will polishing your car to remove swirls remove opti-coat?
 

as above, im planning on getting a few swirl marks removed.

Don't you have to remove the opti-coat to remove the swirls which should be under the opti-coat?

i thoughts swirls are from the clear coat

Yes it will. You're supposed to have prepped the surface prior to Opti-coat application.

Edit: Here's the idea behind Opticoat:
Metal layer // Primer layer // Paint layer // Clearcoat layer // Opti-coat
Up to clearcoat is what you get from factory. When dealerships prepare vehicles, they sometimes use rotary polishers that swirl up your clearcoat, so you would have needed to do some paint correction (light polish) to correct the swirl's you're trying to remove now.
The Opticoat layer is supposed to keep your finish looking the way it did when you applied Opticoat. Therefore proper prep work is required before its application (and why Opticoating costs so much). After that, Opticoat repels everything so that a simple wash would have your car looking like the day you put Opticoat on, that's the idea anyways.

so the opticoat is suppose to prevent swirls?

No... Swirls are commonly caused by dirt or contaminants moved around while washing a car, towels used to dry the car, basically virtually any material that touches the paint job has the potential to leave swirls.

If your vehicle was properly prepped, Opticoat will return your car to the way it looked before OC application just after a simple wash, instead of requiring you to wash/clay/polish/wax every time. OC is not a miracle worker either; you can still get paint chips from rocks, and swirls from improper care. It's main advantage is that it is tougher (lessens chance of swirls) than the factory clearcoat, and it's repellent properties (makes rain fly off my hood that sticks to my windshield).

Best practice is to use power washer w/ foam soap & blow-dry for washes. If that's not available, get lamb wool (I think that’s what it was, I use power washer) mitt and a two bucket method. Also use microfibers instead of traditional cotton towels, etc. Of course make sure microfibers are clean, or else that may create swirls.

I mentioned paint correction polish earlier, and what it does is take off a very fine layer of clearcoat to get rid of swirls and achieve a smooth finish. This is after the surface is clean, if the vehicle is dirty before polish, the polish will just help contaminants make deeper scratches.

i thought opti-coat makes the car swirl free?

Sorry if this reply is a bit long-winded...




If you've already had your car OptiCoated, the swirls you see will can be from two different places.

1. If the car was polished before OptiCoat was applied, the swirls you see are likely in the top surface of the coating itself. These may be able to be polished out, but you do run the risk of compromising some of the coating.

2. If some existing swirls were not removed prior to the coating, then what you see is UNDER the coating and in the car's clearcoat. In this case, you WILL have to polish away the coating to reach the swirls. Once they are polished out, you will need to reapply the coating.



Sorry, this isn't quite accurate. Swirl marks are from improper washing and drying, dry-wiping and other forms of careless contact with the car's paint. Buffer swirls or holograms, which you are referring to, are caused by rotary polishers, not orbitals. I know it sounds like I'm splitting hairs or being preachy, but it's important to know the difference especially if you ask your detailer what machines he uses to correct paint. In this day and age, orbital polishers are becoming more and more popular because generally speaking, they DON'T cause buffer swirls.


OptiCoat does not prevent swirls. It was never designed to. What it does is leave a semi-permanent coating on top of the factory paint that cleans easier and is more resistant to environmental contamination. It's like a permanent coat of wax, except it sheds dirt and grime much better than any wax or sealant. The byproduct is that since it cleans so easily, you have much less chance of scratching or swirling your car since contamination and debris come off with very little effort. But if you are careless with your washing and drying techniques, you still can put swirls into the coating.

You are absolutely right! That's what I meant, just a slip on my end.

No worries!:w00t:

Your second post is on point, that's what I was trying to say in my longer post but it took me too long to write it all out!

Thanks Ken. I've heard of this happening on occasion from reputable sources, but have never personally experienced it. I probably should have said "generally speaking." IIRC, I've also heard of Flex's doing it sometimes too.





I went back and edited it to clarify for anyone who might see it in the future.