CQUK Fail! How do I remove it?

[GreatAvalon]

S2K - I recently applied CQUK as well. I had some issues at first as I was trying to get the wait time down. My wait time before wiping off ended up being about 15-25 seconds. I waited the minute like on the back of the bottle and the product was sticky to get up and smearing.

In fact, I was fighting smearing the whole time. Like Avi just said, every two panels I pulled the car out into the sun to check. You have to really flip extremely often and change applicators often as well, like flip the applicator every or every other panel, and then throw it away.

Once I got the technique down, I think I was fighting smearing (hold on - when I say fighting smearing I just mean there would be some smearing on the car that all I had to do was make sure I got it up) because I was applying it too thick. Corey said it will help if I apply it thicker, but I think I applied it extremely thick. On a small CUV (RAV4) I used 2/3 the bottle on one layer. That being said, the outcome is just awesome. It was worth the time and the water beading/sheeting is so cool.

 

[BlackRam]

to echo what some of the other posters stated as well as my own thought, i recently did my ram 1500 crew, and even visually you could tell. someone on here said, when it flahes it looks like when you take a wet rag to a hot glass like out of the dishwasher, you will just know when it does. i did get the high spot on from my quarter panels as i was distracted talking to my father in law. i used eraer to see what they looked like, did not use reload, but did use simple green with a MF towel to knock down.
it is weird, like almost a rainbow effect. then use the eraser to make sure there is no Apc of your choosing left on the paint and recoat that area in case you took off too much cquk. its a pain, but worth every second

 

[GreatAvalon]

when it flahes it looks like when you take a wet rag to a hot glass like out of the dishwasher, you will just know when it does...it is weird, like almost a rainbow effect.

What did you observe it to look like when it flashed? I had a heck of a time figuring that out on my application. It went from looking wet to looking like a rainbow. If it looks like a rainbow I found that to be I was waiting too long to wipe. So I just wiped when it still looked wet. Had a few problems, but got the all sorted out except one little high spot/smudge in the front bumper that I'm keeping my eye on.

 

[S2K]

Thanks everyone for the good advice!
I talked to Corey today and he said to just go over the high spots (splotchy looking areas) with a polishing pad and Reflect. Not to worry about taking it all off and then recoat it. He said you can recoat anytime after the first hour even after it fully cures.
I definitely left it on too long. Corey said to just make a couple of criss-cross passes with a moderate to fast arm speed and wait a few seconds and wipe it off with a suede MF while it still looks wet. Work small areas at a time, like half a panel.
It's 95 here today and will be again tomorrow but supposed to cool off on Sat. so I will get back at it this weekend and let you know how it turns out.
Oh Avi, Thanks for the good advice! and I didn't do my whole car (my first post probably made it sound that way) I just did the roof and both quarter panels (which are pretty small). The roof actually looks pretty good except for a couple of small spots.
Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Burns ST]

I orderered the Wolfgang deep gloss 3.0. I can work around the moisture situation. Am I right that thinking I do not need to top it with a carnuba? As I said, my dd is white with no metal flake so im really getting no deeper colour depth using a carnuba. I feel the added shine when you top a carnuba onto a sealant has diminishing returns.


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[BlackRam]

What did you observe it to look like when it flashed? I had a heck of a time figuring that out on my application. It went from looking wet to looking like a rainbow. If it looks like a rainbow I found that to be I was waiting too long to wipe. So I just wiped when it still looked wet. Had a few problems, but got the all sorted out except one little high spot/smudge in the front bumper that I'm keeping my eye on.

It was like right as was rainbowing but also yes the feel of it. Some high spots actually went away on their own. I applied a second coat to my rims and along bottom of truk and left on for about 15 min. It was like wiping a fly trap. I got it down but what a pita. It seems like the more coatinvs one does the more feel they get for it.

 

[GreatAvalon]

It was like right as was rainbowing but also yes the feel of it. Some high spots actually went away on their own. I applied a second coat to my rims and along bottom of truk and left on for about 15 min. It was like wiping a fly trap. I got it down but what a pita. It seems like the more coatinvs one does the more feel they get for it.

Yea I was afraid to put a second coat on the RAV after putting a second coat on my Camry's roof and it being jacked up. But like you noticed, my jacked up roof seemed to have fixed itself. That, or its all hiding underneath a light layer of pollen. I'll do a water only wash on it tomorrow to check it out before I strip wash the rest of the car and coat the Camry too.

I HOPE this next time it goes much, much smoother; although it wasn't too bad the first time either.

 

[S2K]

So I tried again using everyones advice and pretty much got the same results. Though this time it seemed easy to wipe off, the towel wasn't sticking. And under artificial light it looked really good. Then I pulled it outside in the daylight and it looks terrible. There are streaks and spots all over it. It looks like some very serious oxidation or something. In the direct sun it is hard to see but with a little cloud cover it stands out really bad.
I really thought everything was going great and it was looking awesome until I pulled it outside. Now I just want to spray the whole car with plastidip and never care what it looks like again.

 

[GreatAvalon]

Let it cure and see how it looks. My roof looked horrible as well the first time I did it. I did 2 coats and it just smeared. However, after curing in the sun the next day it looks perfect. What that means is you weren't flipping and getting new suede applicators enough and you weren't getting new wipe towels enough. I used 5 of each for my sedan and got excellent results. That, and my wait time to wipe was 10-15 seconds.

 

[silverfox]

With coatings its best to do it on a cloudy day and investigate the result outside. Artificial lights and sun actually hinder you from seeing the real outcome.

The the opposite of what you'd expect. Coatings frankly take several cars to get the technique right. I'd never apply them on a car that "matters" ....with no experience.

 

[GreatAvalon]

Coatings frankly take several cars to get the technique right. I'd never apply them on a car that "matters" ....with no experience.

Very true. Took me 3 times to get it, and I think if I did it a fourth time it would be even better.

 

[S2K]

With coatings its best to do it on a cloudy day and investigate the result outside. Artificial lights and sun actually hinder you from seeing the real outcome.

So I am just curious, how do you inspect the lower panels like the middle to bottom of the doors?

Those areas look real good on my car but I can't tell if they really do or if there is streaks and hazing on them that I can't see.

 

[mcochris]

... it should feel slightly tacky , sticky feeling.
once it does start wiping it off immediately

But if you do that the product smears like tree sap and looks terrible

 

[GreatAvalon]

But if you do that the product smears like tree sap and looks terrible

Yea if it is tacky then that means you've waited too long, not its time to wipe. If you wait until it's tacky to wipe, what you said us exactly what happens.

 

[GreatAvalon]

So I am just curious, how do you inspect the lower panels like the middle to bottom of the doors?

Those areas look real good on my car but I can't tell if they really do or if there is streaks and hazing on them that I can't see.

I laid out mats real quick and laid on the ground moving my head around in all different angles.

 

[l4cky]

So I tried again using everyones advice and pretty much got the same results. Though this time it seemed easy to wipe off, the towel wasn't sticking. And under artificial light it looked really good. Then I pulled it outside in the daylight and it looks terrible. There are streaks and spots all over it. It looks like some very serious oxidation or something. In the direct sun it is hard to see but with a little cloud cover it stands out really bad.
I really thought everything was going great and it was looking awesome until I pulled it outside. Now I just want to spray the whole car with plastidip and never care what it looks like again.

I laughed so hard when I saw your post. Because that is exactly what I feel too! The product looks so good in the ads, but such a pain in the ass to perfect it (nearly impossible for a first time user). What is unreal is polishing all the car (might take 2 days), wait for a CLOUDY weather (no sure when that will happen?? Especially if it rains, everything just got worse), then wait for 48 hours no raining). Basicly, you just won't be able to use your car for over a week. I found out the only way to remove it is by polishing, but god it is hard to polish over and over again, especially on retaping areas, doing squads, sitting on the floor, and those curvy areas ??? I purchased a lot of microfiber, and they all went to wash because removing the polish takes a lot of towels.

Not saying all the money waste for the suede, time, the product itself, applicators, tape, etc...

Plus those streaks, it will eventually end up creating swirls by buffing it over a soft paint, like the Acura one. What happens when there are swirls? Retape and repolish over and over again.

I use a tiny flash light to see from different angle on the panel, i need to changed battery 4 times by checking all possible angle. Man, this is not easy. I wish there is a way to see the streaks easier other than cloudy weather. I mean there must be a way, some kind of halogen light, or different light color, or ultraviolet light, ...

 

[silverfox]

I'll say it again...you can watch videos and read threads till you're blue in the face...but coatings are best left to experienced users, and in no way try them on a car you consider your baby if its your first time with coatings.

They are very finicky and you will only learn one way...by trial and error. Honestly....after using them since opticoat was first introduced...they are very over rated given all the variables and nuances they are subjected to.

Having said that, they are currently the ultimate sacrificial barrier, and each person contemplating using them needs to discover for themselves if they are worth it. They're all the rage now...but that will inevitably change at some point. There is no doubt that the slew of coatings currently on the market are all scrambling to ride the current wave. But when the dust settles, wax and sealants will always be the ultimate favorites because they offer simplicity, freedom to experiment, and killer looks...and those are variables that are hard to ignore.

 

[glen e]

It also could be the surface prep, I always do IPA twice before UK....And then after applying, use the suede MF to start buffing off almost right away. I screwed up a door at first, and polished it off with 105/205 and an orbital....

And I'll disagree with above, when done right, a coating plus reload is far better, longer than any sealant/wax....it just has a pristine glass look that I really like:

 

[l4cky]

I'll say it again...you can watch videos and read threads till you're blue in the face...but coatings are best left to experienced users, and in no way try them on a car you consider your baby if its your first time with coatings.

They are very finicky and you will only learn one way...by trial and error. Honestly....after using them since opticoat was first introduced...they are very over rated given all the variables and nuances they are subjected to.

Having said that, they are currently the ultimate sacrificial barrier, and each person contemplating using them needs to discover for themselves if they are worth it. They're all the rage now...but that will inevitably change at some point. There is no doubt that the slew of coatings currently on the market are all scrambling to ride the current wave. But when the dust settles, wax and sealants will always be the ultimate favorites because they offer simplicity, freedom to experiment, and killer looks...and those are variables that are hard to ignore.

You're right at some point, but it's all about not getting us customers know before buying it. People who coat are people who care crazy about their car. I, as a newbie, had no way to know CQUK will be a lot harder to apply than wax, althought I have never waxed my car. It should tell customers beforehand, such as possible streaks, what to do and why. At the time, last year, the only video available/info available for CQUK was a lady applying cquk, looks so easy, but in real like, it didn't tell you have to look at different angles, and light is crucial (cloudy weather). Then you think it is easy, that is why you buy it, thinking it is not that hard to apply, and it is better than waxing. Knowing all these factors ahead will warn you before buying it.

CQUK isnt even the worst, AQUAPEL is. What if you messed up with Aquapel and you ended up having streaks? NO information to know how to remove it, Aquapel company ignores intentionnally your email, no one ever talks about it. And Aquapel, that thing is very sttuborn. Knowing it, maybe other coating is easier to apply.

It also could be the surface prep, I always do IPA twice before UK....And then after applying, use the suede MF to start buffing off almost right away. I screwed up a door at first, and polished it off with 105/205 and an orbital....

And I'll disagree with above, when done right, a coating plus reload is far better, longer than any sealant/wax....it just has a pristine glass look that I really like:

Using cquk is something you an be proud of, the coating as i have done is superb and last longer, maintenance is a lot easier. I have some missed spots, streaks, but when its sunny, you can't see it and your car just look awesome.

The result is definitely present, but the hassle and no way to know the different variables that causes complications before applying it is what I am pointing out. In other words, I have to repolish my entire car again, not because of swirls, but because of the application. Especially, if it's a 2 way polish. I litterally need to use 4 microfibers for each car door, but with some hard spots, I can unded up using 8 microfibers per door, the fluffy ones.

What is funny, not sure if it's the same for you guys, but CQUK is a little bit opaque, but very uniform to my whole car. You can't see it, because that is just the color of my car, and when everything is uniform, then you think it is right. I found this out, because my door was well applied, but had some scratches I needed to remove, so I polish that area of the door, and there you can see afterwards the finish polish and the rest of the car aren't 100% the same color.

 

[AutowerxDetailing]

But if you do that the product smears like tree sap and looks terrible

You need to flip to a fresh side of your towel or use multiple towels when wiping off the residue. Otherwise the spent product on the towel will cause streaking.