Headlight sealant: spar urethane vs. opti coat 2.0

Update 6 months after restoration spar urethane vs. opti coat

The 6 month period for this vehicle was actually last month, so here are some recent pictures.

Opti coated lens

This is what it looked like before I cleaned it, a layer of film from the recent snow storm, these lights have not been cleaned since the last update.


After cleaning with optimum no rinse.

Close up shot, the coating seems to be failing.







Spar urethane coated lens

Before cleaning. This lens also was covered in a layer of film from recent snow storm, and not being cleaned for over 3 months.


After cleaning with optimum no rinse.

Close up, despite a few bug splatter etchings and a scratch or two, they still look pretty decent.




So, basically with this test vehicle the opti coated side is not surviving, and continues to fail. The spar, however is still holding up, and remember this test vehicle is outside 24/7 and gets washed rarely.

And don't forget, I have two other test vehicles to update when they are due.
 
I'm so glad I found this thread I picked up all my stuff from home depot to do my headlights, all I need now is a mixing cup.
 
HotRod said:
Update 6 months after restoration spar urethane vs. opti coat

The 6 month period for this vehicle was actually last month, so here are some recent pictures.

Opti coated lens

This is what it looked like before I cleaned it, a layer of film from the recent snow storm, these lights have not been cleaned since the last update.


After cleaning with optimum no rinse.

Close up shot, the coating seems to be failing.







Spar urethane coated lens

Before cleaning. This lens also was covered in a layer of film from recent snow storm, and not being cleaned for over 3 months.


After cleaning with optimum no rinse.

Close up, despite a few bug splatter etchings and a scratch or two, they still look pretty decent.




So, basically with this test vehicle the opti coated side is not surviving, and continues to fail. The spar, however is still holding up, and remember this test vehicle is outside 24/7 and gets washed rarely.

And don't forget, I have two other test vehicles to update when they are due.
Click to expand...


Thanks Hotrod. I've followed this and other threads for some time now. I've been restoring headlight lenses(mostly for a used car dealer I know) for over 1 1/2 years now and held true to the spar method. The only things that I do differently are that I sand everything by hand now, except for the final 3000 grit, which I use a 3M trizact 3" pad with a drill. The second thing is I use 60% spar and 40% mineral spirits and I start with 800 if I can first, otherwise, it is pretty much the exact same thing as your original post. I switch to the 60/40 mix after having a few vehicles that the coating seemed to wear off of prematurely. No problems since that time.
I want to thank you especially for initially introducing me to this method. I also thank the others who contributed along the way to get my method to where it is now. It is greatly appreciated by me and I'm sure others.
 
^ agree I found this thread and the other large one on google looking for ways to keep the headlight clear for something longer then just 4 months outdoors.

Seems crazy at first until you see the final.
 
HotRod, thanks for your time and effort, I am sure it is appreciated by everyone.

I would very much like to hear some comments from Chris at Optimum regarding these results. I have been appying Opti-Coat to headlight lenses for my customers after restoring them and I always state it should last a few years. By the results of this test, the coating will fail within a few months.

I am starting to question if Opti-Coat is just marketing hype, the pictures speak for themselves, you can see the coating is failing while the urethane still looks good. The fact that a furniture varnish which is available from home renovation stores is providing better protection than Opti-Coat is absurd and everyone who invested in this product deserves some type of explanation from the manufacturer.
 
96Lude said:
I would very much like to hear some comments from Chris at Optimum regarding these results. I have been appying Opti-Coat to headlight lenses for my customers after restoring them and I always state it should last a few years. By the results of this test, the coating will fail within a few months.
Click to expand...

I did my friend Jr's lights in August, I think, and they still look fine.
 
96Lude said:
I am starting to question if Opti-Coat is just marketing hype, the pictures speak for themselves, you can see the coating is failing while the urethane still looks good. The fact that a furniture varnish which is available from home renovation stores is providing better protection than Opti-Coat is absurd and everyone who invested in this product deserves some type of explanation from the manufacturer.
Click to expand...


I suspect that despite advertising claims (and a manufacturer's representative is only going to parrot those claims anyway), Opti-Coat is not optimum for the headlight application, as it was designed to go onto paint.

I'm not going to use Opti-Coat on headlights, simply because the spar urethane is so very much more cost-effective in this application. However, one advantage that Opti-Coat does have: it sets up harder and is more resistant to abrasion...which is the reason why when washing the car, you have to be very careful about scratching the spar urethane surface with grit on the toweling.
 
I would think that putting opticoat over the headlight paint would give best protection.

I would like to see how C-Quartz holds up compared to the spar urethane.
 
GP49 said:
I suspect that despite advertising claims (and a manufacturer's representative is only going to parrot those claims anyway), Opti-Coat is not optimum for the headlight application, as it was designed to go onto paint.

I'm not going to use Opti-Coat on headlights, simply because the spar urethane is so very much more cost-effective in this application. However, one advantage that Opti-Coat does have: it sets up harder and is more resistant to abrasion...which is the reason why when washing the car, you have to be very careful about scratching the spar urethane surface with grit on the toweling.
Click to expand...

The problem with the urethane is that it takes a while to dry. In my case, a lot of my customers bring me the car and are waiting while I restore their headlights. I cannot ask them to wait a few hours while the urethane dries completely. The only other option I could think of is using a heat gun to speed things up.
 
Matt said:
I would think that putting opticoat over the headlight paint would give best protection.
Click to expand...

I tried Opti-Coat 2.0. That was the main reason I purchased it.
It lasts about 4-6 months. The spar urethane/combo lasts longer.
 
Quick question where can you find mixing cups? Michaels has nothing.
 
mikeCL said:
Quick question where can you find mixing cups? Michaels has nothing.
Click to expand...

Just use an old clear plastic cup or food container, measure out some quantities using water in a measuring jug and mark the levels on the side of your container using a permanent marker. Do some calculations for the dilution you want and.....

voilà! you have a mixing container.
 
merlin said:
I tried Opti-Coat 2.0. That was the main reason I purchased it.
It lasts about 4-6 months. The spar urethane/combo lasts longer.
Click to expand...

What I mean is use the spar urethane combo then once that has fully cured coat the spar urethane combo with opticoat 2.0 and the spar urethane combo should last even longer. :props:
 
If the opti-coat has any solvent in it that will dissolve or soften the spar urethane, you'll be sorry. Try it on a junk headlamp first.
 
Matt said:
Just use an old clear plastic cup or food container, measure out some quantities using water in a measuring jug and mark the levels on the side of your container using a permanent marker. Do some calculations for the dilution you want and.....

voilà! you have a mixing container.
Click to expand...


hah simple enough!
 
mikeCL said:
Quick question where can you find mixing cups? Michaels has nothing.
Click to expand...
Plastic cups you dispense ketchup in at your local fast food restaurant make a great disposable single use mixing cup. The plastic spoons usually right near the ketchup cups are great for measuring and mixing. Five Guys ketchup cups are the best.
 
And if your local burger joint uses squeeze bottles, you can buy "medicine cups" from a drugstore, and "popsicle sticks" from a craft store.
 
GP49 said:
And if your local burger joint uses squeeze bottles, you can buy "medicine cups" from a drugstore, and "popsicle sticks" from a craft store.
Click to expand...


I actually use a wendy's frosty spoon and mix mine seperately per car at the time of application. I tried mixing it before hand and storing the mixture, but it seemed to turn a darker color as it sits.
 
The Minwax (spar urethane) product that is used during restoration - is this Minwax 43200/63200 or something else?

I'm asking cause I have no other option than buying it online and I need the exact name of it as amazon tends to give different pictures for different products (I definitely don't want to buy semi-gloss, satin, etc).
 
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