Review: Optimum OptiCoat 2.0

[triplejumper18]

So I just applied Optimum OptiCoat 2.0 and so far so good. I spent all day yesterday getting the paint into the shape that I wanted it in to be permanently coated and today I spent two hours applying OptiCoat. First off, it's pretty darn simple to apply. I wiped it on and off every painted panel and all the glass and used a microfiber towel to make sure there weren't any high spots. In a way it reminded me of wiping on isopropyl alcohol, but stickier on the second pass. The foam pad made a kind of squeaky sound as I applied it. It seemed really easy to level off the high spots with the towel and identifying was pretty easy as they looked like alcohol spots that haven't flashed or dried. I broke down each panel into sections kind of similar to polishing but probably larger, such as two sections for each door, four for the roof, three for the hood, etc. After I did each panel I would wipe the sections down quickly with the towel to make sure everything was level. After the next panel I would go back and quickly wipe down the previous panel or two again. I kept going back to check to make sure everything was level. I've been told that withing the first couple days if I see any high spots that I can polish them down by hand.

So far I am extremely happy with this product. It's another product for Optimum that impresses me and is easy to use. I will do the wheels next week after I get my new tires installed. I only used about .5 ML of product which makes me a little nervous because I have read that people use .8-1 ML typically and since this was my first time using it I hope I didn't use too little even though a little goes a long way with the product. The whitewater pearl mica paint is kind of a pain to see if detailing products in general is covering the paint but I think I was covering based upon the fact the applicator pad would feel tacky on the second pass.

Next Monday I will be able to take pictures and test out the product to see if it beads and sheets water. I assume that will be how I know I used enough. I want to have sunshine to take pictures of the car to show how damn glossy it is for pearl white and to show off the flake which seems incredible. I also want to give it a couple days to cure in the garage before I fire up the car due to specks of carbon that likes to shoot out the exhaust and onto the rear.

So far I think this will be a great product for anyone to use as long as they have the means to get the paint into great condition before applying due to the fact it's permanent and can only be removed with polishing.

Thanks to Todd @ Autopia and Dr. David Ghodoussi of Optimum Polymer Technologies (Ph.D. and Masters at Oregon State Univ, woot woot!) for talking to me over the phone to answer my questions and concerns.

 

[mjlinane]

Excellent review!! Is a great product.

I have switched from the supplied sponge applicator to a small Saran Wrap covered sponge wrapped in a suede MF. Lots of light helps on lighter colors.

 

[Todd@RUPES]

So I just applied Optimum OptiCoat 2.0 and so far so good. I spent all day yesterday getting the paint into the shape that I wanted it in to be permanently coated and today I spent two hours applying OptiCoat. First off, it's pretty darn simple to apply. I wiped it on and off every painted panel and all the glass and used a microfiber towel to make sure there weren't any high spots. In a way it reminded me of wiping on isopropyl alcohol, but stickier on the second pass. The foam pad made a kind of squeaky sound as I applied it. It seemed really easy to level off the high spots with the towel and identifying was pretty easy as they looked like alcohol spots that haven't flashed or dried. I broke down each panel into sections kind of similar to polishing but probably larger, such as two sections for each door, four for the roof, three for the hood, etc. After I did each panel I would wipe the sections down quickly with the towel to make sure everything was level. After the next panel I would go back and quickly wipe down the previous panel or two again. I kept going back to check to make sure everything was level. I've been told that withing the first couple days if I see any high spots that I can polish them down by hand.

So far I am extremely happy with this product. It's another product for Optimum that impresses me and is easy to use. I will do the wheels next week after I get my new tires installed. I only used about .5 ML of product which makes me a little nervous because I have read that people use .8-1 ML typically and since this was my first time using it I hope I didn't use too little even though a little goes a long way with the product. The whitewater pearl mica paint is kind of a pain to see if detailing products in general is covering the paint but I think I was covering based upon the fact the applicator pad would feel tacky on the second pass.

Next Monday I will be able to take pictures and test out the product to see if it beads and sheets water. I assume that will be how I know I used enough. I want to have sunshine to take pictures of the car to show how damn glossy it is for pearl white and to show off the flake which seems incredible. I also want to give it a couple days to cure in the garage before I fire up the car due to specks of carbon that likes to shoot out the exhaust and onto the rear.

So far I think this will be a great product for anyone to use as long as they have the means to get the paint into great condition before applying due to the fact it's permanent and can only be removed with polishing.

Thanks to Todd @ Autopia and Dr. David Ghodoussi of Optimum Polymer Technologies (Ph.D. and Masters at Oregon State Univ, woot woot!) for talking to me over the phone to answer my questions and concerns.

Glad it came out well. Looking forward to seeing the Speed6 when she is done.

I wouldn't be too concerned with how little you used, a little goes a VERY long way!

 

[triplejumper18]

Excellent review!! Is a great product.

I have switched from the supplied sponge applicator to a small Saran Wrap covered sponge wrapped in a suede MF. Lots of light helps on lighter colors.

I might do this next on my friend's metallic black BRZ so I may try a different applicator.

Glad it came out well. Looking forward to seeing the Speed6 when she is done.

I wouldn't be too concerned with how little you used, a little goes a VERY long way!

I just went down to check it. I found one high spot that I'll need to polish off by hand but I think it will be easy. I ran my fingers across a couple panels and they felt not quite as slick as some waxes or sealants, but you can tell there's something on the paint I think. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but bare paint that's been claybar'd, corrected with compound/polish, wiped down with IPA, but no wax/sealant applied will feel smooth but not slick usually? Normally after the paint correction step I apply wax/sealant on cars right away and I didn't run my fingers over the paint before applying OptiCoat. However, I think it might have work. Excited to test it out!

 

[TroyScherer]

Glad to hear it worked well for you.

I just did my wife's wheels last weekend and I will be applying OG to my truck this weekend. OC/OG does not have that super slick sealant feel to it at least to me and from many others I have talked to. However is sheets water like mad. If you want that super slick feel I would suggest FK425, DG Aqua wax, OCW.

 

[Todd@RUPES]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but bare paint that's been claybar'd, corrected with compound/polish, wiped down with IPA, but no wax/sealant applied will feel smooth but not slick usually? Normally after the paint correction step I apply wax/sealant on cars right away and I didn't run my fingers over the paint before applying OptiCoat.

Opti Coat will feel very much like bare/stripped paint. It will feel smooth but may actually feel a little tacky/grabby, that is until it gets wet.

As Troy suggested, you can top it with something like BLACKFIRE Polymer Spray or OCW (or even a QD like FK) to get that super slick feeling.

 

[triplejumper18]

Opti Coat will feel very much like bare/stripped paint. It will feel smooth but may actually feel a little tacky/grabby, that is until it gets wet.

As Troy suggested, you can top it with something like BLACKFIRE Polymer Spray or OCW (or even a QD like FK) to get that super slick feeling.

Gotcha. I'll just probably leave it as it is so the properties of the OC will be used instead of the wax or sealant topping it.

 

[triplejumper18]

One more thing that I noticed while prepping the paint for OC is that I saw no difference in the correction or finishing quality between Optimum Hyper Compound with Optimum MF Compound Pads and Optimum Hyper Polish and Optimum MF Polish Pads. The paint was already in excellent shape for a daily driver and I wasn't seeing much happening on my test panel so I taped off the middle part of my hood into sections. I tried both with different speeds and pressure even and I couldn't tell them apart. No hazing, nothing. This Mazda whitewater pearl mica paint has been like this since I bought it. Last spring I took M105 and Surbuf pads to the car in a similar test in comparison to Wolfgang Swirl Remover and Wolfgang Finishing Polish with Lake Country CCS pads and same thing. I couldn't tell a different in the bright sun, halogen, or florescent. I even took pictures with my DSLR in the sun and couldn't see any differences or issues. I posted this on a car forum and I was told by someone that my paint probably looked like xxxx since I didn't follow up the M105/Surbuf with one to two other steps even though I posted high res pictures of the paint finish including macro shots.

Have any of you worked on Mazda whitewater pearl mica or other Mazda pearl white paints? I have never worked on paint that had this kind of hardness. It really requires nothing less than aggressive products to clear ANYTHING up but even that step finishes down really nicely in my testing. Quite interesting to be honest.

 

[Sundaze]

Thanks for the Great review.
How/what are you going to do to maintain the look? The reason I ask is because I'm thinking about opticoating my black daily drive with oc then continue with my weekly cleaning and topping BF poly spray or crytal seal.
Keep us updated....

Dave

 

[triplejumper18]

Thanks for the Great review.
How/what are you going to do to maintain the look? The reason I ask is because I'm thinking about opticoating my black daily drive with oc then continue with my weekly cleaning and topping BF poly spray or crytal seal.
Keep us updated....

Dave

I plan on cleaning it with Optimum No Rinse and not topping it with anything, at least for a month or two and then curiosity might get the better of me. ONR I use two bucket method and put some of the solution in a spray bottle to spray on before I use the wet microfiber towel. Depending how dirty the car is depends on how I break down the panels for cleaning.

 

[arack]

Good review. I love my Opticoat. You can also top it off with Reload and Permanon.

 

[Todd@RUPES]

One more thing that I noticed while prepping the paint for OC is that I saw no difference in the correction or finishing quality between Optimum Hyper Compound with Optimum MF Compound Pads and Optimum Hyper Polish and Optimum MF Polish Pads. The paint was already in excellent shape for a daily driver and I wasn't seeing much happening on my test panel so I taped off the middle part of my hood into sections. I tried both with different speeds and pressure even and I couldn't tell them apart. No hazing, nothing. This Mazda whitewater pearl mica paint has been like this since I bought it. Last spring I took M105 and Surbuf pads to the car in a similar test in comparison to Wolfgang Swirl Remover and Wolfgang Finishing Polish with Lake Country CCS pads and same thing. I couldn't tell a different in the bright sun, halogen, or florescent. I even took pictures with my DSLR in the sun and couldn't see any differences or issues. I posted this on a car forum and I was told by someone that my paint probably looked like xxxx since I didn't follow up the M105/Surbuf with one to two other steps even though I posted high res pictures of the paint finish including macro shots.

Have any of you worked on Mazda whitewater pearl mica or other Mazda pearl white paints? I have never worked on paint that had this kind of hardness. It really requires nothing less than aggressive products to clear ANYTHING up but even that step finishes down really nicely in my testing. Quite interesting to be honest.

It may have to do with the color that hides any residual hazing or the fact (that in my experience) Mazda paint's tend to finish out really well. The last time I polished my Speed3, I used D300 and a Meg's cutting pad. It came out perfect.

 

[triplejumper18]

I got back into town last night from watching the Dodgers whoop the Mariners two out of three coming after a four game sweep of the Phillies in Philadelphia. It's a bright sunny day so I'm just waiting for the sun to hit my driveway to pull the car out to inspect and take pictures to share with everyone here!

 

[Todd@RUPES]

I got back into town last night from watching the Dodgers whoop the Mariners two out of three coming after a four game sweep of the Phillies in Philadelphia. It's a bright sunny day so I'm just waiting for the sun to hit my driveway to pull the car out to inspect and take pictures to share with everyone here!

Great. Looking forward to the pictures! :bigups:yourrock

 

[triplejumper18]

A few notes: Wheels and tires haven't been cleaned/coated in the pictures, and the sun was coming through high clouds, so in the macro shot of the pearl paint it's not haze, but clouds.

Also, I need to take some pictures when the sun is near the horizon so it's easier to balance the blacks and whites in the photographs without one being too dark and the other being too light. I also want to take some quality HDR shots, but that's kind of cheating for detailing pictures. I might as well take pictures of the car in the garage to show the reflections of garage junk under the florescent lighting.

 

[Todd@RUPES]

That looks great! HDR photo's aren't cheating on white (or black) IMO. Camera's cannot meter extreme colors correctly.

 

[triplejumper18]

Update: I've noticed a couple things. First, when the car was up on the rack at the alignment shop the reflections off the rear of the car looked "glassy". Second, I just did a wipe down with ONR diluted as a quick detailer and drops ran down the sides of the paint really quickly, and it seemed like any dust, road tar, and exhaust carbon didn't bond to the paint. I didn't drive much this week, but I did drive through road construction and paving. Normally, carbon from the exhaust leaves a brown film on the rear of the car that doesn't come off with washing and only comes off with a product that can be rubbed on the paint such as wax or sealant. This time there's not a hint of that as far as I can see, but I will keep an eye on it. If OC 2.0 can keep that brown carbon crud from bonding, then I will really know that this stuff is working on my car.

I'll be taking the car to Cascade Cars and Coffee tomorrow at Cascade Station in Portland, so I'll have a chance to get a few more impressions of the product, and pictures too!

 

[triplejumper18]

Another Update: At Cascade Cars and Coffee this morning, one of my friends was standing by my car and two people walked over and asked if it was a new car. The car is a 2006 model year with 54k daily driven miles on it, so having someone ask if it was new pretty much sums up how great OptiCoat is.

 

[Todd@RUPES]

Glad to here! OptiCoat FTW! :rockon:rockon:rockon

 

[SakiN]

Car looks excellent! Im waiting for my Opti Coating to come, just curious why you chose not to coat the black plastics around the fog lights and the rear diffuser/bumper trim. Also did you coat the headlights, tail lights or reflectors?

I also have a white car, its an acrylic kinda white without flake, and I find doing anything on it a bit more time consuming especially the roof since Im always seeing it at an angle. Just wondering if it took two hours because you were being extra careful on white.

Thanks for the review, Im a bit more confident knowing your white car came out ultra clean.