My 2012 Subaru has gotten quite a workout with all the snow we had in NY this winter. I had applied OC 2.0 upon delivery in July 2012. The original Opticoat did an outstanding job protecting the paint from minor swirling and this time around I choose to apply the newest consumer offering from Optimum, Gloss Coat.
Process, products and tools:
Wheels cleaned with
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus
Wheel Wollies
Speedmaster Brush
Uber wheel Brush
demoted wash pad
2 Bucket Wash with Total Auto Wash (APC) as soap.
Iron X (Part I, and Nano Skin Pad Fine Part II)
Clayed hard to get areas and lower side skirts that were hard to get with the pad and DA
rewash car with Lusso Auto Bath
Blow dry with Master Blaster 4 HP to get the car as dry as possible
Rupes 75 w/ Yellow and Green Pads
Rupes 15 w Yellow Pad
Rupes Yellow Polish (fine)
Rupes Green Polish (Medium)
Eraser
15% IPA Mix
Gloss Coat
Optimum Glass Coating
Geyon Trim
Before
First up was the wash. This car has stopped beading as the winter approached but was still easy to clean so I opted to let it go through the winter and save the clean up for after the winter.
Wheel Bucket
Wash Completed
Iron X hard at work
Nano Skin Decon
Polishing Stage
The whole car was polished with the Rupes yellow pads on the LR75 and LR15 Rupes machines.
More stubborn spots were hit with the Rupes Green Pads and Green Polish which knocked them right out
Hard to see defects on Metallic Silver
Done Polishing at last
A quick eraser wipe and inspection under the Rupes Light before opening the Gloss Coat. Each Panel was re-wiped with a 15% IPA mix prior to the application of the first coat of Gloss coat.
Fist Coat of Gloss Coat Applied
These shots are of the Gloss Coat moments after application. It is very hard to see the film on this color or perhaps at all?
One coat in the books
Between the first and second coat of Gloss Coat I decided to seal the windows with Optimum Glass Coat and protect the cowl with Geyon Trim
The Cowl was looking dry and chalky. I cleaned it during the wash process with TAW and a brush.
Before applying the Geyon Trim I wiped the area with a 15% IPA mix and them applied the trim with the included applicator Cloth.
I was happy with the way the Geyon trim worked. Nice dark, even matte finish. Worked similar to the GTECH G4 I have used before, will keep an eye on durability.
Kit as it ships with everything you need
Trim Before
Trim After
I had decon'd the glass with the nano skin pad and polished the exterior glass at the same time I polished the car in preparation for Optimum Glass Coat. I used the Rupes Fine pad and polish and it came out great. Not sure it was necessary, but it was not too much effort.
After 2nd coat of Gloss Coat
All Tucked in and left to cure at the end of a very long day:
And for me:
Finished Picks Outside
Full Sun Shots
Overall I am very Happy with the way the car turned out. I feel I have another 2 years + of super easy maintenance ahead of me and the car looks amazing.
The Gloss Coat is very easy to work with and apply. My only struggle was seeing the film on the car. I had to really slow down my application to methodically cover each panel so that I did not miss any spots. Once it starts to flash off there are rainbow like colors that become visible until is melts into the paint. I experienced very few high spots that needed to be leveled. Whose were handled with a quick, soft swipe of the MF towel. The second coat (like with most coatings) is extremely easy to apply over the first. There is almost zero friction on the applicator. The gloss after two coats is amazing, and the slickness of the film on day 2 is significantly better than the Opticoat 2.0. My only disappointment in the Gloss Coat was that I did not have enough left to do the wheels. Especially disappointing since I put in so much effort getting them perfectly clean and de-tared during the wash process. I did 2 coats on all painted surfaces and did not feel I had enough to do the wheels. I had maybe enough for 1 wheel one coat. I opted to use that balance of the Gloss coat for the exhaust tip instead. I know many people assured me that there would be plenty but I did not find that to be the case. I really did like the product, and will most likely use it on my wife's MDX which is currently wearing OC 2.0. The Subaru does not get babied and the Opticoat 2.0 protected the car from the normal marring that occurs in the life of a car over 3 years since it was applied. If the Gloss Coats provides the same protection I will be happy.
The Geyon trim was easy to use and the kit had all the required items included. The cowl looks great and I hope it stays looking like this for a long while. So far all the Geyon items I have tried perform as described. I would really like to try some of their other products in the future.
The Optimum Glass Coating is a product I have used before and it is another winner. It's the best Glass Sealant I have used in both performance and durability. It is super easy to apply. Simply polish glass, wipe down with IPA 15% mix, and apply in small circular motion. I did 1/2 of the front windshield at a time and let it set up for 2 minutes before buffing off with a clean dry MF towel. It was very easy to remove. I worked my way around the car 2X and it was done in nothing flat. Just don't miss a spot during removal or let it sit too long. I had to polish a small rear window in the back to remove a missed spot that cured before I could buff it off. Was not to hard to remove with polish by hand.
Thanks for reading this far and as always feedback is appreciated.
Process, products and tools:
Wheels cleaned with
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus
Wheel Wollies
Speedmaster Brush
Uber wheel Brush
demoted wash pad
2 Bucket Wash with Total Auto Wash (APC) as soap.
Iron X (Part I, and Nano Skin Pad Fine Part II)
Clayed hard to get areas and lower side skirts that were hard to get with the pad and DA
rewash car with Lusso Auto Bath
Blow dry with Master Blaster 4 HP to get the car as dry as possible
Rupes 75 w/ Yellow and Green Pads
Rupes 15 w Yellow Pad
Rupes Yellow Polish (fine)
Rupes Green Polish (Medium)
Eraser
15% IPA Mix
Gloss Coat
Optimum Glass Coating
Geyon Trim
Before
First up was the wash. This car has stopped beading as the winter approached but was still easy to clean so I opted to let it go through the winter and save the clean up for after the winter.
Wheel Bucket
Wash Completed
Iron X hard at work
Nano Skin Decon
Polishing Stage
The whole car was polished with the Rupes yellow pads on the LR75 and LR15 Rupes machines.
More stubborn spots were hit with the Rupes Green Pads and Green Polish which knocked them right out
Hard to see defects on Metallic Silver
Done Polishing at last
A quick eraser wipe and inspection under the Rupes Light before opening the Gloss Coat. Each Panel was re-wiped with a 15% IPA mix prior to the application of the first coat of Gloss coat.
Fist Coat of Gloss Coat Applied
These shots are of the Gloss Coat moments after application. It is very hard to see the film on this color or perhaps at all?
One coat in the books
Between the first and second coat of Gloss Coat I decided to seal the windows with Optimum Glass Coat and protect the cowl with Geyon Trim
The Cowl was looking dry and chalky. I cleaned it during the wash process with TAW and a brush.
Before applying the Geyon Trim I wiped the area with a 15% IPA mix and them applied the trim with the included applicator Cloth.
I was happy with the way the Geyon trim worked. Nice dark, even matte finish. Worked similar to the GTECH G4 I have used before, will keep an eye on durability.
Kit as it ships with everything you need
Trim Before
Trim After
I had decon'd the glass with the nano skin pad and polished the exterior glass at the same time I polished the car in preparation for Optimum Glass Coat. I used the Rupes Fine pad and polish and it came out great. Not sure it was necessary, but it was not too much effort.
After 2nd coat of Gloss Coat
All Tucked in and left to cure at the end of a very long day:
And for me:
Finished Picks Outside
Full Sun Shots
Overall I am very Happy with the way the car turned out. I feel I have another 2 years + of super easy maintenance ahead of me and the car looks amazing.
The Gloss Coat is very easy to work with and apply. My only struggle was seeing the film on the car. I had to really slow down my application to methodically cover each panel so that I did not miss any spots. Once it starts to flash off there are rainbow like colors that become visible until is melts into the paint. I experienced very few high spots that needed to be leveled. Whose were handled with a quick, soft swipe of the MF towel. The second coat (like with most coatings) is extremely easy to apply over the first. There is almost zero friction on the applicator. The gloss after two coats is amazing, and the slickness of the film on day 2 is significantly better than the Opticoat 2.0. My only disappointment in the Gloss Coat was that I did not have enough left to do the wheels. Especially disappointing since I put in so much effort getting them perfectly clean and de-tared during the wash process. I did 2 coats on all painted surfaces and did not feel I had enough to do the wheels. I had maybe enough for 1 wheel one coat. I opted to use that balance of the Gloss coat for the exhaust tip instead. I know many people assured me that there would be plenty but I did not find that to be the case. I really did like the product, and will most likely use it on my wife's MDX which is currently wearing OC 2.0. The Subaru does not get babied and the Opticoat 2.0 protected the car from the normal marring that occurs in the life of a car over 3 years since it was applied. If the Gloss Coats provides the same protection I will be happy.
The Geyon trim was easy to use and the kit had all the required items included. The cowl looks great and I hope it stays looking like this for a long while. So far all the Geyon items I have tried perform as described. I would really like to try some of their other products in the future.
The Optimum Glass Coating is a product I have used before and it is another winner. It's the best Glass Sealant I have used in both performance and durability. It is super easy to apply. Simply polish glass, wipe down with IPA 15% mix, and apply in small circular motion. I did 1/2 of the front windshield at a time and let it set up for 2 minutes before buffing off with a clean dry MF towel. It was very easy to remove. I worked my way around the car 2X and it was done in nothing flat. Just don't miss a spot during removal or let it sit too long. I had to polish a small rear window in the back to remove a missed spot that cured before I could buff it off. Was not to hard to remove with polish by hand.
Thanks for reading this far and as always feedback is appreciated.
