fairly timely?

**01svtL** · 04-18-2014, 10:27 AM

Also, aren't both the products that you listed coatings? The pro appears to be professional only?

**coredump4** · 04-18-2014, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by 01svtL

Also, aren't both the products that you listed coatings? The pro appears to be professional only?

Correct, sorry that wasn't clear. I've got 2 cars that are Opti-Coated, one with the consumer product, the other with the professional product. Prior to my foray into OC, my go-to sealant was Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant (DGPS), which I'm still a fan of. And you most certainly get resistance to those hazards with sealant, but a coating should provide greater resistance and last longer as well.