REVIEW: CarPro Reload 2014 "New & Improved"

Dr_Pain

Dr_Pain

Certified Finest Installer
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The "New and Improved" CarPro Reload was introduced a few months back, with much acclaim and anticipation for greatness. Personally, I have a very large arsenal of CarPro products and can honestly tell you that I have NEVER been disappointed, so was anticipating this release on pins and needles!

Like any new product (or improvement on old product), there is some testing period, and then "the mass" pronounced itself. It seems that the 2014 version of CarPro Reload has frustrated a few. I too had an "adaptation" period to the product, but instead of seeing it as a frustration I decided to "evaluate" what could be done to lessen the learning curve.

Here is an overview of the two products:

CarPro Reload 2013
  • Product Color: White
  • Product Category: Water Based Inorganic Synthetic Spray Sealant
  • Product Additives: Modified Silica (nano-ceramic glass components)
  • Application: Shake well. Spray on dry or wet panel. Spread with one MF towel and buff immediately with another MF towel. Apply on a cool panel away from direct sun exposure
  • Intended surface to protect: In addition to paintwork, it can also be used on rubber, plastic, and glass.
  • Reported ease of application: 8/10 (where 10 is so easy a baby could do it)
  • Estimated Protection: 4 months

CarPro Reload 2014 NEW and IMPROVED
  • Product Color: Beige
  • Product Category: Water Based Inorganic Synthetic Spray Sealant
  • Product Additives: Modified Silica (nano-ceramic glass components 5%)
  • Application: Shake well. Spray on dry or wet panel. Spread with one MF towel and buff immediately with another MF towel. Apply on a cool panel away from direct sun exposure
  • Intended surface to protect: In addition to paintwork, it can also be used on rubber, plastic, and glass.
  • Reported ease of application: 6/10 (where 10 is so easy a baby could do it)
  • Estimated Protection: 4-6 months

As you can see there is not much difference in terms of descriptions, except for 1) Product Color, 2) Ease of Application and 3) Protection.... and obviously 4) the "chemistry". The 2014 VERSION is much more concentrated formula with more durability against chemicals.

Because both the 2013 and 2014 are water based, they can be diluted. I will admit that I had never diluted them before, and went about using the product following the principle that "a small amount goes a long way". I've never had a problem with light or dark cars and the "Bead Show" from this product can only be described as INCREDIBLE!!

The NEW formula does currently have a couple of issues. It has been reported that an "oily holograms" would remain after wiping off the product. Many suggestions were offered to help the problem, and the following is a sampling of those recommendations.

  1. DO NOT use the product too thin (or sparingly)
  2. Use multiple high quality MF towels to apply and remove the product
  3. If a high spot occurs, Erasor or IPA can be used to level the product (within 5 second) however once the product bond Erasor won't remove Reload
  4. For the oily residue that may remain (on some vehicle) a damp MF towel will help
  5. The recommendation with the older version was to dilute for black vehicles, but it seems that the 2014 version may benefit from dilution with all vehicles.
  6. Because of using the product diluted, a lot more product needs to be applied to the surface for the "BEST" intended results

NOTE: Dilution should be done with distilled water or de-ionized water to prevent the introduction of minerals (from tap water) which may dry on the paintwork and alter the end result
NOTE #2: There is a difference between the oily hologram vs. high spots. A high spot is due to an unevenly spread product (operator error). If you leave a high spot and the product is allowed to cure, the only way to remove it is to use a few drops of finishing polish (like Reflect or SF4000) and VERY GENTLY hand polish the high spots.

Well, what has experience with the NEW product been so far (on my black Ford Raptor, and other cars). NOT following the advice of Avi and Corey (@ CarPro), and the experience of others before me, I've had a few problem!! Now don't get me wrong, those problems were INTENTIONAL (meaning I caused them in my quest to truly evaluate the product and its application). I will admit that I did not leave a high spot on purpose because that is just "operator error", which would have happened with the prior product as well.

Here is a breakdown of what I tried:

  1. Used a variety of different MF towels (long nap, short nap etc..)
  2. Used straight and diluted 1:1
  3. Used QD vs. Erasor vs. a damp MF to "treat" the oily holograms

Microfibers: I tested Cobra Super Plush, Cobra 530, CarPro Boas, Microfiber Madness Crazy Pile and Summit 800

The CLEAR winner was the Microfiber Madness towels. Some had reported that using a short nap would ease in the removal and my experience was that it did the exact opposite, it just spread the oily stuff rather than absorbing it. The Boas were good, but it was clear that the Cobras were outclassed!!​

Diluted vs. Non-diluted :

The diluted product was MUCH easier to deal with (although it still created the holograms, especially with the Cobras). What did help was testing by overapplying. In that case both performed about the same. The main problem I see with over-applying the straight Reload becomes a "cost/application" issue. Diluting the product helps in curbing the cost associated with over-application though.​

NOTE: I've followed the saga of "Reload 2014" on AGO and on the CarPro forum, and would like to paraphrase one of the best speculation I've read so far (which Mark provided). His thoughts are that using the product sparingly would create a situation where Reload would get "soaked in" faster (than the old formula), which would explain why over-applying a more even layer seems to work better!?!? Longer work time? Easier "chemical bonding" environment if you keep the product wet longer?

QD vs. Erasor vs. Damp MF .

I will spare you the long read and just say that the BEST results, and the procedure that makes the most sense is to use a damp MF. Erasor would alter the product and may affect its longevity. The same (to a lesser extend) will occur with water and QD, however I fear that QDs may leave "something" behind (some form of surfactants or ?!?)​

ADDENDUM: I read a recommendation from a CarPro installer who suggested to apply the straight Reload 2014 by spraying a damp MF towel instead of spraying the panel. I did not think of that but I feel that he may be the best "quick fix" trick we have on hand, while Avi and is crew are reformulating Reload for us. Another consideration for this technique is that this way you will use much less product, even if you were to compare this technique vs. the diluted over-application technique. Something to test for sure!!!

Additional Thoughts: Since Reload can be applied on a wet panel, we should also test Mark's theory through applying the straight product onto a wet panel!!

Conclusion: (from my experience) For best result while using the current batch of Reload 2014:

  1. Dilute the product 1:1 with distilled or de-inoized water
  2. Apply LIBERALLY on the paintwork (or apply undiluted directly onto a damp MF)
  3. Use Microfiber Madness Crazy Pile and Summit 800 for BEST results (or some longer nap comparable towels, like the CarPro Boas)
  4. Use one MF to spread and one MF to remove
  5. Inspect for high spots and correct with Erasor or IPA (before the product bonds)
  6. If oily holograms remain, use a DAMP MF to gently wipe the surface.

The following are a couple of video references on application and removal (in these videos the CarPro Boas were used)


If you have some suggestions, comments or questions feel free to post them. Thanks for reading!!
 
Wow Claude, you never cease to amaze me with your brilliant inputs! Well done again, thank you!!
 
Merlin said:
GREAT review...I'll have to try some of your lessons learned trick and tips.
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I hope you report back on your findings. I hate to give a bad review on such a great product, and as you can see it is a little more finicky and does have a learning curve over its predecessor but it does not take away from the intended use. Still a great product, from a great company... one that will take our input and work tirelessly to bring to the market a product that will make us all happy!

DARK HORSE said:
Wow Claude, you never cease to amaze me with your brilliant inputs! Well done again, thank you!!
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Thanks Tad! Just trying to contribute the best way I can! Most of the information I shared is consolidated from all the reading I have done, and some is my own experimentation (which was based on others understanding and experimentation with the product).
 
Claude,

Quick question. My buddy and I just CQUK'ed his wife's Pathfinder. The UK says wait 24 hours before getting wet. Do you think it is safe to use the damp MF method without harming the UK?

I have the 2014 version and diluted it 1:1. I tried applying it, sparingly then heavily, and note that it was "smearing."
Towels were clean and product shaken well.
Thanks,

Steve
 
fdresq4 said:
Claude,

Quick question. My buddy and I just CQUK'ed his wife's Pathfinder. The UK says wait 24 hours before getting wet. Do you think it is safe to use the damp MF method without harming the UK?

I have the 2014 version and diluted it 1:1. I tried applying it, sparingly then heavily, and note that it was "smearing."
Towels were clean and product shaken well.
Thanks,

Steve
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A damp towel will not hurt the paint as much as water left to imprint. If you UK'd and was applying Reload as a topper, then the damp towel will make contact with the Reload not the UK. BTW Reload is water base (hence dilutable) so water is not a true problem BUT mineralized (from tap) or Acid rain do carry more "stuff" that could affect the fresh coating. Use demineralized/deionized or distilled water to damp your MF and you should be GOLDEN
 
Doctor Claude,

Your help is very much appreciated. The damp MF did the trick.

Thank you,

Steve
 
Nice review. I had already used the product (over CQUK) prior to reading this, but luckily it turned out OK for the most part. I applied the Reload 2014 full strength, spread with a MFM Slogger, and buffed off immediately with a MFM Crazy Pile. Everything looked great until a few days later as I was approaching the car and the sun was shining at just the right angle I noticed some "holograms" on a small area of the front fender. Your review mentioned removing these with a damp MF towel but I assume that means shortly after application. What about days later when the product has fully cured? Any recommendations?
 
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i'm not expert but from past & other LSP experience...if it's not too bad i may choose to live with it and wait for it to degrade :)
or wash your car and check the spot again.
if time is not an issue,may want to polish and reapply the spot :cool:
 
Moldavite said:
i'm not expert but from past & other LSP experience...if it's not too bad i may choose to live with it and wait for it to degrade :)
or wash your car and check the spot again.
if time is not an issue,may want to polish and reapply the spot :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I tried wiping the area with a damp MF towel and also with a spray of QD. That seemed to reduce it a bit. It seems less noticeable now so I may take your advice and just live with it, but I want to check it again in bright sunlight (if the weatherman would just cooperate). If it still bothers me I guess I'll have to polish and redo the whole panel.
 
I will be posting a "How-To" Reload based on some experimentation I did over the weekend. This should help clarify a couple of things and should appease some of you that are a little weary about the product.
 
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