plusforce Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 I want to apply Opti-coat Pro Plus on my brand new car. I am concerned about headlights. You have another product for headlights (Opti-Lens). Should I let the detailer apply Opti-coat Pro Plus on the headlights or it is better to apply Opti-lens on headlights? Also, do I need to polish brand new headlights before applying Opti-Lens/Opti-Coat Pro? Perhaps if I polish headlights, I will remove the factory protection layer? Could you help me to find out what is the best solution? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron@Optimum Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 Opti-Coat will provide protection for headlights but is not as good as Opti-Lens, because Lens is formulated to bond to plastic and has additional UV protection. You would need to polish the lens to remove the manufacturers protection before applying either OCP or OL. plusforce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Guz Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 For new headlights I would just have them use pro plus on them. If the headlights needed some sort of restoration then opti-lens would be the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Soap Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 How thick is the UV-protection layer on headlights? I mean, does a quick polish (not compund) really eat through the protection that fast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Guz Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 One thing I forgot to mention is to look into xpel. They make pre-cut headlight protection film that is quite thick. Then one can coat over the film as an optional step to have the hydrophobic properties. Or possibly the shop you are going to sells the new optimum paint protection film. That will keep the headlights looking good for a long time. I currently have xpel on my new headlights with a coating on the film. Will also keep them from getting pitted from highway driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron@Optimum Posted July 10, 2017 Share Posted July 10, 2017 not sure how to quantify "that fast", but polish is how you remove coatings period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcwang Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Can optilens bond with and protect new headlights with the original UV coating permanently like it does to sanded headlights? It seems it would be more beneficial to protect the original coating with optilens than to remove that original coating which without, headlights would start yellowing quickly with UV exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A&J Posted August 17, 2017 Share Posted August 17, 2017 No...opti-lens is created to bond to polyurethane plastic once you remove the factory protection. Its best used on old cars that have faded or yellowed headlight and they need to be repaired. Gloss coat or Opti coat is best suited for new headlights as the they are clear coated and one or the other coating will bond to the clear. Or car wax for that matter would be also fine. You would just have to apply it more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcwang Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 On 8/17/2017 at 1:46 PM, A&J said: No...opti-lens is created to bond to polyurethane plastic once you remove the factory protection. Its best used on old cars that have faded or yellowed headlight and they need to be repaired. Gloss coat or Opti coat is best suited for new headlights as the they are clear coated and one or the other coating will bond to the clear. Or car wax for that matter would be also fine. You would just have to apply it more often. I think there is a lot of conflicting information. Ron also talked about polishing before opticoat or optilens on headlights earlier in this thread. I've seen in many other places the use of opti lens on new headlights including the selling page on autogeek. It would be nice if Dr G. could come and clarify the bonding of optilens to new headlights and whether it is permanent and better than using opticoat pro for that application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A&J Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 Ive heard what Ive said from the OPT podcast when Yvan was talking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Guz Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 Levi mentions the same thing in this video. Starting around the 16 minute mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcwang Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Hmm. Reading through this thread it seems Chris Thomas is implying optilens works best on new lenses and doesn't mention anything about choosing opticoat instead for new lenses. https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/new-car-care-products/61319-optimum-opti-lens-headlight-coating-what-you-should-know-4.html#post855797 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boiler Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Chris comments were from 4 years ago when Opti-Lens was first introduced. Optimum has learned that Opti-Lens does not bond well to existing Manufacturers UV protection, but Coatings (OCP, Gloss-Coat ) do. To apply OL to new (or newer) headlights, we recommend sanding/polishing the existing protection. OL is a permanent coating and in most cases needs to be polished to remove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A&J Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Or just apply opti coat or gloss coat instead ... It would be ashame to sand away the factory clear... I mean... Its there to protect the lenses so letit do its job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcwang Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Good to know. This kind of information should be more public as I never found that detail anywhere about optilens not bonding well with clearcoat of headlights. Does opticoat pro stay permanently on new headlights and prevent hazing? Or will it also eventually be worn off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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