Looks soo nice. I would take my car in within a heart beat if you were in Sydney.
Out of interest, how long does this process generally take?
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Looks soo nice. I would take my car in within a heart beat if you were in Sydney.
Out of interest, how long does this process generally take?
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Thanks Guys :)
The amount of time varies, but it's normally somewhere between 14 and 20 hours over two days.
The longest stint I've done in a single day is about 14hrs.
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No wonder you're "Caffeine Fiend".... and as a paid hobby too....
Obviously don't have too many other interests other than keeping things ultra clean...
Holy Crap!!
Now that's beading!!!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/13/a7a7e4yr.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/13/6y9u8e3u.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/13/yruje7y5.jpg
My car is aquaphobic!!! It's so scared of water!!!!
Peter "SLIXX"
Welcome to the Opti-Coat gang!
Awesome job Dan, and car looks great Peter!
Just be careful - At times where I didn't have time (or on a roadtrip and hosing bugs, etc, off it) to give it a proper clean + dry, I have managed to get some light water marks etched into the surface after allowing the water beads to sit on the paint. I know a light machining will get this out (even a quick Amigo erased some of them), but it's a pain.
May have also been bad water at home at the time, but now I'm very obsessive on drying it after EVERY wash.
The joys of black paint.
@DisturbedDave
Machine polishing of Opti-Coat will almost certainly remove the Opti-Coat! Don't do it!
Opti-Coat, if applied correctly should resist even heavy etching. Sometimes it can take a few washes to completely clear if it's heavily acidic soiling, such as bird poo or heavy water spotting that's been sitting on the car for an extended period of time.
Amigo is ok to be used as it's a non-abrasive paint cleaner. Use it by hand though, not machine.
See the following link for the results of CSIRO testing just completed by ZAS: http://www.optimumcarcare.com.au/XC3...ingTesting.pdf
In terms of chemical resistance, Opti-Coat was tested using concentrated (100%) Hydrochloric and Phosphoric Acid, and also Ethanol. All of which had no effect on the coating.
When washing, if you have prior water-spotting, use a good, relatively strong auto shampoo mix (I use Optimum Car Wash). Opti-Coat loves a strong wash mix, which makes it different to sealants and some other coatings, which sometimes require specific ph-neutral shampoos to maintain the integrity of the sealant/coating.
Also ensure you dry the car fully after washing. The same rules as a non Opticoated car.
The only way you'll kill the Opti-Coat is by machining it off. You could repeatedly wash it quite happily in strong dish detergent and it wouldn't affect it (though I don't recommend that as it's not good for plastics and rubbers to use those detergents repeatedly).
LOL
CSIRO testing costs a fortune too. You don't spend that kind of money unless you're a) confident about your product you're testing, and b) setting yourself clearly apart from some of the other coatings that more recently joined the market.
For what it cost you could buy a well respected brand DP and full cat back, full coilovers, sway bars, custom tune and still have enough left over to have it all fitted :whistle:
Massive props to @ZAS for putting their money where their mouth is. So many people these days don't do that, so it's good to see it still happens from time to time.
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Dan,
It's OK, I don't have the equipment available to machine it anyway :p and as you would know, i tend to ask a million questions before doing anything to the surface of the car anyway.
I only ever wash with Optimum Car Wash, maybe I should try using a stronger mix? (I use 1 capful per bucket). The Amigo didn't get rid of it all, but definitely made a difference.
I don't suppose giving it a wash with dishwashing detergent would help get rid of the watermarks?
Sorry for hijacking the thread.
Try a stronger mix, but also bear in mind it may take a few washes to clear up :)
You could also as a once-off try dishwashing detergent, but I'd try the stronger auto shampoo mix first
Cheers Dan.
Has been quite a few washes since, but I'll try mixing it a bit stronger, 3-4 caps maybe. I'm sure eventually it'll go away.
Regardless, at some stage it'll get an appointment with Dr. Dan.
Welcome to the Opti-Coat club! Just got mine done today too!
As well as Opti-Glass and Opti-Lens and Opti-Guard. We will have a family for Opti-Coat very soon.
We're starting quite the Opti-Gang!
After seeing how easy an Opti-Coated car is to clean, my mates are planning to get it done too. Amazing stuff