A testament to Opti-Coat...

996scott

New member
Hi all. First off, this is a great forum! I have been reading it for a month or so and have got a lot of good info and tips on car care. Thank you.

I have bought a PC 7336 and the pads from CMA and I am now ready to tackle a big project and need some advice. I have an old car (13 yrs ) that is white. It has been neglected for a long time. The paint is dull, oxidized and plenty of swirl marks. So where should I start? 1). Do I need to use a rubbing compound first, if so, which one and can you use the PC with a rubbing compound or does it have to be used by hand? 2) Which polish should I use with the PC and what pads. I heard the Medallion by Meguires is good or 3M Perfect It. Any thoughts? 3). Which swirl remover should I try? I do have a good carnuba wax I will put on after. Any feedback, hints, or recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks again.

One last question. the PC I bought just came in a box. I was hoping to get one with a plastic case to keep it in. Can I buy a case by itself somewhere?
 
You could probably get that oxidation off with some Klasse. I have seen stunning results of oxidation removal with that stuff and I use it by hand and not with a PC. With the PC you should be able to get it really clean. Maybe I'll loan you some Klasse and you can loan me your PC. ;) Just kidding man. Its nice to see another person from Salt Lake on the board though. :)
 
If the oxidation is moderate to heavy Klasse is NOT going to slove the problem. The Klasse will also probably not remove the swirls. Klasse is ment for very light oxidation and very light swirls and will not tackle bigger jobs. If the surface is badly oxidized you will probably have to use the PC with a wool pad and some rubbing compound to get of most of it. A good compound it 3M Fine Cut Rubbing Compound This will also help with the deeper swirls.



Note: Be very careful with the wool pad! You might want to find something to practice on first to get the feel for it. Remember to work slow with wool or it will generate a ton of heat at high speeds.





After that you will still have some swirls created by the wool pad and compound. You will need to polish it down further with something like 3M Finesse-It II Finishing Material and a cutting pad. Then if needed you can use 3M SMR for a "finishing" polish to remove any leftover minor blemishes.



This can be a long process, you may spend a whole day alone just polishing. While the whole process may seem intensive, the final results will be worth it.



Good Luck!! :xyxthumbs
 
Jngrbrdman,



I would think that Klasse AIO wouldn't have a prayer in completely removing heavy oxidation and swirls on a car that's 13 yrs old and neglected for a long time, especially on a DA machine.



As showroom lincoln said, you would need to use a much stronger abrasive and perhaps a wool pad.



I would do a search for DavidB's video link where he demonstrates the use of a DA with a wool pad using an abrasive swirl-remover.
 
It was just an idea. I'm sure there is more than one way to skin a cat. I've seen really good results on heavily oxidized paint with AIO. I'm sure there are other methods to use as well. It was just an idea.
 
I have had Opti Coat on my car since October and overall its been holding up extremely well. As expected the car beads well and IMO it does stay cleaner longer but what really impressed me was the paints resilience to etching.

My car is a daily driver, my average commute per day is close to 1hr roundtrip. My car is garaged but when I am detailing a customers car for however many days at a time, my car sits outside (snow, ice, rain etc) and in NJ this year we have had a very tough winter. Mind you my car is non metallic black...

I have had bird bombs sit on the paint for days at a time with Opti Coat and usually a solid pressure wash removes the excrement and anything on the paint, never leaving any etching behind.

Well I recenetly had something on the paint that I was sure was going to etch, especially after the long time it had been there and after a wash today... the paint was left 100% unharmed!

Over a week ago I was at a redlight behind an SUV and as the light turned the SUV took off, the driver at the same time spit out the window (a very big spit) and it landed right on the side of my driver door leaving a pretty nice slobbering of saliva. I was pretty pissed but there really wasnt anything I could do as the driver of the SUV didnt know what he did and he was already way down the road.... yes I did think about chasing him down but what was I gonna do, yell at him to pull over and apologize? I surely wasnt going to have him clean it for me :p

This happened around 11pm, so no chance I could wash my car right then after it happened. As for using some QD spray and a MF I knew I would just end up marring the hell out of the paint (very soft finish) and I did not want to do that. So I waited for when I could do a proper wash... well, the weather was in the low 20's the entire week, washing meant freezing. Finally the weather came around and I had a customers car to detail so I didnt get a chance to wash my own car for a very long time.

It may sound ridiculous to many of you that I would drive around with spit on the side of my car but short of marring up my otherwise perfect paint there was nothing I could do to get it off, I just had to wait.

I knew Opti Coat would have lessened the blow but I had no idea it would be this resiliant.

I finally washed my car today, after 7 days of near freezing weather with human spit sitting (caked onto) my paint finish.

A quick pressure wash took off most of the residue, followed by a regular wash with light pressure which remove about 90% of it. After that I used an MF with some QD spray and IT ALL CAME OFF WITH ZERO RESIDUAL MARRING OR ETCHING IN THE FINISH!

I was beyond shocked to see that my paint was still perfect after all that time.

So is Opti Coat the real deal?

Oh yes, yes indeed:hurray:
 

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Thanks for posting your feedback Muscleman. :thumbup:


I've had it on my car since July now and I pretty much only use touch-less washes now. My car also sits outside 24/7 in the harsh MN weather. My paint is still beading like day one. I have accumulated some bonded surface defects on the lower side panels, but I think that is to be expected when you only use touch-less washes for 6+ months! :D
 
Ok, now we have to have new labels printed that claim spit proof as we never tested for that. LOL … thanks for sharing and I'm glad you like the coating.


Sent from my ViP4 viaTapatalk
 
I have been waiting for this review. Opticoat seems interesting to me. When the time comes to re-apply, do you just wash, clay, (polish if need be) and re-apply?
 
I have been waiting for this review. Opticoat seems interesting to me. When the time comes to re-apply, do you just wash, clay, (polish if need be) and re-apply?

In theory OC is permanent so If you were going to remove it you would have to polish and possibly compound to remove it. I have played around with it some and it is very promising stuff. I need to mess with it more though. Thanks for the review Dave
 
Hi guys, I'm Chris@Optimum on the other forums...just haven't gotten around to changing my display name here yet.

Opti Coat is currently a pro only product as others have mentioned. It must be mechanically/abrasively removed as it is a true coating and not a nano sealant. However, because it is a coating it can be polished and freshened up just like OEM paint coats.

You guys may also be interested to know that we hav been working very hard to bring a retail version to market that is a little more forgiving with application and will be available to all. We still recommend professional prep so that you don't seal in imperfections under a permanent coating when applied. I can only provide limited information until the official release is announced but it won't be much longer.


Sent from my ViP4 viaTapatalk
 
Great review Dave.
Since, I also live in the beautiful state of NJ, I am happy to see that Opti Coat has stood up to the horrible weather we have had this year.
Thanks for posting your findings.
BTW Dave....does that dude who spit on your car know how much you bench pressed?Weightlifter He clearly didn't get a look at your forearms, before he hocked a lugy at youMuscleman
 
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