It sounds like you did everything correctly. Could it have been the humidity when applying? Your pretty wet up in Washington State. Maybe Chris will chime in.
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I've found that it works fine on many cars, but not very well on others. Toyota sienna and corolla are a couple that I've seen fail within a few months. I have a G35 that I need to re-do from last summer... and I will have to try a heavier uv cure "factory type" coating unfortunately.
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I'll just be darned if I'm going to let my OCD w/detailing include my headlights. I use a mild polish on them 3 x a year and then use a wax/sealant on them about 2 x a year and they're fine..... And this is on a 4 y/o car and I have no issues :) whew!!!
Multiple layers should create a much better UV barrier, but I've not done more than two initial layers.
By "factory coating" I'm referring to the uv curing urethane coatings. Most are available in an aerosol. Whether you spray or wipe on a coating, it yields a much thicker layer... so hopefully it gives a much greater UV barrier. I've seen it last a couple years anyway. SEM, Lightrite, Speedokote, Presta,.... bunch of brands out there. The issue with any of them is applying it. It's tricky to get it to lay down smooth, without much orange peel, etc.
I still like OptiCoat for a lot of what I do, and there isn't anything else that can do what it can. But it seems there just isn't enough UV protection for some cars. Seems to be the ones that are softer and/or thicker plastic... very easy to sand, and sometimes have a slightly opaque look even when fully restored... they don't come back crystal clear like glass. I don't keep records on this stuff and this isn't a scientific study. It's just what I recall. I usually intend to track this stuff better, but I'm too busy and not ocd enough LOL. If headlights were my bread and butter... I would have this nailed down better by now with test samples etc.
I will add... in favor of OptiLens (I meant optilens in the previous post, not opticoat).. that it's invaluable for some jobs, for me anyway. For example, on a 2006-08 Dodge truck, the top side of the massive lights will be peeled/cracked. There is no way you will sand and restore the whole lens. Just doing the top portion can be difficult enough. So the only sane way to do them is to blend out the repair area. Only a thin wipe-on coating like OptiLens, (or similar magic "nano" coating) etc will look right. Other coatings are pretty much impossible to apply to just a portion of the lens without being noticeable. And this lens has a huge surface that generally doesn't look good with a sprayed coating, or other common wipe-on coatings.
These last few posts really have me worried about offering Opti-Lens as an option for retail restorations. :surrender:
I wouldnt be too worried about it. In Canada, your UV index shouldnt be that high.
Here in Hawaii, the UV index is crazy. My wifes headlights are working on almost a year with opti-lens and are like brand new still. Every other option I tried on her lights lasted anywhere from 30 days to 3 months at most.
Spray on clear coating isn't a perfect option either.. it WILL take you more time to apply, you run the risk of overspray, and the clear coat can de-laminate over time making your next restore that much harder.
Here's a headlight I did with Opti-Lens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=147drKMselc