Optimum Car Care what are your favorite items

Everything but the Polishes should be good, I love OptiSeal. They need to upgrade the polishes, which many people might not get the right results. Can't wait for the new products!

 

Protecant plus
OP
OC
OHC
Tire shine
Car wash
ONR
Spray wax

 

Being the Optimum homer that i am, here's my take:

Car Wash - Before this wash I was using a lot of CG Citrus wash and it is very harsh. I could feel the harshness on my hands. Switching to Optimum, it was a night and day difference. Optimum Car Wash is very gentle and cleans really well. My hands feel better than they did with CG. I don't have any complaints with this wash.

ONR - What can be said that hasn't already been said with ONR? It works as advertised. No marring, slick finish, leaves the "just waxed" look. This stuff is GREAT!!!

Tire Shine - When using this, I apply it to dry or semi-dry tires via spray bottle. I then let it dwell on the tires for at least 10-15 minutes. This allows it to penetrate and bond to the tire. After waiting the 10-15 minutes, I go back and wipe off excess. Provides a great low-shine look that seems to last for a while. No sling, as well.

Protectant Plus - I love this stuff. Even though it's labeled as a protectant, it still has some decent cleaning ability. It doesn't attract dust like so many other protectants. Best of all, the new formula has a nice pleasant smell that is not overwhelming. I can't say enough about this product.

OCW - Great spray wax. A real time-saver vs. traditional waxes that require buffing. If you can use a QD, you can use OCW. I'm really looking forward to the new version for added slickness, durability, and gloss.

Opti-Seal - May seem expensive, but a little goes a long way. I thought I'd go through a bottle in no time but I don't feel like I've made a dent in it after multiple vehicles. OS does have a learning curve. Use too much and you'll get some streaking. Although, a clean dry MF towel takes care of it. Leaves behind good protection. I wish it left a little slicker finish though. Great on glass! Again, a real time-saver vs. traditional sealants that need buffing.

Poli-Seal - Another product that I absolutely love. Has half the cut of OP. Melts into paint at initial application and leaves almost nothing to buff off. This can sometimes cause some people to not like this product. People think they need more product b/c they don't see it on the surface. As long as your pad is gliding across the paint, it's working. Leaves behind a great finish with good protection. Can also be used in conjunction with OP or even OC for more cut. Doesn't dust. A little goes a long way.

Polish - No dust!!! Dusting is my biggest pet peve with polishes. This is one of the reasons why I like Optimum's polishes. A long working time allows for more correcting. Very versatile as it can be used with wool, foam, or even for finishing. A little goes a long way.

Compound - Not your typical dusting compound. Again, little to no dusting. A very "wet" product, IMO. Provides good cut and can leave an LSP-ready finish. A little goes a long way.

Hyper-Compound - I have a bottle of it, but haven't tested it. I look forward to testing it out soon though!

All of Optimum's polishes (PS, OP, OC, and assuming the same with OHC) are VERY user friendly. I've tried many other polishes, including Menzerna. I go back to Optimum every time. That's not to say other polishes don't outperform the final result of Optimum (ie - Menzerna), but overall the "user-friendly" aspect along with the final results keep me going back to Optimum time after time.

 

Here's a couple shots of what Poli-Seal, a blue Soft Edge polishing/finishing pad, and the Flex on speed 6 can do on a Mini-Cooper (granted, a soft paint):

2 month old paint:


After PS:

 

ONR as I buy it by the case. PS and OCW for wash/wax types.

 

The new OPP. Such a unbelievable improvement over the STaNkY first version. It was so stink, i coated the crap out of the interior of my moms ranger just to get rid of some of the stuff.

ONR- The smell is alot better.

Got some of the new tire shine but with all this rain I havent got a chance to use it.

Poli Seal was a great polish/sealant.

Good Luck

 

Tire Shine
Shampoo
ONR
Poli-Seal

 

Opti-clay

 

Tire Shine - Have the old formula right now.

 

For those who are professionals you may want to try "Tire Gel" over the Tire Shine. It's VERY economical and is applied through a paint gun and air compressor.

The finish is a bit glossier than the Tire Shine and has a good amount of durability but is safe as it's also water based.

It's very difficult to make a water based tire dressing that has looks, ease of application and also durability. So when you find one that works well stick with it.

The Optimum polishes are not your typical polishes. As a test take some other polish in your hands and rub it in your hands and then rinse your hands off. How do your hands feel? Now take some Optimum Polish and do the same thing, how do your hands feel in comparison? Optimum Polishes are formulated to be highly lubricated which does several things....it works cooler, lasts longer which means less product and little to no dust BUT this can also be seen as a strike against Optimum as there is a learning curve to using them. If a typical polish uses a quarter size amount to polish out half a fender, Optimum will do the whole fender with the same amount plus some.

These old school polishes though are becoming fewer and fewer as more and more polishes are coming out with these same characteristics so you all had better get used to working with them

I've used all the "New" and re-formulated Optimum products as Kevin, Ron and myself have been testing and using them for some months and/or years now. The new APC is great and is, like most Optimum products, very versatile. Water spot/Rust Remover....simply awesome and again very versatile.

The QD has been a pet project of Ron's and we just got our 2-32 ounce bottles and Ron was like a kid on Christmas. Highly concentrated as 32 ounces make a gallon and a gallon makes 4 gallons of QD. Ron and I suggest using treated water in your dilutions for optimal performance.

Then we have another of my pet projects which has me very excited but I can't speak much of it right now. What I can say is we have posted a few cars we have finished with it over at the Optimum forums but this will not be a general public type product, it will only sold to pros.

David is very busy and ALWAYS seeking to tweak products as he strives for perfection. As soon as the new products are ready Phil will have them so get your credit cards ready!

Anthony

 

Great info Anthony! Glad to see you over here as well

 

mShu7,

you seem to have good luck with opt polish, can you give me a few hints on how to use it w/a PC? I always end up having a "gummy" feeling left on the buffing pad after use, and it seems to take forever to get any correction from a PC (on a rotary, it works fine, tho)...

Any advice?

Thanks,

Pete
PS sorry for the threadjack....

 

ONR and OS are great, use them all of the time. I have some poli-seal, OP, OC and new Tire Shine that I haven't tried yet...

 

Hey Pete, it sounds like you are probably using too much product. All of Optimum's polishes are very well lubricated so a little goes a long way. Start out with 4-5 pea sized dots for your first panel. From there, just use 1-2 pea sized dots. Using a PC, it's going to take a while to break down. As you already know, Optimum polishes have long working times. I have never used them on a PC but I have used them on the UDM. Just crank up the PC to speed 6 and keep the movement slow. I think the biggest key to your situation is using less product. Do that, and you'll have much better luck. Good luck w/it.

 

My favorite would be the Spray Wax. Followed closely by the car wash. Although I don't like the price of the car wash much.