No one has more experience with Optimum products other than Dr. G, the creator, but Chris Thomas at Integrity Detail is very close. I recently reached out and asked if we could work on some articles covering some of the Optimum products together and he said, “Without a doubt”! With that said, we both decided that we would start off with the Opti-Glass.

Having applied Opti-Glass to quite a few cars, including my own, I have found great bonding, amazing beading, and a windshield that is now protected from minor rock chips. Not only that, but I have noticed my windshield does stay cleaner much longer.

Before I decide to coat any glass, I use cerium oxide (CarPro Ceri-Glass). This is the only polish that can remove scratches from glass and it will also leave behind a hydrophilic surface. While the Ceri-Glass does not have a super strong concentration of cerium oxide, it is perfect to prep a windshield for a glass coating.   Below you can see half of the windshield after being polished with Ceri-glass, providing an optimal hydrophilic surface or one that can “be wetted by water”.

On a wet surface polish with the Ceri-Glass on a slow speed setting on your machine, if you go too fast you will get splatter everywhere. One trick I have is that you should wipe the excess Ceri-Glass off the windshield before rinsing. This way you won’t have to clean off as much white residue from the cowl or black trim around the the front of the car when finished.

It is hard to capture on camera but you can now see that the windshield is no longer showing any signs of beading. This makes the windshield totally hydrophilic.

Now that the windshield has been prepped, after it has dried I will then move on to applying the Opti-Glass. From here Chris is going to go further into his process of applying the Opti-Glass.

First, know your product and what to expect from it by reading the directions and the product description. This way you’ll have a realistic expectation of the product performance as well as knowing if the product IS or ISN’T working as it should. Opti Glass chemically bonds to silica based surfaces for a continuous film that will last around a year. Unlike other “beading” products that only repel water, Opti Glass actually bonds to glass surfaces in a way that increases chip resistance, scratch and mar resistance, and even prevents hard water spotting. That bond is as important as the composition of the product itself because it adds excellent durability to the other impressive attributes of Opti Glass! Next, get your work area and vehicle ready to apply Opti Glass. You’ll want to ensure you are out of the sun and the panel is cool to the touch. Applying in direct sunlight or to a hot panel will make the product flash too quickly and may inhibit a proper bond. OPT recommends an ambient temperature between 60-90 degrees. You will also want to prep the surface as Greg has described to make sure you are applying Opti Glass to a squeaky clean surface. Prep is the most important part when working with long term coatings. Proper prep ensures the proper bond needed for that unsurpassed durability we talked about earlier.

So now clean and in the shade, you can begin by priming your applicator with product. This is important because initially the applicator will absorb some of the product and may not glide smoothly across the glass. By misting a few sprays of Opti Glass on the applicator, you’ll prime the pad and get off to a good start.

Start in one corner and move in circular patterns across the glass (like applying wax) adding more product one spray at a time as needed to keep the application even and moving smoothly. For now, let’s stop at one window or half of the windshield to nail down the right cure time for your specific conditions.

The recommended wait time to wipe off the residue is 2-5 minutes and depends on factors like temperature and humidity. If after 2 minutes the residue wipes off clean with only a swipe or two, you can repeat the process on the rest of the car waiting around 2 minutes to wipe off residue at each window. If, however, the product still seems a bit wet and just smears around, you’ll want to leave it on a little longer like, say around 5 minutes. Assess this drying time honestly and don’t think that more is better…because if you leave it on too long before removing you may have to use polish to get off the excess. Once you’ve nailed down the appropriate drying time and applied Opti Glass to all the glass, keep the windows dry for a couple of hours while the polymerization (cross-linking) takes place. After that you’re ready for action!

All Optimum Protective coatings are easy to use…but the Opti Glass is the easiest long term coating you’ll ever use. It can also be maintained and boosted by following it up periodically with Optimum Clean & Protect Concentrate.

Big thanks to Chris Thomas for Co-writing this article, and as always thanks for reading! 🙂