GRAND FINALE -Optimum Opti-Coating - Durability Test Review!!!

I've had it on my car for almost a year and I love it! Beads great, and the car is noticeably easier to clean especially the wheels and exhaust tips. It appears to protect against bird bomb etching.



I've done touchless car washes occasionally but I can't bring myself to use a "soft cloth" wash.
 
WaxManRonnie said:
Now I'm thinking my wife's car can benefit from this. Hows the slickness with this? Is it really smooth?



No, it feels like bare paint. Not impressive at all to the touch. Wash media glides across the surface much better when you're washing though.



Been on my daily driver going on a year now and still going strong. Very impressed with that car. I've got a few customer cars that are still going strong at nearly a year as well.



My only complaint is I applied it to my wife's daily about 6 months ago and I'm noticing a lack of performance on her car. I did something different in the process with her car and I'm wondering if it caused an issue with bonding. Need to really evaluate better and I"ll provide more feedback.
 
AudiOn19s said:
No, it feels like bare paint. Not impressive at all to the touch.



This is in-line with my experience, too. I coated my wheels earlier this week and found it left sort of a satin-smooth finish. It really wasn't that glossy slickness we associate with the better sealants.
 
tom p. said:
This is in-line with my experience, too. I coated my wheels earlier this week and found it left sort of a satin-smooth finish. It really wasn't that glossy slickness we associate with the better sealants.



Then I'm not going to waste my $$. I used 2 coats Ultima PGP and it's doing the same thing. It looks nice but It doesn't have that smooth feel. I know to some that wouldn't matter. But I know with Zaino I didn't have that problem. And it looked better too. Guess what I'm going back to?
 
I'll trade all the slickness in the world for the fact that dirt and tar slide right off. Nothing else comes close.
 
Regulars here know that I place a *huge* value on slickness, it's one of my primary considerations when it comes to LSPs. But the way OptiCoat sheds contamination makes the whole point kinda moot...gotta consider *why* slickness matters, and with the way the coating sheds [everything] it simply *doesn't* matter in a functional sense. Now if you simply like slickness for its own sake (rather than for functional reasons), well..that's different.



Note that I too was initially underwhelmed by the OptiCoat...
 
I have applied CarPro Reload over OC. While I know it may not last very long, it bumps up the gloss a bit and adds slickness.
 
A couple of questions about Opti-Coat 2.0.



1) I have a car that had a spot re-painted. The re-painted spot was theclear coateded. The problem is the painter did no clear coatat up to the panel edge so you can see where thclear coatat was "blended" into the existing clearcoat. It looks spotted but it is perfectly smooth!



In an attempt to hide the places where clear coatcoat was blended, I put a piece of clear bra over it. It made these spots disappear. Will Opti-Coat hide the spots where the painter attempted to blend clear coat?



2) What does Opti-Coat look like when it begins to wear off. Can you re-apply it to make it look new again?



3) Do I have to wax my car anymore after Opti-Coat?



Thanks!
 
Rob4092xx said:
A couple of questions about Opti-Coat 2.0.



1) I have a car that had a spot re-painted. The re-painted spot was theclear coateded. The problem is the painter did no clear coatat up to the panel edge so you can see where thclear coatat was "blended" into the existing clearcoat. It looks spotted but it is perfectly smooth!



In an attempt to hide the places where clear coatcoat was blended, I put a piece of clear bra over it. It made these spots disappear. Will Opti-Coat hide the spots where the painter attempted to blend clear coat?



I have read reports where people were able to mask clear coat failure with OC, but those were very isolated circumstances. Personally I have never seen OC be able to hide anything that is under it, nor is it designed or intended to do so.



So I guess the best answer I can give you is don't expect it to give you the result you're looking for in that case. Frankly if it were me, I'd go back and make the painter re-shoot that whole panel and do the repair properly. A clear coat blend in the middle of a panel is NEVER the right way to go.



2) What does Opti-Coat look like when it begins to wear off. Can you re-apply it to make it look new again?



The "look" of Opti-Coat does not change as it wears or is removed; the only thing you would probably notice is the dirt releasing properties and water sheeting/beading changing. Note though that with proper washing technique and good maintenance it will take a lot of effort to wear through an OC application.



3) Do I have to wax my car anymore after Opti-Coat?



Thanks!



No. In fact, it's not recommended to put anything on top of OC as that would hinder its natural hydrophobic and dirt release properties. Not to mention that anything you put on top of the coating probably wouldn't last very long.
 
So why not OC all DD's, even if you don't put a great polish on the paint, never will, and are satisfied with the paint condition being as-is forever? What are the downfalls, it's not too expensive and looks easy enough to apply...?



I'm thinking of using it on my truck which looks fairly good for a 16 y/o metallic paint, has some clear coat scratches from offroading, a couple that are down to the primer, but I just don't want to spend more time waxing it and getting more swirls...
 
Epic thread BUMP!

Even though my silver Fusion has been long gone, my wife's black Chrysler Town & County van is still around. I Opti-Coated it shortly after the Fusion and it's still holding together excellent. :rockon I'm officially in the 5+ year club! :strong:
 
... my wife's black Chrysler Town & County van is still around. I Opti-Coated it shortly after the Fusion and it's still holding together excellent. :rockon I'm officially in the 5+ year club! :strong:

Five years without correcting a black minivan is saying something!
 
Five years without correcting a black minivan is saying something!
My E class Merc still beads perfectly and was coated with Opticoat 2.0, 5 years ago.
Very happy with this product, i even like the shine, as it just looks like new, and not like a mirror.
lets hope Gloss coat will be as good.
 
Digger11- Glad you're happy with it. I'm still reserving my Opticoat/etc. for wheels (only) but it seems to work great for a lot of people.

And Welcome to Autopia!
 
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