Opti-Coat 2.0

[TopDMC]

Well that has thrown the entire thing open again

I thought I was just about convinced that it is all hype, however even reading on DW there are conflicting views.
So it does appear that it all boils down to the surface on which it is applied.
If I had a used car that I wanted to "bring back" and protect I would be thinking seriously as it sounds really time consuming. However this is a new car and should be untouched from the factory, all I would be doing is putting a secondary "tough coat".

I had already decided that I was going to coat the wheels as everyone agrees that this works great
Bings comments (thank you) are making me think again and I am swaying back toward opti-coat for bonnet, boot and lid.

Swanicyouth is also correct (thank you), Autogeek give opti-coat great reviews!

Opti-coat is definitely different to the others according to everything I am reading and applied correctly to the correct surface does appear to work.

 

[Bing]

Even though the car is brand new it will need properly prepped. And I'd do the whole thing tbh, if only because I'd hate to end up with panels different colours in the future :lol:

 

[PerryGunn]

However this is a new car and should be untouched from the factory, all I would be doing is putting a secondary "tough coat".

As Bing said, even a new car 'direct from the factory' will need surface prep for the coatings to work correctly

If I'm honest, most brand-new BMWs would benefit from a machine polish anyway as, since the change to water-based paint, the standard of factory finish on the paintwork has left something to be desired...

 

[swanicyouth]

It is and remains my opinion in a world of invented 'facts' and outrageous product claims

Funny how Opticoat claim everyone else's products last just a few weeks or months and theirs last 'unlimited'.

Since you brought up "invented facts" - can you point us to where Optimum mentions this? I'd greatly appreciate it.

This is OC's page from Optimum's website:

This is OC FAQ from Optimum's website:

Optimum is a reputable company on the forefront of detailing technology. There are numerous companies that use marketing hoopla to sell detailing products - but Optimum is not one of them. I have also never read any comments Optimum has made regarding other companies' products in a negative light.

They may have stated OC lasts indefinitely, compared to waxes which last weeks to months (or something similar). But, I can assure you that is a true statement.

If applied correctly, OC actually becomes part of the clear coat. It can not be removed unless abraded off. Again, the problem is that it's often not applied correctly. That is why here in the USA there are certified Opti Coat Pro installers and the coating comes with a warranty.

CarPro has a similar program with their Finest coating. These manufacturer's go to a lot of trouble to pick detailer's capable of installing the product correctly, because they want their customers to receive the full benefit of the product. If the product was snake oil, installers wouldn't signing up to be certified and Optimum wouldn't be offering a warranty with Opti Coat Pro.

 

[TopDMC]

Even though the car is brand new it will need properly prepped. And I'd do the whole thing tbh, if only because I'd hate to end up with panels different colours in the future :lol:

Now why didn't I think about that


Anyone know of any detailer in the UK who are recognised Optimum approved?
I am pretty confident that I could do it if needs must. I would of course practice on old panels.
Car now not due till first week October so have plenty of time to learn all the pitfalls.

 

[cj10jeeper]

You clearly love the product and are happy with it. OP will I'm sure decide if what and when it gets applied and we'll all have different opinions of things As a moderator I'm not going to get into arguments on such things, so here's my last post on this matter...

You asked for the reference to the competitor products:
Here you go straight from the front page of the link op posted. (Interesting how everything else is a 1-4/5 star and OptiCoat is a straight set of 5's in every area)

http://www.opti-coat.com/

 

[cj10jeeper]

Even though the car is brand new it will need properly prepped. And I'd do the whole thing tbh, if only because I'd hate to end up with panels different colours in the future :lol:

Now why didn't I think about that


Anyone know of any detailer in the UK who are recognised Optimum approved?
I am pretty confident that I could do it if needs must. I would of course practice on old panels.
Car now not due till first week October so have plenty of time to learn all the pitfalls.

If you look on the Opticoat site you referenced and look under 'Dealers' there are 4 listed in the UK.

Might be worth a call to one of them

 

[TopDMC]

Even though the car is brand new it will need properly prepped. And I'd do the whole thing tbh, if only because I'd hate to end up with panels different colours in the future :lol:

Now why didn't I think about that


Anyone know of any detailer in the UK who are recognised Optimum approved?
I am pretty confident that I could do it if needs must. I would of course practice on old panels.
Car now not due till first week October so have plenty of time to learn all the pitfalls.

If you look on the Opticoat site you referenced and look under 'Dealers' there are 4 listed in the UK.

Might be worth a call to one of them

Thank you for that
I still have plenty of time to make up my mind and if I do decide to go with opti-coat
At least there will be someone on the forum with experience.....
Although may have to wait a few years

 

[swanicyouth]

You clearly love the product and are happy with it. OP will I'm sure decide if what and when it gets applied and we'll all have different opinions of things As a moderator I'm not going to get into arguments on such things, so here's my last post on this matter...

You asked for the reference to the competitor products:
Here you go straight from the front page of the link op posted. (Interesting how everything else is a 1-4/5 star and OptiCoat is a straight set of 5's in every area)

http://www.opti-coat.com/

This information doesn't say "everyone's else's products last a few weeks" as you stated. In fact, it rates waxes/sealants with PTFE (lowest durability rated product in list) as 4-5 months.

PTFE is a gimmick in waxes/LSPs. Teflon must be heated to several hundred degrees to bond to anything. Just smearing it on paint and buffing it off ads no real long term protection. Most products that state they have "PTFE" also have sealant type polymers, like polymerized siloxanes - that is what makes the product hold up months not days.

However, that chart is quite accurate IME / IMHO. Traditional "waxes"/LSPs do last 4-5 months. And most ceramic/quartz/glass coatings (different technology than OptiCoat) - do last a year to two. CarPro's CQuartz (likely most popular and arguably the best "ceramic" coating in the USA) literature even states this (durability up to 18 months - 2 years).

I can also tell you the chemical resistance rating of 5 stars for OC is correct. No detailing chemical in a bottle that won't remove paint can remove OptiCoat. This has been shown by countless detailers. It's also been shown that products with very high or low pH values can weaken and sometimes destroy certain ceramic based coatings (different tech than OC) and of course waxes. Again the chart is accurate.

On looks / gloss - that is subjective. Anyone can say anything looks better than anything else. The only way to "prove" a component of this would be to do gloss meter readings before and after application. This is rather complex, because the one thing that can be measured (gloss), is only one component of how a product can enhance paint. There is also depth, clarity, reflectivity, jetting, etc...

I didn't think this was an argument. I thought we were discussing OptiCoat. I was trying to enlighten some people that there are a lot of "snake oil" products out there in the detailing world, but I'm quite familiar with OC and it's the real deal and it lives up to it's claims.