Hello, I decided to join the forum after deciding to coat my car. But I have two major concerns: 1. How safe is to remove Opti Coat? One detailer said to me, that he knows base on how the polish reacts. It get smoother when the coat is gone. Other told me that he measures the coat. Knowing the thickness of the clear coat and knowing the thickness of the OC he then knows how much to remove. My concern is removing too much clear coat. What are your comments? 2. If Opti Coat Pro doesn't have any UV inhibitors how doe it protects the paint? The whole point of waxing a car is to provide UV protection and prevent the paint from deteriorating. So how exactly is this achieved by Opti Coat? One detailer told be it prevent oxidation but what about fading or any other potential UV damage (if any)? Do I have to apply wax over the Opti Coat to prevent UV damage? Other questions: 3. What is the difference between the Pro and Pro+? Why is one better than the other? 4. Are certified detailers "better" than non-certified? What does it means to be certified? Meet better standards? Should I go with a certified one? 5. How long can the coating last with proper maintenance? I mean, can it last more than the warranty states (5 or 7yrs)? 6. One detailer told me that Optimum does not honor the warranty, that they blame it on no proper care. That is discouraging. Thanks in advance
Hello, I have some experience with Opti-Coat and hope I can answer your questions. If you want to remove Opti-Coat just start with a good wash, rinse and clay treatment. Then a mild polish like Optimum Hyper, Meguiars 205 or Sonax line. Use a medium polishing pad. Rinse the car down and take note of how the water reacts to the paint. The action of the water should now bead more so than bead, pool and sheet off as it did when coated. If need be repeat the polishing steps. I always liken a coatings reaction to water as it "dancing" or "bouncing" on the paint. It has a certain action. Clean paint will bead water up and kinda hang around. You do not need to worry about diminishing your clear coat. No wet sanding is needed nor heavy compounding. Coatings, much like your paints clear coat, are removed or thinned out thru abrasion but again no need to worry because minor polishing, even mild wet sanding is removing very little paint. Who told you Opti-Coat does not have UV protection? Actually you have that backwards, wax, as in a carnauba wax does not contain UV. Wax is just an oil layer that sits or rests on your paint. It has no bonding properties. Wax your fender, pour a cup of hot water on that fender. Study the results and compare now to an unwaxed area. Wax crafters must add UV, not UV inhibitors as your cars clear coat has but more like a sunscreen. Wax does NOT keep your paint from fading. Nor does wax prevent oxidation. UV in your paint keeps it from fading but even this has a half life. All paint, even clear coats, oxidize but the difference is pigmented paint, such as on early single stage paints, would fade and chalk up and then a compound would be used to cut thru that and reveal nice glossy paint again. Then it would be waxed, fade again and repeat process. Then 2 stage paints came along. A pigmented paint topped with a high gloss clear. These 2 stage paint systems still oxidize but not evidenced by any pulling of color. The main difference between Pro and Pro Plus is that Pro Plus is a 2 part system while Pro is a one part. Opti-Coat Pro finish can be seen as somewhat "sterile" in its appearance. It looked good but it lacked some "pop" or a deep wet gloss and that nice slick feel. Pro Plus adds not only a wet look and slickness but also some addition durability. Only "certified opti-coat" installers can apply these coatings (Opti-Coat Pro and Pro Plus). If a detailer claims he can put Opti-Coat on your car and he or she is not a listed installer then you're most likely not getting the true coating. Now in regards to just having your car "detailed" there is no certification for that that makes one detailer better than another. Opti-Coat, as well as other paint protections, can and will last longer with a proper method of cleaning. If you run thru car washes or use high alkaline soaps then you are cutting down the life of any paint protection, including your paint. So yes with proper care you can get a longer life span. As far as "warranty" issues and not being honored I can't say. What I can speak of is that Optimum has honored my requests for warranty support. Perhaps instead of "some detailer" you can post up the name of said detailer and his or her business name? Hope that helps you out, Anthony
I'll add to Ron's reply as your initial questions, Optimum also offers a consumer grade called Opti-Gloss (formerly Opti-Coat 2.0). If you are looking for the pro version, Ron has the experience to guide you on finding the approved installers. -grungy
Anthony covered it very well. The only thing I will add is to go to opti-coat's site and find yourself an authorized installed. Opti-Coat pro and Pro+ can only be installed by an authorized installed. If you still have concerns contact optimum. You can speak with Dr. G, Yvan Lacroix or Dann Williams. They will point you in the right direction.
