I thought I knew what I was doing when it came to detailing a car and making it look top notch - then I stumbled into a whole world of sealants, coatings, etc. I'm from the wash it weekly and wax it once every couple of months school. My how things changed when I wasn't looking.....
Anyhow, after purchasing a 2015 Explorer Limited in April, I started reviewing ways to keep it looking showroom brilliant as long as possible. In doing so, I stumbled upon CarPro and the C Quartz line of products specifically. After reading thread after thread about how amazing this stuff is, I decided it was the right path and the price was right. So, here are my impressions as well as the steps I've taken. The truck was just completed on Sunday, May 24th and I've not had the chance to get pictures yet due to the imminent chance of rain/thunderstorms in the midwest.
Steps taken:
1) Initial wash with Reset
2) Used Iron X for first decon
3) Clay bar decon of the entire vehicle
4) Wash w/ Reset again
5) Polished with Reflect
6) Full wipe down with Eraser (by the way, that stuff smells great compared to other cleaning chemicals)
7) The CQuartz UK was applied.
8) Gloat and admire.
I initially was going to jump right from wash to CQUK, but it was strongly advised to follow the steps outlined to insure a long-term finish that looked good. Using Corey's video of the application, I had the truck parked in the garage with both ambient and additional lighting so I could see any imperfections immediately.
Armed with 8 4x4 applicators and 10 of the 16x16 microsuedes, the work began. The CQUK was quite easy to apply and I did 2'x2' (sometimes a bit larger) sections at a time. While I was fearful of the flash times and some of the issues others have commented upon, it was actually a super-easy process. The CQUK went on seamlessly and I would do an initial buff with one of the 16x16 microsuedes folded into quarters. Then, I used a second microsuede for the final buff.
Much like painters try to keep a wet edge, I always overlapped 2-3" so I could insure that I didn't miss any areas in either the application or removal. Overall, without doing the wheels (yet), the entire process took about 90 minutes. At that point the truck looked great in the garage, but most advice I've received indicated to let the sun bake the finish to help the curing process.
As soon as I parked it in the sun, that's when I realized what little I had previously known about detailing. It looks amazing. The gun metal gray metallic paint just sings in the sun.
End thoughts -
1) Follow the steps everyone else prescribes - it makes sense now.
2) Be willing to work
3) Don't be afraid of the product, it does work as easily as the bottle states. Keep in mind I was at 75deg F and less than 50% humidity so this was a wipe on/wipe off process. I don't know how it will work in other environments though I have my other car sitting in the garage waiting impatiently to be CQUK'd in the next couple of weeks.
I'll post pics soon, but suffice it to say, I'm extremely impressed at what such a small container of product could do.....
Gary
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