Review and Extreme Testing: Opti-Coat 2.0 and CQuartz

[01svtL]

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.

Great thanks. I have a ruby red metallic mustang, and the metal flake is VERY apparent in sunlight. I wouldn't want to dull that at all. Guess I should stick to a sealant huh?

[coredump4]

Great thanks. I have a ruby red metallic mustang, and the metal flake is VERY apparent in sunlight. I wouldn't want to dull that at all. Guess I should stick to a sealant huh?

You can get a very nice gloss with OC Pro; should look good on a car with metallic flecked paint. Here's my car immediately after OC Pro application:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0p8fiesoqw..._1450_copy.jpg

(I couldn't embed the image for some reason.)

[Becciasm]

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?

YES. absolutely.

There are currently, and most likely always will be, arguments for or against 'permanent' coatings vs traditional LSPs, just like the 'carnauba' vs 'sealant' argument itself has stood the test of time.

Sealants and waxes will provide that sacrificial barrier against the environment.

Coatings provide a longer-lasting sacrificial barrier (among other benefits).

[01svtL]

I used BFCS on mine. I don't see it mentioned much, if at all, lately. It looks like people like the Optimum poli-seal and EXO v2 these days?

What would be the way to go about removing the BFCS to apply one of these others? Is Clay, finishing polish, IPA wipe enough? Should it be washed again after an IPA wipe or is a sealant/coating ok to apply right after?

[01svtL]

Core, that car looks good! What did it run you to have it done? I can handle all the prep work once I know what needs to be done.

You can get a very nice gloss with OC Pro; should look good on a car with metallic flecked paint. Here's my car immediately after OC Pro application:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0p8fiesoqw..._1450_copy.jpg

(I couldn't embed the image for some reason.)

[coredump4]

I used BFCS on mine. I don't see it mentioned much, if at all, lately. It looks like people like the Optimum poli-seal and EXO v2 these days?

What would be the way to go about removing the BFCS to apply one of these others? Is Clay, finishing polish, IPA wipe enough? Should it be washed again after an IPA wipe or is a sealant/coating ok to apply right after?

If will be coating, follow the coating's instructions. For OC 2.0, you would need to remove any residual LSP (using a DA, if necessary), wash thoroughly with Dawn or APC (likely 2x), and then an IPA wipedown. You could clay first, if need be, especially if you'll be using a DA to remove the existing LSP.
At that point, the finish should be "naked," which is what's required for OC to bond. Definitely do not use a pre-wax; many of those have fillers which you definitely don't want on the vehicle.

[coredump4]

Core, that car looks good! What did it run you to have it done? I can handle all the prep work once I know what needs to be done.

The guy who did it is a fan of the BRZ/FR-S twins, so he offered a discount on one of the owners' forums. I think it was a pretty good deal.
I mentioned some of the prep in another post, though I didn't address doing any paint correction. That's the biggest pain, because once your coating is on, you can't get to any defects. So put in the time to get out every last swirl, chip, etc before putting on any coating.

[severecaraddict]

Does anyone know if Opti-coat is safe to use on single-stage paint jobs? My parents have his & her Maxi Taxis and while the orange one is gel coat, the maroon one is single-stage, color only and my dad is always obsessing over keeping the finish out of the sun, away from droppings, etc. He purchased it this way.

[severecaraddict]

"Google is my friend". I've read that it wasn't designed for SS paint, but that people have had good luck with it. Not sure what to do now.

[DC2R]

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.

It's it possible to apply DGPS or liquid glass over opticoat? I want more shine and sicknesses to hopefully repel dirt/make it easier to remove. Btw I have an asphalt FR-S that was opticoat less than a month ago. Been through a few toothless carwash since then.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk