Carpro Essence xtreme Gloss

[Aaryn NZ]

Im not trying to start any arguments just giving my opinion to someone who is going through the same things I just went through trying to find what works and what doesn't. The detailing process is long enough without doing unnecessary steps.

I hate that we often need to state this . . . . Unfortunately the world has made us like this because people often (more often than not) see a differing opinion as a act of war . . .

Luckily here on AGO it’s flipped around & most of the time opinions are respected & everyone can have there say.

I agree with what you’re saying totally, good solid advice indeed. I have to say yeah, you’re right - I haven’t done that comparison of ‘Wax/Essence’ but agree, wax would certainly add gloss. In my scenario I am using Essence as a primer before a Ceramic Coating installation.

Do you use the non abrasive stuff? I could get behind that.

Essence +??? I love Essence +. I often use it as an AIO as well as it’s intended purpose for use with already coated vehicles. Super nice to work with & a little goes a very long way.


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

 

[RZJZA80]

The CarPro catalog gives Essence a cut of 2 compared to Reflect which is a 3, Fixer at 6 (which is probably where correcting cream is at in terms of cut) and Clear Cut at a 10. The scale is 1-10. I could see why it did not do much if the areas had somewhat deeper defects.

I personally am not a fan of using Essence with a microfiber cutting pad as it just works better as a final finishing step prior to a coating.

I think a rating of 2 is being optimistic. After using BOSS CC on BOSS orange to knock down the black piano trim, I tried the Essence on both the BOSS orange and yellow pads to remove the haze and did nothing at all. Either I got a bad bottle as suggested or it has closer to 0 or 1 in the cut area.

 

[The Guz]

I think a rating of 2 is being optimistic. After using BOSS CC on BOSS orange to knock down the black piano trim, I tried the Essence on both the BOSS orange and yellow pads to remove the haze and did nothing at all. Either I got a bad bottle as suggested or it has closer to 0 or 1 in the cut area.

Does not seem right. I have had no issues with Essence finishing out after compounding on black paint. Like Aaryn states it finishes out nicely with nice gloss.

 

[RZJZA80]

Does not seem right. I have had no issues with Essence finishing out after compounding on black paint. Like Aaryn states it finishes out nicely with nice gloss.

Now that I think about it I think the bottle of Essence was expired by a few months, but not sure if that would matter or not.

Only thing I can think of is it left behind the exact same haze and didn't remove it. Keep in mind this isn't black paint, it's the piano black trim on the pillars that are crazy soft.

 

[The Guz]

Now that I think about it I think the bottle of Essence was expired by a few months, but not sure if that would matter or not.

Only thing I can think of is it left behind the exact same haze and didn't remove it. Keep in mind this isn't black paint, it's the piano black trim on the pillars that are crazy soft.

I get that since that trim is soft. I have done the same to the pillars on my daily driver and Essence finished out fine. My 2002 Camaro SS has the black sail panel and also the black piano type pieces and Essence and Shine Supply Slick Back finish out the best on them. My uncles 2002 Crovette respray is super soft and Essence is one of the polishes that finishes out on it with no issue. At the time I used it, the bottle had not yet hit the expiration date. It has by now.

On harder paints Essence does not do that well in terms of cut.

 

[Aaryn NZ]

Yep, it was Essence. I tried it on both the orange and yellow BOSS pads, absolutely no correction at all. I ended up using BOSS correcting cream on orange then finishing cream on yellow and then coated.

Doh. That isn’t the normal performance I’d expect from Essence. I’m not familiar with Boss pads at all so I can’t offer anything there but I only use Essence with CarPro Gloss Pads & very rarely if ever am disappointed.

I personally am not a fan of using Essence with a microfiber cutting pad as it just works better as a final finishing step prior to a coating.

Yup! I’m with you on this one Guz. I’m not a fan of microfibre pads much at all in any scenario but that’s just me. In terms of attempting to get any real ‘bite’ from Essence I know microfibre aids in that but I would rather use something like 3D ONE, Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish, Megs 205 etc via a foam polishing pad.

Essence on CarPro Gloss Pads for the final step before coating - pure gold. rops:

I think a rating of 2 is being optimistic. After using BOSS CC on BOSS orange to knock down the black piano trim, I tried the Essence on both the BOSS orange and yellow pads to remove the haze and did nothing at all. Either I got a bad bottle as suggested or it has closer to 0 or 1 in the cut area.

Now that I think about it I think the bottle of Essence was expired by a few months, but not sure if that would matter or not.

Only thing I can think of is it left behind the exact same haze and didn't remove it. Keep in mind this isn't black paint, it's the piano black trim on the pillars that are crazy soft.

I wouldn’t imagine the bottle being expired by that long would make that much of a difference but I’m not an expert in that regard. I think CarPro’s rating of 2 is a pretty fair assessment. I dunno why it didn’t give you the results you were after on the black trim . . . :dunno: unusual for sure. Don’t give up on Essence though, the rewards are there.


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

 

[gsmarquis]

I used this for the first time a week ago. I was pretty impressed although it was on a new car with almost zero marks. I told the dealer to not even remove the shipping plastic. Used essence with gloss pads and then moved onto UK3.0 followed by Reload. I forgot I actually had a bottle of essence so I ordered one. Hardly even put a dent in the first one. I found that after your passes are ending, treat the last pass like a wax job with a DA. Really puts that last bang on the shine.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

Using Adams correcting polish before essence, then cquk3. Should I panel wipe (eraser) after Adams before essence?


I’ve read you don’t need to after essence when applying cquk3, has anyone done this?


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[Aaryn NZ]

Using Adams correcting polish before essence, then cquk3. Should I panel wipe (eraser) after Adams before essence?


I’ve read you don’t need to after essence when applying cquk3, has anyone done this?


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I wouldn’t ‘panel wipe’ in between Adams & Essence, & I know it’s known that you don’t have to after Essence prior to coating but I always panel wipe before any coating installation. For the little time it takes to have that extra ‘insurance’ so to speak, I feel it’s a worthy step to take.


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

 

[fightnews]

With what pad and Essence did you use? And what worked on the black piano pillar trim?

And remember when preping for a coating it's Essence you use. Essence Plus is like an AIO on coatings when they have degraded some. If you use Essence Plus and then going to be applying a coating you get problems. As it would have problems to bond evenly. Essence goes under a coating and Essence Plus goes over a coating.

Really? I thought they were the same thing except 1 has abrasives the other does not?

 

[fightnews]

I think a rating of 2 is being optimistic. After using BOSS CC on BOSS orange to knock down the black piano trim, I tried the Essence on both the BOSS orange and yellow pads to remove the haze and did nothing at all. Either I got a bad bottle as suggested or it has closer to 0 or 1 in the cut area.

well boss cc is a medium grade polish so its supposed to have more cut the essence which is a finishing polish.

 

[SWETM]

Really? I thought they were the same thing except 1 has abrasives the other does not?

Yeah Essence Plus contains something in it that interfear with the coating applyied over it. It uses the chemical cleaning to be able to correct very little on a coating. Then ad the filling ability resins to fill the light scratches on the coating. And last the protection cures. So Essence and Essence Plus is very different products. Essence is a abrasive primer for carpros cquarts coatings. And Essence Plus is healer and cleaner on top of coatings. Then they have found uses outside of these abilities. As the use of Essence Plus as a stand alone LSP or Essence with another more coarse pad than Glosspad to get more correction. And the Essence twins with the glossenhancer primer as a base with Essence Plus as a LSP on it. Essence as a stand alone LSP is not so effective as they have not added any hydrophobic properties to it so a coating will bond stronger. For many here in Sweden the Essence and 2×CQUK gets them easy over 2 years. Without Essence it could reach over if lucky. A polish with Essence Plus and the Glosspad on a say 60-70% effective of the coating left. You can have a coating behavior back up to almost 3-6 months longer. Or if getting some very light marring you can correct that with Essence Plus.

 

[Jeremy5431]

Im not sure what gloss enhancer is but you will want some new pads fort your pc as well. It's very hard to do a whole car with a long throw polisher because the pads won't rotate on curves and contours.



If you get the pad flat enough to actually rotate you won't have sufficient contact on the paint. People may disagree but its self explanatory in my opinion. If the pad is flat and the panel is contoured then only the highest point on the contour will be getting polished. Any pressure or angle to change that will only stall the pad.

In this example the straight line represents the pad and the circle the panel.

I was thinking about that. My plan is to use the Rupes line as a system (pads, compounds, polished, etc), then put the 3 inch backing plate on the PC for those hard to reach places using my LC 4 inch pads.

This bring up another question. Can I use the carpro pads with the Rupes? My plan was to use the 5.5 pads with my PC

How long do you let to cure before applying a coating? I have heard an hour to overnight.



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[Setec Astronomy]

At the time I used it, the bottle had not yet hit the expiration date. It has by now.

So what's the consensus on the expiry date on the Essence products? Both of mine were past the date before I used them the first time, but I was doing kind of an "off-label" application anyway, so I couldn't tell if they were working right even if I knew how they were supposed to work. All of these CarPro products have a pretty short shelf life, by the label.

I think I posted a thread here a few years ago of me using DLUX on my back valence and showing the expired date on the bottom before I did it...that went fine, although that was the first time I opened the bottle.

 

[acuRAS82]

So what's the consensus on the expiry date on the Essence products? Both of mine were past the date before I used them the first time, but I was doing kind of an "off-label" application anyway, so I couldn't tell if they were working right even if I knew how they were supposed to work. All of these CarPro products have a pretty short shelf life, by the label.

I think I posted a thread here a few years ago of me using DLUX on my back valence and showing the expired date on the bottom before I did it...that went fine, although that was the first time I opened the bottle.

I recall a CarPro rep writing to someone that this should still be OK for two years (1 more than the expiration date I believe)if stored in mild, non-sunlight environment (obviously top on tight). I’m guessing 2 years may be conservative with proper storage too, these companies need to cover their butts, and they would like you to eventually purchase more. I won’t finish my large bottle within the two year date but will eventually keep using it.

 

[2wookies]

Would someone please show me on AG where they sell JUST Essence? It's either Essence plus or extreme gloss.Search

 

[Eldorado2k]

Would someone please show me on AG where they sell JUST Essence? It's either Essence plus or extreme gloss.Search

There’s no such thing as “Essence”
There’s only Essence Extreme Gloss Enhancer... But don’t worry, irl it’s just Essence. Lol

 

[gsmarquis]

Essence extreme gloss is what we are talking mainly about. Small bottle will do you if you are not doing alot of correction.

 

[The Guz]

Using Adams correcting polish before essence, then cquk3. Should I panel wipe (eraser) after Adams before essence?


I’ve read you don’t need to after essence when applying cquk3, has anyone done this?


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It won't hurt if you prep wipe after compounding. I have done this before prior to polishing. I will leave it up to you on this one.

I prep wipe after Essence but I am leaving Essence overnight (after wipe off) to let the SiO2 in it cure while the oils essentially evaporate off. The next morning I will come back with a light prep wipe to remove any light dust and any remaining oils that may not have evaporated overnight.

I wouldn’t ‘panel wipe’ in between Adams & Essence, & I know it’s known that you don’t have to after Essence prior to coating but I always panel wipe before any coating installation. For the little time it takes to have that extra ‘insurance’ so to speak, I feel it’s a worthy step to take.


Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

I do the same with a prep wipe after Essence.

So what's the consensus on the expiry date on the Essence products? Both of mine were past the date before I used them the first time, but I was doing kind of an "off-label" application anyway, so I couldn't tell if they were working right even if I knew how they were supposed to work. All of these CarPro products have a pretty short shelf life, by the label.

I think I posted a thread here a few years ago of me using DLUX on my back valence and showing the expired date on the bottom before I did it...that went fine, although that was the first time I opened the bottle.

Can't tell you. You are going to have experiment with it.

Would someone please show me on AG where they sell JUST Essence? It's either Essence plus or extreme gloss.Search

Essence

CarPro Essence Xtreme Gloss Enhancer 250 ml

Essence Plus

CarPro Essence PLUS 250 ml

 

[RZJZA80]

well boss cc is a medium grade polish so its supposed to have more cut the essence which is a finishing polish.

Right, that's what I used for the initial cut, then followed by the FC, but the Essence just didn't do anything at all which surprised me.