Opti-Coat - will it help my soft paint become a bit harder?

[itay]

Hi Mike & everyone,
My Subaru Impreza (2004) has very soft paint and picks up swirls easily.
they are easy to remove (Menz 106 & LC grey pad quickly clears it up).
I'm wondering if Opti coat will help the paint get a little harder and pickup less swirls.

[bigez]

Yes, I feel like it would. Opti-coat is advertised as being more scratch resistant than a factory clear coat on their website. Obviously, it won't make your paint "harder", but will coat your existing paint with something "harder" or more scratch resistant at least.

[richy]

No question, it will help.

[itay]

OK, thanks! :)

[crxman2010]

We had the same idea and did the same thing on a black Harley. Thus far, it seems to be holding up much better than the factory paint. The other bonus is that any swirls you do get after Opti-coating the vehicle are in the opti-coat not your factory clear coat.

[Old Tiger]

We had the same idea and did the same thing on a black Harley. Thus far, it seems to be holding up much better than the factory paint. The other bonus is that any swirls you do get after Opti-coating the vehicle are in the opti-coat not your factory clear coat.
Great points!

[brawl]

It will not. Your soft paint will remain soft, but it will definitely be protected and literally sealed by a force field. :D

[dougaross]

It will not. Your soft paint will remain soft, but it will definitely be protected and literally sealed by a force field. :D
A slight exaggeration!! Scratch resistant not scratch proof

[brawl]

A slight exaggeration!! Scratch resistant not scratch proof

I couldn't find scratch proof in my post. If it can be removed by polishing, there is no way that it is scratch proof. Hmmm. It must be the force field reference Yeah, a little exaggeration. :dblthumb2: Since it being a sacrificial barrier or the first line of defense against swirls and lights scratches and being harder than clearcoats were mentioned already, I just used force field as an hyperbole of OC's ability to repel dust, water and contaminants. Protected = scratch resistance; force field = lotus effect and repellent. :props:

[Derek Short]

what about when u go and buff out the swirls and scratches in the opti-coat? will it buff out like a clear coat paint?

this is a product i have not done much re-search on yet but have always been curious about it.

[dougaross]

I couldn't find scratch proof in my post. If it can be removed by polishing, there is no way that it is scratch proof. Hmmm. It must be the force field reference Yeah, a little exaggeration. :dblthumb2: Since it being a sacrificial barrier or the first line of defense against swirls and lights scratches and being harder than clearcoats were mentioned already, I just used force field as an hyperbole of OC's ability to repel dust, water and contaminants. Protected = scratch resistance; force field = lotus effect and repellent. :props:
It was the force field comment I was referring to. I was just joshing you a little.:xyxthumbs:

[itay]

what about when u go and buff out the swirls and scratches in the opti-coat? will it buff out like a clear coat paint?

this is a product i have not done much re-search on yet but have always been curious about it.

Good question, what happens to opti-coat when you polish swirls/scratches out of it?

[brawl]

It was the force field comment I was referring to. I was just joshing you a little.:xyxthumbs:

I just thought of the force's field ability to repel things - where everything bounces. :)



what about when u go and buff out the swirls and scratches in the opti-coat? will it buff out like a clear coat paint?

this is a product i have not done much re-search on yet but have always been curious about it.

Good question and topid for discussion. Theoretically, it is possible. I recently read a post from Chris Thomas of Optimum about the complications in answering a similar question. I think it has something to do with the use of Poliseal in cleaning the Opticoat. My two centavos is that a lot of factors should be considered - thickness of the OC (it can now be layered), the depth of the swirls and scratches, the right combination of pressure, speed, pads and abrasives used in polishing it, etc., Let's wait for Chris Thomas and the other pros to chime. If we're lucky, Dr. G even drop by.

[Old Tiger]

what about when u go and buff out the swirls and scratches in the opti-coat? will it buff out like a clear coat paint?

this is a product i have not done much re-search on yet but have always been curious about it.
It behaves just like hard clear IME.