OPticoat 2.0 sheeting

[QuickCln]

I have another question.

I did a compound buff, polish, ipa wipe down, then topped my black car with opticoat 2.0. It must have been a yr a go or so and now, the car does not shed water like it did on day 1.

Is this normal? To be honest, i haven't been doing a 2 bucket wash, instead ive just been rinsing down my car with filtered water at the self serve car wash during that whole yr...because i was busy.

Do you think that theres a lot of bonded dirt on the opticoat that prevents it from sheeting? or does the hydrophobic properties of opticoat fade naturally over time? I know that opticoat 2.0 is no longer available for sale. Luckily I only used a few cc's and still have the majority of the bottle left, So maybe ill repolish and reseal the car again this year.

[haris300]

It could be that your coating has become contaminated. My Mazda3 daily driver is protected with OC 2.0 and tends to get badly contaminated since it's parked outside next to a tree. Try a mechanical decontamination with clay or clay alternative.

[Ebg18t]

Before you do too much I would suggest washing the vehicle with something like CarPro Reset which is designed to deep clean coatings.

[QuickCln]

Thanks for the replies guys. Ill do a good wash and test to see if the sheeting is restored.

I remember after applying opticoat how a huge bottle's worth of water just bounced off the hood and fell the ground... The hood was bone dry.

From your experience, does this level of sheeting remain indefinately if you wash the car properly with the two bucket system? Or does the sheeting in general wear off over time?

[VP Mark]

You need to do a decon wash, clay, then recheck. If the beading is still not strong, time to recoat. This time after your polish do a full ONR wipedown, then IPA. Use a CarPro block and suede cloth to apply. Using horizontal then vertical passes. Keep dry 12 hours then don't wash for 7 days after coating.

I'm an optimum pro installer.

Also, use Optimum Hyper polish as your polish if you have it. Optimum products all work together and the more of them you use in the process the more likely you won't have bonding or premature failure issues.

[QuickCln]

Thanks! Yeah I will do a good wash with a clay speedy rag (I forget the name of it) but its like a weird clay bar rag that decontaminates paint. I currently only have meguairs ultimate compound and some kind of meguiars polish.


I am hesitant to claim that the coating has failed because the car still looks great (at least to the avg joe) and sheds most dirt off with a hose (obviously not the embedded contaminants) fairly well. In comparison to my other car which isnt coated, there's a huge difference. I just lost the that luxurious water beading property of the paint.

[haris300]

+1 for Hyper Polish. Optimum says you only need to wipe down with a damp microfiber towel before applying you coating. An IPA wipe down after Hyper Polish will be added insurance that your coating bonds properly.

[QuickCln]

what is onr? I keep reading it but the description on the product page is confusing as hell? In layman's terms what is it for?
thanks in advance.

[VP Mark]

Optimum No Rinse. It is a rinseless wash/clay lube/QD all in one.

[QuickCln]

Okay, so the wipe down is to knock down most of the polish before using the ipa. What I normally do is just wash the car with DI water after polishing, then I do an ipa. Then I rinse it again with DI water... letting it air dry.

I figure that the soap from the foam cannon and a wash mitt would be more thorough to remove the polish, and the ipa wipedown is just for insurance. Because I use di water I wont have to dry the car, reducing the chance of reintroducing scratches prior to sealing the paint with Opt2.0

[builthatch]

Thanks! Yeah I will do a good wash with a clay speedy rag (I forget the name of it) but its like a weird clay bar rag that decontaminates paint. I currently only have meguairs ultimate compound and some kind of meguiars polish.


I am hesitant to claim that the coating has failed because the car still looks great (at least to the avg joe) and sheds most dirt off with a hose (obviously not the embedded contaminants) fairly well. In comparison to my other car which isnt coated, there's a huge difference. I just lost the that luxurious water beading property of the paint.

decon and i'd bet you'll be back where you wanna be.

some good recommendations in here but personally i'd email Dr. G and ask him what his current recommendation is to decon 2.0.

[OTSDetail]

Can't wait to try this on my own car. Not sure if it'll work on my wheels though. They arent clear coated.

As for OP, definitely seems contaminated for sure. As everyone else stated, clay it and see what happens!

[conman1395]

I have another question.

I did a compound buff, polish, ipa wipe down, then topped my black car with opticoat 2.0. It must have been a yr a go or so and now, the car does not shed water like it did on day 1.

Is this normal? To be honest, i haven't been doing a 2 bucket wash, instead ive just been rinsing down my car with filtered water at the self serve car wash during that whole yr...because i was busy.

Do you think that theres a lot of bonded dirt on the opticoat that prevents it from sheeting? or does the hydrophobic properties of opticoat fade naturally over time? I know that opticoat 2.0 is no longer available for sale. Luckily I only used a few cc's and still have the majority of the bottle left, So maybe ill repolish and reseal the car again this year.
Why didn't you at least use the soap? The OC is supposed to be resistant to any of the cleaners you'd find at at coin-operated waah.

[aim4squirrels]

I read, re-read, and triple read through both Optimum's forum and the directions supplied with the OPT GlossCoat I just applied. No where does it state hyper polish or any optimum polishes are a prerequisite.

It states:
1. Polish paint with Optimum Polish II or Optimum Hyper Polish to remove any defects.
2. Clean surface with 15% IPA solution to remove all polishing oils, waxes, and silicones.

Notice it didn't mention ONR? Notice the only mention of hyper polish is to remove defects? I have a lot of products that remove defects.

If IPA removes the oils, waxes, and silicones, how then can the coating possibly know what was used before hand to prep?

The suggestion that hyper polish, ONR, or any in-the-family products must be used is born of marketing hype of the word "synergy", nothing more.

Clean the car correctly, then assess the next step.

[conman1395]

I read, re-read, and triple read through both Optimum's forum and the directions supplied with the OPT GlossCoat I just applied. No where does it state hyper polish or any optimum polishes are a prerequisite.

It states:
1. Polish paint with Optimum Polish II or Optimum Hyper Polish to remove any defects.
2. Clean surface with 15% IPA solution to remove all polishing oils, waxes, and silicones.

Notice it didn't mention ONR? Notice the only mention of hyper polish is to remove defects? I have a lot of products that remove defects.

If IPA removes the oils, waxes, and silicones, how then can the coating possibly know what was used before hand to prep?

The suggestion that hyper polish, ONR, or any in-the-family products must be used is born of marketing hype of the word "synergy", nothing more.

Clean the car correctly, then assess the next step.
Unless it's like OC Pro where the Primer Polish leaves the surface with the "right level of scratches" to apply the coating.

I doubt it though because I personally I think that's bull as well.