2Qs: Opti-coat Pro and fingerprints, and how to get a "spot free rinse"

[tliving]

Has anyone else experienced this? Since I got Opti-coat pro (professionally applied), and the car washed (by hand, at home), the finish now attracts fingerprints like a magnet.  I figured this was just the nature of the car, but I was in a Tesla store, and looking at another blue car, and the finish was perfect and did not attract fingerprints at all! And if it did, they were quite unnoticeable and could be removed with the palm of my hand.  Not so on my car -- if I try to remove the prints with my palm, it just smears all over, and I can't remove them until I wash the car the next time.  Is this a function of the Opti-coat? Or something else? It's really very annoying to have such a beautiful car collecting every tiny fingerprint when people touch it -even just people normally getting in and out there are fingerprints everywhere!

Second question -- whenever I wash the car, I hand dry it with micro-fiber towels, but that still leaves TONS of water streaks everywhere, no matter how I try to wash and dry. I was at a touchless car wash that had a "spot free rinse" which seemed to totally solve this problem, so my question is, how can I get a "spot free rinse" when washing my car to avoid the streaks when drying?


thanks.

I don't get the fingerprints or streaks. I'm on a well with Opti-coat pro installed.

I wash it this way:
Washing the Model S | Tesla Living

Perhaps the quality of your drying cloth?

 

[Gizmotoy]

A related quetion, will Opticoat bond to itself? i.e. can I apply a second layer? I'm 18 months into my current application, and while it still washed up really well, the water doesn't bead like it used to.

It seems more likely that it has worn off, so there's probably no need to be concerned about bonding with itself.

That said, I'm pretty sure it will. Prior to my Model S and OC, I use a lot of Zaino polishes and such, of which I still have quite a few. I still hit my OptiCoated Model S with the Z6 detailer with some regularity, and the difference is immediate, noticeable, and lasting (at least a wash or two, as is typical of the Z6).

I like my OptiCoat, but the "nothing sticks to it" statement seems unfounded, in my experience. I know dust sticks to it (seems like a dust magnet, in fact), and the Zaino sticks, so I'm sure plenty of other stuff does as well.

 

[Tacket]

I too have noticed Opti Coat Pro not being as slick as advertised. Once every 3 months I do an application of Car Pro Hydro2 which is a spray on silica sealant. Seems to give greater slickness which results in less dust and greater hydrophobic action thus keeping the car cleaner longer. Super easy to apply, just give a light spritz on each panel then immediately blast with a hard stream of water to bond to the paint.

 

[MoeMistry]

I too have noticed Opti Coat Pro not being as slick as advertised. Once every 3 months I do an application of Car Pro Hydro2 which is a spray on silica sealant. Seems to give greater slickness which results in less dust and greater hydrophobic action thus keeping the car cleaner longer. Super easy to apply, just give a light spritz on each panel then immediately blast with a hard stream of water to bond to the paint.

Hydro is an excellent product. You may want to try reload as well....you'll love it.

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It seems more likely that it has worn off, so there's probably no need to be concerned about bonding with itself.

That said, I'm pretty sure it will. Prior to my Model S and OC, I use a lot of Zaino polishes and such, of which I still have quite a few. I still hit my OptiCoated Model S with the Z6 detailer with some regularity, and the difference is immediate, noticeable, and lasting (at least a wash or two, as is typical of the Z6).

I like my OptiCoat, but the "nothing sticks to it" statement seems unfounded, in my experience. I know dust sticks to it (seems like a dust magnet, in fact), and the Zaino sticks, so I'm sure plenty of other stuff does as well.

Try carpro reoald instead of z6...the results will be much better and longer lasting.

 

[Gizmotoy]

Try carpro reoald instead of z6...the results will be much better and longer lasting.

I'll check it out. I'm still burning off what's left of my Zaino stuff and will re-evaluate next time I need new stuff. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[sbronle1]

I recently went with the Opti-coat Pro sealant with a double application to the front surfaces of the Model S after six weeks of ownership. My home water is very hard but I have been drying the washed surfaces with a good old fashioned clean Shami. The real thing, not a synthetic brand. The Shami needs to be wet first and wrung out to effectively remove all water and prevent water spot stains. It is quick, simple and cheap. I then go over all surfaces with a clean microfiber towel and the results are great. Sure costs less than a $350 blower and a $400 dollar water deionizer and probably takes about the same time. Just saying... Another thought I have is to use a simple $1 gallon of distilled water with and aspirating stay nozzle for a final rinse. Any thoughts??

 

[Solarguy]

Are you doing this over Opti Coat Pro or in place of it?

I too have noticed Opti Coat Pro not being as slick as advertised. Once every 3 months I do an application of Car Pro Hydro2 which is a spray on silica sealant. Seems to give greater slickness which results in less dust and greater hydrophobic action thus keeping the car cleaner longer. Super easy to apply, just give a light spritz on each panel then immediately blast with a hard stream of water to bond to the paint.

 

[Tacket]

Over it. I treat the OC Pro as a sacrificial extra clear coat that I can lightly polish when needed (rather than polishing the super thin soft OEM clear coat). The Hydro2 gives me the slickness that the OC Pro lacks.

I haven't had any bonding issues - usually get a solid 3 months out of the Hydro2 application. It was designed to top Car Pro's ceramic coatings as far as I recall.