Sunstealer
New member
- Dec 4, 2009
- 58
- 0
There doesn't seem to be many reviews of Optimum Gloss-Coat on here yet. Like many others, I was also turned off by the discontinuation of Opti-Coat 2.0. I've done several cars with it and was very pleased with it. I just traded in a 2011 Audi S4 that had Opti-Coat 2.0 on it for about 4 years. It honestly still looked as good, beaded as well, and released contaminants just like it did right after I coated it. I would even go weeks without washing sometimes since a good rain would wash most stuff off the paint. It was really amazing. People would compliment me on how good the car looked, but it hadn't been washed in weeks!
I sold my old beater truck and traded the Audi in on a 2015 Ram 1500 Sport in Maximum Steel Metallic. I wanted to collapse down to one daily vehicle that could haul when I needed and had decent power and features as well. I decided to go ahead and order the 20cc version of Gloss-Coat since I have faith in Optimum's products, even if I may not like their recent business practices.
The truck had only been on the dealer lot a couple of weeks and the paint was in really good shape. I pulled it in the shop, did an ONR wash, dried, and then started checking the paint more closely. There were a couple of clear coat issues on the hood. I can't really tell what they are, appears to be something under the clear. There are also several little dust/dirt nibs in the paint. That seems to be a common problem for trucks coming from the Warren, Michigan plant. There was one pretty significant scratch down the back of the cab on the driver's side and two dull spots on the tailgate. I started claying the hood with Griot's Paint Cleaning Clay, but was picking up absolutely nothing. I spot checked a few more panels and decided it really wasn't worth claying the whole truck.
I used my Griot's DA with 5" and 3" Lake Country pads along with Optimum Hyper Polish to do a one step polish on the whole truck. The scratches, dull spots, and a few other small issues all easily polished out. The dirt nibs stayed of course (I think wet sanding would be the only way to get them). The two paint imperfections on the hood look better after polishing, but definitely still there. I'm OK with it though since it is a truck that won't really be babied. I washed it one more time with ONR and then quit for the night.
This morning, I did a wipe-down with an alcohol mix and got ready to do the Gloss Coat. I didn't realize they had changed the applicator that is included. The AG photos still show that yellow pad that OC 2.0 came with. I had lots of problems with that pad being hard to hold onto and "grabbing" on the paint. I ordered the Optimum Dual Pro applicator to use. It is really nice since one side is soft phone to hold onto and the other is a harder neoprene for use with coatings. It is also split in the middle that makes it really easy to get a good grip. The blue one that is included now also has a little handle on it that should make it easier to hold onto.
If you've ever done Opti-Coat, application of Gloss Coat will be very familiar. It does go on slicker and isn't as grabby on the paint. Like Opti-Coat, the first panel or so will be the hardest until the applicator gets primed well. After that, you can move pretty fast. My method is to do one section, do the next section, go back to the previous section with a microfiber to level any high spots, level the next section with the microfiber, then repeat. I usually only have to level the areas where I change directions. That seems to leave it a little thicker. I finished up and took a break for about an hour to mow the yard.
I went back into the shop, ran my hand across the paint and immediately noticed the slickness. Opti-Coat never felt slick to me. It always just felt like squeaky-clean paint. It definitely beaded and released dirt well, but never gave that freshly waxed feeling. Gloss-Coat definitely gives you that. I went ahead and did another coat all over the entire truck again. I know it generally doesn't "layer", but wanted to make sure I got full coverage. I did this with all my OC applications too. In total, I used about 10cc for all the paint on the truck. I have plenty left in the 20cc syringe to do the wheels and glass (minus the windshield) and still have some left for future touchups.
I let the truck sit for another hour in the shop and then pulled it out into the sun. I can't really say that Gloss Coat helped the shine since the paint was really shiny anyway. You can feel the slickness still though and I'm curious to see what it does when it rains or I wash it the first time.
All in all, I'm very happy with it at this point. I hope I get more than 2 years out of it though. The application is definitely improved over Opti-Coat as well as slickness. I just hope they didn't sacrifice longer life to get those two areas improved. Either way, I still much prefer the wipe-on/walk-away style coatings versus the wipe-on/buff-off style. I guess I got spoiled going from wax to stuff like Optiseal and Zaino Clear Seal, then Opti-Coat over the years. Buffing wax/coatings is just not for me anymore, especially on a vehicle this big.
I'll try and update this thread after some time passes with info on how it is holding up.
I sold my old beater truck and traded the Audi in on a 2015 Ram 1500 Sport in Maximum Steel Metallic. I wanted to collapse down to one daily vehicle that could haul when I needed and had decent power and features as well. I decided to go ahead and order the 20cc version of Gloss-Coat since I have faith in Optimum's products, even if I may not like their recent business practices.
The truck had only been on the dealer lot a couple of weeks and the paint was in really good shape. I pulled it in the shop, did an ONR wash, dried, and then started checking the paint more closely. There were a couple of clear coat issues on the hood. I can't really tell what they are, appears to be something under the clear. There are also several little dust/dirt nibs in the paint. That seems to be a common problem for trucks coming from the Warren, Michigan plant. There was one pretty significant scratch down the back of the cab on the driver's side and two dull spots on the tailgate. I started claying the hood with Griot's Paint Cleaning Clay, but was picking up absolutely nothing. I spot checked a few more panels and decided it really wasn't worth claying the whole truck.
I used my Griot's DA with 5" and 3" Lake Country pads along with Optimum Hyper Polish to do a one step polish on the whole truck. The scratches, dull spots, and a few other small issues all easily polished out. The dirt nibs stayed of course (I think wet sanding would be the only way to get them). The two paint imperfections on the hood look better after polishing, but definitely still there. I'm OK with it though since it is a truck that won't really be babied. I washed it one more time with ONR and then quit for the night.
This morning, I did a wipe-down with an alcohol mix and got ready to do the Gloss Coat. I didn't realize they had changed the applicator that is included. The AG photos still show that yellow pad that OC 2.0 came with. I had lots of problems with that pad being hard to hold onto and "grabbing" on the paint. I ordered the Optimum Dual Pro applicator to use. It is really nice since one side is soft phone to hold onto and the other is a harder neoprene for use with coatings. It is also split in the middle that makes it really easy to get a good grip. The blue one that is included now also has a little handle on it that should make it easier to hold onto.
If you've ever done Opti-Coat, application of Gloss Coat will be very familiar. It does go on slicker and isn't as grabby on the paint. Like Opti-Coat, the first panel or so will be the hardest until the applicator gets primed well. After that, you can move pretty fast. My method is to do one section, do the next section, go back to the previous section with a microfiber to level any high spots, level the next section with the microfiber, then repeat. I usually only have to level the areas where I change directions. That seems to leave it a little thicker. I finished up and took a break for about an hour to mow the yard.
I went back into the shop, ran my hand across the paint and immediately noticed the slickness. Opti-Coat never felt slick to me. It always just felt like squeaky-clean paint. It definitely beaded and released dirt well, but never gave that freshly waxed feeling. Gloss-Coat definitely gives you that. I went ahead and did another coat all over the entire truck again. I know it generally doesn't "layer", but wanted to make sure I got full coverage. I did this with all my OC applications too. In total, I used about 10cc for all the paint on the truck. I have plenty left in the 20cc syringe to do the wheels and glass (minus the windshield) and still have some left for future touchups.
I let the truck sit for another hour in the shop and then pulled it out into the sun. I can't really say that Gloss Coat helped the shine since the paint was really shiny anyway. You can feel the slickness still though and I'm curious to see what it does when it rains or I wash it the first time.
All in all, I'm very happy with it at this point. I hope I get more than 2 years out of it though. The application is definitely improved over Opti-Coat as well as slickness. I just hope they didn't sacrifice longer life to get those two areas improved. Either way, I still much prefer the wipe-on/walk-away style coatings versus the wipe-on/buff-off style. I guess I got spoiled going from wax to stuff like Optiseal and Zaino Clear Seal, then Opti-Coat over the years. Buffing wax/coatings is just not for me anymore, especially on a vehicle this big.
I'll try and update this thread after some time passes with info on how it is holding up.
