
Originally Posted by
greg0303
Opti Coat 2.0 is a great product and much easier to apply than its original version Opti Guard. It's recommended to prep the surface before application and clean it after compounding/ polishing (car wash, CarPro Eraser, etc).
You won't be able to chemically remove Opti Coat but it can be done mechanically (you could use your polisher with abrasive product). Some of my clients took their cars to car washes with brushes after Opti Coat treatment and this mechanical action caused its partial removal and even swirl marks have been seen on some panels. Touchless car washes are 100% safe as those chemicals won't remove coating.
Before putting Opti Coat on my wheels I washed them really well, clayed, used cleaner wax ColorX and sprayed with CarPro Eraser. IronX would be a good choice as well to prep between washing and claying. I can clean my wheels much faster now and they look good without any hard scrubbing. Before that brake dust was my biggest enemy, especially front wheels.
Brake Dust Barrier would be another solution, quicker to apply but lasting much shorter than Opti Coat.
As for durability of Optimum's permanent coating - it will eventually wear off. You could expect 5-7 years of protection (paint), depending on usage, that's what Dr. G stated during Detail Fest.
Meguiar's has M188 Deep Crystal Coating which is currently only available in Asia. It's meant to offer extra protection against harsh acid rains in that part of the world.