Carpro Essence user error

[Matt@Revive]

i am working on a black BMW with very swirled paint. after completing a 2 step correction i used Carpro Essence to remove whatever slight marks were left behind.

knowing i wasn't trying to correct defects i used a brand new Rupes yellow pad and did 2 passes at speed 4 and 2 more at speed 3 until the polish was mostly clear. when i wiped it i found there was micro marring throughout the section i just polished. so i switched up pads and tried it with a brand new Meguiars MF cutting disc. i used the same process and the results were better, but there was still marring left behind.

in the end i had to repolish the area to remove the marring.

i know this product works and that i'm using it wrong, please help me refine my process.

[Sizzle Chest]

Were you possibly dry buffing? Pad not primed? What towel was used for removal of the Essence?

[parttimer]

I can see the MF cutting pad leaving behind some marring, those are sharp pads. The yellow does baffle me as I use the hybrid whites with my polishes with no issues. Curious to hear suggestions and outcome.

[ronkh57]

From my understanding, (and I may be wrong) it's 2 quick passes and done.

[Audios S6]

Just the few things that come to mind:

Maybe dry buffing? I haven't gone more than 4 total passes with Essence; 1 fast spreading with no pressure, 2 slow correction with medium pressure, 1 slow burnish with no pressure. At that point, Essence has all but disappeared.

Perhaps the rupes yellow was a bit too much if the car was BMW Jet Black. White may have been better.

Had you done an IPA wipedown on a section to check your work before Essence to ensure polishing oils weren't masking the micromarring?

[zmcgovern45]

For fine finishing, do not prime the pads when using CarPro Essence or CarPro Reflect!

These polishes are quite unique if you are used to a product like M205.

For Essence & Reflect, here is how you need to use them...

- Do not prime your pad
- Use 2 small dots of product (perhaps 3-4 small dots on first pass with clean pad)
- Spread product quickly onto working area at machine speed 1
- Begin your first pass at a moderate speed (say around 4 on BOSS or Bigfoot) with medium pressure
- Make 1-2 slow passes at this moderate speed with moderate pressure (ie up & down, then left to right)
- Make 1 final pass at a slower speed (2.5-3) with no pressure
- Wipe residue away (there should be very little since so little product was used to begin with)
- Clean pad & repeat on next section


If you use too much product, you will see marring. I struggled with this greatly when I first started using Reflect until I was coached on the proper technique. The abrasives break down very quickly (just a couple passes), and you need very very very little product.

Once you get the hang of it, the process is very quick and easy!


Essence on Yellow Rupes Pad cleaning up micro marring




Mar free finish



Hope that helps

-Zach

[Mike lambert]

Excellent points sir, I have had that same problem until I watched and read the info online.

[Matt@Revive]

For fine finishing, do not prime the pads when using CarPro Essence or CarPro Reflect!

These polishes are quite unique if you are used to a product like M205.

For Essence & Reflect, here is how you need to use them...

- Do not prime your pad
- Use 2 small dots of product (perhaps 3-4 small dots on first pass with clean pad)
- Spread product quickly onto working area at machine speed 1
- Begin your first pass at a moderate speed (say around 4 on BOSS or Bigfoot) with medium pressure
- Make 1-2 slow passes at this moderate speed with moderate pressure (ie up & down, then left to right)
- Make 1 final pass at a slower speed (2.5-3) with no pressure
- Wipe residue away (there should be very little since so little product was used to begin with)
- Clean pad & repeat on next section


If you use too much product, you will see marring. I struggled with this greatly when I first started using Reflect until I was coached on the proper technique. The abrasives break down very quickly (just a couple passes), and you need very very very little product.

-Zach

this is close to my process, i did not prime the pad (read on one of the posts it wasnt needed). my first passes were light pressure, speed 4. the section looked great untill i hit it with a small (hard) light, then all of the marring showed like crazy. i tried taking a picture, but my camera couldn't pck it up.

[zmcgovern45]

Perhaps a Rupes White pad would be the better option then. Typically have great results with yellow as the firm foam helps to break down the product quickly, but white pads are good to have laying around for certain situations.

[AGOatemywallet]

Thanks for the guidance Zachary

I have used Essence once with CQ UK and loved it, mainly because it saved me 30 minutes and the stress of an IPA wipedown