Coating Flash Times —- Confused

That’s why I left it there.


It won’t last forever.
Cquartz UK3.0
I’ll take a photo of it later.
 
acuRAS82 said:
I have a bad feeling I left too much “oily” coating residue during wipe off due to trying before the flash was fully dry. I was hoping the residue would self level but I can still see it with swirl finder light. I’ll see how bad it looks when I get it in the sun. Pretty worried right now.
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It will go away on the first wash Don't panic.

Craig Encinitas said:
^
CarPro Essence or Essence+ with a light abrasive pad can remove high spots.

My car has one above the passenger door handle. You have to look from a specific angle with the proper lighting to see it (which is how it was missed). Just curious how it will diminish down over the coming months (year).
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Only works if the coating is fresh. After that it is an abrasive polish.
 
Craig Encinitas said:
That’s why I left it there.


It won’t last forever.
Cquartz UK3.0
I’ll take a photo of it later.
Click to expand...
Got ya, ya I have one on my Trans Am that has been there a while that I have just left lol just cause. Kinda helps inform people also when quoting vehicle's and informing people.
 
With some of these coatings if you apply them thick you think you've wiped it off and a spot or two will appear later. You can always go over the spot later with a QD to remove any solvents or carriers.
 
I just checked my newly coated black Q5 in the sun and there are a few areas that appear lightly streaked. Most likely high spots that won’t come out. I regret thinking I could do this in my garage without making mistakes. Luckily the two worst ones are on the front drivers side rocker panel which is small (and was the area with probably worst lighting). The other ‘smears’ I might decide to live with as I’m probably the only one who will consistently be depressed by them.

I can almost guarantee these happened on the second coat I did a week after the first. I didn’t see any of these hazy areas after the first coat in the sun. I think I must have been sloppy on coat 2.

Between this and losing my fabled Detailing Spreadsheet file (hard drive failure) where I document everything I’ve done in the last year and every thought I’ve had, I’m pretty sad about detailing right now. My latest backup was a year ago.

Sorry to cry.
 
^
Here’s the deal, just like a completely filthy older car that has never been detailed; Vehicle finishes can be corrected, and ceramic coatings can be removed and reapplied if need be. It’s not permanent. And even though the result is not what you hoped for, it is a learning experience.

Sounds like black not only shows paint imperfections easily, it shows coating imperfections as well. My car being white, probably has a few high spots, but I have only found that one.

Something that goes through my mind is, what if I wake up one day and I don’t want the ceramic coating on my car anymore? I’ve applied a few, but have never removed one. Would a mild polish be enough to remove a top-coat of Gliss and two coats of UK3.0?

Mentally picturing three distinct layers. And that’s probably not how it works.
 
Craig Encinitas said:
^
Here’s the deal, just like a completely filthy older car that has never been detailed; Vehicle finishes can be corrected, and ceramic coatings can be removed and reapplied if need be. It’s not permanent. And even though the result is not what you hoped for, it is a learning experience.

Sounds like black not only shows paint imperfections easily, it shows coating imperfections as well. My car being white, probably has a few high spots, but I have only found that one.

Something that goes through my mind is, what if I wake up one day and I don’t want the ceramic coating on my car anymore? I’ve applied a few, but have never removed one. Would a mild polish be enough to remove a top-coat of Gliss and two coats of UK3.0?

Mentally picturing three distinct layers. And that’s probably not how it works.
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Yes, mild polish and polishing pad will remove all 3 layers, no issues. The coating is very thin. There will always be some left behind because the coating entered the valleys of the paint and might not be touched when polishing which is only abrading the upper portion but it’s safe to consider the coating removed at that point.
 
I would suggest to visually watch it. I always apply over a quarter of a door or something like that, then I look for the rainbow flash. Once I see the rainbow flash, I start to wipe. That's the best way to apply CQuartz UK. I did mine in the summer time and watched for the rainbow, and was waiting around 30 seconds or so roughly before I wiped.
 
spewking said:
I really like using coatings and encourage those who have not tried them so do so...really have not encountered any difficulties in application.

However, I am challenged to identify the correct “flashing time” required between application and wipe off. I realize if I wipe off too soon, it won’t bond well. if too long of a dwell time, it’s difficult to remove. The CQUK 3.0 instructions and overall advice is to remove 2-5 minutes after application, visualizing the “rainbow” reflection to indicate flashing is occurring/is complete. Having the coating “grab” the removal suede MF is another indicator that the coating is completely flashed.

My challenge is that at the 2-5 minute mark, the coating has flashed (rainbowed) but still feels like it is not complete. I can rub my finger across it and it feels slick and wet and certainly has no grab to it. So I have continued to allow it to flash out to the 15-20 minute range. I can remove fairly easily while still feeling some grab. I am aware of the impact temp and humidity can have, but have this same situation confront me after several applications in different conditions.

Can you provide some insight? Would much rather remove at the 2-5 minute mark, but i am not sure it is ready.

Thanks.
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This is often a subject that gets over thought with many people that don’t really understand how the chemical reaction happens with any nanotechnology. The bond is literally instant as soon as it hits the surface. The only variable there is with these coatings is how long to wait before wiping off the remains carrier solvents. This all depends on the solvents themselves, how much you applied, how warm the surface was, and how much humidity is in the air at the ti e if application. The best way to get your plan of attack down is just like when we’re trying to figure out our paint correction plan. Do a few test spots. Do a test spot with a very quick wipe off, and another one with more of a dwell time. What you’re looking for as far as optimal dwell time is when you first level the coating watch the area to see if the towel is leaving a trail behind it as you wipe it. If you can see the nap fiber pattern in a remaining solvent then that is too early. If it’s clear then you know it’s on to level and wipe off.
 
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