friendly_jacek
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- May 11, 2013
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Both Rustoleum and Krylon clear enamels have UV protectants, yet do poorly on headlights. OC2 also claims UV protection.
Headlight sealant: spar urethane vs. opti coat 2.0
- Thread starter HotRod
- Start date
Both Rustoleum and Krylon clear enamels have UV protectants, yet do poorly on headlights. OC2 also claims UV protection.
cardaddy
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- Nov 20, 2012
- 3,937
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:iagree:
Spar is something that guys came up with *instead* of using an "official" or "professional" headlight sealant product. One widely used product is a aerosol spray that is UV curable. It'll cure in direct sunlight, and of course the real 'pros' use a tuned UV light to accelerate the curing process. The spray cans run in the $50 and up range, for a half sized can (compared to say your regular rattle can spray cans).
I'd like to see guys talking more about this type of product. There are a number of suppliers/manufacturers and it'd be great to hear the results as well as input from various users. I'd be willing to say that any, "spray" coating would come out better than a wiped coating in both looks and especially coating thickness. (Which would be much needed for greater long term durability.)
Can't say about Opticoat over spar, perhaps Chris has an answer on that one. :dunno:
Real coatings like the UV cured spray products are much better than spar varnish. Spar is soft even when cured and it degrades within a year in real world conditions, from my experience. Of course, that varies based on how much exposure it gets, etc. Spar looks good when applied right, but it's not a "pro" product and I was embarrassed I had used it once I found it failing so easily. Sorry, that's just my take.
The spray coatings are not perfect either, but I've found they hold up very well. Only failure I've seen is from abuse by a pressure washer. Getting a smooth finish is a challenge, but the coating is 100x better than spar.
Optilens is what I'm using now. I got some early samples last summer/fall and have been using it since then, about 9 months. My guys and I have done a ton of cars with it (hundreds). It's generally more work than using uv cure spray coating (or spar), because the lens needs to be fully refinished and polished prior to coating. But so far, optilens is great. It leaves the most "natural" looking finish... as if nothing was ever done to the lights. With other heavy coatings you can more easily see what's been done, both with spray or wipe on. Optilens just disappears into the lens leaving a nice smooth finish that is not super shiny, but enough gloss to look good. And there are no wipe marks or streaks. But the lens must be polished out. Optilens will not look as good if the lens is dull or still shows some sand marks or damage. A second coat, or a heavy coat... will help however, if you need to cover up something. I try to avoid that, because the stuff is expensive and results are best if you don't rely on the coating to "fix it". Done correctly, the results are awesome, and it's more predictable than the other coatings.
Even if you slop it on or add a second coat, you can expect at least 3-4 cars from 10cc. Used carefully, you could do much better though. Average cars, single coat... could yield twice that, conservatively.
Time will tell how this coating holds up, but so far it's looking very promising. Most of my work is dealers, but I have done a few retail jobs and have some friends cars that need done, so those I will be able to see long term results.
The spray coatings are not perfect either, but I've found they hold up very well. Only failure I've seen is from abuse by a pressure washer. Getting a smooth finish is a challenge, but the coating is 100x better than spar.
Optilens is what I'm using now. I got some early samples last summer/fall and have been using it since then, about 9 months. My guys and I have done a ton of cars with it (hundreds). It's generally more work than using uv cure spray coating (or spar), because the lens needs to be fully refinished and polished prior to coating. But so far, optilens is great. It leaves the most "natural" looking finish... as if nothing was ever done to the lights. With other heavy coatings you can more easily see what's been done, both with spray or wipe on. Optilens just disappears into the lens leaving a nice smooth finish that is not super shiny, but enough gloss to look good. And there are no wipe marks or streaks. But the lens must be polished out. Optilens will not look as good if the lens is dull or still shows some sand marks or damage. A second coat, or a heavy coat... will help however, if you need to cover up something. I try to avoid that, because the stuff is expensive and results are best if you don't rely on the coating to "fix it". Done correctly, the results are awesome, and it's more predictable than the other coatings.
Even if you slop it on or add a second coat, you can expect at least 3-4 cars from 10cc. Used carefully, you could do much better though. Average cars, single coat... could yield twice that, conservatively.
Time will tell how this coating holds up, but so far it's looking very promising. Most of my work is dealers, but I have done a few retail jobs and have some friends cars that need done, so those I will be able to see long term results.
cardaddy
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- Nov 20, 2012
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That's encouraging news. :xyxthumbs:
THIS!
Thanks my friend.
Well said of the differences between the two. Just curious how Optilens is holding up, especially with the short in service/for sale times in the US. That is encouraging news for sure.How is the optilens holding up thus far? I wish the optilens wasn't soooo much more expensive than the spar. Do you think one could apply the optilens over the spar after the spar had dried? I would think that would really make the clear coat that much better because you would have the uv protection from the spar and the harder coat of the optilens over that to deal with carwash brush scratches and scuffs. Plus, it would possibly extend the amt of years the clear coat would hold up...but who knows.
We've seen a few have issues, turning back a little discolored... seems to be on soft lens cars, like early 00s corollas and civics. But that's been the exception. Mostly, it's working very well. btw, the 10cc is too expensive if you are doing this for hire... get the 40cc. You can do a ton of cars with it... a buck a car.
It's worth having, even if you only use it for the ones that don't need much (if any) sanding. Also, a huge lens with only the top edge that's bad, is perfect for Optilens because it leaves no evidence of a re-coat. It's the invisible coating...no flaws from a wipe-on or spray-on. That's the advantage to OL, plus there is very little risk/down side. If Optilens fails, the worst case is that the lens will slowly fade. There is no heavy coating that can peel or turn ugly nasty. Also, if you ever did have an issue, it's very easy to re-do Optilens. Simply compound/polish and re-coat. The disadvantage, is that YOU have to restore the lens... you can't rely on the coating to do it for you.
As for applying over other coatings... I don't know. I just tried that recently, on top of a UV cure coating.... but haven't checked on it to see how it's doing. My guess is that it would work ok, and protect or extend the life of the other coating, but only on a coating that's fully cured. So you probably couldn't do it the same day with varnish.
I'm still using Optilens, but not exclusively. I've gone back to using UV cure coatings also... mostly on the rough stuff...ones that need heavy sanding, entire lens, etc.
It's worth having, even if you only use it for the ones that don't need much (if any) sanding. Also, a huge lens with only the top edge that's bad, is perfect for Optilens because it leaves no evidence of a re-coat. It's the invisible coating...no flaws from a wipe-on or spray-on. That's the advantage to OL, plus there is very little risk/down side. If Optilens fails, the worst case is that the lens will slowly fade. There is no heavy coating that can peel or turn ugly nasty. Also, if you ever did have an issue, it's very easy to re-do Optilens. Simply compound/polish and re-coat. The disadvantage, is that YOU have to restore the lens... you can't rely on the coating to do it for you.
As for applying over other coatings... I don't know. I just tried that recently, on top of a UV cure coating.... but haven't checked on it to see how it's doing. My guess is that it would work ok, and protect or extend the life of the other coating, but only on a coating that's fully cured. So you probably couldn't do it the same day with varnish.
I'm still using Optilens, but not exclusively. I've gone back to using UV cure coatings also... mostly on the rough stuff...ones that need heavy sanding, entire lens, etc.
just an update-
It's been about 7 months since I sprayed a coat of bulldog adhesion promoter on my headlights, and they have not yellowed. I have put no wax or protection since spraying them, and the car is parked outside always.
I have no doubt they will stick on the headlights better than the spar urethane that just sheeted off a couple years ago.
The ultimate test will be to see if the bulldog can withstand this summer's heat.
It's been about 7 months since I sprayed a coat of bulldog adhesion promoter on my headlights, and they have not yellowed. I have put no wax or protection since spraying them, and the car is parked outside always.
I have no doubt they will stick on the headlights better than the spar urethane that just sheeted off a couple years ago.
The ultimate test will be to see if the bulldog can withstand this summer's heat.