what do you think? any opticoat left? - video

[timaishu]

I opticoated my car two years ago and had nothing but problems with it. It would bead for a month, then stop. I had re-applied it 3 times and the same result.

I prepped by the following:

Wash, clay, opti-compound, opti-polish II, IPA wipe down, opti-coat.

I applied it correctly, and let it flash for around 5 minutes, then GENTLY(weight of the towel) smoothed out the high spots.

Anyways, in the video, The areas I sprayed, I just got done washing, letting OPC dwell, scrubbed the OPC into the paint, rinsed, clayed, washed,

I was thinking maybe there were contaminants on the paint, but after this, I just think there is nothing left... Perhaps maybe Opticoat is there, but all its sheeting and beading properties are gone????? I am thinking there might be something left as the car isn't very hard to dry. In my experience, un-waxed/coated cars are hard to dry, my car isn't, its fairly easy to dry.

You can see in the video the problem.. The whole car acts like this aside from the font bumper. The front bumper was repainted a bit over a year ago, and was coated a year ago. You can see it still has some beading/sheeting properties to it still, but there is a patch on the left side that doesn't bead or sheet.

VID00011_zps10b0a4b8.mp4 Video by covertmission | Photobucket (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/covertmission/media/VID00011_zps10b0a4b8.mp4.html)

[tpr1634]

Honestly I see nothing but problems, I know there are guys who install and swear by it, for me I keep on waxing.:buffing:

[timaishu]

That's about where Im at. Ive pretty much given up on coatings I think. I don't trust the claims anymore. I think Ive gonna invest in a spray wax of some sort and just use that every wash. Maybe something like reload.

[Kaban]

I have had mixed results with coatings too. Tried them all. OC 2.0, OC Pro, C Quartz Finest (two different versions), 22PLE, Wolfs HB, Wolfs BW.

They definitely last longer than a wax, but I have not seen anywhere near the claimed durability out of them. I'm not going to throw anyone under the bus and say which ones were better than others and which were clearly worse, and I also think it's paint dependent too, they seem to "stick" better to some paints than others. And to say they need to be "rejuvenated" with spray waxes and sealants for me defeats the purpose of a product that is claimed to have permanent or semi permanent hydrophobic (meaning beading and sheeting) properties and technically should not need any kind of boost if it truly is a long lasting "sealant". That would be like me saying Collinite 845 lasts 10-12 months* IF it is refreshed with Hydro every two months. It makes no sense. When a product fails and stops performing like the first week or month than you should take it for what it is.

[timaishu]

Atleast I know Im not the only one.

Im gonna switch back to waxing I guess. I wanted something to actually protect the paint, which was my whole reason for opticoating. Oh well.

Wax it is.

[quantim0]

I've only had opti coat on my car for a few months now and I can definitely see a difference from when it was fresh applied. Sometimes the water doesn't bead or sheet well on my horizontal panels, a quick clay and it comes back. Not as strong as it first was tough.

I was expecting the exceptional beading and sheeting that it has for the first month to last way longer. I can tell it's still on the car since bugs and such come off way easier than they used to before the coating.

Sent from my Moto X

[swanicyouth]

I went from having OC failure to having it bead insanely well - like nothing I've seen - through snow & salt. It even beads when the paint is filthy dirty. These were 2 separate applications. I can tell you what I did different the second time to make the application successful.

1. Use Optimum polishes prior as prep.

2. Apply OC not too thin but not to thick. About 20 minutes after if flashes - apply another coat for coverage. Do not try to apply like 3cc to do a whole car.

3. Gently wipe any high spots. Don't buff like it was a wax, and don't "wipe down" areas without high spots. Knock down as many high spots as possible using the applicator while it's still "wet" with OC.

4. Use the Optimum Dual Pro Applicator.

Anyway, this is what worked for me the 2nd time around. If you have a question if the OC is still there, my guess is it isn't - as the stuff should bead intensely. I haven't seen any degradation in the beading of my OC'ed roof after the winter, so I can tell you the product does work well.

[PiPUK]

I think that the coatings suppliers have, to some extent, shot themselves in the foot with the way they market these things. The reality is that they are NOT custom designed, from the floor up, for high end detailing use. They are products which have been adapted from elsewhere and they have compromises when taking them to automotive (and aftermarket automotive at that).

First off, hydrophobicity is not a guarantee of the condition of the product. Our coating products, for example, are hydrophobic but not super hydrophobic (or even close). They simply do not need to be to perform as intended. But, there are coating suppliers who say their is super hydrophobic - a claim which goes only to prove that they really don't know very much. Hydrophobicity attracts detailers and other end users thinking that it looks cool. But, it often doesn't mean the product is any better than a less hydrophobic product. These are protection products, after all. The benefits should be whether there is scratch or mar resistance, whether their is better soil repellency or a decreased propensity for resoiling.

You simple should not hope or expect a 'coating' to behave like a wax or a sealant. To some extent, you need to trust in the product because it is rather hard to confirm that it is still there. I know I can easily 'see' ours is present but that doesn't work if you haven't got an untreated patch to compare with.

Addition:
I should note that all this talk of special treatment, topping up, nano-shampoos... well find the back end of cow and wait a while. What comes out can be used as a guide to comments like those above. A good coating should suffer none of the above and should be much less susceptible than a traditional wax/sealant. The only top up that is conceivable would be something to boost hydrophobicity which, as above, is basically superficial. Basically, if you are told that you need special products to maintain, then you are either being marketed to or the coating product is not as good as it is claimed to be.

[chris11le]

Ive had Opti 2.0 on my G since it was new. I put very little miles on the car (9500 in 3 years) and its garaged most of the time (either at my house or parking garage at work when I do drive it)

I notice there are spots that dont bead/sheet like you would expect. HOWEVER, they are almost all on the lower half of the doors and rear quarters. This is meaningful to me because those happen to be the areas that are most exposed to road tar, grease, etc.

There are a few vids on youtube of people having the same "issue" with opti coat. The reality is they hit it with some high pressure, or clay it and then the water beads/sheets as expected. It seems sometimes there are just contaminants that dont just "wash right off" with a normal wash. As PiPUK mentioned, the coating companies may have shot themselves in the foot there too....you may still need to put some elbow grease into removing contaminants.

Overall Im happy with Opti. While I dont get the "fun" of sweating my butt off every 6 months trying a new product, it keeps my car looking good with very little effort. Im sure its saved more than a few random marrings from washing, brushing by it while in the garage, etc. If my car were a light color I wouldnt be so concerned, but its black so anything that can help it stay looking good is good in my book.

[Kaban]

Ive had Opti 2.0 on my G since it was new. I put very little miles on the car (9500 in 3 years) and its garaged most of the time (either at my house or parking garage at work when I do drive it)

I notice there are spots that dont bead/sheet like you would expect. HOWEVER, they are almost all on the lower half of the doors and rear quarters. This is meaningful to me because those happen to be the areas that are most exposed to road tar, grease, etc.

There are a few vids on youtube of people having the same "issue" with opti coat. The reality is they hit it with some high pressure, or clay it and then the water beads/sheets as expected. It seems sometimes there are just contaminants that dont just "wash right off" with a normal wash. As PiPUK mentioned, the coating companies may have shot themselves in the foot there too....you may still need to put some elbow grease into removing contaminants.

Overall Im happy with Opti. While I dont get the "fun" of sweating my butt off every 6 months trying a new product, it keeps my car looking good with very little effort. Im sure its saved more than a few random marrings from washing, brushing by it while in the garage, etc. If my car were a light color I wouldnt be so concerned, but its black so anything that can help it stay looking good is good in my book.

Hi, I would have to respectfully disagree here. I have heard claims that you need to decontaminate an opti coated vehicle to revive the beading. I have tried that several times with iron x, tar x, clay bar, and it simply never did anything for me. Once the beading is gone, it's gone.

[timaishu]

I know that beading is kind of superifical, BUT, its also a great indicator if something is still present.

If the whole point of opticoat is to protect the paint, there should(in my mind), be something that will help indicate if its actually on the paint..

Also, beading/sheeting really is useful as it makes washing much easier and bugs come off easy. One of the properties of OC is its supposed to release bugs easy. It did the for the first couple of months. Now though, it takes elbow grease to remove a bug.

[PiPUK]

I know that beading is kind of superifical, BUT, its also a great indicator if something is still present.

If the whole point of opticoat is to protect the paint, there should(in my mind), be something that will help indicate if its actually on the paint..

Also, beading/sheeting really is useful as it makes washing much easier and bugs come off easy. One of the properties of OC is its supposed to release bugs easy. It did the for the first couple of months. Now though, it takes elbow grease to remove a bug.

It is commonly misunderstood in detailing circles that beading is not necessarily good. In many instances, it actually does harm - hydrophobic finishes actually take longer to dry and are much more prone to water spotting (and associated damage). In actual fact, hydrophilic finishes (*) will dry faster and with much less water spotting.

You also point out another problem with detailing terminology - beading/sheeting. Detailers mean those both to be water running off, either in beads or sheets. Both of those are results of a hydrophobic surface. Most other sectors will consider water will form a sheet on a hydrophilic surface but this sheet does not run off! It sticks and hence the term hydrophilic. In fact, certain suppliers claim their coating is hydrophillic because water runs off in a sheet. This is another example of a supplier who knows little about which they speak!

Another thing to point out is that many detailers believe (I disagree and have scientific justification for it) that clean paint is strongly hydrophobic and will bead. From that point of view, having a hydrophobic surface is pretty useless because you cannot possibly tell if you have a good LSP on there or just nothing but a clean surface...

Unfortunately, there is so much nonsense out there and so many people trying to sound like they know their stuff that it is almost impossible for anyone beyond a chemist to get an honest grasp of everything (this happens repeatedly with detailing topics). Ultimately the whole thing revolves around whether you want your paint protected or whether you want to see water beading on it.

[timaishu]

It is commonly misunderstood in detailing circles that beading is not necessarily good. In many instances, it actually does harm - hydrophobic finishes actually take longer to dry and are much more prone to water spotting (and associated damage). In actual fact, hydrophilic finishes (*) will dry faster and with much less water spotting.

You also point out another problem with detailing terminology - beading/sheeting. Detailers mean those both to be water running off, either in beads or sheets. Both of those are results of a hydrophobic surface. Most other sectors will consider water will form a sheet on a hydrophilic surface but this sheet does not run off! It sticks and hence the term hydrophilic. In fact, certain suppliers claim their coating is hydrophillic because water runs off in a sheet. This is another example of a supplier who knows little about which they speak!

Another thing to point out is that many detailers believe (I disagree and have scientific justification for it) that clean paint is strongly hydrophobic and will bead. From that point of view, having a hydrophobic surface is pretty useless because you cannot possibly tell if you have a good LSP on there or just nothing but a clean surface...

Unfortunately, there is so much nonsense out there and so many people trying to sound like they know their stuff that it is almost impossible for anyone beyond a chemist to get an honest grasp of everything (this happens repeatedly with detailing topics). Ultimately the whole thing revolves around whether you want your paint protected or whether you want to see water beading on it.

Well. The whole reason I jumped into opticoat was because my clear coat is failing. I figured a permanent coating would be the best thing to top it with as I figured its better than nothing in terms of trying to protect it.

Note I have no actual knowledge as to whether it would do anything or not for the failing clear. But I figured maybe it might slow it down if there is a layer covering it.

My only concern and the point to this thread is I have no idea if my paint is even coated still. Whether its still on my paint or not, I have no idea.

[JHL88]

Interesting...

we'll see how my PBL coating holds up i guess.

So im assuming the "up to 3 year" claim is with the routine of Coating Booster? They had that claim before the Coating DS/Booster released.