Headlight sealant: spar urethane vs. opti coat 2.0

[Setec Astronomy]

As someone doing headlight work who has switched from spar urethane to opti coat (under the assumption it was better) I'm definitley curious how this plays out. thanks for the detailed writeup.

I'm going to go out on a limb here...Opti-Coat is thick in comparison to a normal LSP, but it's still thin compared to a coat of paint/clear, urethane, or standard headlight coating (from the factory). I'm sure in the scenario mentioned where factory clear (on the paint) has been thinned by polishing, the Opti-Coat makes a fine improvement to the UV protection that is still on the car. But perhaps as a stand-alone, it is insufficient to protect a headlight vs. Spar/2K clear/UV-cure coating, which are all much thicker.

I hope I'm wrong, because I just did my friend Jr's headlights with OC 2.0.

[Rei86]

I'm going to go out on a limb here...Opti-Coat is thick in comparison to a normal LSP, but it's still thin compared to a coat of paint/clear, urethane, or standard headlight coating (from the factory). I'm sure in the scenario mentioned where factory clear (on the paint) has been thinned by polishing, the Opti-Coat makes a fine improvement to the UV protection that is still on the car. But perhaps as a stand-alone, it is insufficient to protect a headlight vs. Spar/2K clear/UV-cure coating, which are all much thicker.

I hope I'm wrong, because I just did my friend Jr's headlights with OC 2.0.

Post #55 answers your question.

[Setec Astronomy]

Post #55 answers your question.

Yes, I know, the preliminary result indicates the Opti-Coat fails, but I'm not sure that's everyone's final conclusion.

[HotRod]

As promised, here is the third test vehicle comparing spar vs opti coat. Three test vehicles will give better results, and hopefully settle any disagreements on weather it was done properly or not.

Test vehicle #3- Chrysler PT Cruiser with over 150k miles.
Spar urethane vs. Opti Coat 2.0

Here are a few before pictures to give you an idea of what I was dealing with. These were just starting to show signs of clear coat failure.








The process to restore the lights were very similar to the other two vehicles in this thread. Spar urethane on the passengers side and Opti coat 2.0 on the drivers side lens. I started off by wet sanding with 600, then moved to 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, and finished with 3000. These lights were very easy to sand and turned out very well.
After sanding this is what they look like.




The spar urethane side does not need polishing before application of the UV treatment. However, the opti coat side does need polishing, so I used my DA on speed 5 with megs microfiber pad and compound, after that I grabbed my rotary with M105 and orange pad, and M205 with black pad. But to be honest, I could have stopped with the DA megs microfiber compound, as it looked very good.
Drivers side after polishing


Passengers side, ready to receive spar urethane, no polishing needed


Spar Urethane treatment applied- Passenger side lens






Opti Coat applied- Drivers side lens (note- removal of ALL polishing oils before application to ensure better bond if anyone doubts my process) The polishing oils were removed with mineral spirit wipe down, and three separate wipe downs with optimum power clean and IPA.



Notice the slight "ghosting"(cloudy patch) towards the top of this lens, it is on the interior and non repairable, both lens had this defect, however the drivers side was a little more noticeable.



I will do updates on this vehicle just like the other ones. I have access to all three as the mercury and malibu belong to my sisters, and the pt cruiser belongs to my parents. The malibu may not be updated every three months as she lives across the state. But I will do my best, to keep up with the lens as they degrade, so we can better judge which sealant is better for lens restoration. And yes, I agree, this is not the 'best' way to complete a lens restore, but its easier and cheaper than using a spray on clear coat system.

[Gurge]

thanks for taking some more time to settle this debate

will stay tuned for results...

[GP49]

Notice the slight "ghosting"(cloudy patch) towards the top of this lens, it is on the interior and non repairable, both lens had this defect, however the drivers side was a little more noticeable.

Not much to be done about this, I'm afraid, unless one wants to try opening up the headlight (there are some write-ups on the Web about doing that but they sound risky). I've noticed this myself, also on a Chrysler product, a fifteen-year old Dodge Intrepid that is garaged much of the time. Outer surface has been cared for and hasn't needed refinishing with a clear coat yet, but there is similar cloudy deterioration on the inside.

[mikek753]

Hi HotRod,

Thanks for your updates.
So far based on your input looks like Spar is better and easy to use that Opti-coat for headlights, isn't it?

There is new product


interesting how durable it will be vs Spar

Mike.

[BorisC]

Hi HotRod,

Thanks for your updates.
So far based on your input looks like Spar is better and easy to use that Opti-coat for headlights, isn't it?

There is new product


interesting how durable it will be vs Spar

Mike.

According to Meguiars "Applying this product every time you wax your car, ensures that you’re headlights look new and bright for a longer period of time." More of a maintenance thing to be applied whenever you wax you car. This is the stuff that comes with their heavy duty restoration kit.

[Klink10]

Subscribed.

[Setec Astronomy]

Hot Rod, you note that the surface has to be polished before OC 2.0...has anyone tried it on the sanded surface to see what happens?