Car Pro Essence Reviewed! 6 Months of Testing by OCDetail

Heisenberg said:
Yeah. It uses the same abrasives as Reflect,except it primes the surface for a coating application/lays down a base of protection which looks like it will negate the need for IPA/Eraser wipedown.

Saves a big step with the wipedown prior to coating by essentially combining it with the final polishing step...
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OPT Hyper abrasives are compatible with their coatings. that part of Essence doesn't wow me. i think the big deal with Essence as i see it is that it has legitimate abrasives, finishes well AND it provides what is being touted as legitimate protection that exceeds what comes from a normal sealant or wax. that combination is unique imo.

i'm not sure, though, i'd like something with fillers to use as a finish polish prior to actual coating. that's just me, doesn't mean anyone has to agree with that. i think if i were going that route, i'd stick with a filler-free polish. but as a stand alone, Essence sounds like a wonderful time saver.
 
Thanks for the great review! I am looking forward to trying it out.
 
builthatch said:
OPT Hyper abrasives are compatible with their coatings. that part of Essence doesn't wow me. i think the big deal with Essence as i see it is that it has legitimate abrasives, finishes well AND it provides what is being touted as legitimate protection that exceeds what comes from a normal sealant or wax. that combination is unique imo.

i'm not sure, though, i'd like something with fillers to use as a finish polish prior to actual coating. that's just me, doesn't mean anyone has to agree with that. i think if i were going that route, i'd stick with a filler-free polish. but as a stand alone, Essence sounds like a wonderful time saver.
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Can you clarify what you mean by your last paragraph?
According to this Essence is something you can use as a final polish prior to an actual coating (Classic, UK, or Finest).
 
conman1395 said:
Can you clarify what you mean by your last paragraph?
According to this Essence is something you can use as a final polish prior to an actual coating (Classic, UK, or Finest).
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yeah you can, according to the manufacturer. but it has fillers. what i'm saying is, if i'm going the effort of coating a car, i will not use something with fillers to hide anything.

personally, why would i use a polish with fillers and also, with protection included, and then coat it? i'd just use a much cheaper, compatible prep polish with no fillers and go ahead and coat. that is what i currently do with the polishes and coatings i use. that will get me the truest correction and the best protection. no need to use an expensive AIO for prep to coat.

like i said, i think the really neat aspect of this product is the fact that it is like an all in one on steroids. i am not aware of an AIO that has the purported features of this product. that's cool.
 
VP Mark said:
Used this stuff for the first time today. Pretty impressive.
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With its ability to fill and correct, just curious if the swirls are removed or slightly improved/filled in?

Thanks for that 50/50. I've been anxious to see other examples until I get mine on Friday.
 
builthatch said:
yeah you can, according to the manufacturer. but it has fillers. what i'm saying is, if i'm going the effort of coating a car, i will not use something with fillers to hide anything.

personally, why would i use a polish with fillers and also, with protection included, and then coat it? i'd just use a much cheaper, compatible prep polish with no fillers and go ahead and coat. that is what i currently do with the polishes and coatings i use. that will get me the truest correction and the best protection. no need to use an expensive AIO for prep to coat.

like i said, i think the really neat aspect of this product is the fact that it is like an all in one on steroids. i am not aware of an AIO that has the purported features of this product. that's cool.
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If I were to use this product, I would still make the paint perfect. The reason I would use this is because it adds more to the layer of SiO2. I know you're big into OPT products so I'm sure you're aware of what Primer Polish is. I would use it in the same way I would Primer Polish.

One of the things that is significant to me about the fillers isn't necessarily it's ability to hide something I would otherwise see, but to fill in those things can't see but hinder the gloss. I can finish a car with M205 flawless, but if I use something even finer (Ultimate Polish or SF4500 come to mind) I can make it a half a step better (jeweling the paint?).

The fact of the matter is that all we're doing when we polish paint is instilling super fine scratches not unlike sanding with finer grit after using a coarser grit but with polishes they're so fine that they make the surface appear to us as very shiny. If I can finish something with HD Polish (my favorite polish which finishes close to SF4500 with much less oil) and then use Essence to both further refine the finish and add more to the layer of protection for my coating to lay on/become part of - whichever it is - then I'd be happy.

If Essence can be used to replace HD polish since it has abrasives then I'd also be happy for the time saved. This isn't JUST a galze. It isn't just filling the defects. It's also removing defects. Personally if I used this professionally I don't think I would use it without first using a compound. I would make sure what marring there may be can be removed with a finishing polish like I would do even without Essence. It wouldn't be unlike (to stay with HD) using a compound and finishing with HD Speed. The marring from the compound is still being removed and the paint is still "flawless".
 
builthatch said:
OPT Hyper abrasives are compatible with their coatings. that part of Essence doesn't wow me. i think the big deal with Essence as i see it is that it has legitimate abrasives, finishes well AND it provides what is being touted as legitimate protection that exceeds what comes from a normal sealant or wax. that combination is unique imo.

i'm not sure, though, i'd like something with fillers to use as a finish polish prior to actual coating. that's just me, doesn't mean anyone has to agree with that. i think if i were going that route, i'd stick with a filler-free polish. but as a stand alone, Essence sounds like a wonderful time saver.
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Even my bottle of gloss coat says "wipe down with IPA mixture prior to coating" if I recall correctly. So they may be compatible but there's still that extra step you need to do to get the best bond possible.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ce-cquartz-uk-attention-detailing-peoria.html

This is pretty much what I had in mind when I saw it first introduced. Just polish and coat.

conman1395 said:
One of the things that is significant to me about the fillers isn't necessarily it's ability to hide something I would otherwise see, but to fill in those things can't see but hinder the gloss. I

This isn't JUST a glaze. It isn't just filling the defects. It's also removing defects. Personally if I used this professionally I don't think I would use it without first using a compound. I would make sure what marring there may be can be removed with a finishing polish like I would do even without Essence. It wouldn't be unlike (to stay with HD) using a compound and finishing with HD Speed. The marring from the compound is still being removed and the paint is still "flawless".
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Other great points.
 
Heisenberg said:
Even my bottle of gloss coat says "wipe down with IPA mixture prior to coating" if I recall correctly. So they may be compatible but there's still that extra step you need to do to get the best bond possible.
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i understand - it says that because they can't be sure you are going to use Hyper. i've looked into it with them.

Conman does make some good points. personally i don't agree with the expense for those benefits (additional gloss, "boosting" a coating prior to installation), but i DO agree with the expense for the points i mentioned. there is nothing on the market like that, at least that i'm aware of. this is the first one.

different strokes, amirite?
 
I see where you guys are going with this, but honestly I dont see the problem either way. Assuming that the quartz layer in essence is as durable as they claim, and that you're building on top of it with a coating like Cquartz, then the fact that some minor defects were filled is kind of moot IMO. The quartz is essentially glass, and it could be argued to be as permanent as clear coat itself couldnt it?

If a tree falls in a forest with noone around to hear it, does it make a sound?
If a semi-pemanent primer, then coating can fill a defect for years where noone can see it, Is it still there? Does it make a difference?

I think the key here is, that essence can possibly save a butt-load of time and still be as good as a flawless finish that's coated. That could mean lower costs of application, which could mean that you can get more jobs from those that might not be able to afford a multi-step correction and coating. The fact that this is a primer step for a coating, replacing the need for another wash step and an IPA or Eraser step, or used as a stand alone product is a game changer IMO.

My bottle is arriving soon, I cant wait to try it.
 
When it is said this product contains fillers, is it then correct to say that these fillers are then very much similar-identical to fillers in a glaze product?

But then according to the original poster, he found these supposed fillers virtually impossible to remove, or not be seen due to either the fillers then being sealed in by an SIO coating, and/or the paint also being very well corrected?
Would these assumptions sound correct?
 
Just to clarify a little. I did testing with this to see how it preformed every which way. The way I currently use it is on fully corrected paint prior to coating. Everyone here has "chased the dragon" on a jet black car. When no matter what you do under the brightest point lights there is still a tiny amount of haze. IF you get to this point the car should be blinding in any light. But what essence does is actually fill this little haze. And to my eyes makes a shine I've never been able to achieve. I don't know how to explain it but the gloss level achieved is nuts. There are reflect abrasives in this and Just too see how much haze was removed vs filled I used it as a stand alone polish against compounding haze and immediately did a strong wipe dow after. What I saw was the light haze pattern was gone, even ones created from a rotary polish were actually removed but the very faint haze under bright lights I talk about was visible again because I gave it no cure time. And honestly I can run around a car with this just as fast as I can IPA or eraser a car so its win win in my books. Right after I started using this I started getting people saying I was photo shopping pics online... Because they just look un real. Well in person its the same affect. There are only a hand full times I walked in the shop and had to do a double take on a car we finished. Well since essence all of them are like that. "Holy GLOSSY! DO YOU SEE THAT GUYS!!" Wow we are awesome :urtheman: :applause::applause: Ryan! Ryan my number one in the shop who does most the correction work these days and supervises other employees so I can sit on auto geek all day...I mean work on the business not in... Yeah that Im the MAN
 
builthatch said:
i understand - it says that because they can't be sure you are going to use Hyper. i've looked into it with them.

Conman does make some good points. personally i don't agree with the expense for those benefits (additional gloss, "boosting" a coating prior to installation), but i DO agree with the expense for the points i mentioned. there is nothing on the market like that, at least that i'm aware of. this is the first one.

different strokes, amirite?
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Definitely. Didn't know that about Hyper either, thanks for the heads up. :xyxthumbs:
 
builthatch said:
i understand - it says that because they can't be sure you are going to use Hyper. i've looked into it with them.

Conman does make some good points. personally i don't agree with the expense for those benefits (additional gloss, "boosting" a coating prior to installation), but i DO agree with the expense for the points i mentioned. there is nothing on the market like that, at least that i'm aware of. this is the first one.

different strokes, amirite?
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There is a noticeable difference in gloss when using Essence, even after the paint is fully polished. I just finished up a car doing a full 2-step correction followed by Essence as a primer and the difference was impressive. I would say it added "richness" to the paint. I would much rather use this prior to coating than Eraser or IPA.





Just my $.02
 
RaskyR1 said:
There is a noticeable difference in gloss when using Essence, even after the paint is fully polished. I just finished up a car doing a full 2-step correction followed by Essence as a primer and the difference was impressive. I would say it added "richness" to the paint. I would much rather use this prior to coating than Eraser or IPA.





Just my $.02
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that's good info.

would you say the richness was similar to what happens when coated with CQF?
 
Chad, thanks for all of your input, how do you apply Essence with a Boss? Pad,speed....? I'm talking after a correction, and right before a coating.Thank you in advance.
 
builthatch said:
that's good info.

would you say the richness was similar to what happens when coated with CQF?
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I'd say it's similar, but I'll have to do a 50/50 and see if it darkens it at all like Finest does.

It's like the below pics, but not as extreme as this first pic wasn't fully finished yet.





 
Billy Baldone said:
Chad, thanks for all of your input, how do you apply Essence with a Boss? Pad,speed....? I'm talking after a correction, and right before a coating.Thank you in advance.
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Yes, I used the G21, Speed 4. I've tried it with a few different pads now but on the Audi above I used a yellow BOSS pad. I worked it longer on this car too as this was a repaint and Essence didn't like being short cycled for some reason. Once I worked it longer it was oh so nice! :dblthumb2:
 
RaskyR1 said:
Yes, I used the G21, Speed 4. I've tried it with a few different pads now but on the Audi above I used a yellow BOSS pad. I worked it longer on this car too as this was a repaint and Essence didn't like being short cycled for some reason. Once I worked it longer it was oh so nice! :dblthumb2:
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I love it with a 12mm rupes. The pad marks you get on some paint completely stopped happening when I use the Duetto. Try it chad with gloss pad and it'll blind you.
 
Jsmooth said:
I love it with a 12mm rupes. The pad marks you get on some paint completely stopped happening when I use the Duetto. Try it chad with gloss pad and it'll blind you.
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I was never really impressed with the Duetto and NXT so I never bought one. :dunno:

I was using it on the G15 with a gloss pad for a while but it had the same issue. Tried a few different things but once I worked it longer there was no more issues. :props:
 
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