That's a very subjective and difficult question to answer.........

Just put it this way la...if properly maintained, all these coatings can easily go through the 1 year mark. I have the 22ple VX1 Pro on my current ride and it's still beading and sheeting cleanly after 2 1/2 years, but the horizontal panel barely scrape through the 2 yrs mark....though I blame that to the crazy haze and dry spell that we had early this year.

But these coatings aren't 'bullet proof' and they're also prone to water marks and wash marring. Although still beading and sheeting water very well, I can see swirls has developed on my car and soon, I'd need to remove the coating and re-apply. So, even if the coating do last very long, they aren't swirl/damage-proof. I'm of the opinion that people like us don't really need to spend money for something that can last 3 years, or 5 years or 'permanent' coatings. It's just an alternative to normal wax/sealant so as to provide a TEMPORARY protection for the paint. To me, the main advantage of these coatings is you don't need to re-apply them as often as normal wax/sealants. The thickness and hardness of the coatings also provide SOME advantage against normal wax/sealant but the main reason is what I've stated before.

Bro, if you wash your car with either ONR or OCWash then it won't be a fair comparison....those two stuffs are loaded with beading 'enhancing' polymer. Even bare panel would bead after using either of the products.

I would love to see the beading effect of OOC after multiple wipes with IPA or OPC....now that would be very convincing indeed.

Yeah...I have no doubt OOC can withstand OPC or other APC, but so does many other good quality coatings. Maybe you should try it yourself...aren't you a bit curious? Cuz I definitely am. Diluted IPA is a very mild solvent and it should be able to remove the weaker type of polymer/wax/sealant without compromising the coating underneath. It also doesn't contain any surfactant that would be left on the surface and 'change' the behavior of the surface.

The other thing the I find is, the polymer in either ONR or OCWash are very 'attracted' to the other Optimum waxes or sealants, namely OCWax and Opti Seal...kinda complimentary to each other - boosting beading and durability. But using either ONR or OCWash on other waxes/sealants didn't have that much of an effect. That's why I like OCWash very much back then cuz when any wax/sealant is getting weak, OCWash would be able to give the durability a little boost when I don't have the time to top up.

Another thing, if I may suggest, to try. Try spreading a little bit of OCWash CONCENTRATED (not diluted with water) onto a small section of your test panel or any panel/section, then just let it dry under the sun or something for a few hours. Wash away leftovers afterwards and see the effect...just like you've just waxed the section. That's how much polymer in OCWash.

Ok. This stirred my curiosity again. Not directed to you in particular ya....How to know when the water has been 'softened'?

Yup. 3M Trizact. Got them from Megs authorised dealer back at kampung in Kota Bharu. I don't recommend to re-use them. Much higher risk to get pigtails if re-use....



This post has been edited by KrisMas: Sep 23 2014, 04:52 PM

From what I understand, Opti Coat is polymer/acrylic type of coating...so they inherit the same problem as acrylic paint - expanding when hot and contracting when cold. In our weather, this would translate to opening up of the pores and trapping minute particles of dirt. More prone on horizontal panels as dirt/water on horizontal surfaces won't run off as easily as vertical panels. Even my VX1 and normal waxes/sealants lasted far longer on vertical panels as compared to horizontal panels.

Not too sure about this...but I highly doubt it. But if it does, there's definitely something wrong with Opti Coat. Anyway, just something to note. The beading/sheeting effect of most coatings are normally on its upper most layer. Like Opti Coat, the beading/sheeting may deteriorate due to contamination of its upper most layer, but the protection is still there. If the coating is good enough, you can actually 'deep clean' the surface and the beading/sheeting would come back.

Hey...I'm fond of Optimum products too man....and still an avid user of some of them. Just that I don't like how some people are over-hyping their products.....

Thanks for still sticking around. Any info shared from somebody who's been long using a particular product from a particular brand is very much appreciated. I for one, am getting old and a little tired of trying out and comparing such and such products so that people can get a more un-biased info instead of getting them straight from the seller/marketeer or brand representatives. Furthermore, recently there's been quite a surge of new products coming out from several manufacturers and, damn they're getting more and more attractive....

Just keep an open mind bro. There's really no such thing as THE best product or THE best technique/method; there's only what's BEST SUITED to each individuals when it comes to personal use. Commercial professionals, and especially those who are committed to a particular brand, has the responsibilities to push their product and utilies the products strong points to the fullest. Most would withhold the products' weaknesses so that others won't take advantage of those weaknesses to gain that certain commercial edge. So, in other word, when it comes to the already established brands, it's not about the brand/product, it's about the person representing them.

Here in the DIY world, we look for both the strong points and the weaknesses and relay/share that info so that others can make a more 'educative' decisions based on their own personal preferences and limitations.

Again, keep an open mind. Such is the proverb: ""天上有天, 人上有人".

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Sep 24 2014, 02:09 PM

Heheh....still remember some little bit and pieces of them....
(ps: oh....and I edited a little mistake on the last character there....should be "人" instead of "天"...my bad)

Aha....Choose NanoTech CeramicPro 9H. Got it from a seller/marketeer who came by the car wash below my office a while back. RM230/50ml bottle. Try calling him up again to get the sealant but the number is already out of service. It's quite an ok coating....comparable to CQuartz but just a little bit easier to apply but not as easy as DDJ IS. Got it past the 6 months mark before heavy watermarks started to develop (not washing off) and contaminants started to stick onto it. Beading was still there when I tried cleaning the watermarks up with some Megs WB then it just went totally flat. I'd say it's one of those 2yrs ceramic coatings type...quite durable in our weather with 'normal' washing every week...but need to watch out for water spots. I think it would be much better if your friend can also get their Nano Coat (which is the sealant) put on top of the coating....should be able to minimise damages caused by waterspots.

Permanent eh? Well...I've read their fb descriptions....3yrs....5yrs...and lifetime warranty. I'm guessing those warranty comes in maintenance packages whereby you'd need to strictly adhered to. I wonder whether the detailing centre itself would even be running for that long....

This post has been edited by KrisMas: Sep 24 2014, 02:11 PM

WB FTW...!!! Errr....no Sonax this time around?

Nope...doesn't work on tar. And yes, tar removers are normally 'oily' cuz they generally contain solvent/petroleum distillate with some 'oily' carrier to keep them from flashing/drying too fast.

Heavy citrus/d-Limonene based cleaner like OPC can remove tar too....albeit full strength and a tad bit slower...

I have one, I don't think it put out enough pressure to effectively clean anything but loose and thin fabric...mine can't even effectively clean tough stain on my cotton shirt. Maybe yours is different one so results may differ. I also bought a cheap 'pressure' steam cleaner that looks something like this:



Works better but I still find using a foaming cleaner and brush cleans the fabric better.

Oh...I don't think adding any detergent into a steamer would be a good idea though. You might just be boiling all the water off and leave the rest of the chemicals behind in the reservoir.

Errmm....no offense intended ya...but I think you and me have seen better beadings than that...especially those on the horizontal panels. What happened there? I'm guessing they're just beading pics taken after rain on not-so-clean surface.

Haven't seen them around ACE before but I've seen them in one auto-paint shop in Glenmarie, Shah Alam. Maybe you can ask the dealer Mercury Paint in Batu Caves:

http://www.mercurypaints.com/english/contactus.html

Just curious, what's so good about this putty as compared to others?

Goodwell is in Mahkota Square. They sell Chemical Guys and iGreenLover stuffs.....amongst others....expensive stuffs though....

Sealants mostly sheet...that's why most don't have as nice beading as wax. But the better quality waxes have strong beading properties to the point that they're very effective in sheeting also. But nowadays the 'hybrids' are coming...sealants that contains wax...good and fast sheeter and bead quite nice also. Good example would be Megs UQWax paste. Even better example is Dodo Juce Supernatural Hybrid...damn tempted to get one but...haven't open most of my waxes/sealants for quite some tome already....

Want a suggestion....slap on any sealant (or AIO) then top it up with Sonax BSD...nice and strong beading and sheeting. I've tried DG501 then buff off residue with BSD....it's *almost* like having the best of both worlds.

Another difficult question to answer...since BSD is just one of the many spray waxes/sealants that i like using, and i'd normally just pick any one frm my stash depending on my mood. But, a rough guess, durability and amount of product used is almost similar to OCWax. So if i were to use it exclusively, one bottle could well last me more than one year especially since it's 750ml. But I'm not too fond of PNS though. Feels like it's just a concentrated form of BSD and Sonax people also concurred on it. Also, PNS on it's own, the durabily and performance differences aren't significantly enough to justify the price and volume of the can. If you wan't to go that route, maybe the Sonax Nano Coat + BSD would be more suitable. Regardless, i do suggest you try the BSD if you get the chance. Tried Reload before? Well, i can say that BSD is much like Reload and then some. Something very much value for money, especially considering the price and the volume of the bottle....and even more if you caught it during discounted period. Quazacolt, wanna add anything else.....

Some of us mostly just drop by their HQ cuz, if lucky enough, can still get a little discount (and some times freebies) even if it's not officially on sale. Haven't gone in shopping mall for a while now, but i used to see them in Giant, Parksons and ACE....not sure if these places still carries them.

What are you looking for? What you're trying to achieve?

For car wash, any of the two would do. But Karcher has the advantage of having more assessories if you plan to use it for other purposes in the future.

My favourite for slickness, gloss, depth and beading - Dodo Juice Supernatural Red Mist.

Yup. Tried it. Not overly impressed with it's performance, especially considering the price for a meager 100ml bottle. Applying when wet is the only advantage it has over others and the result is quite instanteneous as in the video. But wet application reduced the durability and dry application....well....it's just much like BSD or ReLoad, etc. which are at least a quarter of the price of the overcoat....