Hello from South Europe


Solala

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Guten Tag.

 

I'm a car guy (amateur) who tries keeping his Benz as clean as possible here in the south of Europe. The car is outside all day and night, it is a Laternenparker (lantern garage).

I used a couple of products in the past like wax for protecting the car paint and started recently with waterless cleaning (Meguiers Wash and Wax Anywhere) and even no-rinse products. And yes, I have your famous Optimum No Rinse (ONR-WW) Wash and Wax in its fantastic devilish green color! :cool2[1]: It is a good product, and indeed, one can wash the car even when it is very dirty without introducing (too many) scratches.

Now I have an interest to protect the car with a long-resisting coating like Optimum Gloss-Coat (OGC), which I have ordered just yesterday.

So, here are my first questions:

1. I would use Isopropanol to entirely clean the car paint. Why do you recommend only 13% IPA content, and not 50%? Is there any objection against using diluted ethanol (1:1) on car paint?

2. Can I apply OGC in an 30-35°C (86-95 F) hot environment? What about the 3-5 minute observation after the application of OGC, will it be shorter in an hot environment?

3. Somewhere on the pages here it says that OGC needs a week (?) to find its equilibrium properties. If true what happens in detail and shall I leave the car in the garage?

4. Can I put any kind of wax onto OGC after having applied OGC on the car paint? What about Meguiars Carnauba Wax or SiOx based stuff?

5. I mean to have read a comment about this somewhere in the Internet but I want to be sure: after having applied OGC I can certainly wash my car still with ONR-WW, is that true?

6. I've read in this forum that OGC is composed of silica and SiC? What is meant by SiC, is it really a silicon carbide?  -- If so it really sounds interesting. Note that if we could anneal the paint at several hundreds of K we get graphene on the paint, hehe.

 

Thanks in advance for your help, cheers.

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Welcome to the forum.  I hope I answered your questions.  If not others can chime in as well. 

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1. I would use Isopropanol to entirely clean the car paint. Why do you recommend only 13% IPA content, and not 50%? Is there any objection against using diluted ethanol (1:1) on car paint?

15% is recommended as that is enough to remove the polishing oils.  If you have access to optimum paint prep that would be even better as it is an IPA alternative.  It also contains a catalyst for gloss coat to bond to. 

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2. Can I apply OGC in an 30-35°C (86-95 F) hot environment? What about the 3-5 minute observation after the application of OGC, will it be shorter in an hot environment?

I'll let someone from Optimum answer this one.  But gloss coat will flash quicker at this temperature. 

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3. Somewhere on the pages here it says that OGC needs a week (?) to find its equilibrium properties. If true what happens in detail and shall I leave the car in the garage?

It takes a week for gloss coat to fully cure.  That is why it is not recommended to wash it within a week.  It is common practice to top gloss coat with opti-seal to act as a sacrificial barrier during the curing window of gloss coat.  Opti-seal will be shed within a couple weeks due to the self cleaning effects of gloss coat. 

You can drive your car as is.  Gloss Coat can get wet within 1 hour of application.  For example if it rains. 

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4. Can I put any kind of wax onto OGC after having applied OGC on the car paint? What about Meguiars Carnauba Wax or SiOx based stuff?

You can use a wax but it is not needed.  The self cleaning properties of gloss coat will shed it within a couple weeks.  Some like to use opti-seal as a drying aid during an ONR wash or two bucket wash to add a little protection. 

SiO2 based products play well with Gloss Coat.  Optimum just came out with a new line of products for coating maintenance.  Within this new line hyper seal is available and according to Yvan it bonds better to the coating compared to opti-seal. 

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5. I mean to have read a comment about this somewhere in the Internet but I want to be sure: after having applied OGC I can certainly wash my car still with ONR-WW, is that true?

Regular ONR or ONRWW are perfectly fine to use with gloss coat. 

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6. I've read in this forum that OGC is composed of silica and SiC? What is meant by SiC, is it really a silicon carbide?  -- If so it really sounds interesting. Note that if we could anneal the paint at several hundreds of K we get graphene on the paint, hehe.

That is correct.  Gloss Coat is a hybrid coating consisting of SiO2 and SiC (silica carbide). 

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The Guz has given excellent advice, as always.  Optimum recommends applying Gloss-Coat at a high of 80 degrees, but it has been successfully used at higher temps.  It will "flash" quicker at higher temperatures, so apply to smaller sections and go back over more quickly.

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Dear all.

Many thanks for your replies. I still have some questions, sorry for being so eager to understand:

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If you have access to optimum paint prep that would be even better as it is an IPA alternative.  It also contains a catalyst for gloss coat to bond to. 

Q1: Is this catalyst needed for OGC? If so, I cannot really work alone with IPA, right?

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It takes a week for gloss coat to fully cure.  That is why it is not recommended to wash it within a week ... Gloss Coat can get wet within 1 hour of application ...

Q2: So, it is the components in the wash that harms a new OGC layer, and not water. What if after an application of OGC we have this Sahara rain, where the car paint is then covered by these thumb-large sand spots?

And:

Q3: I guess that applying OGC in a hot environment (>=86 F) directly in the sun is not recommended, right? What after an application in the shadow (under a tent), waiting 1 hour and then exposing the car paint to the sun? - After the application in my case, the car would be for a long time in the very hot sun ... . Is that doing any harm?

Your help is really appreciated, thanks and cheers.

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Paint Prep is a replacement for IPA, to remove any oils/wax/sealant - it's better than IPA but not necessary for Coating.  It takes a week for the chemical resistance in Gloss-Coat to fully cure and the solvents in car soaps can interfere with that bonding.  Water and sun will not effect Gloss-Coat after a minimum of 1 hour to cure.  Applying at temperatures over 80 is not recommended but has been successfully accomplished.  Applying in direct sunlight is not a problem and actually helps to see the product flashing.  As for the sand spots, you might want to apply a wax/sealant over the Gloss-Coat (1 hour after) for additional if temporary protection.  You might also consider blowing the sand off with a leaf blower.

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Thanks boiler.

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As for the sand spots, you might want to apply a wax/sealant over the Gloss-Coat (1 hour after) for additional if temporary protection.  You might also consider blowing the sand off with a leaf blower.

I thought about this. What about Meguiars Ultimate Quik Wax which I still have in my box?

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On 8/7/2017 at 1:43 PM, Solala said:

Dear all.

Many thanks for your replies. I still have some questions, sorry for being so eager to understand:

Q1: Is this catalyst needed for OGC? If so, I cannot really work alone with IPA, right?

Q2: So, it is the components in the wash that harms a new OGC layer, and not water. What if after an application of OGC we have this Sahara rain, where the car paint is then covered by these thumb-large sand spots?

And:

Q3: I guess that applying OGC in a hot environment (>=86 F) directly in the sun is not recommended, right? What after an application in the shadow (under a tent), waiting 1 hour and then exposing the car paint to the sun? - After the application in my case, the car would be for a long time in the very hot sun ... . Is that doing any harm?

Your help is really appreciated, thanks and cheers.

No optimum paint prep is not required.  IPA is listed right on the directions of the syringe.  So that works just fine. 

Top gloss coat with opti-seal to protect it during the curing time.  It will protect gloss coat from water spots.  Common thing to do.  I can't help you with sand spots as I am in California so I don't deal with that phenomenon. 

 

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Thanks The Guz.

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Top gloss coat with opti-seal to protect it during the curing time.

Q1: Okay, and if I don't have Opti-Seal at hand (would be a too long delivery for next week) I can use a wax, liquid or condensed, right?

Q2: It is always said that an applicator pad covered with OGC can be cleaned in 'regular' ONR. I only have ONR Wash and Wax (ONR-WW), can I use this, too?

Q3: Can I clean sponges and micro fibres both soaked in ONR WW in a washing machine, together with cloths? Or do you recommend to clean the stuff separately?

 

Thanks again for all answers and sorry for being so 'annoying' with my questions ... . :D

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not annoying at all - ask away!  A spray wax will work over Gloss-Coat for temporary protection.  Eithere ONR will work, or you can use Power Clean or dish detergent.  I clean sponges by hand and microfibers in a washing machine with other towels - no fabric softener.

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Thanks boiler.

So, the car paint of my car has some kind of residual wax from Meguiars (old, from last year) and some recent ONR-WW. What shall I do first with a panel?
1. Wash the entire panel
2. Clay bar the entire panel (I would use a very soft clay bar and water as a buffer)
3. Polish the entire panel (e.g., with Meguiars Ultimate Compound, I have not this Optimum polish thing so far)
4. Clean the entire panel with IPA, with utmost care
5. Apply OGC
6. 1h waiting
7. Put a spray wax onto OGC

Would you principally agree?

BTW: Would you prepare first the car paint with OGC before restoring the plastic parts or vice-versa?

Thanks for some comments.
   

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I would recommend to polish after compounding.  It will remove any haze or marring that may occur during the compounding stage.  It will impart gloss and refine the finish.  

You can actually wash the entire car and then follow up by claying the entire car rather than working panel by panel.  Both versions of ONR can be used as clay lube as well. 

You may want to do 2 coats of Gloss Coat one hour apart before topping it with car wax.  It will ensure even coverage. 

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