Detail Mutant

How about using your Hydroshot to apply ONR solution as pre spray and pre rinse at same time while skipping foam stage altogether. The Hydroshot is able to draw water (liquid) directly from a bucket so why not make that water be a pre-mixed ONR solution. I have been doing this to wash my car for the past 4 months. Previously I was applying pre spray of ONR to panels and then rinsing away with plain water using my Hydroshot. This worked but required two steps instead of one and the remaining moisture on the car was mainly water which would dilute ONR solution when performing contact wash with sponge. I have been using ONR solution in my steamer for years with minimal issues (trigger would sometimes stick using 256:1 ratio but zero issues at slightly weaker nominal 300:1 ratio) so I figured using the same slightly weaker 300:1 dilution ratio should not damage the internals of the Hydroshot. Yvan had indicated that ONR is a water softener that can be better for most devices than standard hard water sources. Using this method is also helpful during winter as I can use warm water in the bucket to improve cleaning power from hydroshot (based on spec of unit it is supposed to be safe at temps below 40 deg C). My quick wash method is as follows: 1. Pre-spray wheels/tires and problem dirty areas with diluted APC (Power Clean at 5:1) and agitate wheels/tires as needed with ONR soaked wheel/tire (Green) brush. You can skip this step if minimal dirt build-up. 2. 5 gal bucket with 300:1 ONR using warm water rinse all problem areas with battery powered Hydroshot using bucket draw hose and 15 deg angle rinse off full vehicle (or mainly limit to where there is visible dirt where a pre-rinse is prudent to remove majority of dirt). 3. Perform ONR contact wash at 256:1 dilution ratio working from top to bottom, panel by panel with wash, drying aid (Hyper-Seal) and drying. 4. Use separate ONR soaked microfiber to wipe down tires and rims and then dry. 5. Step back and admire results.

I have noticed the same issue of blotchy application depending on tire manufacturer and how new the tires are. Worst application was on new Nokian Entyre 2.0 on my wifes mini-van. Ended up applying 2.5 coats to try and get even coverage (third application only touch up). The ribbed sidewall also made it difficult. On Bridgestone Blizzaks (two years old) I had reasonably good application at 1.5 coats (second minor touch up). I generally have the best success of even coverage on Michelin tires ( 1 coat on 3 year old Pilot SuperSport and 1.5 coats on new X-Ice Snow). Based upon my experience, I will probably avoid applying to tires with ribbed sidewalls as it does not improve the look or improve the maintenance significantly over Optimum Tire Bond. The main advantage of TPC is when applied correctly it virtually eliminates any tire browning for six months so that you basically can clean with ONR. When you have ribbed sidewalls, dirt gets trapped that you still should be using APC to clean tires. For application of TPC, I use some of the cheapest microfiber towels you can find at Walmart (11% Polyamide and 89% polyesters). You generally want low polyamide content to avoid TPC being absorbed in the microfiber towel. I also cut the the towels into quarters (roughly 6 inch by 6 inch) then fold over once on one side and twice on other side making a 3 inch wide by 1.5 inch applicator. I find this makes a nice edge for TPC to most tires. I will typically use a clip to hold the applicator so I can more easily control and prevent the applicator from unfolding.

Based upon my experience using a rinseless/waterless wash from another company(Ultima) than contains silicon, it significantly increased wiper chatter which increases abrasion on the wiper blades. Seems counter-intuitive as to what silicon is marketed for but this is what I observed. Made sure to never use that product again especially on the windshield.

The only reason to use OCW on a vehicle with OCP+ is as a clay lube. As Ron stated, OCP+ will shed OCW very quickly (in days) but it is a better clay lube than just ONR in order to minimize potential marring of your coated vehicle. The unique feature of OCW is the ability to restore some UV inhibitors in degraded clear coat (based on patent) but unnecessary for ceramic coated vehicle.

I typical use a ONR (at standard 256:1 dilution) dampened (not dripping wet like on painted surfaces) microfiber towel to initially wipe the glass surface and while it is still wet apply a half pump of Opti Seal for 2-3 sq ft area (one half pump for typical side window, one full pump for typical front windshield). I follow with drying the glass surface with a dry microfiber towel (prefer waffle weave for glass as it removes more residue in my experience). So effectively using Opti-Seal as drying aid but use sparingly. I find the Opti-Seal removes removes more residue that ONR alone and thus less streaks in single drying wipe. Opti-Seal is rated for six months but real world conditions(especially Canadian winters with road salt) are typically 50% of rated due to the chemical exposure. Exception to this are ceramic coatings due to their high chemical resistance which is the main reason for applying a ceramic coating. The polymers from the ONR washes maybe providing the beading you are seeing and not the original application of Opti-Seal. Have to choose your wash solution carefully to ensure nothing is left behind for such a test.

Instant Detailer is mild cleaner (suitable for light dust) with Gloss Enhancer. No real lasting protection ability with this product. At lower temperatures, the gloss enhancer component is probably the cause of some the streaking requiring follow up wipe. Opti-Coat No Rinse (yellow pro ONR) includes the same gloss enhancer which I found would ocaissionaly streak on first dry wipe at cold temperatures (especially when using additional drying aid). Opti-Seal is a polymer based sealant which has a nominal life of 3 months when applied dry (probably 1 month when applied as drying aid). I found virtually no streaking when using this as drying aid at cold temperatures. Because it is polymer based sealant it can be used on interior surfaces without issues. Using ONR with small spray of Opti-Seal on windows is the ultimate streak free window cleaner (both inside and outside). Hyper Seal is a SiO2 based sealant which has a nominal life of 6 months when applied dry (probably 2-3 months when applied as drying aid). This product has tendency to streak like the Gloss Enhancer especially at colder temperatures. First time I used Hyper Seal as drying aid with OCNR (yellow ONR), it streaked really bad that I had to go over areas at least 3-4 times. Since it is a SiO2 based product, I would not recommend using on interior surfaces like Opti-Seal. Slickness and gloss is slightly better than Opti-Seal but user experience is not as good (especially in colder temps). I personally currently use Hyper Seal as my drying aid but I am trying to maintain my ceramic coating. Once it is all gone, I will probably use a different SiO2 based spray that is less prone to streaking. For a non-ceramic coated vehicle, Opti-Seal is probably a better option. I would switch to Opti-Seal as your drying aid and go back over with light application (to reduce potential of streaking) of Instant Detailer after it is dry to boost gloss.

Considering you are in Halifax and it is winter, it is best to have some additional topper during the curing time. Gloss Coat can get wet within a few hours without issue but I would be more concerned about the salt build up driving around affecting the coating during the 7 day cure time. If you don't have access to Opti-Seal, I would consider doing a light ONR wash of any salt build up daily. Yvan indicated than ONR only wash is safe after 24-48 hours but should be reserved for emergency cases. Or just be prepared to re-apply Gloss Coat on the lower body panels in the spring. Note, like you I prefer Hyper Seal as a drying aid/topper for the exterior surfaces but Opti-Seal is excellent for interior surfaces (especially windows combined with ONR). I've had my 8 oz container of Opti-Seal for 4 years and have barely used 2 oz while maintaining two vehicles. So an 8 oz bottle can easily last a lifetime and is good investment if you intend to apply more Optimum ceramic coatings.

Have fun. Only thing missing that I would recommend is potentially acquiring some Opti-Seal. Apply this after a minimum of 1 hour (maybe 2 hrs if below 15 deg C in garage) after application of Gloss Coat. This will protect Optimum ceramic coating for the one week cure time before full chemical resistance is achieved. Do not use Hyper Seal (not the same) as it will interfere with the cure process of Gloss Coat. Note, if it is currently cold in the garage (below 5 deg C), I would recommend waiting till spring. Coating relies on moisture in the air to properly cure which is significantly reduced at low temperatures. Optimum typically recommends minimum 15 deg C for coating application. Just did Gloss Coat to my newly acquired Blue Tesla Model 3 but I have a heater in my garage to get temp above 15 deg C.

I generally find there is little need to use an APC (such as Power Clean ) on tires with TPC as it eliminates the browning that typically occurs. I will typically just use ONR dampened microfiber towel for cleaning tires with TPC applied. For the rims, it depends on the amount of brake dust accumulated. If very little, the ONR dampened microfiber towel will probably be very effective (especially if rims are coated). For maintenance washes, I have started using P and S Brake Buster (at 1:1 dilution ratio). For pure cleaning power, Power Clean is superior but Brake Buster has certain advantages specifically for rims. It has a slight gel like consistency (even at 1:1 dilution) that allows it to cling to rims for longer dwell time. In fact undiluted, some of my sprayers have a hard time with this product. The second advantage is it contains a rust inhibitor. This is very apparent on large disk brakes where they do not turn deep orange after they dry unlike when washing using other APCs. Brake Buster is decent at cleaning lightly browned tires so you can use single product for rims and tires. However, if tires have severe browning (badly neglected) then Power Clean will get you the best result in fewer applications (1-2 vs 3-5).

I would not worry about the plastic trim as the "Hyper Triplets" are known not to stain plastic trim. In fact I have occasionally used Hyper Polish to remove built up compound/wax (white residue) build up on black plastic trim. The rubber trim I would be a bit more cautious as depending on the rubber, it can be slightly porous. This might allow some of the Hyper polish to be absorbed and slightly lighten the rubber trim (similar to how porous foam polishing pad can become discoloured). I am sure you can restore it to it's original condition using Power Clean (3:1 dilution ratio) but to be safe I would test a small area to confirm. It may be less work to tape up the rubber trim if it proves to be problematic.

I applied it to my Alpine White BMW wagon without issue. The key to see the flash (as stated by Ron) is good lighting and looking off angle of the panel. If looking straight down on the panel, it will be harder to see on lighter coloured vehicles.

When applying to non-coated car maybe not an issue but when I did my optimization training with Yvan Opti-Seal was to be applied 1 hour after coating application (to protect during 1 week cure time) and then if you wanted to boost gloss, OID could be applied half an hour after Opti-Seal. The main purpose for OID is to enhance gloss which may be partially lost if applied first with Opti-Seal afterwards. I would consider reversing yor process with Opti-Seal as drying aid and OID applied afterwards.

Ron I don't know if that answered my question. In my optimization training, it was stated that applying OCW (or ONRWW) first will not interfere with Opti-Seal bonding to the paint. Is this the same for Hyper-Seal? Or is it better to use plain ONR (if claying do not use OCW) to maximize the adhision of Hyper-Seal since it is a SiO2 based sealant vs a polymer based sealant.

I know Optimum has stated there is no compatibility issue between OCW (or ONRWW) and Opti-Seal in that Opti-Seal is able to penetrate wax and still bond with paint. I wonder if the same is true for Hyper Seal.

The best maintenance product to use on top of opti glass pro (or non pro glass coating) is Optimum Glass Clean and Protect. I would definitely stay away from putting Rain X on top of the Optimum glass coating on the windshield as it is more of wax type product that could impact clarity which is critical for the windshield. For the other windows with opti coat pro plus (ceramic coating) you could try Optimum Glass Clean and Protect but toppers for ceramic coatings may be most compatible. Opti-Seal may be best as it is also extremely good for interior of windows (note do not use Optimum Glass Clean and Protect on interior as it can cause condensation issues).