Can a newbie realistically apply Opti-coat?

[Jim B]

I recently leased a 2012 Volvo S60, clear coat dark blue paint. My goal is simply to protect it and keep it clean. I am going to clay the paint job (did not pass the sandwich bag test), but I do not see swirls or scratches. I am at the point where I am ready to protect the paint finish after I clay. I had planned on applying a sealant, but the thread Are sealants dead, convinced me to look at Opti-coat again. I noticed that quite a few, inc Mike Phillips, said OC may be too hard for someone without experience. But, I'm thinking it would actually be easier to apply OC now, instead of using sealants or waxes for now, and then having to remove them later when I get more experience.

I just started this detailing thing a few weeks ago. Other than washing (and the old fashioned waxing with OTC products up until recently), I have only applied BFCS on my wheels. I am patient, and don't mind working slowly to do things right.

Questions:

Is it realistic for me to apply OC and have it come out right?
If I have a new car with no noticable paint defects other than need for claying, do I need to apply an IPA?
Is the following plan proper?


ONR wash
Clay with lube (Pinnacle poly ultra)
NOT doing an IPA.
Polish -- don't have DA, so thinking of applying BFTPnS by hand. Any other products for hand polishing?
Apply Opti-coat
I'd appreciate your feedback, PS -- You fellow forum group have been great at directing me to products so far! Thank you!
Jim

[fenderpicks]

i'd like to know that too...
but their so called "Permanent" coating is scaring me that if i mess up i cant fix it lol

[Setec Astronomy]

If you're using BFCS already on your wheels, I would use that frequently on the rest of the car while it's still warm out. Then when we get into fall, you will have applied a WOWA sealant 6 or 8 times, and at least have some idea how Opti-Coat will behave. At that point you can strip with OPC and go for it. Just have some sort of back-up plan if you get high spots...either a local Geek to help you with a machine or some Poli-Seal or GPS to try and take them down by hand.

[BobbyG]

Hi Jim,

My take on applying Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is; why make a product for general sale to the public that's very difficult to use properly?

It's important that Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 be applied to a freshly polished clean surface. DO NOT use any sealant or wax prior to its application.

Since you're working without a dual action polisher, you might want to perform this application is steps or lets say two panels at a time. You could also section the car in thirds, perhaps the entire nose, then the mid section, and finally the rear... I'm trying to make it easier for you since polishing by hand is laborious.

The key to a sparking defect free finish is in the preparation.


Wash
Clay
Polish
IPA
Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0

If you review the application instructions including some of the videos actually showing applying Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0, take your time, you should be pretty successful. Take your time!

Optimum Technicion Applied


Opti-Coat Application Methods - YouTube

Raskyr1 Application

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5itLTTTMexE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=5itLTTTMexE)

[Hoytman]

Looks like he layered that three times to me. I thought I'd read where OC couldn't be layered?

Looked like he was using a soft cotton towel to knock it down too. Paint also appeared to get darker when I applied it.

[Kaiser37]

Not to hijack thread, but is this this safe for polished aluminum wheels?

[A-train]

IMO you can succesfully apply Opti-coat. While it is quite different then applying wax it's not an impossible task and i think the benefits far outweigh the risk. I think element 119 is easier to apply however you just have to go slow and make sure you surface has been prepared properly and you have to also take your time and make sure you remove it after it flashes.

[BobbyG]

Not to hijack thread, but is this this safe for polished aluminum wheels?

Hmmm, this is a good question and I can't see any reason why not. Shoot the folks at Optimum this question or possible someone else here has some experience with it...

[ski2]

Looks like he layered that three times to me. I thought I'd read where OC couldn't be layered?

Looked like he was using a soft cotton towel to knock it down too. Paint also appeared to get darker when I applied it.

He's just doing a demo in the same spot on the car since the camera was set up to avoid moving the camera.

I believe the towel he is using is a MF from Target--I've seen them there.

[Jim B]

[QUOTE=BobbyG;641520]Hi Jim,

My take on applying Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is; why make a product for general sale to the public that's very difficult to use properly?

It's important that Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 be applied to a freshly polished clean surface. DO NOT use any sealant or wax prior to its application.

Since you're working without a dual action polisher, you might want to perform this application is steps or lets say two panels at a time. You could also section the car in thirds, perhaps the entire nose, then the mid section, and finally the rear... I'm trying to make it easier for you since polishing by hand is laborious. Good idea -- plus if I mess it up, less to "repair".

The key to a sparking defect free finish is in the preparation.


Wash
Clay
Polish
IPA
Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0
Bobby/others, do I need/want to do an IPA? I thought I read an IPA can take off clear coat -- do I want that? Ie, will the polish clean off any wax/sealant put on by the dealer? If that is true, what is the purpose of the IPA?
:thankyousign: Jim

[Hoytman]

Could be on the towel.

I'm just suggesting that a single spot on that truck has at the least 3 coats, camera or no camera. I realize it's a demo. It just didn't look like it hurt anything to make the 3 passes. Of course, allowing each pass to cure and then giving another pass could prove different. Just making an observation.

The first time I seen this clip from Anthony I didn't really care for the thought of the spray application because of the thought of overspray. I even think I upset Anthony with my newbie observation, though it wasn't intentional at all.

However, the more I view the clip, the more I like the idea of spraying the OC. Seems like a real time saver not having to wipe it down after applying. After watching the clip multiple times, I now realize that the amount coming out of the gun is but a vapor, and not like the amount of spray coming from clear-coat application.

As to the OP, I have to agree with BobbyG. I think he's done a nice job of taking into consideration the labor involved of getting the paint prepared for an application of OC.

Last I checked there's no law against using OC to lock in the shine along with locking in the squirrels, but it isn't advised. Steps, the proper steps, one at a time is good advice IMO.

[crxman2010]

Questions:

Is it realistic for me to apply OC and have it come out right?
If I have a new car with no noticable paint defects other than need for claying, do I need to apply an IPA?
Is the following plan proper?



ONR wash
Clay with lube (Pinnacle poly ultra)
NOT doing an IPA.
Polish -- don't have DA, so thinking of applying BFTPnS by hand. Any other products for hand polishing?
Apply Opti-coat

I'd appreciate your feedback, PS -- You fellow forum group have been great at directing me to products so far! Thank you!
Jim

1. Yes and No. Should you expect to have it applied perfect on the first panel, probably not. Should you pay attention and inspect your work on that first panel, you will be able to correct any problems in the application with little to no effort resulting in a panel done right.
2. You are going to want to use something after claying, the lubricant in the clay lube would most likely be problematic in applying opti-coat. And if you do polish, that would likely take care of the clay lube but then you would have to worry about polishing oils and such. I would recommend either using Optimums line of polishes (you aren't suppose to need an IPA after using opti compounds/polishes and this worked well for me) or a product like Griots PreWax cleaner to remove any oils from polishing.

Only problem I would have with your plan would be going back to number 2, no IPA between clay and possible polish is fine but at some point you are going to want to make sure the panels are clean, not just dirt or contaminants but also oils. If you have concerns that an IPA could be harmful to you car, I would again recommend looking into something like Griots PreWax cleaner or possibly Griots Paint Prep.

This is a link for when I did my new car with Opti-coat, no prior experience with anything even remotely similar to Opti-Coat.
[/URL][URL]http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/42705-2012-acura-tl-6mt-optimum-opti-coat.html (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/42705-2012-acura-tl-6mt-optimum-opti-coat.html)

[crxman2010]

[QUOTE=BobbyG;641520]Bobby/others, do I need/want to do an IPA? I thought I read an IPA can take off clear coat -- do I want that? Ie, will the polish clean off any wax/sealant put on by the dealer? If that is true, what is the purpose of the IPA?
:thankyousign: Jim

Sorry, missed this the first time. Polish/Compound will likely take off any sealant/wax you have applied, but a towel won't necessarily take off the chemicals/oils/what have you that are in the polish/compound. That is where the IPA comes in, any fillers, residue, oils....would all be removed when doing the IPA wipe.

[Rayaz]

I've done a truck and a small SUV so far. This makes me far from an expert in the field but I'm happy to share my experience with you.

Firstly, I did a complete light polish to both vehicles. They were new but they did a have a few dealer installed swirls. Both are going to sit out (kids cars and they don't have enough seniority to rate garage space). I washed (with hose and 2 buckets, grit guards etc.), clayed, polished, re-washed, IPA wipe down and then Opti Coat. Like you, I had great trepidation about the finality of it all. My fears were unfounded. It wasn't bad at all.

I started on the roof of the SUV since a screw up wouldn't show as much. I went two directions and it was easy to see and feel where I had been. It flashed pretty fast and I "dusted" off the high spots with the included gold towel. As I moved along, the areas I had already coated seemed sticky but not to the point the towel stuck to the paint. It just didn't glide as much as an untreated area. I dunked the towel in a bucket of all purpose cleaner and washed with the other micro fibers. It came out fine, not stiff.

The truck is white so it was a little harder to see the application but strong lights helped. The dark gray SUV was easier to spot high spots on but yours is dark so no worries there. I did both vehicles with about 15 of the 20cc syringe. Panic. I didn't use enough!

I called Optimum and Dr. G called me back. Impressive having the guy who invented the stuff answer your stupid questions. I tried to not sound like a moron (failed HS chem) and I learned that it is common to use a small amount of the product. Layering is possible but Dr. G said it was unnecessary in his opinion although the coating takes up to 30 days to completely cross-link. My scanning electron microscope is on the fritz so I'll take his word for this.

I meant to ask about Optimum spray wax over the coating but I choked (the guy is a car care rock star). I have used it anyway and it seems to do some good even though unnecessary. It makes me feel good to do something besides wash and dry and that's about all that you will need to do. This product rocks! Cars stay cleaner longer and almost hose clean, just like they said it would.

Don't skip the IPA wipe down. It's easy to do and definitely not worth the risk of poor adhesion if some oils or other wax/sealant is left behind.

Don't worry, be happy:dblthumb2: I always watch a few of Mike's videos to get my head on straight before I plunge into the detailing abyss.

[Jim B]

Bobby, CRXMAN AND RAYAZ, thanks for bringing me up to speed on the need for an IPA wipedown after polish before OC app. Also, thanks for the vids, pics and encouragement. I'm going for the OC app!:dblthumb2:

Follow up: I am confused about "an IPA wipe".:confused: On the product directions in the AG store, it says use a 15% IPA solution. What is that?
Is it the same thing as the Groit's pre-wax cleaner someone mentioned?

Does Optimum have an IPA wipe product? Thought it might be a good idea to stay in the Optimum family.

Re: polish, can someone successfully apply the Optimum Finish polish by hand? I am not worried about the fatigue factor; more concerned about the performance. Then, I could use Optimum polish to an Optimum IPA solution (if one exists), to OC.

Rayaz, I LOL re: I meant to ask (Dr. G) about Optimum spray wax over the coating but I choked (the guy is a car care rock star). I could see myself doing the same thing.

Thanks, as always...
Jim