so I got a question to ask about using cquartz UK on powdercoated wheels. I have a friend of mine who owns a successful powdercoat one business, He does tons and tons of wheels. I was thinking about working something out with him so he can offer cquartz as an option to his customers. So My question is, if you were me what would you charge for something like this? Remember no need to go crazy and clean the wheels with a ton of products and elbow grease. Just clean with carpro eraser coat the wheel then top it with reload. If anybody has any experience with cquartz uk on powdercoated wheels I would love to hear what you think about it.
Cquartz UK on powdercoated wheels.
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Dr_Pain
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I would say that your better option would b to use DLUX over UK. I would charge a minimum of $120 for all 4. This account for product cost (Erasor, DLUX, Reload) and application labor cost. DLUX has better longevity on wheels (high heat, high chemical exposure etc...). Being a CarPro Certified installer, I participate in regular exchanges of that nature with other installer and this DLUX over UK seems to be the consensus.
MarkD51
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A little confusing, as you're saying Clean, Eraser, CQ UK, Eraser, CQ DLX, then lastly Reload?
Whew, I'm exhausted!
Powder Coating is in essence a type of paint, correct? And I've read that DLX can be used on painted-clear coated wheels. Then if so, why not just use DLX on the vehicle's paint as well if it has these better qualities you state?
MarkD51
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Yes, perhaps that's what Dr Pain meant.
Better less confusing wording then would be written such as, "It would be a better choice to use CQ DLX rather than (or versus) using CQ UK on these wheels", for the reasons he states.
"CQ DLX "over" CQ UK can be mistaken to be a dual application of two different products.
Dr_Pain
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Thanks for pointing that my initial sentence could have brought confusion to some Mark :dblthumb2:
I did indeed meant to say that I would pick DLUX as my coating of choice. This was further substantiated in the subsequent explanation of cost, and the supportive consensus of other installers.
FUNX650
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MarkD51
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Dr Pain, I have a couple questions about CQ DLX, maybe you can shed some further light on this particular CP product?
Before I ask, I'll note that I have used both CQ UK, and CQ DLX.
First question, what would you personally suggest would be he best of the two to apply to Chrome Plate, and Chrome Plated Wheels? (I'll add that I first used CQ UK on my brand new 22" Factory Repro Chrome Denali Wheels followed by CP Reload v2013, was super easy)
I have also used CQ DLX on pretty much all Plastic Trim on the Tahoe, worked great, and is still protecting almost 2 years later BTW.
The second question is, that for Painted or Powder Coated Wheels, or other things such as Rubber, or even perhaps Chrome, is the application procedure of DLX the same as UK?
I ask this, because when I used DLX on the Plastic Trim, I applied the product with the CP MF Suede Sheets, looked beautiful, and initially was then going to finish by smoothing-rubbing with a clean Short Weave MF Towel, but noted that the DLX was getting tacky, and the final wipe was smearing the product, knocking down the nice high gloss considerably, and was akin to like wiping spray paint that was 1/2 dry.
Is this common, and a trait of DLX? Or is it possible there's other reasons why this was happening, maybe an old Bottle of product perhaps, or possibly waiting too long to do a final wipe?
Thus with all Trim, I simply applied, then never touched the parts again until many hours later, after the product then initially cured-dried.
Thanks, Mark
Before I ask, I'll note that I have used both CQ UK, and CQ DLX.
First question, what would you personally suggest would be he best of the two to apply to Chrome Plate, and Chrome Plated Wheels? (I'll add that I first used CQ UK on my brand new 22" Factory Repro Chrome Denali Wheels followed by CP Reload v2013, was super easy)
I have also used CQ DLX on pretty much all Plastic Trim on the Tahoe, worked great, and is still protecting almost 2 years later BTW.
The second question is, that for Painted or Powder Coated Wheels, or other things such as Rubber, or even perhaps Chrome, is the application procedure of DLX the same as UK?
I ask this, because when I used DLX on the Plastic Trim, I applied the product with the CP MF Suede Sheets, looked beautiful, and initially was then going to finish by smoothing-rubbing with a clean Short Weave MF Towel, but noted that the DLX was getting tacky, and the final wipe was smearing the product, knocking down the nice high gloss considerably, and was akin to like wiping spray paint that was 1/2 dry.
Is this common, and a trait of DLX? Or is it possible there's other reasons why this was happening, maybe an old Bottle of product perhaps, or possibly waiting too long to do a final wipe?
Thus with all Trim, I simply applied, then never touched the parts again until many hours later, after the product then initially cured-dried.
Thanks, Mark
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Awesome thanks for the advice! I was actually thinking in my head 120-130$ per set of wheels. Now how do you think dlux would work on polished aluminum? Another friend owns a polishing company, he asked me if any detailing coatings will seal and protect the metal from dulling out. I will definitely be picking up some dlux.
Dr_Pain
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I unfortunately don't know the "fine details" but here what I do know. DLUX “COULD” be used on the automotive paint, but was not designed to bond best with it (NOT the same formulation as CQ UK or the original CQuartz, although some of the same nanotech was used). Some actually prefer UK on wheels, but personally I find that I get better results from DLUX
The formulation of DLUX contains a very high level Sio2 content, but the "chemistry" was not designed with AS HIGH of a rejection to hard water as CQUK+Reload, etc. Don't forget that DLUX was primarily designed for bonding to plastic and trim which from a chemical bond standpoint is different than paint/clear. It does do well with metal though. So why do I perfer DLUX? Because in my experience it lasted longer (over using Finest or UK). Each product will bring about certain characteristic to the table. For example, Finest will have the best bead show and will be the slickest, but does not have the same longevity. UK will have a very nice "bead show" and will last a little longer, but DLUX lasted the longest. DLUX did offer gloss and slickness but was not the overall winner. Having done additional experimentation with other surface coating, I will say that I would pick any of the CarPro ones I've mentioned over others I've experimented with.
I apply directly as instructed on the CarPro-US website, and never had an issue. Here is the quoted portion of the non-porous/metal application:
Directions for Non-Porous (Paint and Metal):
*Polish surface as needed
*Wipedown with CarPro Eraser
*On rims (metal, chrome, clear coat, etc) let cure 1 minute at 85 degrees F up to 10 minutes at 50 degrees F and use a suede MF to wipe it off gently, in a circle motion until no marks left
*Allow the surface to cure for 1-3 hours without any moisture on its surface
*During the first 24 hours: On Non-Porous surfaces like wheel or metal do not allow water to dry on the surface in order to avoid water spots
It is in fact similar to UK for these surfaces, although flash may be a bit faster IME. On Trim I recommend the following (quoted again directly from CarPro-US)
Directions for Plastic:
*Make sure the surface is cool and dry. (Do not apply to hot surfaces or in direct sun.)
*Scrub surface with an all purpose cleaner and microfiber towel
*Rinse while agitating with microfiber towel to remove all residue from APC
*Dry or allow to dry completely.
*Wipe surface with Carpro Eraser.
*Wet the applicator with 5-6 drops of DLUX and spread evenly across the surface.
*On textured plastic simply apply even and walk away
*On smooth plastic let cure 2-5 minutes and lightly wipe to ensure even finish (NOTE do not continue wiping past a certain point) at a certain point it will become worse rather than better. Smooth plastic is tricky and takes a light tough to get perfect.
My experience is that we tend to overthink it. If you apply, took your time, avoided streaks and smears, and the final product looks great...... then just walk away (as you've described)
Prep is key, application methodology comes second, and knowing when to walk away is paramount!!. Overall though, understand how your product reacts/flashes in different temperature/humidity etc.. The look you are seeking will dictate your methodology. I do have to say that the "chameleon rainbow effect" is pretty cool (when the sun hits and reflects off SiO2 crystals). If you very lightly "touch" the textured plastic about 1 minute after working the DLUX in, you will kill the effect. This will result in a slightly more dull gloss, but you will retain the protection, the darkness, and the product will continue looking nice for a long time. If you overwork it, you will not only dull the end result, but it will look a mess (as you described).
I have no personal experience with coating polished aluminium but let me offer some opinions. Raw Aluminium does tend to "react" easily to acids and alkaline products, and other product of the sorts (resulting in a general dulling/tarnished effect, and in some cases a topical discoloration). I fear that using a cleansing product such as Erasor to remove the polishing oils may have that effect. I've never tried it, but before committing to your buddy, I would try and experiment. If there is no dulling/discoloration then the coating should react the same as with other metals.
Now we know that coatings offer lasting protection on modern paintwork, and also know that their longevity does diminish when applying to single stage. It would be great to see someone test the same on clear coated vs. polished aluminium wheels. Should we expect a difference!? I would assume so just on the basis of the chemistry of bonding of those nano-structure on the substrate.
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- #12
Wow thanks a lot for all that detailed information! I'm definitely going to try it out, have him polish a little piece of metal and coat half and see how it work. Thanks again, very much appreciate you taking the time to write that dr. Pain:dblthumb2:
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"Hi Andrew, UK can most certainly be used on wheels and I PERSONALLY actually prefer it. I’m not sure why you say it can’t but even on my site I list it as one of the uses. Dlux is specifically formulated for plastics BUT also contains very high resistance to heat which makes it good on wheels as well. As far as powder coated I have not done any specific testing on powder coated finishes so I can’t speak on that. In this case you would want to test on a small hidden area and follow the results before going full scale. On matte powder coat I would advise against coating them at all until you have fully tested that."
That was an email back from Corey stating cquartz UK great to use on wheels. He also stated that you can get 2+ years out of it on wheels, I Must say customer service is great!
That was an email back from Corey stating cquartz UK great to use on wheels. He also stated that you can get 2+ years out of it on wheels, I Must say customer service is great!
MarkD51
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Last weekend, I finished CQuartz UK'ing the exterior of my Tahoe.
The Roof, Roof Rack, and lower Sides were done.
I am under a strong impression that the Main Metal Side Rails, and two Metal Crossbars are indeed Powder Coated. They were washed, and again cleaned with an APC, then Wiped with CP Eraser, then everything was Coated with UK.
The entire Roof Rack was done with UK, and including all the little Plastic Runner Strips in the center of the Roof, and all came out magnificent!
I don't think the Roof Rack has looked that good, that black, that even of a paint finish, and that Glossy in a good number of years.
The Roof, Roof Rack, and lower Sides were done.
I am under a strong impression that the Main Metal Side Rails, and two Metal Crossbars are indeed Powder Coated. They were washed, and again cleaned with an APC, then Wiped with CP Eraser, then everything was Coated with UK.
The entire Roof Rack was done with UK, and including all the little Plastic Runner Strips in the center of the Roof, and all came out magnificent!
I don't think the Roof Rack has looked that good, that black, that even of a paint finish, and that Glossy in a good number of years.