Opti-Coat 2.0: Durability in winter?

[96Lude]

Does anyone have any information regarding any durability testing that was done for Opti-Coat 2.0 in the winter? Up here in Canada, our cars are driven in very harsh winters, therefore I would like to understand what kind of results I can expect if I apply Opti-Coat to a car that is driven all year during the winter.

Thanks.

 

[silverfox]

Unless you remove it with an abrasive polish, it ain't coming off. so durability should not be something you need to be concerned about. I live in the NorthEast and the first thing I did was to put Opti Coat on my new car. Been through one winter with it...and it looks better now than when I originally applied it. It does level itself by the time its fully cured.

I will say this however, and this was brought up on another thread regarding its ability to prevent swirls and chips....the answer is yes (and no). Yes, it will protect your clear coat from swirls and scratches...but it does this by sacrificing itself (so Opti Coat will scratch like a clear coat will, but your clear coat is being protected).

It is not scratch proof in that sense....

 

[BobbyG]

John's covered this pretty well.

Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is an actual clear coat with similar characteristics to the clear that's applied as a top coat. While I have no way to be absolutely certain I believe that the Opti-Coat is harder than the clear finish coat.

Here, I just copied this from the product page.

"Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is a clear resin coating, much like the clear coat that already exists on your vehicle. And just like your factory clear coat, Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is meant to be permanent! Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 can be applied to all exterior surfaces.

It is not recommended for glass since improper application can affect visibility. For other exterior surfaces, Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 is a highly effective, transparent protective coating."

 

[96Lude]

Unless you remove it with an abrasive polish, it ain't coming off. so durability should not be something you need to be concerned about. I live in the NorthEast and the first thing I did was to put Opti Coat on my new car. Been through one winter with it...and it looks better now than when I originally applied it. It does level itself by the time its fully cured.

I will say this however, and this was brought up on another thread regarding its ability to prevent swirls and chips....the answer is yes (and no). Yes, it will protect your clear coat from swirls and scratches...but it does this by sacrificing itself (so Opti Coat will scratch like a clear coat will, but your clear coat is being protected).

It is not scratch proof in that sense....

John, do you get a lot of snow where you live? Our winters are some of the worst, tons of salt and calcium on the roads that are filled with slush, not to mention a lot of snow and very cold temperatures.

I do understand Opti-Coat does not make the paint surface "scratch proof." My only concern is the durability, since I will be applying it mainly to headlights for my customers. I just don't want to charge extra for a service which I am advertising as being permanent, if it will wear off within 2 or 3 years.

 

[BobbyG]

I just don't want to charge extra for a service which I am advertising as being permanent, if it will wear off within 2 or 3 years.

Personally I never make a habit out of long term guarantees. Paint, although unlikely, can wear off in 3 years let alone a coating.

The front of a vehicle takes allot of abuse up North with the ice, snow, sand, salt, and everything else for that matter, that's why it so difficult to provide "permanent protection" for any price..

 

[Chris Thomas]

When offering a "guarantee", it should be a conditional warranty requiring an inspection twice a year and monthly maintenance washes by the installer. How else could you guarantee something unless you are the only care taker?

 

[aerogt01]

2-3 years is pretty "permanent" in the world of paint and paint protection.

Want more permanent? Invent the force-field.
No, seriously.

 

[96Lude]

When offering a "guarantee", it should be a conditional warranty requiring an inspection twice a year and monthly maintenance washes by the installer. How else could you guarantee something unless you are the only care taker?

How can Optimum claim Opti-Coat is permanent then?

According to the description of the product, Opti-Coat can only be removed by polishing with an aggressive compound.

If the customer does not compound their headlights, the coating should always be there and if they are bringing me the car in the first place to take care of their headlights, chances are, they are not doing any compounding on their own.

Stating Opti-Coat is a permanent coating is a guarantee in my opinion. You are stating the coating will remain on the surface if it was properly prepared and will never come off unless you compound it off. So if that's the case, how will it come off my customer's headlights? It should not...unless it's not as permanent as the company claims...

Chris, I just want you to know, I actually ordered some Opti-Coat and it will arrive tomorrow. So I don't want to come across as someone who just wants to come here and make negative comments, this is not the case. I am now a customer of Optimum and all I am trying to do is get a very good understanding of the limitations of the product, so that I can be honest with my own customers when I offer them a service for an extra fee. It all comes down to setting the right expectations...this way everyone is happy... :xyxthumbs:

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Wow...as has been suggested--is the paint on the car a permanent coating? Um, not really, I mean, I have plenty of chips in mine and I'm pretty sure I could compound it off. I knew I should have asked more questions before I bought a new car...

 

[CriticalDetails]

Stating Opti-Coat is a permanent coating is a guarantee in my opinion. You are stating the coating will remain on the surface if it was properly prepared and will never come off unless you compound it off. So if that's the case, how will it come off my customer's headlights? It should not...unless it's not as permanent as the company claims...

If your customers don't do any compounding then what happened to the headlights original UV coating? Chances are the UV coating was sandblasted over time from dirt, sand, salt, snow and ice. The same thing will happen to Opti-Coat or any product for that matter especially on vehicles with low ground clearance.

 

[Chris Thomas]

How can Optimum claim Opti-Coat is permanent then?

According to the description of the product, Opti-Coat can only be removed by polishing with an aggressive compound.

If the customer does not compound their headlights, the coating should always be there and if they are bringing me the car in the first place to take care of their headlights, chances are, they are not doing any compounding on their own.

Stating Opti-Coat is a permanent coating is a guarantee in my opinion. You are stating the coating will remain on the surface if it was properly prepared and will never come off unless you compound it off. So if that's the case, how will it come off my customer's headlights? It should not...unless it's not as permanent as the company claims...

Chris, I just want you to know, I actually ordered some Opti-Coat and it will arrive tomorrow. So I don't want to come across as someone who just wants to come here and make negative comments, this is not the case. I am now a customer of Optimum and all I am trying to do is get a very good understanding of the limitations of the product, so that I can be honest with my own customers when I offer them a service for an extra fee. It all comes down to setting the right expectations...this way everyone is happy... :xyxthumbs:

I can tell that you are just trying to get your head around it. The coating is as permanent as the OEM paint on the car. It actually becomes part of the original paint film. It will not oxidize like normal clear, so it makes OEM "more permanent" if that makes any sense. We have not done long term tests on headlight materials, but it is certainly safe to assume it will last as long or longer than the OEM coating. It will swirl and scratch just like any other clear coat will, so care cannot be neglected. It becomes harder than normal clear coat and repels water and airborne contaminants better than any commercially available sealant, wax, or clear-coat. Regardless of your interpretation, we say that it is "permanent" because it becomes part of the surface rather than just sitting on top of it.

 

[96Lude]

If your customers don't do any compounding then what happened to the headlights original UV coating? Chances are the UV coating was sandblasted over time from dirt, sand, salt, snow and ice. The same thing will happen to Opti-Coat or any product for that matter especially on vehicles with low ground clearance.

I never actually looked at it that way, what you're saying makes sense, the debris from the road is actually eating away at the UV coating, I figured only UV rays were making the coating fade.

I can tell that you are just trying to get your head around it. The coating is as permanent as the OEM paint on the car. It actually becomes part of the original paint film. It will not oxidize like normal clear, so it makes OEM "more permanent" if that makes any sense. We have not done long term tests on headlight materials, but it is certainly safe to assume it will last as long or longer than the OEM coating. It will swirl and scratch just like any other clear coat will, so care cannot be neglected. It becomes harder than normal clear coat and repels water and airborne contaminants better than any commercially available sealant, wax, or clear-coat. Regardless of your interpretation, we say that it is "permanent" because it becomes part of the surface rather than just sitting on top of it.

Well if it doesn't oxidize, that's definitely going to protect the headlights better.

I think based on the information provided, it would be best to offer it to my customers without an actual guarantee, just basically tell them it should last a lot longer than just applying a paint sealant and not charge too much more for the Opti-Coat.

Chris, thanks for your feedback, it is very much appreciated. rops: