Opti-Coat 2.0 Unanticipated Problem

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chet31

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I bought Opti-Coat 2.0 for my rims, which are a PITA to clean. It is working well for this purpose, makes the rims easier to clean. But I had a lot of product left. I decided to apply it to my hood. The problem is, since the coating is permanent, I wanted my 8-yr-old hood to be "perfect" before I applied it.

Anyway, I spent way more time polishing the hood than I probably should have, and finally applied the product. It looks great, but still, I have this nagging feeling I should have spent just a little longer on it. Anyone else run into similar issues with Opti-Coat or other permanent coatings?
 
What do you mean by you think you should have spent just a little longer on it. On what exactly? :dunno: :)
 
I won't put a coating on anything that doesn't meet my standards so I can't say that I've run into a similar issue. I know when I put a coating on it's going to stay for years so I prepare the surface accordingly. When I have left over coating I save it for headlights that have yellowed. I compound them clear, polish them to a shine. Clean the surface with a coating prep and apply left over coating. Sort of a freebie when I run into people that can't afford to have them repaired and coated with opti-lens.
 
The first time I used Opticoat I went crazy on my car and did a three step correction since I would be sealing any faults in "forever"

I used all Menzerna products and finished up with a jeweling step, using PO85rd applied with a rotary and a Gold Pad at a very slow speed. Then VERY CAREFULLY applied the OptiCoat 2.0
 
Ultimately, the final result is all in the preparation.........
 
Before applying a coating it is a must to ensure that any defects you had are to your satisfaction. Because it is your car, you will know it's there and it will bother you.
 
If it looks great - it looks great. Don't worry about it. OC can be polished off if need be.
 
swanicyouth said:
If it looks great - it looks great. Don't worry about it. OC can be polished off if need be.
Click to expand...

^This... it may be permanent in that it is capable of bonding to your paint for extended periods of time, however it is not permanent in that it can never be removed.

To me it is like saying swirls are permanent damage... while it is true they will never go away if left alone, they can certainly be removed with proper polishing. So I guess the definition of "permanent" is rather open ended in the detailing world.
 
There are lots of threads lately of people feeling like they did OC wrong. Don't trust your gut. The product will let you know if you did a bad job. OC is harder to mess up than most people think.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
 
Op- are you satisfied with the result? It only has to look good to you. Most people, if not all, will not notice slight imperfections (we have a trained eye that most people lack). I did my entire truck with OC 2.0. It looks amazing, but definitely has some light scratches left over. Hey, it's a 13yo truck that has been through it all. It still looks better than all the newer vehicles I pass that went through the swirl-o-matic too many times.
 
oldmodman said:
The first time I used Opticoat I went crazy on my car and did a three step correction since I would be sealing any faults in "forever"

I used all Menzerna products and finished up with a jeweling step, using PO85rd applied with a rotary and a Gold Pad at a very slow speed. Then VERY CAREFULLY applied the OptiCoat 2.0
Click to expand...

Sounds like exactly what I did to my friends BMW, isn't that something, I opti-coated his vehicle before mine!
I made sure that I got as much of the defects out as I possibly could, going back over sections to make sure. It made a huge difference, it is slick, very glossy and beautiful.

HUMP
 
oldmodman said:
The first time I used Opticoat I went crazy on my car and did a three step correction since I would be sealing any faults in "forever"

I used all Menzerna products and finished up with a jeweling step, using PO85rd applied with a rotary and a Gold Pad at a very slow speed. Then VERY CAREFULLY applied the OptiCoat 2.0
Click to expand...

I didn't explain myself well. The unanticipated problem was that I had "fear of applying" the Opti-Coat because I kept thinking I had to get it better. I went temporarily insane with my polishing. oldmodman put it well, I went crazy on my car. This is probably because I am a hobbyist, and don't have a firm idea of what "good enough" is.

Anyway, after having a couple of weeks to look for faults, I am quite happy with it, it forced me to do a better job polishing than usual. The Opti-Coat is quite forgiving to apply. Thank you for the comments. Onward to other panels.
 
VP Mark said:
There are lots of threads lately of people feeling like they did OC wrong. Don't trust your gut. The product will let you know if you did a bad job. OC is harder to mess up than most people think.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using AG Online
Click to expand...

I disagree. It is quite easy to screw-up an Opti-Coat application, and it's usually due to bonding issues or high spots.
 
The Critic said:
I disagree. It is quite easy to screw-up an Opti-Coat application, and it's usually due to bonding issues or high spots.
Click to expand...

not to knock anyone who has had problems with it, but i've followed a very basic process for prep and it has never failed me. Dawn wash, clay, polish, IPA, coat. that's all i've ever done.

and imo it is SO easy to see a high spot, and 2.0 is very forgiving in terms of cure time. i mean...if it's not flashing away...rub it a little with your applicator or go over the area ever-so-slightly with a microfiber towel.

if one can't get the lighting right to notice high spots, then one probably can't get the lighting right to polish and shouldn't be coating in the first place.
 
builthatch said:
not to knock anyone who has had problems with it, but i've followed a very basic process for prep and it has never failed me. Dawn wash, clay, polish, IPA, coat. that's all i've ever done.

and imo it is SO easy to see a high spot, and 2.0 is very forgiving in terms of cure time. i mean...if it's not flashing away...rub it a little with your applicator or go over the area ever-so-slightly with a microfiber towel.

if one can't get the lighting right to notice high spots, then one probably can't get the lighting right to polish and shouldn't be coating in the first place.
Click to expand...

Depending on the color, high spots are not always easy to spot. Ever try spotting a high spot on a silver car, or a pearl white car under bright conditions?

Also, polish -> wipedown -> coat is not always a reliable solution.

IPA wipedowns do not always remove all of the oils...especially at 15%. Not even at 50%. You'll usually need a few wipedowns -- and depending on the softness of the paint, you'll leave some amount of marring.

I've had failures before when doing a single wipedown with IPA prior to coating, when using more oily polishes.

There are a few reliable ways to ensure proper bonding of Opti-Coat.

First, you must do your final polishing with a product that is light on oils. It is highly preferred to stick with Hyper Polish (since you are supposedly able to coat over Hyper Polish without an IPA wipedown), but everyone is going to have their preferences. If you don't use Hyper Polish, please use something that is lighter on oils...like the HD line or M205.

Second, do a normal wash with a shampoo that does not contain any sheeting agents, gloss enhancers, wax, etc. At the beginning of the wash, you should see beading from the oils, but towards the end....the water should be fairly flat. ONR, the blue version, may also be an option.

Lastly, do 1-2 wipedowns with 50-70% IPA. Then coat.
 
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I understand in the sense that it is hard to be completely satisfied, even when it appears to have no defects. I know when I'm working I always think I can extract just a bit more gloss before sealing with a coating (I've used Opti-Coat but now used GTechniq C1 and EXO). There comes a time when you just have to say that's pretty much as good as it's going to get. That, and the marginal increases don't justify the amount of work that I continue to put into it.

Here's the thing that you need to remember, too. The paint is still going to get marred and scratched. The coating just helps keep it down, but over time, defects are going to start to show up, so you'll need to polish out the defects and and re-apply the LSP. Depending on your technique, it may be a few months or a few years before you'll need to do it, so you'll get another shot at polishing as soon as you want. Remember, there is no law saying you have to keep the coating. I've gone through a few trying to find the one that meets my standards the best.
 
The Critic said:
Depending on the color, high spots are not always easy to spot. Ever try spotting a high spot on a silver car, or a pearl white car under bright conditions?

Also, polish -> wipedown -> coat is not always a reliable solution.

IPA wipedowns do not always remove all of the oils...especially at 15%. Not even at 50%. You'll usually need a few wipedowns -- and depending on the softness of the paint, you'll leave some amount of marring.

I've had failures before when doing a single wipedown with IPA prior to coating, when using more oily polishes.

There are a few reliable ways to ensure proper bonding of Opti-Coat.

First, you must do your final polishing with a product that is light on oils. It is highly preferred to stick with Hyper Polish (since you are supposedly able to coat over Hyper Polish without an IPA wipedown), but everyone is going to have their preferences. If you don't use Hyper Polish, please use something that is lighter on oils...like the HD line or M205.

Second, do a normal wash with a shampoo that does not contain any sheeting agents, gloss enhancers, wax, etc. At the beginning of the wash, you should see beading from the oils, but towards the end....the water should be fairly flat. ONR, the blue version, may also be an option.

Lastly, do 1-2 wipedowns with 50-70% IPA. Then coat.
Click to expand...

i bolded two points - improper lighting and using potentially incompatible prep products.

in my prior post i said that if you can't see high spots, then you likely are using light that was insufficient to prep properly (polish). also, you make a valid point that if you are using some other polish line, the residual would present more of a challenge to remove than a compatible product like Hyper.

i use Hyper or Finish. all OPT products. i still do an IPA wipedown because i haven't experienced any marring yet from it, but like you said, apparently it's not necessary. i never tested that theory.

if the human is choosing to coat a silver car in bright light and use non-OPT polishes, i'd fault the human, not the product or prescribed process.
 
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