zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

My honest opinion is this... seeking true perfection on a DD is just time wasted... but then again, that is not my call, that is completely up to you.

My logic behind that is this - for a vehicle that is used on a daily basis, there is only so much you can control. You could spend countless hours obsessing over every minor detail that can be found under precise, high powered lighting only to park your car at Target one day and have a careless passerby walk next to your car and scratch it with a purse or shopping cart.

Am I saying to not care about your car? Absolutely not... no, no, no, no no! haha I'm just saying that the fact that you even notice the minor imperfections mean you care way more about your vehicle than 99% of other vehicle owners out there... your car looks great (based on your photos in the other thread), and because of that it will stand out compared to most other cars out there. Enjoy your awesome looking car as it is, and learn to live with the minor stuff until you are ready to do a complete detail again.

... I have to have this same conversation with myself very often.

-Zach

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

Haha, yeah, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Sometimes a small little imperfect bothers the crap out of me and I'm extra careful in all parking lot. I usually park in empty spot far away from any other car or park next to clean expensive cars or the like since I think they will care.

Talking about something out of control, the dark blue IS350 is constantly attacked by bird bombs EVERY freaking DAY!!! I have been cleaning it with quick detailer every day for months but get so tired of it so I just leave the bombs there now until the next washes. I'm really glad to have it Opticoated. I pray the birds stop attack my car lol.

My white IS250 2012 (not the ones you saw in the pictures) is in pristine condition with 3M clear bra, topped with Opticoat with wax/sealant as a 2-3 layers protection system. In almost 3 years, after a regular car wash, it is as shine may be even shinier than new car.

One thing I notice is that my dark blue IS350 is so much dirtier, harder to keep clean, and show imperfection so much more and easier than the white IS250. However, the dark blue is so much shinier after the car washes or detail. I'm amazed that a 8 year old dark blue car with good maintenance can outshine a 3 year old white car also in pristine condition.

2slow

iTrader: (5)

The waiting game begins. Can't wait to see how it is in a couple months.

Greg5OH

im looking for somethign to coat my polished aluminum wheels, especially the lips. theyr 4" and i run quite a bit of camber so after a rainfall i have water that sits in there untill i drive and wipe it off. this will sometimes leave a stain and then hav eto break out th epolish and redo all the wheels. Im not down to polish my wheels every week. Will this stuff prevent this from happening and my wheels tarnishing everytiem they get wet? I use some wheel wax but its usless against the rain. Or would something like 22pe be better for my wheels?

FSportIS

iTrader: (13)

My installer applied Opticoat on everywhere including glass and wheels. My wheels and glass stay a lot cleaner and easy to clean too. You will still have water spot from rain but just a quick detailer will get rid of it because the water spot wont' etch through the coat.

VTsuckah

iTrader: (1)

I just tried out hydrO2 on my mkii mr2. I ended up having the streaking after it was all said and done, while applying without direct sunlight and in smallish sections. I was able to take some QD and a microfiber towel to buff 98% of it off. I'll be applying a coat of Poorboys Natty Red paste next weekend to get the remaining streaking off and provide additional protection.

All in all, it was a breeze to apply. I'll try less product in smaller sections the next time and see how it goes before I make a snap judegement.

JDR76

It went very well when I applied it to my RX. Since my results were so great, I ordered more and applied it to my IS. Unfortunately, as I was applying it to my IS, my daughter was outside with me playing and she got hurt in the middle of the application, so some of the HydrO2 was on longer than it should have been while I took care of her. I ended up with some streaking.

I figured it'd go away in a few washes but the streaking is really holding on. I'll need to address that on the next Saturday that I have available to detail the car, perhaps with a light polish.

Still impressed with the product, though. I'll use it again, but will be more careful in the application.

jtrue28

Alright, I'm man enough to admit I was wrong before.

After the nightmare that was applying Hydro2 the previous time, I was actually quite impressed how well it protected the paint. I had 2 or 3 bird bombs, that I feel, because of the protection, cleaned right off, with no etchings.

This time, I ordered the 500ml bottle, so as to make sure I had plenty left. I mixed up 200ml with 600ml of water, and paid close attention to the actual mixing this time. This ended up being too much, but didn't want to chance anything.

I kept the car out of the sun, just like last time and applied it to one panel at a time. I immediately rinsed it off. I am VERY happy with the results this time, and am glad I gave it another shot. I'll likely apply it again before winter, to help protect from the salt.

Thanks again for the helpful comments. My first application was definitely user error. Don't let my experience keep you from trying this amazing product out.

One more question though...is the solution that I have already mixed not good to use at any point in the future? Should I just dump it out? Thanks!

#goodstuff

JDR76

Good to hear you've had a better experience with it, jtrue28. I'm on the fence about it now.

I reapplied it to my IS this weekend. Was very careful - used filtered water at the appropriate ratio, stayed out of the sun, did one panel at a time, and let it sit on there for only a matter of seconds before hosing it off. After completing it, my rear bumper cover had major streaks on it that I just can't explain. I ended up having to polish the bumper to get rid of them. The rest of the car has some mild streaks, and my rear window is a bit of a mess. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. It did great on my RX (NGP), but I'm struggling for good results on my IS (SFP).

I'm hesitant to do too much polishing as I don't want to strip my OptiCoat off, but I might have to do that to get rid of the streaks.

jtrue28

I think I had applied too much, in my first go-around. This time, I used a minimal amount, one panel at a time, top to bottom. Are you hosing off with the strongest blast of water your hose will produce?

I am "hitting" the car hard with the stream of water. It isn't as strong as a pressure washer would be, but it's strong enough to do the job.

It may be too late, but as Zach mentioned, you can take an applicator pad with Hyrdo2 and apply that directly to the streaks, and then rinse off.

JDR76

Although it was just a light mist, perhaps I still used too much and need to use it even more sparingly.

Yes, I am using my hose at full blast. I'd rather not drag out the pressure washer if I don't have to.

Thanks for your input and suggestions.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Sorry... no time to respond in depth now... going to put together a "best practices" and "application guide" for this product in the future as I can understand how it may be a little different/unique to use. There are many tips that will surely help with a perfect application. I have never experienced streaks with this product.

jtrue28

JD: Take Windex, or any other window cleaner with ammonia and that should take care of it. You can also try taking your polisher to the windows as well, but the Windex might be a good place to start.

Also, you can take some quick detailing spray and rub rather hard on the streaks and it will lessen them quite a bit.

JDR76

Thanks. None of my window cleaners have ammonia in them, so I'll pick some up and try it out on the window. Much appreciated suggestion.

As for the streaks on the paint, they are very difficult to see, and can only be found when viewed at an angle with the sun hitting it right.

JDR76

A bit of an update.

I ended up doing a light polish on the entire car, including the windows, to remove the HydrO2. All streaks and marks were successfully removed.

I did a bit more research online, made some changes, and reapplied last night. One thing I found elsewhere (may have missed it here if noted) was to not use a car soap with wax in it before applying. The other thing I did was be a lot more stingy in the application. I did a very, very fine mist over one panel at a time, and immediately hit it with a hard stream of water. I then followed that up with a more soaking rinse to ensure no residue was left on the panels.

So overall, a wax free soap, light, fine mist, and lots of water for rinsing. I was able to get the kind of finish I was looking for. Yay!