fishnugget
New member
- Sep 9, 2010
- 292
- 0
Hello everyone I will post my thoughts and experience with Cquartz.
Background:
I finally got around to polishing the wife's 97 toyota camry after getting harassed frequently :argue:. I figured a happy wife is a happy life so I went to work.
This is only my second car that I have detailed.
This car never had any polishing or detailing in its life and I picked up a ton of crud from claying. The paint on this car had some clear coat failure at the back bumper and oxidation in the trunk, mirrors, door handles, and hood. Luckily, I was able to remove the oxidation on most panels. The back bumper, side mirrors, and door handles are a lost cause
. The original paint of this car seems to have changed from a sand color to a silver color from the beating of the SoCal sun.
Cquartz Prep
Clayed with Automagic Blue Clay. For compounding I used an orange pad with Meguiars UC. I was surprised at how well this worked and left it LSP ready. I tried M205 on white and did not notice any improvement. I think the color had a lot to do with this.
I then proceeded to remove the polishing oils via Chemical Guys Wash and Clear at paint prep ratio. I spoke to Avi @ Carpro about my dislike with using 90% IPA+10% dawn and he said I could use CGWC or any product that strips the polishing oils. So I proceeded to use my foam gun for this process and it worked out well.
Cquartz Application
When I opened Cquartz it reminded me of a nail polish remover. The scent is strong and a good ventilated area or face mask is appropriate. My 30 ml Cquartz came with the little square cotton applicators similar to make up removers. I first started on the front hood and applied it by sections using a criss cross pattern. It was very tiring using those small cotton applicators and also hard to see the product being applied because of the light paint color. You need really strong lighting to see where you have applied Cquartz especially on the door panels. I found my Fluorescent lights helped more than the halogen lights. My garage was 70F, so I let each section dry for about 10-20 minutes before wiping off with a MF towel. Buffing off was relatively easy and left a clear finish. Everything went well with the application and buffing removal.
My only complaint is that I ran out of Cquartz and left the bumpers and top hood unfinished. I did coat the door pillars and am excited to see how those turn out. I thought 30 ml would be plenty. I initially thought I might have over applied but read on another forum how another member experienced a similar situation. He suggested it might be because he lived in a hot/dry climate. I found the product to flash very quickly and used more than 2 drops per panel. I later thought maybe the condition of the paint used up more product in some areas. If anybody knows if this might hold true please let me know.
Nevertheless, I am going to order more product to do the rest of the car and possibly windows and wheels.
After curing overnight I took some pics of the finish the next day. I have no idea how its gloss compares to sealants as I have very little experience and it looks the same to me. I've only used BFWD before and could not notice a difference.
Its only been a day so I cant test the durability yet and am scared to pour water over it. I will update in the following days for sheeting. I hope my review helps those who have ordered the product.
Here are the pics I took. I did not get many before pics because I was in a hurry. Sorry.
About 24 hrs after curing. Front toyota emblem removed.
The window pillars is what I'm excited about. I used Meg UC on orange to get them nice and black then sealed with Cquartz. They were very faded before, I should have taken before pics.
Background:
I finally got around to polishing the wife's 97 toyota camry after getting harassed frequently :argue:. I figured a happy wife is a happy life so I went to work.
This is only my second car that I have detailed.This car never had any polishing or detailing in its life and I picked up a ton of crud from claying. The paint on this car had some clear coat failure at the back bumper and oxidation in the trunk, mirrors, door handles, and hood. Luckily, I was able to remove the oxidation on most panels. The back bumper, side mirrors, and door handles are a lost cause
. The original paint of this car seems to have changed from a sand color to a silver color from the beating of the SoCal sun. Cquartz Prep
Clayed with Automagic Blue Clay. For compounding I used an orange pad with Meguiars UC. I was surprised at how well this worked and left it LSP ready. I tried M205 on white and did not notice any improvement. I think the color had a lot to do with this.
I then proceeded to remove the polishing oils via Chemical Guys Wash and Clear at paint prep ratio. I spoke to Avi @ Carpro about my dislike with using 90% IPA+10% dawn and he said I could use CGWC or any product that strips the polishing oils. So I proceeded to use my foam gun for this process and it worked out well.
Cquartz Application
When I opened Cquartz it reminded me of a nail polish remover. The scent is strong and a good ventilated area or face mask is appropriate. My 30 ml Cquartz came with the little square cotton applicators similar to make up removers. I first started on the front hood and applied it by sections using a criss cross pattern. It was very tiring using those small cotton applicators and also hard to see the product being applied because of the light paint color. You need really strong lighting to see where you have applied Cquartz especially on the door panels. I found my Fluorescent lights helped more than the halogen lights. My garage was 70F, so I let each section dry for about 10-20 minutes before wiping off with a MF towel. Buffing off was relatively easy and left a clear finish. Everything went well with the application and buffing removal.
My only complaint is that I ran out of Cquartz
and left the bumpers and top hood unfinished. I did coat the door pillars and am excited to see how those turn out. I thought 30 ml would be plenty. I initially thought I might have over applied but read on another forum how another member experienced a similar situation. He suggested it might be because he lived in a hot/dry climate. I found the product to flash very quickly and used more than 2 drops per panel. I later thought maybe the condition of the paint used up more product in some areas. If anybody knows if this might hold true please let me know. Nevertheless, I am going to order more product to do the rest of the car and possibly windows and wheels.
After curing overnight I took some pics of the finish the next day. I have no idea how its gloss compares to sealants as I have very little experience and it looks the same to me. I've only used BFWD before and could not notice a difference.
Its only been a day so I cant test the durability yet and am scared to pour water over it. I will update in the following days for sheeting. I hope my review helps those who have ordered the product.
Here are the pics I took. I did not get many before pics because I was in a hurry. Sorry.
About 24 hrs after curing. Front toyota emblem removed.
The window pillars is what I'm excited about. I used Meg UC on orange to get them nice and black then sealed with Cquartz. They were very faded before, I should have taken before pics.
So yes, combining them together in one solution. However, I have never used that solution. Please share how you have understood it? 
rops:
