Opti-coat users: Whaddya think?

It's just like every other detail product. You have to try it out to see if its "prudent" for your needs. I can only tell you my experience, but it's quite a good one. It has been on my hood for 2 years and still beads very well. There have bee no adverse effects during that time. I applied it to the rest of the car about a year ago (all glass, plastic trim, and cowl) with no ill effects to date. Every surface it is on is easier to clean and continues to have a very warm appearance. Like an idiot, when it says not to sniff it, I wondered why so I did. It has a strong ammonia odor that burns your nasal passages for about 5 minutes. It may do damage if you sniff closer than I did, but that is only speculation...just don't sniff it. You cannot smell it at all, in any way while you are applying it. I have not used the spray on method, but any time you spray anything you should use a mask, duh. As for your questions to Dr. Ghodoussi, I'd just call him or put it over there where he will check if you really want those answers. It's silly to keep posting them here when the only person that can help you is just a phone call away. Any answer you get here will only be a guess.



Tommy Boy: I can get a better look at a steak by stickin' my head up a bull's ***, but I'd rather take my butcher's word for it.



Interpretation: go to the source.
 
wannafbody said:
If anyone puts anything permanent on paint then the manufacturer can void the paint warranty. The manufacturers void warranties on a regular basis when aftermarket parts are installed even thought it technically is illegal(Moss-Magnesson Act). They simply deny the claim-anyone who has been around GM forums is well aware of this occuring.



Since these are open forums DR G can respond and set the record straight.



Q1 Why does OptiCoat have a warning label on it if it is safe?

Q2 Why are you adding ammonia to Opti Coat?

Q3 Does OptiCoat have ingredients that would be considered "lung irritants"?

Q4 Is Opti-Coat made from paintable soy polymers and have you tested painting over it?

Q5 Why has it taken two years and you still don't have a warranty for Opticoat?

Q6 How is Optimum going to offer a warranty on OptiCoat if the installer has had to sign a waiver releasing Optimum from liability before being able to purchase OptiCoat?
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Oh, crap...I just read the label on my $3 bottle of Big Lots 3M Performance Finish.



"Warning! May cause eye, skin, nose and throat irritation. May cause dizziness, headache or nausea. Contains a chemical(s) which can cause cancer."



In the ingredient section 3M lists Formaldehyde. If I recall my school biology classes correctly I think that frog would have been much happier being around some ammonia than the "Big F".



The parade of horrors continues with this dire warning, "Avoid eye and prolonged skin contact. Avoid breathing of dust, vapors, mist or spray. Use only with adequate ventilation."





OK, so we could have dropped this stuff on North Viet Nam during the war. I immediately got that Toxic Avenger coctail out of my house waiting for a haz mat disposal team.



Since you seem to be a Zaino fan I wanted to see what was on Sal's labels. I stopped using their products after the Ultima line was released, so my only choice was the world wide web. No MSDS on Zaino's website and a Google search for "Zaino MSDS" turned up no actual information either. I'll assume the stuff is OK to drink and wash newborn infants.
 
GatorJ said:
Oh, crap...I just read the label on my $3 bottle of Big Lots 3M Performance Finish.



"Warning! May cause eye, skin, nose and throat irritation. May cause dizziness, headache or nausea. Contains a chemical(s) which can cause cancer."



In the ingredient section 3M lists Formaldehyde. If I recall my school biology classes correctly I think that frog would have been much happier being around some ammonia than the "Big F".



The parade of horrors continues with this dire warning, "Avoid eye and prolonged skin contact. Avoid breathing of dust, vapors, mist or spray. Use only with adequate ventilation."





OK, so we could have dropped this stuff on North Viet Nam during the war. I immediately got that Toxic Avenger coctail out of my house waiting for a haz mat disposal team.



Since you seem to be a Zaino fan I wanted to see what was on Sal's labels. I stopped using their products after the Ultima line was released, so my only choice was the world wide web. No MSDS on Zaino's website and a Google search for "Zaino MSDS" turned up no actual information either. I'll assume the stuff is OK to drink and wash newborn infants.
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:clap: :har:



Thanks, I needed this! :grinno:
 
GatorJ said:
Since you seem to be a Zaino fan I wanted to see what was on Sal's labels. I stopped using their products after the Ultima line was released, so my only choice was the world wide web. No MSDS on Zaino's website and a Google search for "Zaino MSDS" turned up no actual information either. I'll assume the stuff is OK to drink and wash newborn infants.
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Both my Z5 and ZAIO have a warning for alphatic hydrocarbons. Interestingly, so does Duragloss 101.
 
As I understand it Aliphatic Hydrocarbons are highly refined petroleum based products(I'm assuming they are used as solvents). All waxes and sealants contain at least a small amount of them. In regards to Zaino, it's always been low VOC and CS is VOC free.



As for my concern about repainting here it is fromBOBISTHE OILGUY.com



Liquid Glass is an acrylic polish that will build up layers. One has to let it set in the sun after each coat and let it cool down for it to cure. They had a Corvette that is on the can that was a show car and had hundreds of coats of Liquid Glass on it. I saw the car at the "world of wheels" in Chicago years ago. The car looked like it had a 1/8" coat of polyurethane clear on it due to the polish. I used this polish on a car and LG states that you must use mineral spirits and #00 steel wool to remove it if you need to touch up or repair the paint. I had a repaint on the front end of my car and I informed the body shop of this and they ignored it. While washing the car by hand 3 months later with a garden hose, all of the paint on the nose came off. I use LG on golf drivers to protect the paint from "sky marks" after 3 or 4 coats, you can only damage the LG and it can be repaired easily by applying another coat. In fact, LG used to state after 4 coats, you could put a lit cigarette out on the paint and it will not damage the paint. (end quote)



As for 3m, I've thrown away some compound because of the cancer warnings. These companies put those labels on for a reason-liability. Laugh away(put some 3M in a paper bag and sniff to your hearts content) and ignor the warnings but some of those who have worked in body shops have found out the hard way those warnings are there for a reason. Long term exposure can be detrimental to one's health.
 
wannafbody does raise valid questions, which is also the purpose of forums: open discussion, unless of course one is a fanboy who blindly defends and follows hype.



and with all the talk on warranty over on optimum forums but there is non to date and then the sheding of liability



you on the other hand give subjective answers like "who cares"? well, i care, we all care.
 
No one is dismissing his curiosity, but to raise those questions in an "open forum" full of people who have never used the stuff and are NOT chemist is not productive. If his questions were legitimate, he would call Dr. G and ask or post them on the other forum where Dr. G has a dedicated section. I just placed an order with Optimum today and guess who answered the phone...Dr. G himself! He is very approachable and extremely helpful. I asked him about the paintability issue because that interests me too. He said that there would be no problem painting over it if one knocked it down a bit with sanding or compounding...just like paint. He also stated that while clearcoat will adhere to the coating, the coating will not adhere to its self so it CANNOT be layered. This is obviously not the same technology as wannafbody is familiar with, but I can see his skepticism in light of that liquid glass horror story.
 
sockster said:
wannafbody does raise valid questions, which is also the purpose of forums: open discussion, unless of course one is a fanboy who blindly defends and follows hype.



and with all the talk on warranty over on optimum forums but there is non to date and then the sheding of liability



you on the other hand give subjective answers like "who cares"? well, i care, we all care.
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I like that you have used two of your whopping 3 posts to badmouth Optimum and a product you have never used. Come to TN and I will put it on your car for you so you don't feel left out. Then you can boast "Club Opti-Coat." And if by fanboy you mean that I like getting products that work well, are priced very reasonably, save me time and money, provide excellent profitability for my detailing business, are shipped to my door next day without additional charge (I live in TN and OPT is in Memphis), etc. then guilty as charged. But one thing you should also know is that I don't bash other products that I have used and don't like...and I don't badmouth products that I have never tried. You could learn a lot from a fanboy. BTW I wouldn't offer up any reply if I didn't have any experience with the product...no hype train here noob.
 
Integrity Detail, thanks for that info. That's quite interesting. Did DR G happen to mention whether other Optimum products would bond to Opticoat?



As for where I post my questions, I post them on sites that I visit on a regular basis. This is now an open forum and Dr G can post here. As for the Optimum forums, practically no one posts there, Dr G has a much bigger potential audience if he answers questions here.
 
wannafbody said:
Integrity Detail, thanks for that info. That's quite interesting. Did DR G happen to mention whether other Optimum products would bond to Opticoat?



As for where I post my questions, I post them on sites that I visit on a regular basis. This is now an open forum and Dr G can post here. As for the Optimum forums, practically no one posts there, Dr G has a much bigger potential audience if he answers questions here.
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Really the only Optimum products I would use over the Opti Coat is the Spray Wax or Opti Seal, but there is really no need to add anything. It is pretty much just personal preference if you want to top the Opti Coat with something.
 
wannafbody said:
As for where I post my questions, I post them on sites that I visit on a regular basis. This is now an open forum and Dr G can post here. As for the Optimum forums, practically no one posts there, Dr G has a much bigger potential audience if he answers questions here.
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Why doesn't Sal Zaino post here? I've often seen Zaino fans suggest people call Sal and talk to him directly if they want the truth about Zaino products or questions about its use.
 
This is a very interesting product for sure, which is why there are so many questions and concerns flying around.



I bought Opti-Coat, but haven't tried it yet. I plan on giving it a shot on my car sometime soon. The thing that worried me the most is paintability issues once the coating is applied, but integritydetail cleared that up.



I am also concerned with polishing the car down the road. From what I hear, as long as you apply the coating to a perfectly polished surface (defect free), once the car needs to be polished again, you are actually polishing the coating and you will only be able to get as good of resuts as when you applied the coating. For example, if you apply the coating to paint that is only 85% perfect, that is the most correction you will get when it needs to be polished again. I have also heard that it can be removed by heavy compounding, so I'm not sure who is right. Has anyone here tried to remove the coating by compounding? Just curious...



I think there will be a ton of uses for this product, which I am pretty excited about. Definitely going to be experimenting with Opti-Coat in the coming weeks and months...



Thanks for all of the info from everyone who has used it so far!:2thumbs:
 
One potential issue is that if OptiCoat is applied by Detailer A and then the car is sold someone else-either a body shop or detailer might not have a clue as to what is on the vehicle. Or if the current owner tells a body shop it needs to be compounded off, chances are that they will grab a bottle of rocks and a wool pad and leave the car in a mess. I'm kind of surprised no one has tested removing and repainting it with some scrap panels.
 
RickRack said:
This is a very interesting product for sure, which is why there are so many questions and concerns flying around.



I bought Opti-Coat, but haven't tried it yet. I plan on giving it a shot on my car sometime soon. The thing that worried me the most is paintability issues once the coating is applied, but integritydetail cleared that up.



I am also concerned with polishing the car down the road. From what I hear, as long as you apply the coating to a perfectly polished surface (defect free), once the car needs to be polished again, you are actually polishing the coating and you will only be able to get as good of resuts as when you applied the coating. For example, if you apply the coating to paint that is only 85% perfect, that is the most correction you will get when it needs to be polished again. I have also heard that it can be removed by heavy compounding, so I'm not sure who is right. Has anyone here tried to remove the coating by compounding? Just curious...



I think there will be a ton of uses for this product, which I am pretty excited about. Definitely going to be experimenting with Opti-Coat in the coming weeks and months...



Thanks for all of the info from everyone who has used it so far!:2thumbs:
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Hey Rick :wavey



I was actually planning to do the sharpie test with Opti-Coat on a white panel to see how much polishing is needed to remove the coating. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to get around to doing it until July now. It should be a good way to accurately show when the coating has been removed though. ;)



Rasky
 
RaskyR1 said:
Hey Rick :wavey



I was actually planning to do the sharpie test with Opti-Coat on a white panel to see how much polishing is needed to remove the coating. Unfortunately I probably won't be able to get around to doing it until July now. It should be a good way to accurately show when the coating has been removed though. ;)



Rasky
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Sounds good!



I'm going to see if some of my friends will let me use this coating on their cars, work trucks, etc. to do some short/long term testing. I'm sure that Dr. G has thought about all of the things I'm concerned about, but it's always good to find out first hand. I want to try it on paint, glass, clear-bra's, molding/trim, non-clearcoated aluminum wheels, etc., etc., etc... I have a few stone chips on the hood of M5 that I plan on having repainted at some point, so I will probably do some testing on that as well.



I haven't really heard any negative things about it yet from people that have used it, so I am looking forward to offering this product to my clients once I have some experience with it.
 
It's been quite a while since I worked in a body shop, but a friend of mine that owns one assured me that anything needing paint would be sanded down

to the point that a "coating" would make about as much difference as a fart in a tornado.
 
Scottwax said:
Why doesn't Sal Zaino post here? I've often seen Zaino fans suggest people call Sal and talk to him directly if they want the truth about Zaino products or questions about its use.
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C'mon, wannafbody, I'd like to hear your answer to this.
 
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