CarPro Reload - Almost a year of frustration

[EternalEclipse]

I’m with the majority here, your surface isn’t clean enough and it’s affecting the reload; queue bad hydrophobic performance.

A solid wash and simple QD should bring back the performance of the coating.

Hell if you have an alright wash already and have some APC, run a weak APC pre-soak (10:1 minimum) and good pressure wash working from the bottom up (to not dilute product you want to dwell longer). Give it a wash after and see how it turns out.

Cheaper than purchasing more product.

Companies are only required to list they type of surfactant, not the actual surfactant as its part of what makes a “secret recipe”. You know colonel sanders? He has a surfactant as one of the 11.

Surfactants can run cheap and plenty, right up to advanced and costly.

Oh that makes sense. The more you know! I agree that the surface is probably contaminated, so I'm gonna try the chemical decon first before I buy a bottle of Reset. I never get dirty MF towels when I dry or apply reload, so I don't think it's my wash process, probably something else. I really really want to try and clay bar my car but I don't want to risk any marring to my coating.

What do you guys think about using other products as toppers for coatings? There's loads out there that seem similiar in characteristics as Reload, but once again, it's just not in the family of CarPro products lol.

Man, all this is starting to make me question whether a ceramic coating was right for me. Just slapping a coating of collinite 845 and calling it a day sounds really nice about now haha.

 

[gsmarquis]

Once you get it all worked out and lived with it for a few years, going to a non coated car makes washes a pain. I spent a ton of time coating a 2016 Suburban in GM black. I said when I was done I would never go through that process again. It took like a week. I bought an Impreza to go back and forth to work. After a month, it was polished and UK 3.0 applied. The cleaning ease is just to good.

I have always done the Reload after a coating, but after 2-3 months I switch over to Hydro2, it makes it even easier.

 

[EternalEclipse]

Once you get it all worked out and lived with it for a few years, going to a non coated car makes washes a pain. I spent a ton of time coating a 2016 Suburban in GM black. I said when I was done I would never go through that process again. It took like a week. I bought an Impreza to go back and forth to work. After a month, it was polished and UK 3.0 applied. The cleaning ease is just to good.

I have always done the Reload after a coating, but after 2-3 months I switch over to Hydro2, it makes it even easier.

Man I felt the EXACT same way when I did my coating. Polishing alone took me several days. By the time I was done my second coating of CQUK, I told myself that I'd never do this again and get it done professionally next time. It was brutal for me. I felt like if I did it for one more day, I'd drop dead from exhaustion.

This does have me thinking though, some people said that CQUK is very strong by itself. I'm embarrassed to say that I never even considered just leaving CQUK by itself. I was just so fixated on my issues with Reload, I never even thought about just leaving CQUK by itself. That does sound like a really appealing option right now, I must admit. I'm gonna see how CQUK performs by itself after the decon, just to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[gsmarquis]

I would always use sacrificial layer on a coating. Think of the hard work to get it on the car. Now think how upset you would be to see etched water spots. The hydro2 is a spray on, pressure off product. At least 10x easier than Reload. Just doesnt have the longevity of Reload when Reload is applied correctly. About 1-2 times a year I will do a iron soap wash, then a reset wash followed by Hydro2. Back to new again.

 

[EternalEclipse]

You have a good point. I think I will buy a bottle of Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer along with a bottle of Reset. I am thinking about doing a 50/50 test on my hood with Reload and the BSD. I've heard a lot of good things about BSD and the price is right, so why not? What's the worst that can happen? Haha. I'll do it as my little experiment to test the durability, gloss, hydrophobicity, etc. over the weeks. Maybe I'll shoot a video on it washing it once a week for a couple weeks and compare.

Almost everyone here has recommended me to use Reset, so I can't help but have high expectations of it now lol. Hopefully I won't be sorely disappointed.

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

I exclusively use Hyperwash, Reset and Reload. There are occasions where I'll mix both HW and Reset in the bucket, and both in the foam gun.

The PH Levels look fairly on the alkaline side as Wristy has posted, anything over 7, is less acidic and leaning towards alkaline.

With CQUK and constant outdoor activity (driving, weather, UV, harsh chemicals in road film) expect about 18 months before you see aspects of the coating deteriorate. Beading alone (or lack of) will not be the only indicator of deterioration. @zmcgovern45 wrote a pretty amazing article a few years back on this. I've tried to find it but just don't have time, perhaps Zack can.

With that said, how I apply reload: Of course I do the normal wash routine, I'll mix the Hyper Wash and Reset, mainly to pickup some of the foaming qualities of HW, as Reset doesn't really foam up (unless using a pressure wash) for my pre-soak. Also HW can augment the reset for lubricity purposes and $$$$$$$$ purposes.

After vehicle is washed and dried I get it into the shop and out of the sun. Armed with two MF's at all times, and a Ultima MF Applicator:
Ultima Autospa Microfiber Applicator, applicator pad

- I'll spray onto the applicator and then apply it in a crisscross pattern, first in a small area to determine how it will come off. If easy I'll do a larger swath, ensuring complete coverage. (With the latest Reload, there is no wait, it should to start to flash (again this depends on your temps and humidity). Here in the desert, quick flash time and little humidity helps.)


- Next I go to MF #1 and start leveling the product until I see I've removed all the high spots, then I'll switch over to the other MF towel to get what #1 missed. I'll examine the panel and move on.


For me, applying reload is about the same, time consumption is actually doing a coating. I methodically move from panel to panel switching between MF#1 and MF#2 and careful inspection.


When MF#1 becomes saturated, I assume #2 is as well, and it's time for a change out. Both go in the bucket of water/snappy clean mix to soak until laundry time, then I start fresh with new MF's and continue this process until the entire vehicle is done.


I'm not sure how you're getting bad results considering the vehicle is already coated with CQUK, and Reload is just the 6 month maintenance... It's really the CQ that should be providing the hydrophobic results...

Hope this helps...

 

[The Guz]

Oh that makes sense. The more you know! I agree that the surface is probably contaminated, so I'm gonna try the chemical decon first before I buy a bottle of Reset. I never get dirty MF towels when I dry or apply reload, so I don't think it's my wash process, probably something else. I really really want to try and clay bar my car but I don't want to risk any marring to my coating.

What do you guys think about using other products as toppers for coatings? There's loads out there that seem similiar in characteristics as Reload, but once again, it's just not in the family of CarPro products lol.

Man, all this is starting to make me question whether a ceramic coating was right for me. Just slapping a coating of collinite 845 and calling it a day sounds really nice about now haha.

It is fine to get overwhelmed with what is expected out of a coating. The best approach is to take a step back and take a deep breath. It is not that overly complicated to maintain a coating.

As far as a topper, it is always recommended to stay within the product family by the manufacturer. If one doesn't and something goes wrong then the manufacturer will say you didn't use the recommended products bla bla.

With that said you can use any topper that you like. But you will see the performance of that particular topper. I would recommend giving elixir a try as well. Or make your own version. You can use it as often as you like. You can find my review on this forum for elixir.

Man I felt the EXACT same way when I did my coating. Polishing alone took me several days. By the time I was done my second coating of CQUK, I told myself that I'd never do this again and get it done professionally next time. It was brutal for me. I felt like if I did it for one more day, I'd drop dead from exhaustion.

This does have me thinking though, some people said that CQUK is very strong by itself. I'm embarrassed to say that I never even considered just leaving CQUK by itself. I was just so fixated on my issues with Reload, I never even thought about just leaving CQUK by itself. That does sound like a really appealing option right now, I must admit. I'm gonna see how CQUK performs by itself after the decon, just to satisfy my curiosity.

CQUK 2.0, TiO2 and CQUK 3.0 have all done well on my car over the course of 8 months without the need for a topper. Everyone has fallen into the I need to use this topper or the coating will fail state of mind. These toppers really do take away from the coatings overall characteristics (self cleaning, hydrophobics, etc). I will on occasion use Ech20 at 1:20 as a drying aid and that is it besides a decon wash here and there. Ech2o does not alter the coatings characteristics like a typical spray sealant such as Reload, Cure, etc...

At the 1 year mark (2 years max) the paint will need a good polishing anyway especially those living in harsher conditions.

I would always use sacrificial layer on a coating. Think of the hard work to get it on the car. Now think how upset you would be to see etched water spots. The hydro2 is a spray on, pressure off product. At least 10x easier than Reload. Just doesnt have the longevity of Reload when Reload is applied correctly. About 1-2 times a year I will do a iron soap wash, then a reset wash followed by Hydro2. Back to new again.

I used to think this way until I saw that these sacrificial layers lack in terms of overall performance compared to that of the coating as a stand alone. I don't use a topper on my personal coated vehicles and in most cases the coating does fine. Of course I am also testing a coatings performance over the course of a year to determine if the coating is worth recommending or reinvesting in.

Hydro2 is a nice product and when I played around with it on wheels I noticed that it tended to attract more dirt and grime. Especially when used more often in between washes.

You have a good point. I think I will buy a bottle of Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer along with a bottle of Reset. I am thinking about doing a 50/50 test on my hood with Reload and the BSD. I've heard a lot of good things about BSD and the price is right, so why not? What's the worst that can happen? Haha. I'll do it as my little experiment to test the durability, gloss, hydrophobicity, etc. over the weeks. Maybe I'll shoot a video on it washing it once a week for a couple weeks and compare.

Almost everyone here has recommended me to use Reset, so I can't help but have high expectations of it now lol. Hopefully I won't be sorely disappointed.

Reset is good to have. Use it every now and then and you will be fine. BSD is a nice quick detailer. Just remember that you will see the performance of BSD rather than the coating. I used it with the Sonax coating and it was good. One thing I noticed is that the untopped side had better overall performance (self cleaning, hydrophobics) then the areas topped with BSD. The BSD side seemed to hold onto water more than just the coating.

There will be others mentioning that BSD is not an SiO2 product and that you should use some sort of SiO2 product. Honestly use what you want to use.

 

[SWETM]

If you order the small bottle of Reset you get the 100ml Hydro2 concentrate for free

CarPro Reset Intensive Car Shampoo

If your environment you live in allows the coating to be on it's own. I don't see the purpose with toppers so much until you have your coating degraded down till the topper actually increase the behavior. And think when you come down to that a top coating like Gliss v2 or Essence Plus and the Glosspad would be a bigger benefit until it's time for reapplication of the coating. Maybe if you are soon to be applying a new coating you could experiment with toppers. I have only read about some that use Reload in full strength very often as every weekly washing. They have gotten a build up of Reload that makes it streak a lot more and the behavior degrade a lot. That's why I was mentioned to not top it for a while and see how it goes. And remember that the coating is the hardest and most chemical resistant and also awesome water behavior and self cleaning ability. If you but on a coating and top it up you would only have the protection part of it. A dedicated top coating will have a more extreme water behavior but don't know how it is with the self cleaning ability that has.

I think also when waxes and sealants was most popular you did not have to worry about the longterm build up of contaminants of different kind. As you where to clay and polish and reapply the LSP more frequently then. Think of it this way when you get to the point that you use a topper on the contaminants. You seal most of them in. Maybe they get in between the layers of protection or they are through the protection and you have them on the paint. Most maybe are not going to be affecting the paint. But some will do as bird poop and iron particals and maybe others. And also the gloss and clearness of the paint will be degraded to some levels. Would it mean that you get a clearcoat failure in a year or 2. No you won't. It's just how thorough and what you want your car looking. I think that the bigger brands that have coatings have seen the need of great products cleaning ability. Or they would see more and more shorter longevity from their consumer coatings. If you look up the pro coatings and how they want you to come in for maintance or the warrenty on them is out. What they do is to get the contaminants off it with chemical decon. This is done every 6 months or 12 months. And the longer you let the contaminants on the harder they get to be desolved and removed. With waxes and sealants you do the same but reapply them and shorter time in between on most. So it's much on personal preference which way you go. And I also think that many sealants is called done to soon. When they can be just masked with different contaminants. Now some chemicals desolves sealants but some you can use to get more out of the sealant if not doing it to late. But this is just what I think and has experienced. I preach about always do a thorough prewash. To get both the loose dirt and some contaminants that your car soap has problem to desolve or being aggitated off. And by prewash I don't mean a car soap foamed on but a dedicated prewash product. Sure a car soap would be doing something in a prewash but not near to what some prewash products can do. And also the prewash will not show when cleaned off always but when you start to touch with aggitate with the wash mitt or what you use. It will be coming with it then much easier and more if you don't do the prewash. This is also not noticeble in one go but over a longer time.

 

[EternalEclipse]

A lot of good information here, and a lot of different opinions on how people take care of their coatings too! Just goes to show there is really no one "right" way to do it. I just bought a bottle of Reset and some Sonax BSD, and they should be coming in sometime next week. I'm honestly excited to try it out. I'm really hoping this will work out.

My plan of attack is to start with the chemical decontamination, and wash it down with Reset. I'm still debating whether or not I should do a couple of washes without applying anything or not. I'm leaning towards maybe doing a few washes without applying anything first, just to be safe. What do you guys think? After that, I'll apply Reload to the car and test out BSD on one half of the hood. Hopefully I'll get much better durability with Reload than I currently am. How long do you guys think Reload should last on average for a car that's outdoors 24/7?

 

[SWETM]

A lot of good information here, and a lot of different opinions on how people take care of their coatings too! Just goes to show there is really no one "right" way to do it. I just bought a bottle of Reset and some Sonax BSD, and they should be coming in sometime next week. I'm honestly excited to try it out. I'm really hoping this will work out.

My plan of attack is to start with the chemical decontamination, and wash it down with Reset. I'm still debating whether or not I should do a couple of washes without applying anything or not. I'm leaning towards maybe doing a few washes without applying anything first, just to be safe. What do you guys think? After that, I'll apply Reload to the car and test out BSD on one half of the hood. Hopefully I'll get much better durability with Reload than I currently am. How long do you guys think Reload should last on average for a car that's outdoors 24/7?

IMO I would wash with Reset until I see and feel that I have got the coating clean. Then I would test on the hood or other panels what the topper is doing behavior wise on the coating. Maybe you could ad a strip of only the coating between the Reload and BSD. And their is no right and wrong in this just different ways to go with. As mentioned it's up to personal preference on what you do. And then it's fun to experiment too. I just think when I have get not so good results with testing or the maintance. Then I would go back to a clean slate or as a clean slate as possible to start over. Either to start over with a bare paint or if I can start over to the base protection I have.

Looking forward to hear what your experience with Reload vs BSD on your coating works for you.

 

[gsmarquis]

Im a topper, whats an hour and $10? I spent probably 15 hours polishing a Suburban.

 

[The Guz]

Im a topper, whats an hour and $10? I spent probably 15 hours polishing a Suburban.

Nothing wrong with that. Everyone has there preference. For example I am not a topper as I mentioned why in my previous post.

 

[CleanIT]

Reload 2.0

Carpro releasing Reload 2.0.

"Reload 2.0The time has finally come. [FONT=&quot]You’ve asked, we’ve been working tirelessly. Here is the long-awaited update to our legendary silica sealant:
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Reload. Preserving the same ease of application, we managed to improve everything about Reloads performance. In essence: more gloss, extended durability, improved chemical and environmental resistances. Originally formulated to maintain the protection and finish quality of CQUARTZ coatings, Reload has also proven itself as a standalone sealant, where it can offer up to 4 months of protection on daily drivers. Reloads easy to use waterborne formula can be applied to all vehicle surfaces (even when damp), making it perfect for quickly topping up your vehicles protection and shine."
[/FONT]

 

[CleanIT]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Uncbrs]

Re: Reload 2.0

Carpro releasing Reload 2.0.

"Reload 2.0The time has finally come. [FONT=&quot]You’ve asked, we’ve been working tirelessly. Here is the long-awaited update to our legendary silica sealant:
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Reload. Preserving the same ease of application, we managed to improve everything about Reloads performance. In essence: more gloss, extended durability, improved chemical and environmental resistances. Originally formulated to maintain the protection and finish quality of CQUARTZ coatings, Reload has also proven itself as a standalone sealant, where it can offer up to 4 months of protection on daily drivers. Reloads easy to use waterborne formula can be applied to all vehicle surfaces (even when damp), making it perfect for quickly topping up your vehicles protection and shine."
[/FONT]

Will they let me trade my unopened Reload for 2.0?!

Sent from my SM-F936U1 using Tapatalk