Tips you wish you would have known for CQuartz
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Rsurfer
Well-known member
- Jan 26, 2007
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3800 is a final polish (and a good one at that) , but needs an ISP or Eraser wipe down to rid the polishing oils.
With Essence, no wipe down needed as it acts as a primer for CQuartz.
AutowerxDetailing
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- Apr 10, 2012
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Use LOTS of towels for wiping off the coating residue. The single microsuede wipe off towel that comes in the kit is nowhere near enough to level the coating without streaking... especially if you're doing two layers. I usually use one face of a towel per panel when leveling and buffing off coating residue.
AutowerxDetailing
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- Apr 10, 2012
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I usually go through about 4 or 5 of the 4" applicator cloths per layer of CQuartz. And I'll usually use about 2 or 3 microfiber towels for leveling and wiping off the coating (per layer).
zmcgovern45
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- Sep 5, 2012
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+1 on what Nick said regarding multiple applicators and many, many towels. CQuartz is rather "smeary" in my experience, so having many clean towels to use for wipe off is a must. Overall it is quite easy to use, but the wipe off process can get frustrating if you're inspecting it with LED lighting and are seeing faint residual product.
Rsurfer
Well-known member
- Jan 26, 2007
- 14,159
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I would not use those yellow devils to level CQuartz. Use the suede towels..why skimp on the towels after all the prep work?
bal
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- Feb 21, 2014
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Yes - use the suede towels. Anything else is going to leave bits behind and probably just isn't fine enough. You can order them online.
I did CQuartz UK on a dark blue Porsche 911. I was not happy with the results because even though I thought I had applied it evenly and removed it evenly with multiple towels, I did not. This only became apparent once it had set and in different light. So the moral is look at it from different angles, use different light. It was a lot more noticeable outside than under my fluorescents in the garage. Not sure if you can do it outside or whether that would be recommended due to possible contamination but the outside light really showed up the defects that I had created.
The second time I applied it was to the hood only of a silver Mercedes CLS. As others have said, it is smeary and I really felt like I was just wiping the product off. I looked at it from various angles and am happy with the appearance of the results - i.e. no high spots.
I did CQuartz UK on a dark blue Porsche 911. I was not happy with the results because even though I thought I had applied it evenly and removed it evenly with multiple towels, I did not. This only became apparent once it had set and in different light. So the moral is look at it from different angles, use different light. It was a lot more noticeable outside than under my fluorescents in the garage. Not sure if you can do it outside or whether that would be recommended due to possible contamination but the outside light really showed up the defects that I had created.
The second time I applied it was to the hood only of a silver Mercedes CLS. As others have said, it is smeary and I really felt like I was just wiping the product off. I looked at it from various angles and am happy with the appearance of the results - i.e. no high spots.
AutowerxDetailing
New member
- Apr 10, 2012
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The newer Costco microfiber towels actually aren't so bad. I only use them on paint when brand new out of the bag. Once washed they loose too much of their initial plushness. I also wouldn't try using them on soft, finicky paint systems but for that rock hard Audi clear they would probably work great. Lately though I've been using the orange CarPro lint-free towels to level everything off. They are fantastic towels.
bal
New member
- Feb 21, 2014
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Are the CarPro ones the suede ones or more like traditional microfiber? I don't feel that I'm removing much with the suede - just moving the stuff around. Maybe that just means I applied too much of the product. Frankly, I found it a pain to apply. I'm near Seattle so it is cold here. I'm sure that doesn't help given all the environmental variations.
MarkD51
Active member
- Oct 15, 2012
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When I did my Tahoe with CQuartz UK, I applied with the Carpro Foam Block, and MicroSuede Sheets, and had some extra sheets on hand (Bought 16x16 Sheets and cut them into four 4x4 sheets.)
Of course I did a full decon, wash, Iron-X, clay, polish and Eraser wipe down prior to the Coating application.
I applied the coating in the advised cross-hatch pattern, applied in perhaps 20"x20" sections, insuring I over-lapped my application.
A minute or two the most after applying I came behind to wipe and level-smooth. One trick is do not wait too long to do this. Yes, some depends upon temperatures and perhaps even humidty levels. I was working at about 72-74F degrees that day in shade under my Carport.
I didn't notice what others have mentioned, "smeary", it laid down perfectly, and very smoothly. I insured I had good bright lighting, and as mentioned, do look at your work close up at various angles.
What I will say I noticed was not smeary, but a little bit "draggy" upon final leveling-smoothing, it is not as "slick' as I maybe thought it would've been. Still absolutely no issues of what could be referred to as smeary. It laid down like a sheet of glass upon the paint surface.
But instead of using MF Suede Sheets for final wipe, I used a couple of brand new Carpro Orange Boa MF Towels. They are extremely soft towels, and experienced absolutely no lint issues with these towels. (I believe I recall that I've even read Corey, the Carpro USA Distributor making mention of using the Boa Towels himself)
The end results were beyond my expectations.
Yes, Essence+ can be used, but IMO it won't be necessary to use this product for quite a length of time.
I would say a better and easier product to use to maintain the Coating, and its properties would be Carpro Reload.
In fact about a good hour after my CQ UK Coating was finished, I did come behind with Reload, to protect the coating during its full cure time, which is said to be about 7 days.
I should also note, that the Boa Towels were fine after, didn't turn into rocks because they were tossed in the wash immediately after using them
Of course I did a full decon, wash, Iron-X, clay, polish and Eraser wipe down prior to the Coating application.
I applied the coating in the advised cross-hatch pattern, applied in perhaps 20"x20" sections, insuring I over-lapped my application.
A minute or two the most after applying I came behind to wipe and level-smooth. One trick is do not wait too long to do this. Yes, some depends upon temperatures and perhaps even humidty levels. I was working at about 72-74F degrees that day in shade under my Carport.
I didn't notice what others have mentioned, "smeary", it laid down perfectly, and very smoothly. I insured I had good bright lighting, and as mentioned, do look at your work close up at various angles.
What I will say I noticed was not smeary, but a little bit "draggy" upon final leveling-smoothing, it is not as "slick' as I maybe thought it would've been. Still absolutely no issues of what could be referred to as smeary. It laid down like a sheet of glass upon the paint surface.
But instead of using MF Suede Sheets for final wipe, I used a couple of brand new Carpro Orange Boa MF Towels. They are extremely soft towels, and experienced absolutely no lint issues with these towels. (I believe I recall that I've even read Corey, the Carpro USA Distributor making mention of using the Boa Towels himself)
The end results were beyond my expectations.
Yes, Essence+ can be used, but IMO it won't be necessary to use this product for quite a length of time.
I would say a better and easier product to use to maintain the Coating, and its properties would be Carpro Reload.
In fact about a good hour after my CQ UK Coating was finished, I did come behind with Reload, to protect the coating during its full cure time, which is said to be about 7 days.
I should also note, that the Boa Towels were fine after, didn't turn into rocks because they were tossed in the wash immediately after using them