Review and Extreme Testing: Opti-Coat 2.0 and CQuartz

Holy awesome review Batman! Great job Corey, and thanks for the in depth and time taken to give such a great review.
 
richy said:
Corey, like we were talking about on L2D chat, it will benefit everyone greatly to have a realistic test that tests the coatings in a way that would reflect the kind of challenges that face any surface protection. The difficulty lies in creating a test that is aggressive enough yet still is realistic to everyday car care. I'm hoping rubbing a coarse mf across a dry surface will be enough to induce some marks as that would be a good, reasonable, appropriate test. If not, back to the drawing board. Thanks so much for your continued efforts!!:dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

How about shooting a bb gun from a rest at a junk panel that is tilted so it's not a direct hit. That would simulate an indirect rock at highway speeds. And for a wash marring test put sand in with wash water and shampoo and make sure to drag the mitt through it.


Sent from my iPad 2 viaTapatalk
 
A super, excellent job of reporting. Detailed and comprehensive, yet delivered in a way where even a novice like me or someone who has no understanding at all of the subject matter could comprehend the facts and results of your study. Thank you, your work made it easier for me to understand these two products that frankly kind of intimidated me. You made it clearer to me.
 
Chris@Optimum said:
How about shooting a bb gun from a rest at a junk panel that is tilted so it's not a direct hit. That would simulate an indirect rock at highway speeds. And for a wash marring test put sand in with wash water and shampoo and make sure to drag the mitt through it.


Sent from my iPad 2 viaTapatalk
Click to expand...

That would be interesting (popcorn eating smiley here).
 
1 Month update:

I just wanted to give a quick update with a couple observations.

First the good:
In the area on the roof that had catostrophic clearcoat failure it is holding up very well! After 1 month not one single spot has started to peel. It's only a matter of time but I am surprised it even helped for this long.

Now the bad and the ugly:

I've seen a lot of people say how incredible these coatings self clean or release dirt. While I think there is an improvement I haven't witnessed anything on the level that others talk about. Dirt is released easier but bugs that got splattered on your car and left for a week are not coming off easily. I would say get that image out of your mind. I hope some more people will speak up and tell me I am wrong or right based on what they have seen.

Specifically I found on paint neither coating helped me remove baked on love bugs (maybe I was asking too much) On glass (windshield) I found the Opticoat did outperform Cquartz in ease of removing the bugs. The Opticoat side of the windshield was easier to rid of bugs.
 
Corey I don't think many members on this forum have done anything this in depth as you have done.

Now I might be wrong in saying this but you really have gone above and beyond what a normal reviewer would do, seriously much more then any.

And again thanks for your update:dblthumb2:
 
CEE DOG said:
1 Month update:

I just wanted to give a quick update with a couple observations.

First the good:
In the area on the roof that had catostrophic clearcoat failure it is holding up very well! After 1 month not one single spot has started to peel. It's only a matter of time but I am surprised it even helped for this long.

Now the bad and the ugly:

I've seen a lot of people say how incredible these coatings self clean or release dirt. While I think there is an improvement I haven't witnessed anything on the level that others talk about. Dirt is released easier but bugs that got splattered on your car and left for a week are not coming off easily. I would say get that image out of your mind. I hope some more people will speak up and tell me I am wrong or right based on what they have seen.

Specifically I found on paint neither coating helped me remove baked on love bugs (maybe I was asking too much) On glass (windshield) I found the Opticoat did outperform Cquartz in ease of removing the bugs. The Opticoat side of the windshield was easier to rid of bugs.
Click to expand...

I agree the bugs don't come off paint as easily as some have described or I had hoped. Perhaps somewhat better than with a good sealant. They come off better on the windshield but not particularly better than with Aquapel. With me the jury is still out on well dirt is released.
 
Bugs and debris release better...and baked on bugs release better are two different statements. I would always recommend getting bird bombs and bugs off ASAP or else you are only using the coating as a sacrificial barrier. An interesting thing we've noticed about bird bombs is that sometimes they appear to have etched the coating, but then later the etching disappears. I can't really explain it, but it is very cool.
 
Chris@Optimum said:
Bugs and debris release better...and baked on bugs release better are two different statements. I would always recommend getting bird bombs and bugs off ASAP or else you are only using the coating as a sacrificial barrier. An interesting thing we've noticed about bird bombs is that sometimes they appear to have etched the coating, but then later the etching disappears. I can't really explain it, but it is very cool.
Click to expand...

Maybe the OC is self healing itself from the bird bomb etching?
 
Chris@Optimum said:
Bugs and debris release better...and baked on bugs release better are two different statements. I would always recommend getting bird bombs and bugs off ASAP or else you are only using the coating as a sacrificial barrier. An interesting thing we've noticed about bird bombs is that sometimes they appear to have etched the coating, but then later the etching disappears. I can't really explain it, but it is very cool.
Click to expand...


I remember reading somewhere that Autoglym did some reserch on bird bombs and said that it may be a depression as opposed to an etching. Perhaps the OC is acting similar to memory foam? Just some food for thought.
 
I think even naked clearcoat can self-heal from bird bombs to some extent. Last summer i got at least 4 bombs that left dull patches on the paint. Now recently, after trying ONR i inspected my paint thoroughly and tried to find the old etchings but all i could find was the first new one from this spring.

If the research by autoglym is accurate, maybe the softer kinds of CC semi-melt in the sun and heal themselves, like the Nissan self-healing coat?
 
Layering
As a person who likes to remove the orange peel out by wet-sanding, to me, I care about the total thickness of the clearcoat + Opti-Coat/CQuartz.

It seems like CQuartz is better of the two products because it can be layered. From what I've been reading, Cquartz can be layered and adds 0.7 ~1.5 microns each time. Opti-Coat 2.0 adds 2-3 microns but cannot be layered.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that CQuartz could ultimately provide more UV and paint protection because I can get it thicker with multiple layers.

It also makes sense that CEE DOG noted that "The Opti-Coat seems to be slightly darker particularly on black paint." One application of CQuartz is half as thick as Opti-Coat 2.0. I wonder what the test would have been like when comparing 2 coats of CQuartz (or using the same thickness using a PTG.)

I have not tried either one yet, but I'm leaning toward CQuartz as overall thickness is important to me.
 
Avi@CarPro said:
Very Thorough review Corey , well done.. as i told you already i admire your time and patient.
few remarks to some guys posts here,

we dont call our coat "permanent coat" since nothing in life is permanent,!
if coating can be removed by chemicals or abrasion it means its not permanent.
we dont like to promise too much as many paint "protection" companies did in past years over the USA, promising "5 years warranty" ,"life time guaranty" etc.. they just ruined this market reputation.
though we say up to 2 years ,Cquartz can last much longer even, as you saw the harsh tests Corey has done, its all in the maintenance after.

about the fun of waxing and detailing your cars... ofcourse it wont replace this fun... some guys like more protection on there cars, less washing it, less marring the paint..
waxing is nice... but as you all saw here this is few "blocks" ahead of any organic /synthetic sealants and others. and still you can use wax on Cquartz coat.

:xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

can i still go through a touchless car wash with cquartz or will it be too harsh to last a couple year?? i notice the advert int the cquartz pacakging saying to no use a carwash like that....
 
Sorry if I missed it in the 12 pages of replies, but was there any update posted (i.e. 2 months after application both products...)?

Second question, has anyone tested multiple layers of CQ?
 
James35 said:
Layering
As a person who likes to remove the orange peel out by wet-sanding, to me, I care about the total thickness of the clearcoat + Opti-Coat/CQuartz.

It seems like CQuartz is better of the two products because it can be layered. From what I've been reading, Cquartz can be layered and adds 0.7 ~1.5 microns each time. Opti-Coat 2.0 adds 2-3 microns but cannot be layered.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that CQuartz could ultimately provide more UV and paint protection because I can get it thicker with multiple layers.

It also makes sense that CEE DOG noted that "The Opti-Coat seems to be slightly darker particularly on black paint." One application of CQuartz is half as thick as Opti-Coat 2.0. I wonder what the test would have been like when comparing 2 coats of CQuartz (or using the same thickness using a PTG.)

I have not tried either one yet, but I'm leaning toward CQuartz as overall thickness is important to me.[/QUOTE

I am confused by what you are saying. If Opticoat adds 1.5 to 3.0 microns but can not be layered and C Quartz adds .7 to 1.5 microns but can be layered what is the benefit of using CQuartz if Opti Coat provides that amount of thickness in just one coat? Maybe I am missing something but isn't Opti Coat using 1/2 the amount of product to accomplish what CQuartz needs two coats to achieve.
Stu
Click to expand...
 
I agree with what you are saying Uncle Stu.

While initially I preferred CQ because it was more foolproof to apply, OC has become my favored product of the two.

Of important note is the application process with OC. It should be applied with lighting that allows you to see everything very easily from all angles and your also best off applying similar to a wowa sealant (as has been noted). When the application shown in the original videos was achieved I had not yet discovered the best method of application.

Btw: I'll post an add on today showing video of the water shedding on vertical panels which I applied both products to.
 
What a great review! Very detailed! I'm amazed at how little product is used. Very impressive for sure!
 
Additional Videos: Opti-Coat 2.0 and Ceramic Quartz

Here is some additional media. Whatever you do don’t miss the second video after the 30 second mark. I was very impressed. The mailman happened to be delivering a package that day and when he saw it in action he asked me to tell him all about it which of course I was happy to do.

Optimum: Opti-Coat 2.0

The first video shows application of Opti-Coat 2.0. Note the speed at which the product flashes is dependant on the temperature and humidity in my experience. The application to the taillight took place on a separate occasion but was spliced together in this video.

The second video shows water sheeting and beading affects of Opti-coat 2.0 on a vertical panel. This video was taken a couple weeks after application.


Car Pro: CQuartz:

The third video shows the favored applicator for Cquartz application and then the water sheeting and beading affects of CQuartz on a vertical panel. The water affect portion was shot a couple weeks after application. My apologies the CQ application at the beginning of the video was cut short because the memory card was full.

 
Hey Corey,

Nice update to this thread! :props:

Is it my imagination or does the Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 sheet much quicker than the Car Pro: CQuartz?

Both are really nice products.

Thanks allot Corey for all the testing and reporting here on Autogeek Forum! :props:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top