Optimum Coatings professional series of ceramic coatings, Opti Coat Pro, is an amazing product that is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. Not only does it give superior protection, but it also gives a very high gloss that makes vehicles look almost like toys! Once you see the photo at the bottom of the page you will see what I mean. Today, I want to give you a demonstration of the installation of a recent application to a 2014 Jeep Sahara with 6,000 miles. When the owner called and had some questions about the product, I could immediately tell that the owner cared for his new purchase and wanted the best options. As of this application and writing, it’s currently 13 BELOW zero outside, so this time of year in Ohio is the perfect time to add the best protection. Once I saw the Jeep in person, I knew it would look great after the preparation and installation of Opti Coat Pro, and I was excited to get started.
The owner had taken pretty good care of the Jeep. There were a couple of marks on the lower rocker panels, and there were some very light scratches along the doors and maybe a couple of very light scratches on the hood, but after a wash, clay bar treatment, and a very light polish, the micro scratches were gone. I didn’t need to spend a lot of time polishing this Jeep, and that is a good thing. The photo above shows me installing the Opti Coat Pro Primer to the paint. I used my Porter Cable polisher and a light cutting pad. The pad is so “light” that it’s very hard to tell that it “cuts” at all, which I thought was perfect for this application of the primer. With a speed setting of about 3 on the Porter-Cable, spreading the primer over the paint went well. I let the primer harden on the paint for a few minutes, then used a brand new microfiber towel to buff it off and remove the haze. The primer is pretty easy to work with, and it replaces the older ways of using isopropyl alcohol to remove the leftover waxes from previous applications by the owner and/or the dealership. Once the primer is removed with the brand new microfiber towel, it’s time to install the Opti Coat Pro. The photo below shows the primer has set on the paint is ready to be removed with a brand new microfiber towel.
I want to add that I always use a brand new microfiber towel to remove the primers and Opti Coat high spots. A brand new bundle of 36 microfiber towels from Costco costs approximately 15 dollars. That makes each towel approximately 42 cents. I know some detailers that use “clean” microfiber towels after they wash them with microfiber detergent. Still, the washed and “clean” microfiber towels are not 100 percent clean. That is fine for general cleaning or removing wax, but in this case, the Opti Coat application on this small Jeep was 1,399 dollars in addition to the preparation, so what are 42 cents for a brand new Microfiber towel? The customer is paying a lot of money for this and expects the best service possible, so my advice when performing an application like this one…use a brand new microfiber towel and don’t cut any corners.
The photo above was taken just a few seconds after the application of Opti Coat Pro was installed on the hood. You can see the rainbow effect that is created when the product “flashes,” or, cures. Look closely at the photo. You can see on the right, the refection of the ceiling light bulb. Notice, about 3/4 of the way up the bulb how there is a horizontal line that separates the bulb into sections. The light bulb reflection on the left, just above the bulb, there is another horizontal line. Those lines are “high spots.” Opti Coat is mostly self-leveling, but once those areas flash and cure, those high spots will need to be removed by leveling using a brand new microfiber towel. If caught quickly enough, the high spots are very easy to remove. If they are not removed quickly enough, they will need to be polished away and more Opti Coat will need to be applied. You just have to be careful to catch them quick enough, and also leave the product on as long as possible so one doesn’t accidentally remove too much product.
This photo was taken just a few minutes after the initial application. The high spots are about 90 percent gone, so now it was time to use the microfiber towel to level the high spots. It’s very difficult to see the high spots on this photo, but if you are able to look closely, there is a high spot that is pointing at about 10 O’clock between the two bulbs, at the bottom of the bulb on the right, and the center on the bulb on the left. It’s very difficult to see in the photo. A quick dusting of the microfiber towel removed the high spot. I typically lightly dust the entire paint surface to ensure I didn’t miss any high spots.
I used this LED light to inspect the surface after I had leveled the high spots that didn’t self-level. Using proper light is a must. One can never have too much light while detailing. You can see the crisp, glossy, effect that is obtained from Opti Coat Pro. Notice my fingers on the bottom right as I hold the camera and the light at the same time.
This photo was taken about an hour after the install was complete. As the product fully cures with heat, it will harden even more and give a better shine. But I don’t the think shine was too bad after the first hour! Being that the application was done while the January temperature outside was ten below zero here in Ohio, I asked the customer if I could keep the Jeep in my 70-degree shop for a day or two to make sure all was good.
Finished product! The Jeep is ready to go. I actually felt bad for the owner as he had to drive it home in the sub-zero temperature and grime on the roads. But, the Opti Coat Pro is giving this Jeep the most protection available.
Thanks for reading!
-Clint Allerton
