Welcome to the site Jason. Opti-Coat will permanently seal in whatever you see on the paint at the time of it's application so it's important to get the paint to the condition that you'd like it to be in before the application of Opti-Coat. I'm not a chemist but this is how I understand how it works, Opti-Coat will bond to the paint (any surface for that matter) by cross-linking itself to the paint at a molecular level. Essentially becoming part of the paint system rather than just sitting on top of the paint like a traditional carnauba wax would.
You describe yourself as a guy who doesn't like to wax his vehicle, so it might be safe to think that your car would have a good bit of contaminates both bonded to the surface and imbedded in the paint as well. There could possibly be staining in the clear coat caused by road film, dirt, bird droppings etc. that should be removed as a first step, before any other prep work begins.
If I were to be prepping a car as described above, with the intention of applying Opti-Coat, it would go something like this.
1. Wash the car thoroughly.
I'd mix up a wash bucket with water, car wash soap, and I like to add a few ounces of all purpose cleaner in the bucket as well to help to get as much of the imbedded dirt and stains free from the paint as well as any other parts of the vehicle such as plastic trim, chrome pieces etc. before moving on to the next step after washing.
2. Thoroughly clay the car to remove the rest of the above surface (bonded) contaminates and as much of the below surface (imbedded) contaminates as possible. rinse and dry the car after the claying process and you'll be ready for the next steps. (you can also prep the wheels for Opti-Coat in the same manner.
3. Closely inspect the condition of the car at this point. Pull it out into direct sunlight and look it over closely paying attention to the sun's reflection and how it illuminates any paint defects on the car such as scratches, swirl marks, bird bomb etchings or other stains etc. Use a bright light such as a halogen work light or a large bright flashlight to aid in the visualizing of the paint's condition. Remember, what you see at this point is what you will see once the Opti-Coat is applied to the vehicle so I'd suggest not skimping on the inspection step. If it's a cloudy day, I'd suggest waiting for the sun to come out (around noon) for the inspection process because that's where you'll see the defects on a regular basis. Look really closely at 100% of the painted surfaces, making note of what corrections may need to be done to satisfy you as the owner of the car.
If the car has been recently polished and just some light marring is present from the washing and claying process, you'd probably want to use a light polish that doesn't contain lots of filler and give the car a good polish using a suitable foam pad with your DA polisher. If compounding is needed as a result of your inspection, you would do it now before final polishing. Remember that all paint is different and you'll want to do some testing to see what pads, products and techniques such as machine choice, pad choice, machine speed, length of duration of machine polishing (arm speed) etc. using the least aggressive methods first so that you'll be removing just enough clear coat to get the results that please you.
Meguiars M-205 comes to mind as a light polish with not a ton of fillers. However, M-205 does contain a lot of oils that will conceal the visual effects of light swirls so you want to do a thorough job of polishing to actually create a swirl free finish and not just the illusion of a swirl free finish because of the oils in the polish laying in the swirls.
4.After a thorough compounding/polishing, I re-wash the car using 1 ounce of APC in my wash bucket with the car wash soap to aid in removing any fillers and polishing oils. It is wise to use a brand new high quality wash mitt or micro fiber towel for this final wash step so you don't re-introduce any marring into the finely finished paint. Thoroughly rinse the car to ensure that all of the soap and any dust from compounding or polishing has been removed from the car. Dry the car, also using a new MF towel using a very light touch as to not create any new marring into the paint. It might be a good idea to use compressed air to aid in removing all the water from cracks and crevices so the water doesn't come out of those places during the Opti-Coat application process, (be aware that compressed air will likely dislodge any dirt that may be accompanying this hidden water) or allow enough time for this hidden water to naturally evaporate before proceeding.
5.Re-inspect the vehicle's paint at this point to be sure you have the paint to a condition that you're comfortable sealing in with the Opti-Coat. Remember that a lot of car wash soaps contain some form of conditioners and or silicones to provide lubricity during the washing steps and these conditioners and or silicones will hinder the cross-linking process.
If you're happy with the paint correcting steps and you're ready to move on with the application of the Opti-Coat, the final preparation step will be to give the car a wipedown using a solution of 20% Isopropyl alcohol and 80% distilled or bottled drinking water. Spray it on in sections and lightly wipe off turning your towel to a dry side, as to remove any trace residues as you're drying the paint. Do not allow the IPA/water mixture to dwell on the paint for any length of time because allowing it to dwell can degrade the finish that you have created in your final polishing step. Spray on and lightly wipe, flip the towel over and lightly dry. Repeat this process until the car has been wiped down completely, being sure to wipe down any surfaces that you will be applying your Opti-Coat to such as chrome pieces, trim pieces, glass etc. Use as many clean, dry towels as is necessary.
6. Apply Opti-Coat following the directions that the manufacturer recommends.
If you're not comfortable with, or don't clearly understand any of the steps that I've written in the above paragraphs, I'd suggest practicing until you are, before attempting to use Opti-Coat as a final coating. The Opti-Coat itself presents a whole new set of challenges. I'm not saying it's hard to apply but it is easy to lay it on too heavy and if you don't lightly wipe back over it with a clean, quality MF towel the application may be too heavy in certain areas and it will cure that way leaving a visual blemish that must be polished back off with an abrasive polish. This is a once and done deal, so be sure you are up to the challenge and that you clearly understand how to use it. If you aren't completely clear on the application process, search and research until you are, before proceeding with the application process.
You don't perhaps live in the Central PA area do you? I went to school with a JasonSmith. I'll be prepping a Range Rover Sport this weekend and applying Opti-Coat. If you (or anyone reading this for that matter) are within a drivable distance and would like to observe the process, I'd welcome you to come to my shop and do so. You can find my phone number by clicking my website link below.
Hope this helps, TD
