Optimum Opti-Coat Review

Wow! Nice review, test, and follow-up. I have been somewhat skeptical of the opti-coat (and other similar products) but your posts are making me a believer.



Thank again for doing a status update - it is becoming a lot more rare these days.
 
I have had OptiCoat on my car for 1 year now and all I can say is WOW! I can't see where there is any difference between now and when it was first applied. Without a doubt the best money I have spent on any detailing car product.....you want bang for your buck - this is it!
 
Do you top it with any other product?????



OutlawTitan said:
I have had OptiCoat on my car for 1 year now and all I can say is WOW! I can't see where there is any difference between now and when it was first applied. Without a doubt the best money I have spent on any detailing car product.....you want bang for your buck - this is it!
Click to expand...
 
Has anyone switched from a carnauba or a LSP that traditionally provides the "deep, wet look" ( take something that looks like how Souveran does) to Opti-Coat and has Opti-Coat matched or exceeded that look?





We all know Opti-Coat is the king of longevity, and if it's the king of looks too, it ought to be the ultimate product available right now. Only down side is it seems to have to be polished off, or if the car gets marred or scratched and needs to be polished, it might be a little involved to "patch up: the area? :nixweiss
 
I have topped it with Danase Wet Glaze, OptiSeal, Optimum Car Wax, Ultima, and various quick detailers. All add a little pop (maybe) but none appear to last or add any more than just a good old ONR wash. However, I keep using them from time to time after a wash since all but the DWG only take about 5 minutes to apply. As an Autopian I can't help but use some sort of topper but I can't tell much added benefit.



The car pretty much looks just like it looked the moment before the OptiCoat was applied. The biggest difference is that it appears to be permanent and is amazingly easy to clean your car......driving in the rain almost cleans the car except for the splashes on the side panels. It is hard to explain but it almost always looks fairly clean.
 
AFAIK, on some blurbs from Chris@opt, topping it will do nothing since it doesn't really stick. So it may apply but the longevity of anything, if not even QD that we are used to to, is greatly diminished due to the OC as the base.
 
I'm guessing the main point to topping it would be to enhance the look and that would mean the person who wishes to do that isn't satisfied with the look of OC by itself. If that's so, I wonder if there are certain colors OC looks "better" on than others. Take for example, silver vs. black. How can the look be described on each?
 
Or add slickness to the feel.



Don't quote me on this, but c@opt. more or less inferred you might as well pour the product down the drain if you are going to top it, just due to the nature of OC and how nothing really layers/adheres to it. In other threads, Reload is often referenced as a topper that does well with this type of coating
 
Bill D said:
I'm guessing the main point to topping it would be to enhance the look and that would mean the person who wishes to do that isn't satisfied with the look of OC by itself. If that's so, I wonder if there are certain colors OC looks "better" on than others. Take for example, silver vs. black. How can the look be described on each?
Click to expand...



I've applied it to quite a few cars now. The look is very similar to opti-seal, in that it is very wet looking, makes the clear look thick, but isn't as "deep" or... vibrant(?) as some waxes or sealants. The overall look over time tends to be a little sterile, if that makes sense. IMO it looks good on any properly prep'd color, it tends to look the most like other products on lighter metallics. Don't get me wrong, it looks great on black/dark cars, but it definitely washes out the paint a little. That said, it's worth it for the durability, imo.



As for topping, it's kind of worthless, ime. Anything you top it with just disappears after a wash. A qd like megs quick wax would be the best bet, just for the added slickness and ease of use.
 
OutlawTitan said:
I have topped it with Danase Wet Glaze, OptiSeal, Optimum Car Wax, Ultima, and various quick detailers. All add a little pop (maybe) but none appear to last or add any more than just a good old ONR wash. However, I keep using them from time to time after a wash since all but the DWG only take about 5 minutes to apply. As an Autopian I can't help but use some sort of topper but I can't tell much added benefit.



The car pretty much looks just like it looked the moment before the OptiCoat was applied. The biggest difference is that it appears to be permanent and is amazingly easy to clean your car......driving in the rain almost cleans the car except for the splashes on the side panels. It is hard to explain but it almost always looks fairly clean.
Click to expand...



I'm very pleased it is holding up well for you. FYI I'm integritydetail & [email protected]'t want my name change to confuse ya. I enjoyed meeting you and your car was a pleasure to work on.
 
chefwong said:
Or add slickness to the feel.



Don't quote me on this, but c@opt. more or less inferred you might as well pour the product down the drain if you are going to top it, just due to the nature of OC and how nothing really layers/adheres to it. In other threads, Reload is often referenced as a topper that does well with this type of coating
Click to expand...



Longevity is decreased on toppers. I used to get 6 weeks minimum out of a quick OCW, but it only lasts for a wash or two over the coating. Plus the best thing about the coating is how it repels contaminants and water. If you top it, you will see the attributes of the topper instead, so I just use Instant Detailer so that my drying towel isn't completely dry and that's it.
 
Car Coatings? Hype or reality?



The internet has been abuzz lately with all of the various types of car coatings available on the market. Some 'coatings' cost only a few hundred ringgit to apply while others cost thousands. What is the difference?



Aside from the varying amount of work and effort put in to correcting the paint before the coating is applied, the main differentiating factor about coatings compared with traditional car protection products such as waxes and sealants, is that coatings offer longer term protection without the need to reapply the product. All of these products promise amazing durability and there have been some amazing claims about coating products in the market but how true are these claims and more importantly, how long does the coating last?



Optimum OptiCoat is manufactured in the USA and is claimed to form a PERMANENT protective layer on top of the existing factory paint. Is Optimum OptiCoat really permanent or is it just another unsubstantiated manufacturers claim?



The only way to find out is to put it to the test.



To date, I have not seen any other coating being put through a similar test.



I received one of the first bottles of Optimum OptiCoat from Dr. G of Optimum Polymer Technologies as a sample to test out. Obviously the best way to test anything out is to use it in the worst-case-scenario to see where the limits of the products are.



2010_04040043.JPG




I had posted my review of the Optimum OptiCoat sometime in May 2010 where it was being tested out on a car with clear coat failure to see if the coating would prevent the paint from becoming oxidized again after some time. If the Optimum OptiCoat does indeed form a permanent barrier then even paint with clear coat failure should still be protected by the Optimum OptiCoat.

My previous post on Optimum OptiCoat can be found here:

ProDetailing: Optimum Opti-Coat Review



ProDetailing: Optimum Opti-Coat Review - Update



ProDetailing: Optimum Opti-Coat Review - Final Update



ProDetailing: Optimum Opti-Coat Review - Update after 15 Months



I had planned to stop updating the status of the Optimum OptiCoat as even after 15 months there was still no sign of any oxidization or the symptoms of clear coat failure returning to the portion which had been OptiCoated.



However, the car which I carried out the coating test was being sold to a new owner so I thought that a Final Update was in order. How long does Optimum OptiCoat last? This is the oldest and most extreme test of the coating.



Is it permanent? I can say with certainty that it most certainly still appears to be permanent after 2 years!



The coating was applied on around May 2010 and it is now nearly 2 years since the coating was first applied. This was the condition of the paint with definite symptoms of clear coat failure.

2010_05020175.JPG




After correction and application of Optimum OptiCoat.

2010_05020194.JPG




Fast forward 2 years later...

DSCF7742.JPG




The side without Optimum OptiCoat is definitely suffering from clear coat failure!

DSCF7743.JPG




The OptiCoated side is still in good condition without any signs of oxidization or clear coat failure returning but there are now swirls in the coating from improper washing.

DSCF7745.JPG




One of the other benefits of coating is that if there is a need to correct the surface in the future, only the coating will be affected leaving the original paint untouched and as the coating is harder than the original factory clear coat, paint defects are more easily removed. In this case a simple light polish with Optimum Hyper Polish on a polishing pad with the Flex 3401 was more than sufficient to correct the defects on the coating.

DSCF7746.JPG




DSCF7747.JPG




All done! Testing the reflection with a bottle of detailien alien wax!

DSCF7751.JPG




DSCF7753.JPG




DSCF7754.JPG




DSCF7752.JPG




DSCF7758.JPG




DSCF7759.JPG




I think this picture says it all....

DSCF7760.JPG




Test of water beading.

DSCF7773.JPG




DSCF7771.JPG




How about some full sun shots?

DSCF7785.JPG




DSCF7789.JPG




DSCF7790.JPG




DSCF7791.JPG




DSCF7779.JPG




Lovely color and definition to the area protected by Optimum OptiCoat.

DSCF7788.JPG




Do coatings work?



I haven't seen similar post about other coatings but....



OPTIMUM OPTICOAT CERTAINLY DOES!



Original post on my blog:

ProDetailing: Optimum OptiCoat Review After 2 years!
 
I sold my GS400 that Chris@Optimum had applied the OptiCoat on for me. After 18 months it still looked like day one and definitely helped me sell the car. I bought a 2012 CT200h Special Edition F Sport and immediately took it to Chris to have him decomtaminate and OptiCoat while it was brand new. I have pretty much given up on putting toppers over the OptiCoat ..... it is just hard to tell much difference in the way it looks although some may add some temporary slickness.



Personally I like this product on all my cars. It is not just the unquestionable durability but it is the ability to keep your freshly detailed car looking freshly detailed for a longer period of time because I feel the OptiCoat actually stays clean on its own better than any other product. All you have to do is drive in the rain, park your car, and when you come back out it just looks better than every other car.......it is hard to explain until you see it for yourself.



Even if you don't want it on your entire car because you just enjoy the Autopian experience of polishing and waxing your car perodically there is no one (and I feel that 100% is not an exaggeration) that would not enjoy having OptiCoat applied to their wheels. I have never needed more than ONR and any type of wash media to easily remove brake dust or any other wheel contaminant.



I know it sounds like I am hooked on the OC kool-aid and I am.
 
tom p. said:
Seech, very nice comparison. thanks for taking the time to put that together!
Click to expand...



Thank you. I had to test out the product first and the performance of the OC still continues to amaze me after 2 years.



OutlawTitan said:
I sold my GS400 that Chris@Optimum had applied the OptiCoat on for me. After 18 months it still looked like day one and definitely helped me sell the car. I bought a 2012 CT200h Special Edition F Sport and immediately took it to Chris to have him decomtaminate and OptiCoat while it was brand new. I have pretty much given up on putting toppers over the OptiCoat ..... it is just hard to tell much difference in the way it looks although some may add some temporary slickness.



Personally I like this product on all my cars. It is not just the unquestionable durability but it is the ability to keep your freshly detailed car looking freshly detailed for a longer period of time because I feel the OptiCoat actually stays clean on its own better than any other product. All you have to do is drive in the rain, park your car, and when you come back out it just looks better than every other car.......it is hard to explain until you see it for yourself.



Even if you don't want it on your entire car because you just enjoy the Autopian experience of polishing and waxing your car perodically there is no one (and I feel that 100% is not an exaggeration) that would not enjoy having OptiCoat applied to their wheels. I have never needed more than ONR and any type of wash media to easily remove brake dust or any other wheel contaminant.



I know it sounds like I am hooked on the OC kool-aid and I am.
Click to expand...



Yeah, the OC does make it a lot easier to clean. Paint defects are also much easier to polish out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top