Detail Mutant

GPS is one of those all in one products (light polish and apply sealant in one step) that was the craze about 5 years ago. If you don't have machine polisher to apply, I would not bother with this product as it is unlikely to save much time. I assume you are going to just polish those areas by hand with potential hard water etching. I have never used Optimum spray polishes/compounds by hand and considering the proper method for using is to prime pad with ONR then apply spray polish to pad, I have my doubts on your ability to recreate using on microfiber towel wrapped around your finger. All current Optimum spray polishes use non-diminishing abrasives which will not provide best results for good finish when applying by hand (too inconsistent in pressure applied by user). You are better off using a polish with diminishing abrasives. One such product that the Rag Company often promotes is The Last Cut. After hand polishing simply wipe away polish residue with ONR dampened microfiber towel, spray Opti-Seal over ONR wet area then dry with your standard microfiber drying towel.

For the OPC (step #2), I would recommend agitating the OPC on the painted surfaces before rinsing off. Just spraying on and rinsing off will only remove the weakest of wax/sealants. My preferred method of agitating is using ONR soaked high quality microfiber towel (70/30 polyamide mix and at least 400 GSM). My preferred towel for this agitation process is The Minx Royal from the Rag Company. It has unique weave that makes it feel like a sponge (and very soft) when soaked in ONR. The agitation with ONR soaked towel will help neutralize the OPC so that less water is required to rinse the vehicle as well. If the vehicle is exposed to road salt, I would also recommend MDR for the lower panels as OPC alone is not affective in removing the salt buildup.

Especially if using on softer paints will need to follow up with Hyper Polish. Generally I have found Intensive Polish provides more than acceptable finish on harder paints (BMW, Mercedes) when used with appropriate pad. As Ron indicated all sprayable polishes/compounds contain additive for improving coating bond so only depends on what result you want based on the paint you are working on.

Unless something has changed in the last two years, Hyper Polish and Primer Polish (comes in opti-coat kits) is the same. All Optimum sprayable polishes/compounds (Hyper Polish, Intensive Polish and Hyper Compound) contain additive which aids in Optimum coatings bonding to the surface. So in fact depending on paint you can finish with Intensive Polish before applying coating.

For wheels that are especially dirty and/or do not have a ceramic coating, it is best to perform initial wash with an APC (Power Clean in the case of Optimums line as stated by Ron), Typically Power Clean diluted at 3:1 to 5:1 is most appropriate for exterior surfaces. I personally prefer to use P&S Brake Buster instead of Power Clean as it contains a rust inhibitor. Not quite as effective at cleaning (especially tires) such that I typically use it at 1:1 to 2:1 dilution ratio but it also costs half as much as Power Clean. I have noticed significant less rust build up on the rotors after drying when using Brake Buster (slightly dulled versus deep orange).

Sounds like a spray version of Gloss Coat which is also a hybrid SiO2/SiC coating. Assume it is safe to apply to Gloss Coat after one hour (unlike previous SiO2 version) like you can for the Pro coatings without affecting the ability of Gloss Coat to cure.

In my experience, I have not seen Ferrex induce surface etching on brake rotors but that may vary based upon the metal composition/quality of the brake rotors. The best method to avoid getting any Ferrex on your rotors is to perform a wheels off detail so overspray can't reach the brakes. I have both winter and summer tire sets and typically only apply Ferrex on the rims at nominal 6 months changeover with the wheels off the vehicle. As long as you are regularly cleaning rims (every two weeks or less) with Power Clean (or other APC), there should minimal build up of imbedded iron contaminants that application of Ferrex can be reduced to a 6-12 month period. Besides on a volume basis, Ferrex is very expensive and I am cheap.

I think you are better off applying your Power Clean solution (typically 5:1 for exterior surfaces) directly to panel and then agitate with ONR dampened tool (high GSM microfiber towel or flagged tip body brush). Adding ONR directly to Power Clean will start to reduce the effectiveness of the Power Clean. Since the main purpose in adding ONR is lubrication then it should be added at the point of agitation in order to minimize potential marring of paint surface. I typically perform this form of Power Clean wash every six months (spring and fall) on my vehicles to remove stubborn bonded contaminants. Just make sure to thoroughly rinse the Power Clean residue (especially from glass).

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.