New to Opti-coat questions


Mr.Outback

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Hi.  Just had my Subaru Outback coated with Opti-Coat+ (3 was not available).  Opti-Coat replaces an abysmal dealer-applied ceramic "mystery coating".  Vehicle now sits in 60 degree F garage waiting for curing to complete enough to drive on icy roads (was told 7 - 14 days are needed, been 5 days so far).  I don't know if detailer coated car with Opti Seal, but they did provide Hyperseal and ONR (was told not to use Hyperseal until coating cures) .

Some questions:

1.   Does 7 day wait apply wrt using ONR on coating ?

2.   What other coatings might damage Opti Coat+ even after curing (my detailer advised me to junk 303, Turtle Wax Graphene/Seal and Shine, all other wax or spray coatings.) ?

3.  Will there be any future benefit to adding Opti Coat 3 to a vehicle already coated with Opti Coat+ , and does vehicle need to be re-polished in order to accept Opti Coat 3 ?

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Welcome to the OPT Forum!  ONR can be used before the cure time for spot cleaning, but it's better to wait the full 7 days.  You can use other waxes/sealants after the 7 days (not polishes or cleaner waxes), but they will not bond to Opti-Coat Pro.  Hyper Seal is your best option for an effective/durable topper.  Opti-Coat Pro would need to be polished off prior to applying OC3. 

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Thnx for info, Ron.  I've been told not to use Hyper-seal before 7 days, so am waiting for coating to cure first.   Am curious how much more OC3 would have cost than OC/OC+  I had installed  ( $2K cost for OC/OC+, and required polishing to remove that badly implemented "dealer "ceramic" coat"),  and whether OC3 (possibly at later date) would be wise choice given the clearcoat would have to be polished again.  In any event, YouTuber Pan the Organizer has apparently been having good results with Opti Coat so I am hopeful OC/OC+ will perform well.  Side note:  I used ONR to clean inside my slightly dirty wheel wells, but noted the tufted sponge used got very dirty and would not rinse clean in OCR: required laundry detergent, manual squeezing and machine wash to get sponge clean.

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Pricing on OC3 is supplied by individual installers.  There are some differences in hardness and chemical resistance between OC3 and OCP+, beyond the warranty period, but I'm not sure it's worth polishing one to get the other.

ONR can stain wash media (part of the encapsulating magic) but will wash out in dish detergent and hot water...or laundry detergent.

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Thnx for info on ONR, Ron.  My ONR sponge rinsed out fine with laundry detergent.   My installer never mentioned OC3, which is why I asked about it.  But given its reputation and results with other detailers, I'll leave my vehicle's OC+ as is, maintaining as recommended.

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Thnx again, Ron.  I learned today why Opti3 was not offered to me: apparently to offer Opti3 the detailer must be an exclusive OptiCoat detailer (no competing  products), which he isn't.  So he doesn't even have Opti3, which he did say was priced substantially higher than Opti+ (I won't quote amount per your previous comment).  No matter....will see how the distribution of Opti3 shakes out over the next few years while Opti+ and other Optimum products protect my current car.

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OC3 is a new product and yes, we require exclusivity to sell it.  One other observation - I'm somewhat nervous with you washing your sponge in the washing machine.  At least for a high end sponge like the Big Red Sponge, I would NOT recommend that, afraid it would reduce the life span. 

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Fortunately our non-exclusive detailers (_very_ few  of any detailers where I live, but local one's 20+ years experience) have Opti+  which seems well applied and other than maintenance treatment is final coating for my current Subie.   For next vehicle a few years out, perhaps OC3 will become more available.

As for washing, no worries....I am using a supplied pro soft fiber mitt and am being very careful while applying ONR.   The sponge I've used before is a microfiber-covered tufted sponge similar to what the Rag Company shows being used for their application of ONR - am also very gentle while using the sponge.  Will consider adding Big Red Sponge at later date and will remember recommendations for its care.  Rag Company showed me technique of pre-spraying ONR onto surfaces and allowing it to dwell before beginning washing : I'll use that for future washes.

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Should add a possible reason my local detailer is not "exclusive" to OptiCoat products is that he prefers two part windshield glass sealers to single coatings.  He does many trucks and wants glass coatings to be as tough as possible.  Right now my windshield has Glassparancy (it __used__ to have Crystal Fusion which my car dealer installed but wouldn't fix after it quickly went bad  (that 2-parter made wipers chatter and turned glass into sandpaper - ick).  The rest of my vehicle, including side glass and trim, has  Opti Coat products.

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