New to coatings, considering CQuartz

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nezil
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Nezil

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I have two black cars, both are daily drivers, but are garaged overnight. We live in Northern California where it doesn't rain that much, particularly in the summer months, and it never gets below freezing for more than a few hours on a few days.

My car is a 2012 Jaguar XF Portfolio Sport, and the wife's is a one week old 2016 Honda Pilot Touring AWD.

I've not used coatings before, but have used a few different waxes (Dodo Juice, Adams Americana, P21S etc.) and Sealants (Adams Liquid Paint Sealant, Zaino, Klasse High Gloss Sealant etc.) over the years. I also have a Porter Cable and Flex 3401, which I'm using primarily with Lake Country Hybrid Pads (Orange and White for polishing, Black for sealants).

The water where I live is crazy hard. I installed a water softener just over a year ago, but this actually resulted in worse etching on plastic than without for some reason, though it's much better in other respects. I therefore often rinse my car with De-Ionised water, or use a rinse-less wash to make absolutely sure that I have no spots...

Now that I have two black cars to maintain, I'm considering longer term protection for them, and coatings might be the answer for me.

With black cars, I've been disappointed with the look of sealants, which seem to result in a sort of cling-wrapped effect in the sun. Sure, they're shiny, but not deep looking, which is disappointing. I stopped using Zaino because of this, but haven't found other sealants to be much better.

I also end up having issues with streaking quite often. The latest approach that I ended up taking with Adams sealant was to apply by machine, and immediately buff off, panel by panel. If left on for longer than a few minutes, tiger stripe streaks would be all of the panel, and only an IPA wipe down would remove them... along with the rest of the protection.

So the current status is that I'm happy with the look of wax, but it doesn't last nearly long enough, and I'm considering alternatives. Coatings are relatively new on the scene, and the durability is attractive, as is the hydrophobic aspect, which would maintain cleanliness between washes, and make washing easier.

I was given a 30ml DLux kit as a gift, and tried it out last night for the first time on the black textured plastic on the new Pilot. It went on quite easily, but buffing off was not easy. It felt almost sticky, and I'm not sure if I was doing something wrong. Leaving the product to cure longer didn't seem to change this, and giving it less time didn't either. There was one small strip of chrome that I went over as well, and buffing off in this area appeared to move the product around more than remove the streaks. In the end I resorted to buffing with a traditional microfibre towel on the chrome, and it did come up shiny, but I'm now concerned that I might have just removed it all!

My main questions are:

  • I've heard that CQuartz UK gives a deeper gloss, which might be preferable for my black cars. Would I have issues applying it in the warmer climate of NorCal?
  • What was I doing wrong (if anything) when applying the DLux?
  • Can DLux be applied over Plasti-Dip? (I have dipped the large chrome strip on the back bumper)
  • What products should I be buying if I choose to go the coating route? (Reload, Wash Soap, Detail Spray, Iron-X etc)
  • The small suede microfiber cloths included with the coatings are great for application, but too small for buffing. Can I buy additional small and large cloths, or is something else recommended?

Thanks in advance for any help and advice!
 
Nezil,

I'll try to answer your questions below. Also feel free to call anytime.

My main questions are:

  • I've heard that CQuartz UK gives a deeper gloss, which might be preferable for my black cars. Would I have issues applying it in the warmer climate of NorCal?

    If your working temperature is 80F or above, I would recommend Cquartz Original. I enjoy the look of both UK and Original on black. As long as the temperature is not 80F or above, you shouldn't have any issues applying it if you heed the tips below and on the product page.

  • What was I doing wrong (if anything) when applying the DLux?

    On Textured plastic don't wipe it off; it is VERY important to work one area at a time and work it even as you go.
    Start in one corner and work out. Don't try to spread it too thin, and be sure to work it to an even coat in the first minute before moving to the next overlapping area. After a minute you should not be going back over an area that was applied.

  • Can DLux be applied over Plasti-Dip? (I have dipped the large chrome strip on the back bumper)

    Yes as long as the Plast-Dip is well cured.

  • What products should I be buying if I choose to go the coating route? (Reload, Wash Soap, Detail Spray, Iron-X etc)

    See tips below.

  • The small suede microfiber cloths included with the coatings are great for application, but too small for buffing. Can I buy additional small and large cloths, or is something else recommended?

    Small...http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-towels/carpro-suede-microfiber-applicator-4x4-10-pack/ Large...http://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-towels/carpro-suede-microfiber-16x16-10-pack/

Tips for applying CQUK:

Go easy at first… Check one panel after your done and take some time to check it in other types of lighting (ambient daylight type lighting is BEST) before completing the vehicle.

It should be wiped off before it feels sticky. Don't let it sit too long. (Typically 2-3 minutes in warm temps.), this will vary with temp and humidity, after the first panel you'll have the feel for it. It's REALLY NOT hard at all!

If “high spots” dark streaks, etc then you need to wipe it off more thoroughly. Great ambient lighting is key during application and removal.

Here are some tips.

#1.- Apply to the surface one section and then wipe it off before it becomes sticky.

#2 - Wiping with only the Suede towels can leave high spots. Be sure to completely wipe off the residue. It should NOT be difficult to wipe so do not press hard BUT you do want to go over it enough times to completely remove residue. This requires going over it a couple times before moving to the next section or panel. Use the CarPro Boa towel after the suede.

#3 - High spots reveal themselves best in great ambient lighting (daylight but not direct sun)

#4. - Be sure to switch out the 4” Suedes after every other panel.

With UK the key is to wipe off after each section before it gets at all sticky. Then follow with a boa towel after the suede to be sure to remove all excess product.

Prior to application, you would decontaminate with Iron X, then clay, then polish.

CQUK Basic Care and best practices:

1.- Do not wash with soap for 7 days after application.
2.- Hand wash vehicle regularly with CarPro Reset
3.- Occasionally (every 3 to 6 months) decontaminate surface with CarPro Iron X. Use during wash cycle (after Reset)
4.- Apply CarPro Reload for special occasions, any time you like, or after Iron X if you like to have a schedule for such things. Reload is not needed but will keep the hydrophobic layer in perfect condition.

Precautions:

A.- Avoid sprinkler and hard tap water (If your vehicle is subjected to this and it is not removed in the regular wash cycle then use CarPro Spotless (with supervision before use) and MF towel.
B.- Remove bird bombs from vehicle surfaces immediately (Ultima Waterless Wash + MF towel)

1 Caveat to add... You MAY prefer to use hydrofoam instead of reload a couple times a year and skip the Reload, these are both optional and I would choose one or the other based on your preferred washing routine. Either one will do very well.

Items needed in order of importance:
CarPro Reset
CarPro Merino Wool wash mitt
Microfiber Madness Dry Me Crazy

For quick fixes:
Ultima Waterless Wash
High quality plush absorbent soft microfiber towels (We prefer the Microfiber Madness Crazy Pile or CarPro BOA towels)

Future...
Reload or Hydrofoam
Iron X

CQUK DETAILED care tips

I would highly recommend Reset as your maintenance soap of choice.

The most important thing for your coated vehicle is to simply wash it regularly.

Washing... Wash in the shade -

It's simply Reset, CarPro merino mitt, Microfiber Madness dry me crazy towel.

When washing its critical to rinse your mitt after every panel BEFORE placing the mitt back in your soap and back on the paint.

Iron X and Reload should be used every 3-12 months depending on the environment.

 
Thanks very much for the detailed response, and apologies for taking so long to reply myself!

It does occasionally get to above 80 degrees here, and with summer on the way, that is more and more likely. I therefore should probably stick with CQuartz regular rather than UK, but I'm sure I'll be happy with that anyway.

I started looking on the store, and was disappointed to see that there is a really great package of UK + Reload + Mirror Hanger for $79.99. This doesn't appear to be a special, but there isn't a similar bundle for regular. If that's the way it is, then that's the way it is, but I wanted to check if this is a stock related issue, or a mistake...

I'm thinking of buying the following initially:

  • 50ml regular CQuartz
  • Extra small suede towels
  • Extra larger towels
  • 100ml Reload
  • Boa Microfibers
  • Reset
  • Iron-X
  • Ultima Waterless Wash

Going forward, I'm also thinking about getting the Leather and Vinyl coating, but was slightly concerned about the warning about light coloured leather... My wife's car leather is Grey, and mine (which would need a thorough clean first) is Cream.
 
Nezil said:
Thanks very much for the detailed response, and apologies for taking so long to reply myself!

It does occasionally get to above 80 degrees here, and with summer on the way, that is more and more likely. I therefore should probably stick with CQuartz regular rather than UK, but I'm sure I'll be happy with that anyway.

I started looking on the store, and was disappointed to see that there is a really great package of UK + Reload + Mirror Hanger for $79.99. This doesn't appear to be a special, but there isn't a similar bundle for regular. If that's the way it is, then that's the way it is, but I wanted to check if this is a stock related issue, or a mistake...

I'm thinking of buying the following initially:

  • 50ml regular CQuartz
  • Extra small suede towels
  • Extra larger towels
  • 100ml Reload
  • Boa Microfibers
  • Reset
  • Iron-X
  • Ultima Waterless Wash

Going forward, I'm also thinking about getting the Leather and Vinyl coating, but was slightly concerned about the warning about light coloured leather... My wife's car leather is Grey, and mine (which would need a thorough clean first) is Cream.
Click to expand...


Hi Nezil, thanks for your patience! Thats a great list of products. I would definitely recommend the regular CQuartz for a first time user and especially in a warm weather environment.

CQuartz Leather, this I would not recommend for first time user because you cannot polish leather... SO if the coating is not applied uniformly or if there is interaction with an existing product then there could be a problem you can't remove. 99.5% Chance everything would go GREAT and for sure you would love it if it does BUT that small chance of an issue is too scary for me to recommend this except for professional use. I would in that case also consider Ultima Interior Guard Plus which is not a permanent bonding product like CQuartz Leather is.

I would also consider a 500ml bottle of Reset, a CarPro Merino wool mitt and a Microfiber Madness WaveRider towel.

Let us know if we can help further!
 
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