Opti-Coat 2.0 longevity on my Buick

[tuscarora dave]

Hi AGO members.

I know I've commented on my torture testing of the coat of Opti-Coat 2.0 that's on my personal vehicle. I walked outside today and noticed that the snow had slid off of the hood of my car and the remaining snow had been melting on the hood to form beading and sheeting. I got to thinking about the surface tension that enables such beading and sheeting.

Then I got to wondering just when it was that I applied the Opti-Coat 2.0 to the car. Here's the thread I made the day I applied the coating after a final polishing using a rotary and PO85RD with a soft finishing pad. Note the date..

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/41954-polished-my-daily-driver-last-time.html

Now remember....this coating had been regularly sprayed down with straight out of the gallon, concentrated APC's of various flavors and allowed to dwell in the hot summer sun, all day long then rinsed and washed at the end of the work day before leaving the shop for the day. This was my attempt to kill the coating for testing purposes.

Every time I personally washed this car since the day the coating was applied, I did so with a cheap Advance Auto Parts wash brush as this has been part of my torture study and also is part of the "no fuss policy" that I (like most people) want when car care is concerned with my own vehicle, just wash and drive the car. I will say though, that the car does get towel dried usually to prevent unsightly water spots.

Since the coating was applied, the paint has not seen a clay bar, any polishing or any additional coats of anything other than a ton of waterless wash wipedowns using ONR or 3D International's QD product. During a traditional wash, the car always gets (whether it be by me or at the auto touchless car wash) a coating of APC at 4:1 or stronger concentration with a short dwell period before being brush washed by me or the auto touchless nozzles at the local car wash.

This regimen of washing should kill any product that's not the real deal, not to mention killing the surface tension that a paint once had before the barrage of careless washings this car has seen.

The car has endured many heavy coatings of road salt spray dried on the paint and has built up storm after storm here in PA this winter, and yet it hasn't been washed since late summer/early fall. Most non detailing people would swear it was washed just yesterday.

Here's the photo I took of the beading and sheeting this morning. I'd say the coating should last any of the 99 percenters out there in today's driving community.

http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd323/tuscaroradave/006_zps742254d6.jpg (http://s528.photobucket.com/user/tuscaroradave/media/006_zps742254d6.jpg.html)

Thoughts, questions or comments? TD

[ken tuep]

That's is nice! I'm going to end up Coating my wife's with OC in the spring. I've been Leary of it, and klasse works really well, but I want something a little tougher, that will hold up to stronger chemicals if should need to use them.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using AG Online

[tuscarora dave]

Opti-Coat 2.0 should do it for you then, so long as they haven't changed the formula at all. That's what scares me about proven products...some companies can't seem to leave well enough alone. Optimum has been one to generally change for the better only so we'll see.

[MarkD51]

Thank you for this update.
I know this technology it referred to as "resin". One would think the Ceramics would apparently have some upper hand, but maybe perhaps not?

Looks like the good "Dr. G" has done his homework!

[Bob57]

Impressive!

[ZeroSP]

Very well done and impressive. You have shown the real strength of Opti-Coat through your test. It is good to see the beading is still going strong.

Although mine lasted 4.5 years and still counting, I did not really go through the harsh stuffs as I always wash it once a week.

[RMM]

Well Dave, I don't think Dr. G can have a better endorsement for his product than this thread! :xyxthumbs:

[spiralout462]

I appreciate your thoughts on this coating. It's nice to hear it from a trusted and experienced source. Thanks for the update!

[DaC]

Looks great. Opticoat seems to being going still very strong on your car

I have opticoated some cars now.... two are now 2 years old and I should review them shortly.
One of these I actually see everyday and I can't see a strong coat behave, neither a LSP less reaction, so the opticoat is still there but not in a strong shape like yours.
I also reviewed 2 months ago 2 honda civic that had opticoat on them for 11 months, both prepared and coated the same way at the same time:
- 1 was almost dead on the roof and hood and not strong but still going on side panels.... This one was left many months without any wash, probably only 3 times on 11 months and used to stay all day long outside. It rained (heavy rain) 1-2 hours after the coat was applied.
-The other one was still OK (although not so strong) on the entire car. This one was washed every 15 days and not used to stay all day long outside.
This test was held on North Brazil, tropical weather very close to the equador line on a city with many big trees on the streets and there rains almost everyday, sometimes the entire day.
Both were clayed, then IPA 100% then checked for beading and sheeting.

I had another one that the coating didn't survived even for 5 months...... This car was a special case.... the next day after it was ready, this went to the road... mud roads, beaches and so on... an entire month without any wash....... It rained about 2-3 hours after the coat being applied

So my remarks regarding opticoat:
- The initial 30 days with opticoat are critical, both for appearance and coat longevity. During this period opticoat seems to be specially susceptible to get swirled and contaminated.
- Don't let it get wet on the first 24 hours as a safety precaution
- Wash your car at least every 15 days, not washing for months seems to ruin the coat performance (or the coat itself), specially on the initial 30 days.

well that's it

[tuscarora dave]

Thank you for this update.
I know this technology it referred to as "resin". One would think the Ceramics would apparently have some upper hand, but maybe perhaps not?

Looks like the good "Dr. G" has done his homework!
You're welcome. Opti-Coat is a ceramic.


Impressive!
Thanks. I agree.


Very well done and impressive. You have shown the real strength of Opti-Coat through your test. It is good to see the beading is still going strong.

Although mine lasted 4.5 years and still counting, I did not really go through the harsh stuffs as I always wash it once a week.
I finished the deliberate testing some time ago, but the fact the car is straight neglected constantly is a form of testing in itself. When the weather straightens out I do intend on using SF4500 with rotary and finishing pad to gloss it back up and apply my remaining bit of Opti-Coat Pro to it and will be doing no more intentional torture testing.


I appreciate your thoughts on this coating. It's nice to hear it from a trusted and experienced source. Thanks for the update!
It makes me feel good to be seen as a trusted and experienced source...Thanks for that. You're welcome for the update.


Well Dave, I don't think Dr. G can have a better endorsement for his product than this thread! :xyxthumbs:
Yeah right....I was explaining in depths to Dr.G. my torture testing methods and resulting success and I could hear the excitement in his voice as we talked that day. He said just about exactly what you've said here. Thanks

[tuscarora dave]

Looks great. Opticoat seems to being going still very strong on your car

I have opticoated some cars now.... two are now 2 years old and I should review them shortly.
One of these I actually see everyday and I can't see a strong coat behave, neither a LSP less reaction, so the opticoat is still there but not in a strong shape like yours.
I also reviewed 2 months ago 2 honda civic that had opticoat on them for 11 months, both prepared and coated the same way at the same time:
- 1 was almost dead on the roof and hood and not strong but still going on side panels.... This one was left many months without any wash, probably only 3 times on 11 months and used to stay all day long outside. It rained (heavy rain) 1-2 hours after the coat was applied.
-The other one was still OK (although not so strong) on the entire car. This one was washed every 15 days and not used to stay all day long outside.
This test was held on North Brazil, tropical weather very close to the equador line on a city with many big trees on the streets and there rains almost everyday, sometimes the entire day.
Both were clayed, then IPA 100% then checked for beading and sheeting.

I had another one that the coating didn't survived even for 5 months...... This car was a special case.... the next day after it was ready, this went to the road... mud roads, beaches and so on... an entire month without any wash....... It rained about 2-3 hours after the coat being applied

So my remarks regarding opticoat:
- The initial 30 days with opticoat are critical, both for appearance and coat longevity. During this period opticoat seems to be specially susceptible to get swirled and contaminated.
- Don't let it get wet on the first 24 hours as a safety precaution
- Wash your car at least every 15 days, not washing for months seems to ruin the coat performance (or the coat itself), specially on the initial 30 days.

well that's it

Those are interesting testimonies.

So you think the failures occurred as a result of circumstances that happened within the initial 30 days?

Have you done anything differently in your prep work since witnessing these failures or were the ones you have yet to check up on prepped and applied the same as the ones that failed?

[DaC]

Those are interesting testimonies.

So you think the failures occurred as a result of circumstances that happened within the initial 30 days?

Have you done anything differently in your prep work since witnessing these failures or were the ones you have yet to check up on prepped and applied the same as the ones that failed?

Yes, I think the first 30 days, specially the first hours (water contact) are critical.
The one that took the road for 30 days without being washed was incredible contaminated after this period, the paint seemed to have absorbed sand and I could feel it on the clay. In fact if I had decided to clay the entire car I'm quite sure I would have trashed a couple of clays on it. This one failed within 5 months.

My prep has varied in a numerous way:
- IPA 10% only (as instructions) - One from the 2 years test had this prep
- Wash + IPA 10% - The other one from the 2 years had this prep
- IPA 20%
- Wash + IPA 30% - This was done on the two honda civic I've checked within 11 months
- Wash + Mineral Spirits - One of the honda civic (the one better maintained) had half from the hood prepared this way.

IPA 10% or 20% only doesn't seems to be a good option.

There was no difference (11 months check) between wash + IPA and Wash + Mineral spirits on the honda civic hood. Comparing to a panel I left untreated, the difference was brutal, the untreated panel was clearly LSPless getting it wet would make water sit on it.

I would say washing before IPA is also very important although it's not specified on opticoat instructions.
I guess this test I recorded is enough to support this idea.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn6TYgumMlM]Ultima Paint Guard Wash Shampo - YouTube[/video]

[tuscarora dave]

Yes, I think the first 30 days, specially the first hours (water contact) are critical.
The one that took the road for 30 days without being washed was incredible contaminated after this period, the paint seemed to have absorbed sand and I could feel it on the clay. In fact if I had decided to clay the entire car I'm quite sure I would have trashed a couple of clays on it. This one failed within 5 months.

My prep has varied in a numerous way:
- IPA 10% only (as instructions) - One from the 2 years test had this prep
- Wash + IPA 10% - The other one from the 2 years had this prep
- IPA 20%
- Wash + IPA 30% - This was done on the two honda civic I've checked within 11 months
- Wash + Mineral Spirits - One of the honda civic (the one better maintained) had half from the hood prepared this way.

IPA 10% or 20% only doesn't seems to be a good option.

There was no difference (11 months check) between wash + IPA and Wash + Mineral spirits on the honda civic hood. Comparing to a panel I left untreated, the difference was brutal, the untreated panel was clearly LSPless getting it wet would make water sit on it.

I would say washing before IPA is also very important although it's not specified on opticoat instructions.
I guess this test I recorded is enough to support this idea.

Ultima Paint Guard Wash Shampo - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn6TYgumMlM)

Good to know. Thanks for the feedback.

I polished, then hand washed with a few ounces of degreaser in with the soap and water in the bucket then dried the car and did a wipe down with a glass cleaner (water, alcohol and vinegar) to ensure nothing was present on paint before applying about 10cc of the coating.

Seems to be a sufficient means of prepping for a durable coating.

I didn't use any harsh cleaners on the coating for the first 30 days and have never clayed the coating, but rather chemically decontaminated with an alkaline cleaner. It doesn't pass the baggy test after this chemical cleaning but it's nearly free of all contaminates after washing and very glossy.

[Just02896]

Hey Dave, any chance you could attest to its shelf life both opened and unopened? I'd like to stock up but will not be applying until the snow stops flying. Maybe another 2 months or so.

[tuscarora dave]

Hey Dave, any chance you could attest to its shelf life both opened and unopened? I'd like to stock up but will not be applying until the snow stops flying. Maybe another 2 months or so.

I have a syringe from 1 1/2 years ago that's holding up well and another from this past summer that's just fine regardless of the frigid temps in the winter and high temps in the summer. Some days the bottled water in my shop is frozen when I get there in the morning, but the Opti-Coat doesn't freeze.

What I do after applying some product to say.. headlights, I point the tip straight up, remove the blue nozzle off the tip, gently push the plunger up until 100% of the air has been expelled from the syringe then tightly screw on the black cap.

The shelf life for me has not been compromised this way.