Opticoat question

[MshawnBauer]

I am a rather new opticoater and recently did my wife's SUV and my car. The results were fantastic, I mean really fantastic. I'm long time Zaino user, 10+ years, and haven't looked back after seeing the results from Optimum products. Anywho, my question is this, how much opticoat should I have left after doing a Mazda CX9 SUV and a 4 door VW GTI? I am thinking I may not have used enough because my GTI is already showing swirls and imperfections and it's been less than 6 months?! Thanks in advance!

[Evan.J]

With one 20CC tube you should get 2-3 car out of it.

As for the swirls and imperfections , what is your washing routine like?

Opti-coat can and will scratch if your not doing proper washing and drying. Opti-coat is not bullet proof so to say.

EDIT:
Did you polish the paint to perfection prior to the application?

Did you do an IPA wipe down as well?

Opti-caot will not fill in any swirls and scrtaches.

[07RS4]

I am a rather new opticoater and recently did my wife's SUV and my car. The results were fantastic, I mean really fantastic. I'm long time Zaino user, 10+ years, and haven't looked back after seeing the results from Optimum products. Anywho, my question is this, how much opticoat should I have left after doing a Mazda CX9 SUV and a 4 door VW GTI? I am thinking I may not have used enough because my GTI is already showing swirls and imperfections and it's been less than 6 months?! Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't know from experience, but generally less is more. I beleive OC goes a long way.

Applying it thicker would not prevent this. Coatings scratch and show imperfections, just like your clear coat will.

[VP Mark]

As long as the water is still beading, the coating is still there. If there are scratches and swirls in it, you probably did that by poor wash technique.

Many people think OC is a magical force field that causes their vehicle to look perfect all the time. You still have to use good technique to not induce marring in it, even though it is noticeably harder to scratch than most clear systems.

Only solution if the swirls bother is to Polish to remove, then re apply.

As far as product usage, I've used anywhere from 5-10cc depending on vehicle size. I use a lot of product though, it should go on thick enough to cover completely but still flash down.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online

[MshawnBauer]

Interesting. My car was my first application of Opti-coat period. I did polish the paint to almost perfection (95%) But I think after doing the application and reading more before my SUV, I think I made a couple errors. First, I think I wiped it down too soon after the coat (to get rid of the high spots) second, I drove over freshly painted street lines (there were no signs of road painting anywhere) and had paint spatter all up the passenger side of my car. I didn't notice and it ended up being on there for about a week (don't judge me, I was doing a lot of driving on a gravel road that week) anyhow, great for me and thanks to Opti-coat, the paint came right off with soap and a towel, but I had to use clay for some of the more dense covered areas. Now that side of the car has some marring and isn't beading/sheeting off the water like the rest of the car. So, l supposed I will polish again and re-coat. How long do YOU guys wait to wipe down the high spots? Also, off topic, are there any classifieds in this forum for used detailing equipment? Thanks for all the assistance!

[SeaJay's]

Average size sedan you should be using 8-10cc of product.

Did you wash the car within the 30 day cure period? Opti-coat does not fully harden for 30 days. It can be washed after 24 hrs but it's full cure time is 30 days. On softer paints you can re-introduce marring, scratches, and swirls while applying opti-coat as well.

I would have to say your wash technique needs to be looked at and tweaked to ensure your not scratching the car. Perhaps look into Garry Dean's wash method. Probably the safest wash method out there.

[SeaJay's]

Interesting. My car was my first application of Opti-coat period. I did polish the paint to almost perfection (95%) But I think after doing the application and reading more before my SUV, I think I made a couple errors. First, I think I wiped it down too soon after the coat (to get rid of the high spots) second, I drove over freshly painted street lines (there were no signs of road painting anywhere) and had paint spatter all up the passenger side of my car. I didn't notice and it ended up being on there for about a week (don't judge me, I was doing a lot of driving on a gravel road that week) anyhow, great for me and thanks to Opti-coat, the paint came right off with soap and a towel, but I had to use clay for some of the more dense covered areas. Now that side of the car has some marring and isn't beading/sheeting off the water like the rest of the car. So, l supposed I will polish again and re-coat. How long do YOU guys wait to wipe down the high spots? Also, off topic, are there any classifieds in this forum for used detailing equipment? Thanks for all the assistance!


It's been awhile since I have used OC 2.0...I'm a pro installer and the pro version flashes much quicker.

OC 2.0 takes a lot longer to flash, so last time I used it (a few years ago) I would coat the whole hood and then go back to my initial spot and check for flashing/high spots. In cooler weather the flashing takes longer and you can do more of the car before coming back to your initial spot.

[MshawnBauer]

It's been awhile since I have used OC 2.0...I'm a pro installer and the pro version flashes much quicker.

OC 2.0 takes a lot longer to flash, so last time I used it (a few years ago) I would coat the whole hood and then go back to my initial spot and check for flashing/high spots. In cooler weather the flashing takes longer and you can do more of the car before coming back to your initial spot.

Thank you!

[SeaJay's]

Thank you!

Anytime! :dblthumb2:

[MshawnBauer]

Where is a good site to find good used equipment, like buffers, extractors, etc? I just read classifieds aren't here (per the rules). Thanks in advance.