Best 1 year maintenance Opticoat Pro+?


Sephirote

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Hi everyone,

It will be soon 1 year since my car was coated with Opti Pro Plus+.

Still extremely happy with it and just wanted to make sure to maintain it properly.

I watched this video with the VP of Optimum and halfway in the video he explained there were 2 ways to maintain the coat every year.

 

- Chemical decontamination

  • Opti Coat Power Clean
  •  Opti Coat MDR
  • Opti Coat Hyper Seal
  • (he didn't mention it but I was thinking to finish off with Optimum Instant Detailer & Gloss enhancer after applying hyper seal)

- Mechanical decontamination

  • Clay towel with Optimum Car Wax as a lube

 

First, can you guys confirm that the 2 above options are the 2 correct ways to maintain the coat?

The 2nd option with mechanical decontamination is more economic in terms of products to purchase but I'm legit super warry about using a clay clothe which is abrasive on the coat. Also in the video, he mentions that using a clay clothe can cause some marring and that it should always be followed by a polishing step afterward, contradicting what he later said about maintaining the coat and using a clay clothe not followed by a polishing phase.

If someone could clarify the above for me and let me know which maintenance option is the best suited.

 

Otherwise, up to now, my routine wash has been to use ONR to wash the car and  Optimum Instand detailer & Gloss enhancer as a drying aid and so far the car still  looks absolutely gorgeous :)

 

Thank you in advance.

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The 2 ways to decontaminate paint are correct.  Remember, the need to decontaminate varies based on driving conditions & maintenance....it's not necessary every year on a predetermined schedule.  I agree that chemical decontam is safer but more product/labor intensive.  The clay towel (IMO) is less likely to mar than clay bar and the use of wax as lube (along with the extra hardness of coating) really reduces the chance of damage.  In general, Yvan's comment that clay is likely to mar and needs to be polished is more directed towards clay bar on clear coat (not OCP) and may be to protect from complaints. 

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14 hours ago, Ron@Optimum said:

The 2 ways to decontaminate paint are correct.  Remember, the need to decontaminate varies based on driving conditions & maintenance....it's not necessary every year on a predetermined schedule.  I agree that chemical decontam is safer but more product/labor intensive.  The clay towel (IMO) is less likely to mar than clay bar and the use of wax as lube (along with the extra hardness of coating) really reduces the chance of damage.  In general, Yvan's comment that clay is likely to mar and needs to be polished is more directed towards clay bar on clear coat (not OCP) and may be to protect from complaints. 

Thank you Ron for the detailed answer.

It helps a lot and thanks for clarifying Yvan's comment, it makes more sense now.

While I hear what you said about a clay towel being less likely to mar than a clay bar, I think I will go with the safer option and use chemical decontamination.

 

I have a couple of other questions if you don't mind.

- Can Power Clean be substituted with a PH neutral car shampoo or even ONR? My understanding is that the Power Clean step is simply to clean/wash the paint before treating the paint with MDR, Ferrex and Hyper Seal. Would my reasoning be correct?

- In the video Yvan uses a wheel brush to agitate Power Clean on the paint? Can I use a MF wash mitt instead?

- Also in the video, Yvan uses a big red sponge for washing the car with ONR. Wouldn't a sponge be more likely to scratch the paint VS a quality MF wash mitt or detailing MF that can capture dirt and grime and keep them away from the paint? 

 

Thanks again :)

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4 hours ago, No Soap said:

MF wash mitt is not good at releasing the dirt, that’s why a specially made sponge is much safer. There are videos that inspected the wash mediums using a microscope and the BRS released the dirt best.

Quite Interesting 👍

Looked it up online and found more details about what you said. I learned something new today thanks!

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I think you'll find that car shampoo/ONR will not remove some of the contaminates that can accumulate on paint.  For decontamination, the products Yvan uses are for specific purposes (paint prep for wax/sealants, MDR for minerals/water spots, FerreX for brake dust/ferrous metals, etc).  Power Clean is more of a generic, all purpose cleaner that does a decent job on everything, and is a product you can find many uses for. The Optimum Wheel Brush is soft but I'm still more comfortable with the BRS - No Soap is correct, it's the safest media I know of, not only due to it's inherent softness, but because the dirt is captured in it's cross cuts and away from the paint.  Just be sure to deep clean the sponge periodically.

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On 5/25/2021 at 11:57 PM, Ron@Optimum said:

I think you'll find that car shampoo/ONR will not remove some of the contaminates that can accumulate on paint.  For decontamination, the products Yvan uses are for specific purposes (paint prep for wax/sealants, MDR for minerals/water spots, FerreX for brake dust/ferrous metals, etc).  Power Clean is more of a generic, all purpose cleaner that does a decent job on everything, and is a product you can find many uses for. The Optimum Wheel Brush is soft but I'm still more comfortable with the BRS - No Soap is correct, it's the safest media I know of, not only due to it's inherent softness, but because the dirt is captured in it's cross cuts and away from the paint.  Just be sure to deep clean the sponge periodically.

Thanks for the insights, appreciate it.

 

It seems like the BRS is not available in Australia.

On opticoat AU website they only sell this blue sponge

https://www.opticoat.com.au/opti-coat-foam-wash-pad

How does the blue sponge compare to the red sponge? 

 

Also, I received my order with MDR, Ferrex and Hyper Seal. Reading the instructions on the bottles I had a couple of questions

- MDR: If I understand correctly, I shouldn't apply this on the whole car, I should only use it locally where I can see mineral spots rights?

- Ferrex: Instructions say to spray on the car, let it sit for 2 min and agitates with a MF or soft sponge. Can I spray the whole car, wait 2 min and then go around the car and agitate the product meaning that the first panel I do will sit with the product on the paint for maybe 5-10min for me to get around the car before rinsing off. Is it fine or should I work 1 panel at a time? Spray on 1 panel, agitate, rinse off and move to the next one? Which approach is the best?

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...

I do not know if THE RAG COMPANY ships internationally but they offer the successor to the Big Red Sponge, the Big Black Sponge  (fits hand somewhat better, same surface slots to help capture/contain dirt).

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The Blue sponge is traditional, is much smaller, not as soft, and not cross cut to collect dirt away from the surface - just a different animal.  There's no reason you can't apply MDR to all paint but it might be overkill. FerreX can be allowed to dry on paint (the likely result of spraying the whole car first), but I'd be more comfortable using/rinsing in smaller section.  Section by section would make removal/rinsing easier.

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