Hey guys,

Just finished a day in the garage working with some Optimum products and thought I would write a little about how it went.

So the goal of today was to get my MINI to the point where it would accept
Optimums Opti-Coat 2.0. The best way to describe Opti-Coat is a cross between a sealant and a second clear coat. Here is a link should you like to read more about the product http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...st-review.html (I did not wet sand my car). So by nature whatever is under the sealant, stays under the sealant. I just so happened to have an assortment of products with me...

So the process started with a full wash and dry using Optimum No Rinse (ONR) which is a great product should you live in a water restriction area as it requires 2 gallons of water for the whole car. After a full wash and dry, any and all imperfections need to be removed. This can be done either with a clay bar or if you have one, a big scary buffer. I chose the latter. Using a combination of Meguires 205 and Optimums polish (I forget the official name. It comes in a spray bottle that sucks beyond belief) I buffed the entire car until there wasn't a scratch on it. I also used some Back to Black to make the trim acceptable looking. Once that step is completed the car gets a second was and dry. This time with Isopropyl Alcohol and water in the ratio of 1:2. Optimum advises 15% alcohol but 1:2 has been found to work a bit better. The alcohol wash removes any polish or wax residue and essentially leaves the paint with no protection. Next, the final step of applying the Opti-Coat. It comes in a syringe of about 20 mL which is more than enough to do 3 cars. I applied a very light layer of the sealant over all paint surfaces, trim surfaces, glass, and wheels. Having never driven a car with sealant over the windows, I opted out of covering the front window. However, it is claimed by Optimum that protecting all glass is safe. After about 5 minutes I used a microfiber cloth to smooth out any thick parts of the surface. It's important to smooth any thick areas as once it dries your only option is to buff the surface smooth. I'm letting the car dry in the garage overnight which is completely unnecessary.

Below are an assortment of pictures of my MINI after I sealed it. My MINI is a 2004 Cooper S with 140000 miles on the clock. Keep in mind that there is absolutely nothing on the paint except for a transparent sealant. No Wax or Polish of any type to enhance the shine. Apologies for the poor light and angles, I will take some better pictures in the morning.

The sealant is almost like a very hard clearcoat that will supposedly last for quite a few years. It should also be much easier to wash bugs and bird droppings off of. It's recommended that you wait a few days before any wax is applied. I probably wont get around to it until Wednesday or Thursday.

Nick

 

i heard from my detailer that waxes and other products won't really stick to opti-coat so there's essentially no use in using it.

any truth to that?

 

Ive heard that polishing doesnt work all that well. Apparently it requires some hardcore cutting polish to get anything out of it since its so hard. Ive heard that wax works on it just not as well. I speculate thats because a few scratches or imperfections may still be present under the sealant which obviously wont go away with wax. I'm planning on waxing it later on this week and more pics will be posted.

 

Wax doesn't stick all that well to it, meaning that if you want that little bit of extra shine, you may have to apply it more often. The wax will stick and look great, it just will need to be applied slightly more often.

What it does do, however, is offer far superior protection to the paint than wax, for a MUCH longer period of time. Think of it like a hardcore wax that you only have to apply ever three years. Point is, wax may not last quite as long, but there's no need to wax. It's a wax replacement.

 

I've applied it on my last car when decided to sale it, It changed my car look and shine. I coated all glass, trims and wheels.