How OC 2.0 Holds up to severe water spotting

[LegacyGT]

My wife was unfortunate enough to park next to a landscaped area at the gym and her car got nailed by the sprinklers on a very hot / sunny day resulting in some extremely bad water spots. The water in our area is also very hard, I measured it once and it was off the scale in terms of dissolved minerals.

I knew that this bad going in because the windshield was physically etched from the water spots, and ultimately required polishing out with Power Finish on white to remove the spots. The car (not including the glass) had been treated with Opti-Coat 2.0 about a month prior, so I thought this would be an interesting real life test of the ability of OC to protect the paint.

I had to wash the car at night because our heat indexes have been out of control lately, so last night I drug out the halogens and gave the car a quick wash with Optimum Car Wash (mmm blueberry) with a MF mitt, and the regular two bucket method.

A note on the pictures: These pictures have been re-sized to strike a happy medium with the responses from forum members. You can view larger sizes in the following gallery: Prius Opti Coat

Doesn't look too bad right?

Let's see it from a different angle:

:nomore::nomore:


A picture of the Opti-Coat beading very well before the wash:

And the results of just a simple wash and no other treatment on the water spots:

As you can see they have been 80% removed, and there are still a few spots that need attention. Going with the least aggressive method first, and simply washing proved to be very effective at removing the water spots. For a point of comparison, the water spots on the windshield were much more stubborn and required polishing to remove, indicating to me that the OC is providing a very tough layer of protection. Next I will hit the hoot with some vinegar and see if that removes the rest of the water spotting.

Till then.

 

[KneeDragr]

Hmm, still seems like the Achilles heel of these products.

For instance, I got caught in a rainstorm tuesday on a major interstate that is undergoing repaving. Its all concrete and they are patching it and then griding it down to level, then putting down blacktop. There is so much concrete dust in the area, that when trucks drive over it you would think its a dirt road it kicks up so much stuff.

Anyhow my DD dried to a nasty looking concrete dust spotted mess on Tuesday, but I drove it the rest of the week in the blazing 100 degree sun and finally washed it on Saturday. Everthing came right off, no spots remain. Im using FK1000p BTW.

 

[LegacyGT]

Hmm, still seems like the Achilles heel of these products.

For instance, I got caught in a rainstorm tuesday on a major interstate that is undergoing repaving. Its all concrete and they are patching it and then griding it down to level, then putting down blacktop. There is so much concrete dust in the area, that when trucks drive over it you would think its a dirt road it kicks up so much stuff.

Anyhow my DD dried to a nasty looking concrete dust spotted mess on Tuesday, but I drove it the rest of the week in the blazing 100 degree sun and finally washed it on Saturday. Everthing came right off, no spots remain. Im using FK1000p BTW.

I have never had any issues with rain leaving water spots on the OC, like I said, we have very hard municipal water.

 

[KneeDragr]

I have never had any issues with rain leaving water spots on the OC, like I said, we have very hard municipal water.

I hear ya, its just the product is marketed as a permanent coating that holds up for several years.

IMO it cant just offer a similar level of protection to water spots as a 10-20$ wax or sealant, it needs to offer virtually impervious resistance to it.

I know some people will say thats not possible, but just a few years ago the current level of protection OC offers would have been described as impossible. Im 100% certain that in time people will figure it out.

 

[BobbyG]

Bill,

All the more reason for folks to spend a few extra dollars to get allot more protection!! rops:

 

[LegacyGT]

I hear ya, its just the product is marketed as a permanent coating that holds up for several years.

IMO it cant just offer a similar level of protection to water spots as a 10-20$ wax or sealant, it needs to offer virtually impervious resistance to it.

I know some people will say thats not possible, but just a few years ago the current level of protection OC offers would have been described as impossible. Im 100% certain that in time people will figure it out.

I have not had the same experience that you have had, but it will be interesting to hear from others. A primary benefit to OC is that it can be cleaned/polished with Poli-Seal without needing to reapply.

After seeing the long term trials, especially From KC's, there is no doubt in my mind that this is a fantastic product. This was a simple wash and almost all of the water spots came off without any effort. I think the remaining ones will come off with some vinegar.

 

[LegacyGT]

Bill,

All the more reason for folks to spend a few extra dollars to get allot more protection!! rops:

:iagree::iagree:

Thanks Bobby

 

[CEE DOG]

Bill, great thread. I hadn't had any issues with water spots on my OC or CQ until a couple days ago. I hadn't washed the car in 3-4 weeks and it got rain, dirt, grime, and sun over and over. Well after I washed it and before I had dried I found the spots were still there. I removed them from the Opticoat side with my rotary and poliseal. It took them right off and the coating was still alive and happy.

 

[LegacyGT]

Bill, great thread. I hadn't had any issues with water spots on my OC or CQ until a couple days ago. I hadn't washed the car in 3-4 weeks and it got rain, dirt, grime, and sun over and over. Well after I washed it and before I had dried I found the spots were still there. I removed them from the Opticoat side with my rotary and poliseal. It took them right off and the coating was still alive and happy.

Thanks for the tip Corey ... I will keep that in mind.

I am first going to try Vinegar, and if that does not remove it, I'll hit it quick with the poli-seal. Honestly I have not used any product that would have survived nearly as well as the OC did (the windshield was so bad it really obstructed vision). I also suggested my wife not park next to sprinklers in the future

 

[Chris Thomas]

Hmm, still seems like the Achilles heel of these products...

All water is not created equal, therefore all water spots are not dealt with the same. Mike Phillips took the time to write it in a very detailed article describing the various types.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ypes-water-spots-type-i-type-ii-type-iii.html

After reading the article, you can see that some waterspots are not simply on the surface and hard to clean, but actually caustic and can quickly damage ANY clearcoat. We have claimed chemical resistance, improved hardness, and incredible longevity. We have not, however claimed that the product is bulletproof, a futuristic force-field, or impervious to ALL forces. Acid is great for cleaning wheels at the proper dilution, but it needs to be rinsed and neutralized after cleaning or it can damage the surface. Likewise, some water solutions allowed to sit in summer heat even for a few hours will do similar damage, especially with water droplets acting like miniature magnifiers.

 

[LegacyGT]

Thanks for the response Chris, everything you said makes a lot of sense. Again I observed OC doing an incredible job protecting against a really harsh event, and wanted to try an highlight that.

 

[Twister]

Chris I thought OC was like a forcefield for my car. I thought it even prevented dents?

All joking aside, if we have water spots in the OC coating and we have to polish them out, how can I tell if I've gone through the coating?

 

[Dr Oldz]

Great thread, Bill and I think that some people are missing your point that it cleaned some very harsh water marks quite well with just a simple wash. If that was a typical nuba or sealant, you results after washing would show much more water spotting!

rops: to OC!!!!!

 

[Chris Thomas]

Thanks for the response Chris, everything you said makes a lot of sense. Again I observed OC doing an incredible job protecting against a really harsh event, and wanted to try an highlight that.

You are quite welcome. And I'm very sorry that after all you hard work, you had this problem. And honestly...even if you had to polish through th OC to get out the spots, at least you weren't having to remove clear coat.

Chris I thought OC was like a forcefield for my car. I thought it even prevented dents?

All joking aside, if we have water spots in the OC coating and we have to polish them out, how can I tell if I've gone through the coating?

Crap, the cats outta the bag! Optimum Force Field is in Beta testing and can withstand a direct blow from a .50 cal...Im the MAN

The beading properties will stop. If you have polished an area and power clean washed Opticoat will still bead if it's there.

 

[fredcandetail]

So OC2.0 wont repel hard water spots?!?!?!? I have the same problem in Texas as the main source of our water is from an underground aquifer so calcium and magnesium are always high and I recently got doused the same way but a week prior I had hit my truck with two coats of PowerLock and the simply wiped off with Last Touch .... sounds like its not all the hype ....

 

[Chris Thomas]

It never ceases to amaze me when people don't take the time to read an article and then presume to summarize it incorrectly. I realize that OptiCoat is not for everyone, but comments about capabilities should be left to those who use it and not speculation. No one said it doesn't help with hard water spots. What the article says is know what kind of water spots you are up against and use the least aggressive method to remove them. There are some blemishes even OptiCoat won't protect against. Some water is so bad that acid sitting on the paint wouldn't be any worse. In those situations OptiCoat is no more than a sacrificial barrier. A little common sense and realistic expectations will help those unfamiliar with coatings. They are advanced protection technology...not magic.


Sent from my ViP4 viaTapatalk

 

[fredcandetail]

I see Chris ... Well of I did get the same type of spots using two coats of PL a little polishing on my car would buff them off too ... So as this is a sacrificial barrier what again is the real benefit in putting this down in your opinion if it still requires some maintenance?
It just seems like for 50-70$ an application there should be worries eliminated right ?

 

[Twister]

The benefit is not having to polish off clear coat to get those water spots out. I can reapply OC. But once you polish though clear you have to get a repaint. Plus it does protect the paint and lasts a long time. How are these not positives?

With that said I wouldn't use this on all my cars but deffinently on the daily drivers that see the elements almost 24 hours a day

 

[Bunky]

For those that think OC is the end of car care, it is not. It just means different things to do.

 

[FUNX650]

Hi Bill.

I'm glad your OC 2.0 application proved to be so beneficial in providing nearly 100% protection for your vehicle from one of the "dreaded water-spotting" issues. That says a lot!

Also, I'm so glad you started this thread. Because....I once again have gained more knowledge, in regards to the Opti-Coatings, due to people like you sharing their experiences with said Coatings.

My Thanks!!, once again, Sir, goes to you. (And probably should thank Chris for his input and candidness, also )

Bob