Lots of streaking after application. :(

[Temjinck]

I've just opti-coated my car (white Hyundai i30) and was very disappointed to see a lot of "streaking" / hazing type pattern in various part of the vehicle.

 

I thought I had done all the necessary research. However, I did not realise other users were having trouble as well (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/36227-my-opti-coat-2-0-impressions-questions.html) and the application seem to be more difficult than I originally anticipated.

 

Feeling very frustrated because I've spent the last whole week polishing my car every night to get the desired correction and now, just one application and I messed up the whole car.

 

Here is what I've done.

 

- Washed the car first.

- Cleaned the surface with a solvent. (Methylated Spirit in Australia, it's not exactly IPA but I know it works just as fine)

- Condition the pad first with X, and start with the bonnet, going forward and backward and then side by side.

- The application was done in partial sunlight, so finding high spots was relatively easy enough.

- However, streaking appears very shortly and I tried to correct them by using the pad again. (not via MF cloth as recommended officially here)

 

Unfortunately, the streaking appears everywhere else randomly and by the time I tried to correct them, the coat flashed already and it's already too late. I really have on idea why some areas are crystal clear and some areas have these streaking.

 

Now it's already dried and partially cured, what can I do to remove those streaks but not removing the coat completely?

 

Can I use a LS blue pad with a final finish type polish (very fine cute) to smooth those surface? Should I do it as soon as possible? Do I need to reapply the coat?

 

And how to prevent such streaking in the future? I thought I had done everything right.

 

The OP from that autogeek post noted that the only way to solve this is to lightly buff the surface with a MF pad. I knew this was a method but it wasn't recommended here! And now an user found this to be a very important step.

 

 

Please advise! Thanks

 

P.S: VERY FRUSTRATED, my poor white car.

[Joel Blake]

I've just opti-coated my car (white Hyundai i30) and was very disappointed to see a lot of "streaking" / hazing type pattern in various part of the vehicle.

 

I thought I had done all the necessary research. However, I did not realise other users were having trouble as well (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/36227-my-opti-coat-2-0-impressions-questions.html) and the application seem to be more difficult than I originally anticipated.

 

Feeling very frustrated because I've spent the last whole week polishing my car every night to get the desired correction and now, just one application and I messed up the whole car.

 

Here is what I've done.

 

- Washed the car first.

- Cleaned the surface with a solvent. (Methylated Spirit in Australia, it's not exactly IPA but I know it works just as fine)

- Condition the pad first with X, and start with the bonnet, going forward and backward and then side by side.

- The application was done in partial sunlight, so finding high spots was relatively easy enough.

- However, streaking appears very shortly and I tried to correct them by using the pad again. (not via MF cloth as recommended officially here)

 

Unfortunately, the streaking appears everywhere else randomly and by the time I tried to correct them, the coat flashed already and it's already too late. I really have on idea why some areas are crystal clear and some areas have these streaking.

 

Now it's already dried and partially cured, what can I do to remove those streaks but not removing the coat completely?

 

Can I use a LS blue pad with a final finish type polish (very fine cute) to smooth those surface? Should I do it as soon as possible? Do I need to reapply the coat?

 

And how to prevent such streaking in the future? I thought I had done everything right.

 

The OP from that autogeek post noted that the only way to solve this is to lightly buff the surface with a MF pad. I knew this was a method but it wasn't recommended here! And now an user found this to be a very important step.

 

 

Please advise! Thanks

 

P.S: VERY FRUSTRATED, my poor white car.

 

Opti-Coat doesn't "streak" mate. What would be happening here is the excess that hasn't been levelled or wiped clean correctly.

 

I've found Opti-Coat 2.0 to leave similar traces in our current weather that doesn't want to self level. Once it has flashed and giving you that rainbow type look I lightly wipe it clean. Double and triple check your work in full sun or adequate lighting.

 

A blue pad and finishing polish on your polisher will remove and then apply again. It won't be completely hardened yet so will come off quite easily.

 

Welcome to coatings. Even some professionals don't get it right first go.

[SuperiorShine]

Firstly I'd ditch the metho, use wax and grease remover then go over the panel again with a spritz of water and microfibre towel to remove any residue from the solvent. Ive found on dark colours solvents leave a streaky residue.

 

Also even the slightest amount of heat will cause the coating to leave the streaking effect and no matter how much you wipe it the coating will smear excess everywhere. Even on a 15degree day ive had it do it and the panel wasn't even hot. The less high spots you have to remove the better chance you have cause you won't have to wipe it.

 

I also found on the bonnet that had slight streaking I came out the next day and it had gone.

[Temjinck]

Opti-Coat doesn't "streak" mate. What would be happening here is the excess that hasn't been levelled or wiped clean correctly.

 

I've found Opti-Coat 2.0 to leave similar traces in our current weather that doesn't want to self level. Once it has flashed and giving you that rainbow type look I lightly wipe it clean. Double and triple check your work in full sun or adequate lighting.

 

A blue pad and finishing polish on your polisher will remove and then apply again. It won't be completely hardened yet so will come off quite easily.

 

Welcome to coatings. Even some professionals don't get it right first go.

 

Sorry, I probably got the terminology wrong then.

 

I've just went back to the car and used the blue pad/finishing polish and cleared those traces by hand. Did not used the machine at all.

 

This was around 6 hours after the application.

 

Would the coat be completely removed by this action after this time? As the traces were all over the place, I would have no idea where to reapply the coat.

 

An observation I've made was when I lightly polished the traces away (clearly visible under fluro night at a particular angle), I could not tell the differences between the area I just removed and the "coated area" which had no such traces. I would have thought the coat would be faintly visible when compared side by side with the area that I removed. So I hope the coat is still on.

 

Firstly I'd ditch the metho, use wax and grease remover then go over the panel again with a spritz of water and microfibre towel to remove any residue from the solvent. Ive found on dark colours solvents leave a streaky residue.

 

Also even the slightest amount of heat will cause the coating to leave the streaking effect and no matter how much you wipe it the coating will smear excess everywhere. Even on a 15degree day ive had it do it and the panel wasn't even hot. The less high spots you have to remove the better chance you have cause you won't have to wipe it.

 

I also found on the bonnet that had slight streaking I came out the next day and it had gone.

 

The methylated spirit is actually clear colour and does not seem to leave any residual. (I did check under bright sunlight as a test before I use it) I avoided using the coloured one.

 

I see regarding the heat. Funny enough, it's winter here and the arvo was fairly "cool". I did indeed applied it under the sun because I needed adequate lighting.

 

Regardless, I might have panicked for a bit there. I hope the coat is still on after I finish removing those traces with the blue pad.

 

Thanks guys.

[Perfections Detail]

The key to application is having a perfectly clean surface. Ive been using griots pre wax cleaner with outstanding results, the coating even feels smoother after it's cured for whatever reason I'm unsure.

[Joel Blake]

No applying in the sun! Go down to Bunnings and buy yourself a $20 set of Halogen Lights so that you do have some lighting.

 

You need to re-do the whole panel. So polish as you have been and reapply. Wipe on and then re-wipe the high spots to try and level it as much as possible with the applicator.

 

Anything that you can't level with the applicator or doesn't self level after a few minutes give a light wipe with your microfibre.

 

As long as you don't apply in the sun and ensure the excess is removed, application will be flawless. Once you finish the panel leave it to cure and you're done.

[Temjinck]

No applying in the sun! Go down to Bunnings and buy yourself a $20 set of Halogen Lights so that you do have some lighting.

 

You need to re-do the whole panel. So polish as you have been and reapply. Wipe on and then re-wipe the high spots to try and level it as much as possible with the applicator.

 

Anything that you can't level with the applicator or doesn't self level after a few minutes give a light wipe with your microfibre.

 

As long as you don't apply in the sun and ensure the excess is removed, application will be flawless. Once you finish the panel leave it to cure and you're done.

 

Doh, I saw someone demonstrated the application in the sun before. Thought it would be ok.

 

The traces are still removable with the blue pad and the finishing foam. I need to ask why do I need to reapply the whole thing again? Most of the panels are perfectly fine. I thought the coating is so tough (after 24 hours) than you need to use compounding and cutting pad via machine to really remove it. The blue pad and the finishing polish shouldn't removed the entire coating at all.

 

As I said, when I did a light hand polish on those traces, it requires several tries to get it. There were some really isolated high spots that weren't obvious at all (in a fairly hideous spot). I could not remove them with this combo at all. This give me the impression the coating is quite tough already.

 

And again, when I did remove those traces, and compare to the area right next to it with a perfect coat, there was no differences at all from naked eye in the best light source.

 

I'm going to leave it and use water to test for beading. If the "polished" area don't bead at all, then I will know the coating was completely removed.

 

Just don't feel like polishing the whole car again because ...

 

- My RA polisher broke done.

- It was faulty and killed my two orange pads, purchased from oversea.

- The whole polishing process took me a whole week, 10+ hours (spread across every night), taken an extra leave, plus I hurt my arms because I wasn't holding the machine correctly.

 

You can say I'm not so keen to do a compound cutting on the whole car again. heh

[Temjinck]

You shouldn't need to use a compound to fix the over application. Just a light polish to remove the excess...but I'd do it with a machine for sure.

 

Thanks Chris.

 

I've managed to remove a majority of the traces via spot hand polishing with blue pad. It takes a bit to do it but at least I feel more comfortable with it than using a machine which could remove a bigger area and deeper of the coat than necessary.

 

Just coated my chrome accessories with the coat as well. Unfortunately, small traces are still visible despite it was done inside the house (no sun) and with light buffs off MF pad. I am still not sure how it is possible to apply to a surface with perfect clear result without the need to do very light polish to get rid of those traces later.

[Andy White]

When I applied Opti-Guard, I would spread the coating then reach for a MF towel and wipe the surface right away to buff off / level out the areas that hadn't flashed off.

[amf]

No problem applying OC 2.0 here and it was my first time using a product that flashes almost right after application. This is also the first time I have tried an Optimum Product. I guess the key in application is the proper amount of OC in the applicator. I certainly used a lot less than the initial "X" pattern on the applicator as suggested.

 

I have also OC'd my Smartphones, Tablets and aluminum Macs. They are now a lot easier to wipe clean and are scratch resistant! I'm impressed is an understatement..

[Fabs]

I would suggest you to wait for it to flash (dry a little) and watch it very carefully before moving to the next panel. Start buffing off very lightly with a soft and clean mf cloth, then put some more pressure to deal with high spots. I like to apply a second coat to make sure everything is covered. Never do this job in a hurry.

 

If in the end, when doing final inspection, you spot some high spots, try using some wax and grease remover to eliminate it. It is still not too dry after a couple of hours so WGR may still able to remove it without having to use a polish. Reapply O.C. on that area. I like doing final inspection under day light so take the car outside if possible.

 

Avoid using metho when doing prep, it is not pure alcohol and its not formulated to be used on automotive paintwork. Stick to Isop. Alcohol (the best option but too expensive in Australia) or auto wax and grease remover.

 

Remember to discard the applicator and mf cloths after you're done. I always use new mf cloths (2 - 3 large ones per car) and cut them in half and throw them in the rags bag straight away when I finish so it doesn't get mixed up with my polish cloths.

 

I hope it helps.

[seech]

I find what works best for me is to apply a few drops of the OptiCoat onto the paint and spread it evenly with a MF applicator pad. If there are any high spots I go over them with the MF pad and leave it to flash off and dry for about a minute or so. I then come back to the same area and go over it agein with a MF towel to ensure any remaining high spots are completely removed and the OptiCoat is evenly spread throughout the entire panel.

 

Hope this helps! It works for me...

[srhtx]

I have a question about what it looks like after 24 hours of being on a vehicle. Is the paint going to collect dirt/dust like crazy? I'm working on a '11 Dodge Ram 3500 Dully with a major lift kit on it. That lift kit is why I have not finished it. LOL Too darn tall where there is nothing that allows me to reach the top of the roof.

 

Anyways..... The paint feels very course and dirty. Is it suppose t feel like that? I know there are very few areas where there are makes, from not being wiped down all of the way, showing on its black paint. I've removed the marks but, the next day, the paint feels very course like the paint needs to be clayed.

 

How is the paint suppose to feel the next to few days after you are done?

[Guest Jgarcia]

Sorry for the resurrection but I am in the same boat as the op and I thought of using this thread instead of starting a new thread.

 

My situation is the exact same. I have some streaking on the paint. Part of it due to applying in the sun (my guess). Now I have not had a chance to repolish my car, so the coating has been on the car for over 24 hours now.

 

The reason I am resurrecting this is to get some feedback on how to polish the streaks. I do not want to over polish the paint and I am trying to keep my polishing hours to the minimum while achieving an excellent job.

 

Weather here has been really mild and it has rained (it was not supposed to), so I am hoping to remove/level the opti gloss (mine is opti gloss and not opti coat) with a blue pad and hyper polish.

Should I polish the car as soon as possible to avoid the finish hardening much? I won't be available to do this until tomorrow morning, at that point the coating has been on the paint for 48 hours.

[Kiddetailer]

For BlackFriday, I'm ordering some Gloss Coat. This is my first time doing coatings.

 

As I keep trying to study the application process...it doesn't sound too hard. Sounds just like you were waxing your car, except you would use something like CarPro Eraser to prep the surface first.

 

 

I'm also ordering the optimum dual pro applicator to apply the Gloss Coat.

 

My question is this:

 

- Can I use the Dual Pro Applicator with the side that has the coating on it to get rid of "high spots"?

 

- The Dual Pro Applicator is suppose to be reusable. Do I need to wash it with All Purpose Cleaner to get it thoroughly clean? How long can I use this applicator before it is no good anymore...assuming its like microfibers where I'm suppose to throw them away after the towel has wiped the coating.

 

Thank you For your help!