I think I screwed up the opti-coat...

[T_velar]

Ill keep it short and sweet, since i will make another post about the entire detail by the end of the week.

Detailed my mom's 2007 Dark Blue Metallic Tahoe. Did a 2 step correction with Menzerna FG400 and SF4000 for the really bad areas like the hood and roof and IS1500 and SF4000 for the rest of the body panels.

At the end of the correction, everything was wiped down thoroughly with CarPro Eraser. Now to the Opti-Coat. I had watched several videos and used the supplied yellow applicator pad to put it on. I noticed in the video most people only used a few drops of the product on the pad to spread onto the paint. I did the "X" across the pad to start, and then used maybe 3 to 6 drops on the pad for subsequent applications. The pad felt very grabby on the paint and squeaked very loudly as i applied it. I had to use a lot of pressure and rotate the pad around frequently to find a spot that would have some more Opti-Coat in it to spread. It seemed to spread on very very thin, and i had very few high spots afterward. Keep in mind this is a very very large vehicle. The picture below showed how much we used on it, which was about 2.5cc. During the final inspection, about 30 minutes after the Opti-Coat had completely flashed and no signs of it were left, there were several spots that seemed a bit hazy. I took a Chinchilla buffing cloth and rubbed on them with moderate pressure and most all of them went away. Not sure wether that was from having an underlubricated application pad and maybe scuffed the paint with a small dust particle or what.

My concerns:

1. Should i be worried that not enough Opti-Coat was used and I will not get the desired results?

2. Is it bad that I buffed over the surface of the entire vehicle with a Chinchilla within 30 minutes of application?

3. Should I pull it out in a few days and spray water onto it and note that it isnt completely protected, would i still need to polish the paint again to remove what little Opti-Coat is there, or can i go ahead and apply a second, thicker coat of the Opti-Coat over the entire vehicle?

Sorry for the noob questions. It looked easy online, but apparently I didnt read enough about it when it came to how much to actually use.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/photo44.JPG

[jhnybgood47]

From what I have read online, if it felt grabby there wasn't enough Opti coat on the pad. People on different forums have used between 6-10 cc's of opti coat. Wait 2 hours until it totally dries and spray it with water. The spots that aren't beading just hit with a little more opti coat.

[RaskyR1]

Definitively not enough product, especially with the 2.0. Do another coat and try to use about 8-10cc.

[SeaJay's]

Agree with Rasky. Definitely didn't use enough product. For a Tahoe you should have used closer to the 10cc's.

[Boudin]

I had a similar experience, didn't use but 3ccs to do a large SUV, but it definitely went on smoothly and I could see it on the black paint.

Chris at OPT said you can do a second coat 5-15 minutes after the first. Basically go back over the panel right after.

What I would do is go back over it with the 4000 and polish off the opticoat, wipe down, and then re coat each panel twice.

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[Detail-Impressions]

Clean the paint surface, CarPro Eraser and re-coat with Opti-Coat 2.0. Start in the middle of the panel that your coating and work your way outward to the edges.
If yellow applicator pad if it squeaks you need to add more Opti-Coat.

Opti-Coat 2.0 it takes up to 90 days to cure.

I personally use a bright led flashlight and check the finished panel from all angles.

[Old Tiger]

Definitively not enough product, especially with the 2.0. Do another coat and try to use about 8-10cc.
I agree with Chad, although I have only used the Pro version.

[swanicyouth]

My experience is with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze (which is supposed to be similar / same to Menz 4000) and OptiCoat. I agree not enough product was used. However, I would wash the car with a "stripping shampoo" (or Dawn) prior to re-application. My concern would be not getting all the polishing remnants off left by the Menzerna. As, I did multiple wipedowns with strait IPA (70%) and my OC failed 6 months later.

I'm not saying their is an issue with OC, I'm just saying that you must be 100% sure you get all the "polishing oils" off, so you don't end up like me - as I could figure no other reason it failed.

Also, I know many have used Eraser with OC w/ success, but I once heard that product left something "anti-static" behind as well. That's why I would recommend a wash. Good luck.

[ahhsmurf]

The spots that aren't beading just hit with a little more opti coat.

[T_velar]

So even though its been over 24 hours, I can still go over it with more (the right amount) of opti coat?

[swanicyouth]

So even though its been over 24 hours, I can still go over it with more (the right amount) of opti coat?

Yes. For sure. You have a few months to "top" it.

[T_velar]

Would using a waterless wash to remove the dust that has settled cause a problem? Or can I just go over it with the Eraser and use that to get rid of dust and pollen since it was driven once this morning for a short errand?

Thank you guys very much for your help also!!!