Anyone do Opti-Coat 2.0 themselves???
 

I bought it and am ready to give it a try and apply it myself. I've read as much as I could find and looked at a bunch of videos.

Has anyone else done it themselves and not had it done by a professional? If so, how did it go????

I had mine done by a pro. Was afraid to mess up given the durability and permanence of the opticoat. Although, I think the actual application takes less skill than the actual prep work beforehand. Paint correction is key to remove any scratches and swirls that may be on the paint (mainly from the dealer). You can probably give it a go if you're handy a polisher prepping the paint.

I did it myself 2 days after I picked up the car. I asked the dealer to not wash/prep the outside of the car so there was minimal paint correction required. The key to it all is prep as indicated above though. Once you put the OC on, it will cover up any water spots or imperfections and they will always show. The only choice at that point is to buff out the OC, correct the imperfections, and reapply OC.

The steps are pretty much the same as a detail job. Wash, dry, inspect, clay (if necessary), perform any paint correction required, IPA wipedown, apply OC. You can see when the OC flashes over once you apply it. It's kind of like doing windows. If you see any streaks after you have applied the OC and waited for a couple minutes, just knock it down with a light wipe with a microfiber towel.

I can't hate on the DIY mentality (thats how I got started) but be thankful only minimal correction was needed. I've seen near perfect paint on brand new cars and also WTF happened here paint on new cars. All depends how many times the dealer washed it before you came into the picture

I had the DA ready if the paint required correction (minor or extensive). I've done body work and paint work previously so it's not my first rodeo so to say. I detail all my cars myself. . have been doing so for over 15 years now. It's really a shame what a lot of new cars go through when the dealerships "wash" them. No new car that I purchase will ever leave the lot washed by the dealership. :D

My car arrived in Nov in great shape from the dealer. I have been using Zanio since taking delievery. My trick is going to be to be sure that all the Zanio is gone before I apply the optic-coat.

Any amount of polishing will remove zaino. You will be fine.

I did it this past weekend and it came out great. 48 degress in the garage. Although it is not suggested to go over a section twice, I did a second coat on the hood and front bumper 40 min after the first application. Wanted to be sure I have extra protection on the area that gets the most abuse.

What I learned is that it is very helpful to quickly go over each section lightly with a micro-fiber towel right after the application to smooth out the opti-coat and prevent high spots.

Although not necessary, I plan to apply Zanio in 30 days after the opti-coat fully cures to give it extra shine and protection.:thumbup:

Didn't Zaino just come out with their own paint sealant? I used 3D Nitro and like the results.

They have a long lasting sealant that last a few months, but nothing that is permanent. Unless something brand new has come out. I have been using their Z2 for years.

How necessary is it to clay your car before opticoating? My FRS is less than a month old and not really sure it's necessary. Also where does one buy the 15% IPA wash?

Proper prep is the KEY to coating a car. Claying and removing the contaminates are absolutely needed, even with a brand new car.

Its a 15% IPA wipe down.

Remember Paint is porus. Clay will not remove particles from the pores. Only a Chemical Decon will do that.

To be honest I just did a dawn wash and made sure the car was bone dry and perfectly clean before I applied the opti-coat.

I am sure the results would be best with all the suggested steps but I am happy with my results

Sun finally came out today after 10 days of cloudy weather and the paint looks great. I did noticed I missed the area on the inside of the side mirrors and just applied some leftover to that area today.

Dawn wash as in dish soap?

Yes...as in kitchen soap for dishes For some reason it is often used when you want to remove all the old wax and clean the surface right down to the paint.

i did that before myself. youtube is your best coach.

make sure you are satisfied with the paint surface, ipa wipe down and apply opti coat, as easy as that~~

well, im going to opticoat my car this weekend. socal's in for some showers, but i'm hoping it'll miss san diego just enough for me to wash, clay and opticoat.. i know there's a curing process where sunshine helps, but i don't want to wait another week..

heres the process im going to take:
1.two bucket wash
2.rinse
3.clay with lube
4.rinse
5.ipa wipe down
6.opticoat

im doing steps 3-6 in sections of the car.. hows that sound?

Also..I've read its best to do it indoors.

Have you ever seen a paint shop paint outside? :bonk::bonk::bonk:

Of course it should be done inside. BTW, and I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but did you not read that paint needs to be decontaminated? I find it interesting that you chose a "permanent" coating yet you neglected to do proper prep work which will no doubt will cut into the durability of Opti Coat.

Please remember, that I realize that YOU paid for the car and Opti Coat and I shouldn't say anything, but my reasoning was to prevent other newbies (to detailing) like yourself make the same mistake. It is all good. :party0030:

the issue is i dont have access to a garage..sucks i know, but that's one reason why i was going to do the claying, ipa wipedown and opticoat one section at a time.. hopefully that prevents any contaminants before opti coating.

I had a feeling when you mentioned about the chance of showers that you were going to do it outdoors. Thats why I made my subtle suggestion. My advice is to rent an indoor space for a few hours if possible. Last thing you want is something to blow on the paint or bird poop, or a rain shower, in the middle of the application!

No feelings hurt! I did read it all and made the choice to do the prep the way I did it. But...I would give the advice to all newbies to follow all the steps or have a professional do it for best results. (I will post back in a few years and report how my durability is!!)

BTW..I saw all the videos of how water flows off the finish after opti-coat, and washed my car for the first time today. It really does flow off like a river!! Never seen that before with anything else I have every applied to my cars.

I opti-coated my '05 LGT a few months ago. As others have said, prep is everything since this product is truly sealing the paint and whatever condition the paint is in is how it will look.

That being said, I've been very pleased with how well this product "repels" dirt. I haven't done my STI yet so I've been comparing the two this winter. Washing the cars at the same time and monitoring how dirty they get over the same period of time, the Legacy is far less dirty than the STI. I also Opti-Coated the wheels, and brake dust wipes right off.

Here are a few pics of my prep and post opti-coated car.

http://pics.theoriginalurl.com/galle...serialNumber=1

http://pics.theoriginalurl.com/galle...serialNumber=1

http://pics.theoriginalurl.com/galle...serialNumber=1

http://pics.theoriginalurl.com/galle...serialNumber=1

http://pics.theoriginalurl.com/galle...serialNumber=1

oohh.. sparkles
http://pics.theoriginalurl.com/galle...serialNumber=1

http://pics.theoriginalurl.com/galle...serialNumber=1

i can get a tent or canopy up, but its nothing compared to an indoor area. i'll have to make the best of it in the mean time.

For those of you who have gotten the opti-coating (and prep work) done professionally, how much did it run you?

i was quoted anywhere from 300-500 from different people. also depends on condition of car. obviously includes complete detailing of exterior and making it blemish free

I did it after I got my brz. I made sure the dealer didn't touch the paint so it was in pretty good shape. I still took a ton of time to make sure the paint was absolutely perfect and took as much time as I needed.
Here are the results:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn0TNqpCruM"]BRZ opticoat daytime and dusk reflection, water sheeting, misting and rainfall - YouTube[/ame]

Looks fantastic...you did a great job. (Boy...do I miss summer!)

I did mine just this sunday, came out great. Ill post pics later this week

just opti-coated my car this sunday. clayed and coated. took a lot of time doing it. pretty happy with the results..

mine continues to look great too, and now that winter is here and the sun is brighter I can really enjoy the shine!