16 replies to this topic

[repare-brise]

Just a little question for all optimum users.

What have you found the durability to be of the various waxes, Instant detailer, Spray Wax, Poly-Seal, and Opti-Seal. When you answer also please indicate your climate(snow and slush, dry and sunny, hot and wet......).

[Anthony Orosco]

For the spray wax I get anywhere from 2 to 3 months and around the same for the PoliSeal. On daily drivers getting weekly washes those times may lean more towards the 2 month frame.

OptiSeal is wearing very well. I've never seen it drop off before 5 months. The Instant Detailer stays slick on my garage queens for a good 2 weeks without any boosters.

Now the Optimum coating is just amazing and I have no real indication of just how long it may last but I've seen it go for years already.

Anthony

[repare-brise]

You results concur with mine. I have put the coating on a tractor trailer that has gone close to 100000miles since the application, truck drives from LA to Montreal and back, week in week out. The 1/2 with the coating is still beading, and rsists insects much better than opti seal side(lasted about 2 months or 35000 miles.

[Ron Harris]

Yvan,
I find that poli-seal drops off after a couple of months. Every thing else is close to the same as Anthony.

The report regarding the coating sounds very promising.
I might have to start hanging around truck stops more.
I wonder how the coating would do on a freshley polished Alcoa wheel?
Mabe you could try this on the truck with the coating.

[talex26]

I'm with Anthony on opti-seal. I'm at the three month mark with only two coats and don't see any drop-off at all on my daily driver. I do ONR ID it everyday and it is garaged so I see an easy 5-6 months, maybe longer, before having to invest the few minutes it takes to reapply it again. I'm in California where the elements are not too harsh but there is a lot of bad stuff in the air that settles on ones car. OS does a great job of protecting the paint.

The Instant detailer is hard for me to gauge because what I started doing is adding 10% of Instant Detailer to my daily ONR ID mixture. After each ONR wash (once a month) I use the recommended full mix of Instant Detailer and then after that my 90%-10% mixture of ONR ID & Instant Detailer for daily use. It keeps my car ultra shiny and super slick without any streaking or buildup.

Haven't use poli-seal yet as I presently have opti-seal over an original NXT wax job but I'm sure the poli-seal will look even better. When I do go to the poli-seal I am also going to add some OCW on top of the OS and see if I like the looks over what I have now. Come to think of it I may have to try a mixture of ONR ID with both OID & OCW in the brew for daily detailing and see what I get.

The original Meg's NXT looked ok but nothing beats Opti-Seal and the daily Optimum ONR/OID regiment I have for ease of use, saving time, money, protection, and most importantly head turning results.

[CharlesW]

My experience may not help much, but here it is anyway.
I have used Poli-Seal followed by Opti-Seal on my fiberglass boat for the past two summers.
It seems to be a great combination and it looks good for the entire season.
The boat is at the lake in a lift from the middle of May until the middle of September and receives only Poorboy's Spray & Wipe washes during that time. The lift does have a canopy, but the boat is still somewhat exposed to the elements. It is used about every week-end during those 4 months plus about three or four weeks when we are at the lake on vacation.

I have used the same Poli-Seal/Opti-Seal combo on my vehicles, but they aren't let go long enough for me to have any idea as to durability. They get Dura Gloss Aqua Wax applied fairly often and another application of Opti-Seal about every 4 to 6 weeks. Always look good.

I have never used Poli-Seal as a stand alone product.

[pwaug]

CharlesW, on Oct 9 2008, 04:48 PM, said:

They get Dura Gloss Aqua Wax applied fairly often and another application of Opti-Seal about every 4 to 6 weeks. Always look good.

Any particular reason you use AW instead of OCW?

[CharlesW]

pwaug, on Oct 9 2008, 04:59 PM, said:

Any particular reason you use AW instead of OCW?

Not really.
I had over a gallon of the AW when I started using the Opti-Seal and when it's gone, I may switch to OCW. Since this is Optimum's forum I won't make much comment, but I will say I have been very happy with the AW. I use it after my first drying pass with a MF towel when doing a rinseless wash, then finish drying with another MF towel. Wash & wax. My primary reason for considering the switch to OCW would be for the UV protection the OCW has.

[Anthony Orosco]

No worries Charles! You're a stand up guy so I know any comments coming from you, positive or negative, are honestly put forth. Besides, just because this is an "Optimum" forum does not mean you can't speak of nor recommend other products.

I don't want anyone to think they have to keep other products out of a discussion while on this forum.

Anthony

[CharlesW]

Anthony Orosco, on Oct 9 2008, 06:42 PM, said:

No worries Charles! You're a stand up guy so I know any comments coming from you, positive or negative, are honestly put forth. Besides, just because this is an "Optimum" forum does not mean you can't speak of nor recommend other products.

I don't want anyone to think they have to keep other products out of a discussion while on this forum.

Anthony

Thanks Anthony.
My hesitancy in speaking of other brands of products was not because I felt it would be something the forum wouldn't approve of.
It was because of respect for the forum owners/sponsors.
I think it is wrong to come on a forum and promote a competitors products. By promote, I don't mean spam or shilling, either. If you are impressed with and want to talk about product "M" or product "Z", go to the sites that are run/sponsored by "M" and "Z".
I happen to be one of those people that use products from several manufacturers if I feel they do the job for me.
So far, my experience with Optimum products has been limited to Poli-Seal, Opti-Seal, and No Rinse Wash & Shine, all of which have performed quite well for me. The OCW will probably be my next OPT purchase.

[Shawn F.]

My experience is very little with Optimum (only have done about 3 or 4 cars with it but doing more soon and love it) but here is what I am doing and please correct me if I am wrong...
1.) Prewash the vehicle such as bumpers, wheels, wheel wells, bottoms of rockers, etc and debug it.
2.) I wash the car, engine compartment, wheels, tires and wheel wells with ONR or plain wash with soap and water and power wash (depending on how dirty the vehicle is).
3.) Dry the vehicle completely.
4.) Polish or compound the vehicle with a buffer and wool pad (I need to find a good foam cutting pad to cut down the dusting, any suggestions?)
5.) Polish the vehicle to get the compound swirls out.
6.) Poli-Seal the vehicle
7.) Spray wax vehicle and door jambs.
Should I eliminate the Poli-Seal and use Opti-Seal instead to cut down time or do both? It seems to me that I am wasting time and product using both if I go that route or am I missing something? Now I can use the Poli-Seal as a swirl remover if I am reading the label correct but should I still add the Opti-Seal as well?
How well does the spray waxes and spray sealers work compaired to pastes and creams/liquid ones?
As for how long this stuff is lasting, I will soon find out on a few repeat customers' cars. So far I like how well the polish and compound works without dusting and baking or smudging onto the paint surface.

[Ron Harris]

Shawn F.
For heavy correcting a wool pad is your best bet. The yellow ones generate to much heat. This heat is bad for the finish on your customers cars.
I sugest you try some of the different lake country pads. The white pad is my favorite allaround pad. With green being a close second.
You should always do your final polish with a soft 90 or 100 ppi foam pad and poli-seal or a good finishing polish like 3M ultra fina.
Optimum is developing a final polish witch I hope will be ready by the new year.
The Opti-Seal is a real time saver when it comes to applying protection.
Hope this helps

Welcome to the forum.

[Shawn F.]

Thanks for the info. I use 3M wool pad for cutting and 3m waffle grey pad for polishing and finishing. Always have used wool but I get a lot of people telling me that it puts too many swirls in the paint and to try using foam. I have tried foam and still prefer wool but there is a Meguires foam pad I used once and liked it quite a bit... I will stick with what I have now but dont mind trying other products out so if you guys have better suggestions then feel free to spill them out.
I have always used 3M products and pads in the body and paint shop so for detailing it's a bit different as far as keeping dusting and sling down.

[CharlesW]

Shawn F., on Oct 9 2008, 10:58 PM, said:

5.) Polish the vehicle to get the compound swirls out.
6.) Poli-Seal the vehicle
7.) Spray wax vehicle and door jambs.

Wouldn't the Poli-Seal work as your step 5?
The only thing I do that might be somewhat of a time saver is to remove the Poli-Seal residue with the spray wax. Saves a step and seems to work good.

Shawn F. said:

Should I eliminate the Poli-Seal and use Opti-Seal instead to cut down time or do both?

Since I'm just a hobby detailer I don't know what would be the best advice for a pro, but......
Opti-Seal over Poli-Seal is a great combination.
I quite often will use the Poli-Seal, remove it with spray wax and then finish with the Opti-Seal.

[Shawn F.]

Great idea with the wax, I was wondering about doing that but didnt take a chance since I was on a time limit and didn't want it to streak like crazy and swirl... How does that work? If anything, I would put the opti seal UNDER the wax though... Maybe I can use the Opti-Seal on top of the poli-seal and take the haze of the poli-seal off with the opti.....???? Oppinions?