Optimum Opti-Coating - Durability Test Review!!!

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The purpose of this test is to document the durability and effectiveness of Optimum Opti-Coat. Unlike mainstream polymer paint sealants & waxes, this coating is not offered to the general public and is only sold to licensed and insured professional detailers. After hearing several people raving about the results of this new product I reached out to Dr. Ghodoussi @ Optimum to discuss its properties as well as the marketing direction this product is intended to satisfy. I suggested to Dr. G that I’d like to do an independent test on my new company car to see if this product is as good as everyone claims. He showed a moderate amount of interest at 1st, but when I told him that I’d only be washing only with Dawn dish soap & harsh Touchless car washes he became even more awakened to say the least. To add fuel to the fire, I told him that I’d only be applying the product to ½ the vehicle and the paint on the factory hood would be sanded flat to test the product’s UV ability. We’ll, the rest is history…..

 

Here are the particulars on the car. 2010 Ford Fusion – Silver clear coat metallic. I contacted my sales rep@ Plantation Ford (Plantation, FL) to insist that nobody lay a single hand on my car except the Tech to do the mechanical prepping. This one came 100% defect free.

 

 

 

 

Here’s how it beaded with ZERO protection:

 

 

 

 

 

Top horizontal place of the hood was sanded 95% flat. I used 3M 1500 Trizact(wet) with my Porter Cable XP on speed 3.5. This clear is ROCK HARD & I ended up going through 5 discs of paper on just the hood!! I then refined the 1500 with 3M 3000 grit Trizact(wet).

 

 

 

 

 

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I then removed the sand scratches with Meg’s M105 via Lake Country Cyan (blue) by PC using the Kevin Brown Method (KBM). I then followed with Meg’s M205 via CL White via PC too.

 

 

 

50/50 Sanded Shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, there is quite a large difference in texture after the sanding process. I’m anxious to see if any premature failure occurs (on either side) as this car will be parked 100% outside and runs at least 8 hours per day, 5 days a week in the hot S. Florida climate!

 

 

Orange Peel (no sanding):

 

Orange Peel (after sanding):

 

 

 

 

PREP PROCESS

 

Beading with M205 oils:

 

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Dawn Wash:

 

 

Soaking:

 

 

Beading after Dawn:

 

 

AM Blue Clay Magic (H2O Flush Technique):

 

 

Optimum Power Clean (totally killed beading):

 

 

No More Beading after Power Clean:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Alcohol Wipe Down:

 

 

 

The Driver’s Side of vehicle was taped off for application of the sealant:

 

 

 

 

Tools used for application of the Coating:

 

 

Coating was applied to every square inch of the Driver’s side of vehicle (paint/chrome/trim/glass):

 

 

 

After the coating was allowed to “set up”, the tape was removed and the residual was wiped towards/into the applied section. This was to cut down the “hard line” and to not cross contaminate the uncoated side (to eliminate a sque result).

 

 

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This is what the coating looks like after it’s completely dry. I used a product dampened applicator and pushed down on an inconspicuous area of the back glass. This product is literally like an epoxy-like coating of glass. This will be interesting to watch as time goes on:

 

 

 

After coating is applied:

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s 1 of the 2 ways this vehicle will be washed. The other will be with Dawn.

 

 

 

 

As you can see, after roughly 1 month beading is very strong:

 

Frost on car:

 

 

 

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Rain sitting on dirty finish:

 

 

 

 

I’ll keep posting results every few months as the testing continues……..

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6 MONTH UPDATE

 

Well the 6 month mark has snuck up quickly and this product is outperforming my expectations by a mile!! I’ve been religiously washing my car with a weekly dose of Dawn dish soap as well as monthly trips to the Touchless Automatic and I can honestly say this product’s durability has gone unchanged from the day I 1st applied it. I’ve closely watched it’s characteristics on a regular basis under several environments and it is truly an amazing product. In all my years (decades) of car care, I have never seen another product or concept defy mainstream and unconventional properties like this product. It’s nothing like I originally thought it would be to say the least. In laymen’s terms; it’s basically like applying an additional layer of clearcoat that constantly beads water. In addition to this, it’s cleaning power and scratch resistancy is unparelled to any other. I look forward to continued testing and at this point have confidence that this product will most likely outlast my companionship with this vehicle (approximately 2 years). I’ll be updating this thread as needed and will be testing this coating against other mainstream sealants to compare their durability in regards to my wash methods employed.

 

Remember: Entire Driver’s side of vehicle has been coated (glass/paint/trim/wheels)

 

 

Basic shots of morning dew (surface is dirty too):

 

 

 

 

 

Rinsed off:

 

 

 

 

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I took a trip across the state a few weeks ago and got slammed with Love Bugs! Here’s the results of the cleaning power this product has on bug guts that were left on for about 2 weeks.

 

I used the wipers and as you can see the coated side (driver) easily sheds the debris. The passenger doesn’t:

 

 

Uncoated/Bare (passenger):

 

 

 

Coated (driver):

 

 

 

 

 

I then used my pressure washer(~1500 psi) to pre-blast the bugs off the finish prior to hand washing:

 

 

 

Observe the beading strength on the coating:

 

 

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After the initial bug blasting, I used a leaf blower to dry the front end (didn’t want to wipe a towel across the still dirty paint):

 

 

 

Here’s the results documenting the cleaning ability of this product after 6 months on a surface:

 

Coated:

 

 

 

 

 

Uncoated:

 

 

 

 

 

Additional Comparison:

 

 

 

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1 YEAR REVIEW

 

Here is my 1 year observation on the Optimum Opti-Coating. The product is holding up incredibly well. Even after weekly hand washes with Dawn Dish soap and monthly Touchless car washing. As a refresher, the entire Driver’s side ½ of this vehicle has been treated with the coating. This includes paint, chrome, textured trim, plastic and glass. No Wax, Sealants, Waterless washes or Quick Detailers have ever been used anywhere on the exterior of this vehicle. There are no discernable differences or loss in protection, beading, shine, gloss with the product or vehicle thus far. It has outperformed my expectations in every aspect that I can imagine. The only section that has “failed” is the portion of the windshield where the wipers run over(due to friction). The areas around it have diminished quite a bit, but are still shedding water very differently than the uncoated passenger side. Bottom line, the product is sticking to the finish like a refrigerator magnet!! Still easy to clean, does not get heavy build up of road oils, even at it’s most dirtiest moment. Just a quick blast of the pressure washer removes 90% of any dirt buildup. Most conclusions are based on comparisons to the characteristics of the uncoated sides as well as past vehicles I’ve cared for throughout my 20+ years of reconditioning vehicles.

 

 

Here’s a quick video I filmed with my Smart phone to document some of the characteristics on the coating:

 

 

In addition to the coating testing, Dawn dish soap has not damaged any part of this vehicle thus far. Even bare metal components show no signs of corrosion like many people warned. The paint is as glossy on the untreated side as it is on the treated one. Rubber seals, weather stripping and belt moldings are still in like new condition. And this vehicle is not garage kept and can stay running for up to 8+ hours per day in the brutally hot S. Florida salty environment.

 

 

As a side note, because this vehicles has a tendency of spending up to 8+ hours per day at various Body Shops, there is a slight bit of overspray on it. This undoubtedly has effected the way the water beads as the water is beading on a surface speckled with paint overspray rather than a bare one. After discussing this issue with Dr. G, he supplied me with their Water Spot Remover. I will be testing this product, coupled with a fine grade clay bar to clean the coating. Even though the coating is still strongly on the surface, it may require additional topcoat cleaning as a maintenance type of service. This may vary based on climate and environmental surroundings.