aim4squirrels
Active member
- Nov 6, 2013
- 1,078
- 0
Been a long time since I tried something new, so I figured I'd do a little review/write up here.
It's a solid product, at least for the initial application. I can't yet comment on longevity.
Application is very easy. The product spreads easily and you can feel the applicator grab when you need more product. Also easily leveled with the long work time.
Removal is very simple as well. Excess product comes off very easily without the need for excessive wiping/scrubbing.
Looks: initially tough to judge, I didn't notice much after the initial wipe down. It definitely sets up a few hours later and leaves the paint with a wetter, glossier look than the Carpro Essence I prepped the vehicle with. It's not the slickest coating I've ever used to the touch after it's cured, but not tacky or rubbery like Sonax Polymer Netshield. Ultimately, feels aren't important to me, a good sheeting water behavior is.
Speaking of water behavior, I have no comment because I haven't let it get wet yet. I finished this job on Monday, and it's now Friday. I try my very best to not disturb the coating for as long as possible. Spring break offered a perfect opportunity to do just that and I'm taking full advantage.
Cons- 50ml is way too much product for a single vehicle. I worry about waste and cost for a home enthusiast that's considering this coating. 25ml at half the price would do just fine. I think I could easily get 3 of my vehicles out of this product and I was fairly liberal with the amount applied. I applied a single coat as that's all Carpro is claiming is needed. I'm not going to needlessly reapply just because.
It's tough to see the flashing on a black vehicle. Obviously, you're applying this indoors, garaged with whatever light you have available. I have multiple light sources and color temperatures in my garage as well as handheld inspection lights, and I had trouble locating distinctive rainbowing upon flashing and locating high spots. I had to roll it out in the sun and look at cloud reflections at long horizontal angles to check my work after wiping. I wish this product had a hazing effect upon flashing like the 22ple HPC I used 2 coatings prior to this. That was so easy to tell when to wipe, and what you missed.
Flash time - this is a double edged sword, it has a long work time, therefore it's a longer flash time. Carpro recommends 5-10 minutes to flash. I was working in a garage at 70°F with 65% humidity that day and used a timer on the first 3 panels at 10, 7, and 5 minutes and couldn't notice a difference in the grabby feel when wiping the panel down, so I started with 5 minutes and diligently used a timer on every panel. The long dwell time, ease of application, and wipe down led me to doing larger and larger sections as I went, and I turned the timer on after I applied the last bit of a section, so some areas got 8 minutes of contact, some only 5 before wiping. Wiping down seems to take roughly the same amount of time as application, so I feel it likely balanced out in the end. I never went under 5 minutes before wiping, but it could pose a problem for the impatient detailer.
Longevity is the big ?. I hope it's multiple years as the car's paint is getting long in the tooth and the more I prep for coat, the thinner the paint is getting. I've already punched thru the clear around the driver's door handle edges. (The DQuartz Go doesn't mask that, in case you're curious).
This was applied to a 2008 Dodge Challenger (OG Brilliant Black factory paint, PXR paint code) in 2024, so my paint is likely nearing EOL. Garaging nightly and keeping it coated and clean since 2012 is likely helping things, but I'm hoping to not have to do this too many more times, so I hope DQuartz Go has some legs to it.
It's a solid product, at least for the initial application. I can't yet comment on longevity.
Application is very easy. The product spreads easily and you can feel the applicator grab when you need more product. Also easily leveled with the long work time.
Removal is very simple as well. Excess product comes off very easily without the need for excessive wiping/scrubbing.
Looks: initially tough to judge, I didn't notice much after the initial wipe down. It definitely sets up a few hours later and leaves the paint with a wetter, glossier look than the Carpro Essence I prepped the vehicle with. It's not the slickest coating I've ever used to the touch after it's cured, but not tacky or rubbery like Sonax Polymer Netshield. Ultimately, feels aren't important to me, a good sheeting water behavior is.
Speaking of water behavior, I have no comment because I haven't let it get wet yet. I finished this job on Monday, and it's now Friday. I try my very best to not disturb the coating for as long as possible. Spring break offered a perfect opportunity to do just that and I'm taking full advantage.
Cons- 50ml is way too much product for a single vehicle. I worry about waste and cost for a home enthusiast that's considering this coating. 25ml at half the price would do just fine. I think I could easily get 3 of my vehicles out of this product and I was fairly liberal with the amount applied. I applied a single coat as that's all Carpro is claiming is needed. I'm not going to needlessly reapply just because.
It's tough to see the flashing on a black vehicle. Obviously, you're applying this indoors, garaged with whatever light you have available. I have multiple light sources and color temperatures in my garage as well as handheld inspection lights, and I had trouble locating distinctive rainbowing upon flashing and locating high spots. I had to roll it out in the sun and look at cloud reflections at long horizontal angles to check my work after wiping. I wish this product had a hazing effect upon flashing like the 22ple HPC I used 2 coatings prior to this. That was so easy to tell when to wipe, and what you missed.
Flash time - this is a double edged sword, it has a long work time, therefore it's a longer flash time. Carpro recommends 5-10 minutes to flash. I was working in a garage at 70°F with 65% humidity that day and used a timer on the first 3 panels at 10, 7, and 5 minutes and couldn't notice a difference in the grabby feel when wiping the panel down, so I started with 5 minutes and diligently used a timer on every panel. The long dwell time, ease of application, and wipe down led me to doing larger and larger sections as I went, and I turned the timer on after I applied the last bit of a section, so some areas got 8 minutes of contact, some only 5 before wiping. Wiping down seems to take roughly the same amount of time as application, so I feel it likely balanced out in the end. I never went under 5 minutes before wiping, but it could pose a problem for the impatient detailer.
Longevity is the big ?. I hope it's multiple years as the car's paint is getting long in the tooth and the more I prep for coat, the thinner the paint is getting. I've already punched thru the clear around the driver's door handle edges. (The DQuartz Go doesn't mask that, in case you're curious).
This was applied to a 2008 Dodge Challenger (OG Brilliant Black factory paint, PXR paint code) in 2024, so my paint is likely nearing EOL. Garaging nightly and keeping it coated and clean since 2012 is likely helping things, but I'm hoping to not have to do this too many more times, so I hope DQuartz Go has some legs to it.
