Opticoat Jet Black 335i HELP!!

[Willy Wang]

Hey AGians,

Please allow me to express the most defeated agony I am feeling. I have been working on my friends jet black 335 which has been widely known and regarded as the softest mother F***** paint EVER! I never really understood what everyone meant.. until now.. I did an m105 finished with sonax perfect finish which achieve at least 90% correction. This feat took a ridiculously long time! I spent close to 20 hours to do this (i'm literally crying inside). So the reason why it took 20 hours was because I am relatively n00b to detailing. I did the whole car with m105 followed by m205. Only to find that perfect finish.. really perfected the finish that the 205 couldn't.

So back to the problem I am/was having. I started doing a test section with opticoat, knowing that the haze time is much longer than exo v2. 10-15 minutes, I have read, is how much time you should allow Opticoat to haze before removal. So I left it there for 10-15 minutes and proceeded to wipe away the excess. But the excess is not very easy to remove! It takes some elbow grease to wipe it clean. And what happens right after that?!?!? YOU BETCHA!! SCRATCHES. I was already having a hard time and needing to be extra careful while removing product to not scratch the paint. So yah.. I set myself back AGAIN!! luckily it was only a section (half the hood).

Anyway, has anyone else worked on Jet black bmw and hopefully done a coating? Could you please shed some light. Am I doing something wrong? I just don't see a way to coat this car without introducing damage to it.

Thanks ahead!

Will

[Harry Da Hamster]

I have yet to use the Opti Coat I bought but I have been reading up on it. From my understanding you're supposed to apply thin to one panel, then immediately level off with a microfiber towel (not remove or buff off), and that's it move on to the next panel. Waiting 15 minutes to level off seems like a very long time. This is not like a traditional wax or sealant where you apply and let it sit for as long as you want and completely buff off.

[Evan.J]

The longer you wait for it to cure the harder it will be to remove the high spots. I would go over the area with the MF towel after each section. The high spots will be easily removed and this keeping you from scratching the soft paint.

[Stampe]

Know the feeling...

But as they say, apply a section that you can handle. Make sure to have proper light so you see what's happends, when you see oc flash just whipe off the surface gently.

Just make sure you remove the over aplyed areas.

[zmcgovern45]

The majority of the OC should flash and "self level" - ie disappear onto the paint. I go over each section VERY LIGHTLY with a mf towel just a minute or two after application to level out any high spots. The high spots should be very easy to see on a black vehicle if you have a nicely lit area. Either way, check each section with a brinkmann after application. If the high spots have gotten tacky and difficult to remove, don't use heavy pressure, simply apply some more opti-coat to that area and then it should wipe away easily. You will also be able to remove any high spots very easily with some finishing polish after the costing has cured, so don't worry about it too much.

[af90]

Agreed with the opinions up above. I wouldn't wait more than 5 minutes for it to flash. Also Opti-Coat doesn't haze for removal, it flashes into the paint effectively disappearing. High spots are caused by too much product and just need to be knocked down with a microfiber towel.

Make sure you soak any applicators or towels in a bucket of water/APC after using otherwise you run the chance of them having OC hardening in them making them useless.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Agreed with the opinions up above. I wouldn't wait more than 5 minutes for it to flash. Also Opti-Coat doesn't haze for removal, it flashes into the paint effectively disappearing. High spots are caused by too much product and just need to be knocked down with a microfiber towel.

Agreed here as well. I don't let it set up for more than a minute or two. You can see it flashing into the paint if you stand there and watch it. When you start seeing areas that are taking longer to flash then its time to level them with the mf towel.

[tdekany]

I assume you are using OC 2.0 - I have never ever read anywhere that
you should wait 10-15 minutes. With 2.0 it is 5 minutes. With the pro version you have 2 minutes. DId the alcohol wipe go alright?
What year is this car?

[Flatlander]

Work on one panel at a time and wipe the high spots off after the majority has flashed off with just the lightest pressure. Make sure you use a quality mf towel and don't push hard. OC is a great product but EXTREMELY soft IMO. Very easy to scratch. Next time try a test section with the compound/polish instead of the whole car.

[af90]

Check this thread out by Todd Helme (http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/waxes-sealants-lsps/39756-comprehensive-opti-coat-2-0-application-guide.html)

[swanicyouth]

Well the above guys probably have a lot more OC experience than me. But, I have used OC multiple times including recently. Here is my input:

1. Get the Opti Dual Pro applicator. It absorbs zero product so all your OC goes on the paint. You use much less product than if your using foam. The applicator pays for itself in OC product savings and really should come with the OC instead of that yellow foam wax applicator that sucks up most of the OC.

Shame on you Optimum for not including a better applicator with the product when on us available. When you buy CQuartz, do you get a wax pad?

2. Work at spreading the OC fast. Do 1 whole panel at a time. Use quick vertical, then overlap with horizontal strokes. Use LESS OC than you think you should need, and work fast to spread it over the panel - you can always add more OC to the applicator, but you can't put extra back in the syringe. That way there is little left on the panel, most will flash.

3. Gently, lightly, and quickly buff the high spots with a brand new towel. You don't want any contamination. The towel that comes with OC works well and doesn't not need to be washed prior to use IME.

4. Forget the Brinmann and forget working indoors. Unless you have Paul Dalton's lights, indoor lighting just isn't good enough on side panels. Halogens are too hot. Prep the car and work outside on natural light. Work in the shade, or at dawn or dusk. That way you can see the whole panel in natural light.

5. I found its better to do 2 lighter applications (but complete coverage) to a panel (an hour apart) than 1 heavy. That way your sure to get full coverage and not have any high spots. If you use the Opti Dual Pro Applicator product use isn't an issue. I did 2 light coats to the roof of my SUV and only used 2cc.

Good luck. You can polish out the problem areas and start over. OC isn't super easy to get perfect.

[af90]

Well the above guys probably have a lot more OC experience than me. But, I have used OC multiple times including recently. Here is my input:

1. Get the Opti Dual Pro applicator. It absorbs zero product so all your OC goes on the paint. You use much less product than if your using foam. The applicator pays for itself in OC product savings and really should come with the OC instead of that yellow foam wax applicator that sucks up most of the OC.

Shame on you Optimum for not including a better applicator with the product when on us available. When you buy CQuartz, do you get a wax pad?

2. Work at spreading the OC fast. Do 1 whole panel at a time. Use quick vertical, then overlap with horizontal strokes. Use LESS OC than you think you should need, and work fast to spread it over the panel - you can always add more OC to the applicator, but you can't put extra back in the syringe. That way there is little left on the panel, most will flash.

3. Gently, lightly, and quickly buff the high spots with a brand new towel. You don't want any contamination. The towel that comes with OC works well and doesn't not need to be washed prior to use IME.

4. Forget the Brinmann and forget working indoors. Unless you have Paul Dalton's lights, indoor lighting just isn't good enough on side panels. Halogens are too hot. Prep the car and work outside on natural light. Work in the shade, or at dawn or dusk. That way you can see the whole panel in natural light.

5. I found its better to do 2 lighter applications (but complete coverage) to a panel (an hour apart) than 1 heavy. That way your sure to get full coverage and not have any high spots. If you use the Opti Dual Pro Applicator product use isn't an issue. I did 2 light coats to the roof of my SUV and only used 2cc.

Good luck. You can polish out the problem areas and start over. OC isn't super easy to get perfect.

Great info, I have only used the Dual pro Applicator and it does work great. I was surprised at how little OC I used for the Jetta I used it on, maybe 5cc's, now I didn't do wheels or trim so that effects it. Even if you do leave high spots, using a light polish to get it off isn't a huge deal as I had to go back over some spots and knock it down, there's still enough OC on there and I didn't have to reapply.

[psnt1ol]

1. Get the Opti Dual Pro applicator. It absorbs zero product so all your OC goes on the paint. You use much less product than if your using foam. The applicator pays for itself in OC product savings and really should come with the OC instead of that yellow foam wax applicator that sucks up most of the OC.

Shame on you Optimum for not including a better applicator with the product when on us available. When you buy CQuartz, do you get a wax pad?



+1 So True.

[Willy Wang]

Thanks for the input guys!! After knowing that opticoat should be removed within a minute or 2 after the application, it came off much easier! HOWEVER, lol, Jet Black paint is seriously the worst paint to work with. Removal of the product was really where it was required to be extra meticulous. I for sure instilled some light scratches, and I am sure that those of you who have worked with jet black paint on bmw's know exactly how soft this stuff really is.. I think someone mentioned that it gets 5 scratches everytime you look at it XD

[Harry Da Hamster]

Is the Opti Dual Pro reusable when used with Opti Coat? I'm getting ready to do a whole vehicle including rims.