Opti-Coat's Dirt Release Properties are Amazing

[SuperBee364]

I hate to touch my car's paint. I *never* QD, and very rarely do I use any wash media more aggressive than a BHB when I wash. Most of the time, I don't touch the paint at all during the wash. So an LSP with great dirt releasing properties is priority one for me, with looks being a distant second. In the sealant category, 1000p has always done a great job of releasing dirt. In the 'nubas, I love Vintage, but it's a hassle keeping up with it, as the durability sucks. But it *does* release dirt with ease, and looks absolutely a-mazing when it's spit shined.



Then along comes Opti-Coat. I coated my car on October 20. Just for grins, I allowed it to get good and nasty over the last couple weeks just to test OC's dirt releasing properties.



Here's the rundown...



1. HP rinse



2. Layer of Dawn foam (yup... Dawn. Stuff doesn't scare me in the least now that the entire exterior is OC'd).



3. HP rinse



4. Blow dry for inspection



5. Car is now 90% clean



*6. Dislodge and flush with a BHB.



7. HP rinse with CRS



8. Blow dry



Car came out 100% clean with nothing more aggressive than a *very* gentle BHB'ing. I thought 1000P was the Dirt Release King, but the King just got dethroned in a big way.



*For those not familiar with the "Dislodge and Flush" technique, this is an Accumulator Classic technique for safely dislodging dirt off the surface of your paint without marring it. *MUCH* safer than grabbing a wash mitt, smashing it over the top of the dirt and rubbing. Basically, you use free flowing water from a hose, pointed just in front of your BHB, and wiggle your bhb gently on the car's surface. The free flowing water immediately flushes whatever the brush has dislodged off of the car. I like to do it with a fresh layer of foam on the car, as the chemical action of the foam helps to weaken the dirt's bond to the paint, making it easier for the BHB to dislodge.



To this point, OC is the easiest cleaning LSP I have ever used. Long live the King!

 

[Dan]

I agree, the stuff is amazing at releasing dirt. I still get the oily/grime film but even that comes of with one pass of the mitt. Its easily 3x better at releasing dirt than even the best traditional LSP when fresh.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

TTIWWOPOV.... :nana:



I totally agree about Opti-Coat's dirt releasing characteristics being top-notch. After having used waterless wash on a few vehicles I've coated and seeing how amazing they look (even a couple that had REALLY soft paint prior to coating, but now resist marring extremely well) I'm 100% hooked.

 

[Barry Theal]

:showpics



:nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana:

 

[SuperBee364]

:showpics



:nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana::nana:

OK, Barry, Just for you, here's a picture of my blue Super Bee:

:nana:

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

OK, Barry, Just for you, here's a picture of my blue Super Bee:



:nana:

I'm going to start calling you Accumulator. :nervous:

 

[Scottwax]

This is how my car looks, 26 months into its Opti-Coat application, washed a couple times a month with ONR and a little Optimum Car Wax mixed in after a full day and 70 miles or so of driving on wet roads:

 

[AudiOn19s]

I'm actually excited for the first couple winter washes this year to really see for myself how much easier life will be here in the winter with an opti-coated vehicle. It has been a breeze to wash but with weekly washes it never gets THAT dirty to begin with.



I hate to say it but I was a hold out on this product for a long time, tough for me to believe it would really live up to the hype. I coated my wife's daily driver on Saturday and last night it rained and her freshly coated car sitting next to my car which has had the coating for 4 months and the beading was exactly the same at 4 months vs. brand new. Very satisfied to date.

 

[SuperBee364]

I'm actually excited for the first couple winter washes this year to really see for myself how much easier life will be here in the winter with an opti-coated vehicle. It has been a breeze to wash but with weekly washes it never gets THAT dirty to begin with.



I hate to say it but I was a hold out on this product for a long time, tough for me to believe it would really live up to the hype. I coated my wife's daily driver on Saturday and last night it rained and her freshly coated car sitting next to my car which has had the coating for 4 months and the beading was exactly the same at 4 months vs. brand new. Very satisfied to date.

Yeah, I'd been doing (at least) weekly washes since I coated it. So I let it get good and nasty for a few weeks (outside 24/7, rained a few times, 400 miles of driving) to see how well the nasty, set in dirt/water spots, etc. would come off.



If Accumulator actually saw how well this stuff releases dirt, he'd more than likely pull his syringe out of the drawer...

 

[SuperBee364]

This is how my car looks, 26 months into its Opti-Coat application, washed a couple times a month with ONR and a little Optimum Car Wax mixed in after a full day and 70 miles or so of driving on wet roads:

Scott, the tire/wheel wells on that car look, IMO, absolutely perfect. Black (no shine!), clean tires that blend in to the wheel well like that are what I try (and sometimes actually get) for on every car. IMO, it makes the wheels really stand out when the tire and wheel well just fade into the background like that. The perfect, glossy paint ain't bad, either.

 

[RaskyR1]

Good to hear you like it Sup! Threads like these are great for potential clients too.

 

[Envious Eric]

what are you using for a blowdry? metro vac / leaf blower / compressor / master blaster????

 

[SuperBee364]

I'm still using a leaf blower, but have my eye on the Metro unit. I had a chance to play with one for a bit at SEMA. It was love at first sight. It's a much more precise tool than a leaf blower, allowing easy access to all those annoying little crevices that water likes to hide in (side view mirrors, anyone??). It also has the ability to heat the air, which is a great option for speeding the drying process. It's also amazingly powerful for such a small critter.

 

[Accumulator]

SuperBee364- I'm not ready to OptiCoat any of my vehicles yet, but I am paying attention and I do appreciate the significance of what you're posting here. Hey, it was you who got me on my FK1000P kick.



The OptiCoat I have on the Tahoe's summer wheels isn't releasing contamination quite as well as I'd expected though :think:

*For those not familiar with the "Dislodge and Flush" technique, this is an Accumulator Classic technique for safely dislodging dirt off the surface of your paint without marring it. *MUCH* safer than grabbing a wash mitt, smashing it over the top of the dirt and rubbing. Basically, you use free flowing water from a hose, pointed just in front of your BHB, and wiggle your bhb gently on the car's surface. The free flowing water immediately flushes whatever the brush has dislodged off of the car. I like to do it with a fresh layer of foam on the car, as the chemical action of the foam helps to weaken the dirt's bond to the paint, making it easier for the BHB to dislodge.

Slight correction, in case anybody wants to do it exactly the way I do- rather than use free flowing water from a hose, I use foamgun output. But then I need more cleaning power than you do, for a number of reasons. And thanks for the mention.

 

[SuperBee364]

The OptiCoat I have on the Tahoe's summer wheels isn't releasing contamination quite as well as I'd expected though :think:



Slight correction, in case anybody wants to do it exactly the way I do- rather than use free flowing water from a hose, I use foamgun output. But then I need more cleaning power than you do, for a number of reasons. And thanks for the mention.

Man.... I'm sorry to hear that about the wheels. My Charger is a brake dust producing monster. It's easy to see me driving down the road... just look for the cloud of brake dust behind me. Even when allowed to latch on for a period of several weeks, I haven't needed anything more aggressive than a soft bristled paint brush to get the brake dust off of my OC'd wheels. I'm wondering if maybe you have an adhesion issue, and the OC is no longer there?



And color me ! I took the liberty of adjusting your Dislodge and Flush method to my own situation, as I don't have a foam gun, just the foam cannon that goes on the pressure washer. So I adapted your technique a bit... spraying down a layer of foam, then using the hose with the BHB instead of a Gilmour. Which reminds me... I still need to buy a Gilmour!

 

[Accumulator]

Man.... I'm sorry to hear that about the wheels. My Charger is a brake dust producing monster. It's easy to see me driving down the road... just look for the cloud of brake dust behind me. Even when allowed to latch on for a period of several weeks, I haven't needed anything more aggressive than a soft bristled paint brush to get the brake dust off of my OC'd wheels. I'm wondering if maybe you have an adhesion issue, and the OC is no longer there?

I'm pretty sure the OptiCoat is still there as I've been able to get some nasty stuff off easier than I could otherwise. It's the normal soiling that isn't coming off any easier than with, say...FK1000P.



Note that this isn't the usual brakedust issue as the rears have drums. It's just "seldom-washed beater-truck" filth. Though come to think of it, the front discs are running the same Hawk pads that were SOOOO messy on the MPV :think: They're not getting as bad on the Tahoe though.



And maybe this is all relative anyhow. My "oh sheesh I gotta get aggressive" wheel cleaning is still basically just a really soft BHB for the most part, it's just that with the OptiCoated wheels I'm using Griot's Wheel Cleaner instead of shampoo mix. Perhaps I was expecting some kind of miracle or something :nixweiss

 

[SuperBee364]

I'm pretty sure the OptiCoat is still there as I've been able to get some nasty stuff off easier than I could otherwise. It's the normal soiling that isn't coming off any easier than with, say...FK1000P.



Note that this isn't the usual brakedust issue as the rears have drums. It's just "seldom-washed beater-truck" filth. Though come to think of it, the front discs are running the same Hawk pads that were SOOOO messy on the MPV :think: They're not getting as bad on the Tahoe though.



And maybe this is all relative anyhow. My "oh sheesh I gotta get aggressive" wheel cleaning is still basically just a really soft BHB for the most part, it's just that with the OptiCoated wheels I'm using Griot's Wheel Cleaner instead of shampoo mix. Perhaps I was expecting some kind of miracle or something :nixweiss

Yeah, I think we're going to have to wait for the ultra hydrophobic coatings to come to the automotive detailing market before we'll start seeing miracles. Have you seen the videos for this stuff? Unbelievable, honestly.

 

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I think we're going to have to wait for the ultra hydrophobic coatings to come to the automotive detailing market before we'll start seeing miracles. Have you seen the videos for this stuff?

No, haven't seen the videos but I did notice recent references to the stuff. Yeah, the game seems to be changing quickly these days.

 

[SuperBee364]

I think it was David Fermani who posted a few links to the videos... I'll find 'em and add 'em here. Definitely worth a few minutes to watch.



Here's a link to David's thread: http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/138452-future-vehicle-protection-super-hyrophobic.html I didn't watch the third video, but the first two were.... well... *you* decide.

 

[Accumulator]

I think it was David Fermani who posted a few links to the videos... I'll find 'em and add 'em here. Definitely worth a few minutes to watch..... well... *you* decide.

Good Heavens, that's really something