Issue with maintenance of CQuartz

[skyace888]

Hi all,

I applied Cquartz to my vehicle about a year ago and for the most part it has been great in terms of protection. One issue I have with it though is whenever I need to do some scratch repair or otherwise remove a defect that cannot be done with a detailer spray, APC, etc., a noticeable spot is created when I use a polish. Trying to correct this with the Reload spray or putting down more Cquartz doesn't seem to help.

Curious if others have had this issue and if so how you do maintenance with Cquartz or similar paint coatings. I don't have these kinds of issues with waxes and sealants but they also don't last as long.

Thanks,
Al

[AutowerxDetailing]

If you ever need to spot correct a damaged area the best thing to do is correct the damage in that area then polish and re-coat the entire panel.

[richy]

Hi all,

I applied Cquartz to my vehicle about a year ago and for the most part it has been great in terms of protection. One issue I have with it though is whenever I need to do some scratch repair or otherwise remove a defect that cannot be done with a detailer spray, APC, etc., a noticeable spot is created when I use a polish. Trying to correct this with the Reload spray or putting down more Cquartz doesn't seem to help.

Curious if others have had this issue and if so how you do maintenance with Cquartz or similar paint coatings. I don't have these kinds of issues with waxes and sealants but they also don't last as long.

Thanks,
Al

Al,
I have done many repairs on vehicles I have coated. What I usually do is re-polish and coat the whole panel. I have never had an issue with it looking different afterward.

[skyace888]

Thanks for the quick responses.

Wow, so the only way to properly fix certain areas is to re-polish and re-coat the entire panel? That would mean that every few weeks I'd be re-polishing and re-coating one or more panels to fix spots (with the large hood being the most common). Quite a bit of maintenance for a solution that is supposed to be less maintenance than waxes and sealants where you don't need to re-polish entire panels and re-coat them. Isn't all that polishing removing more clearcoat than necessary too? Also, I believe the shelf-life of Cquartz is only 6 months so every 6 months I would need to buy more to ensure I have some onhand to re-coat. I had planned to only buy more every 12-18 months when I was ready to do a full polish and re-coat over the entire vehicle.

Beginning to think that maybe Cquartz and paint coatings are not the most ideal. Could you point me to the latest/best threads of comparison between coatings, sealants and waxes of various types?

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Thanks for the quick responses.

Wow, so the only way to properly fix certain areas is to re-polish and re-coat the entire panel? That would mean that every few weeks I'd be re-polishing and re-coating one or more panels to fix spots (with the large hood being the most common). Quite a bit of maintenance for a solution that is supposed to be less maintenance than waxes and sealants where you don't need to re-polish entire panels and re-coat them. Isn't all that polishing removing more clearcoat than necessary too? Also, I believe the shelf-life of Cquartz is only 6 months so every 6 months I would need to buy more to ensure I have some onhand to re-coat. I had planned to only buy more every 12-18 months when I was ready to do a full polish and re-coat over the entire vehicle.

Beginning to think that maybe Cquartz and paint coatings are not the most ideal. Could you point me to the latest/best threads of comparison between coatings, sealants and waxes of various types?


Can you explain your maintenance process a bit more? There should be no reason you are re polishing every few weeks.
Yes, as Richy stated, the way to fix a scratch or marring is to properly polish or correct the scratch, once you've done that, IPA or Erasure, then re-apply the coating. Richy is correct in doing the whole panel otherwise you really won't know the cutoff points.

Why would you be doing paint correction every few weeks? You paint correct, coat then maintain. Maintenance is key... i.e. high quality MF towels, proper wash & dry techniques with products that have lots of lubricity. Unless someone is deliberately scratching your car, there should be no reason for re polishing and coating every few weeks. CQ or even more durable CQUK has some scratch and marring, bird etching, water spot protection.

If you were using foam pad, DA & a polish you will probably detect a 100th of a micron difference after 6 section passes... If wet sanding, and heavy compound, that would be a bit different.... It all depends on many variables. Mileage may vary.

CQ has a shelf life of about 12 months, but that doesn't mean the product goes bad. You can continue to use the product until you've exhausted the bottle.

[skyace888]

My maintenance process thus far to fix scratches, water spots, etc. has been to correct them by just polishing that area and putting down Reload or more Cquartz to just that area as previously mentioned (not ideal uniform coverage hence why I started this thread). I have a daily driver that is one year old with 26K+ miles (quite a bit on the highway) so it sees use and every few weeks or so I have another "spot" somewhere that needs attention beyond quick detailing. How am I supposed to address them if I am not polishing them every few weeks when I notice them? I quick detail with a detail spray the common stuff like bird droppings, bug splatter, etc.

I use high-quality towels, mitts, techniques, etc. so that is not an issue. I've been detailing my vehicles and those for family and friends for at least 10+ years. Just getting into nanocoatings though.

According to CQuartz 30ml Kit (New Formula) - www.CarPro-US.com (http://www.carpro-us.com/coatings-sealants-spray-wax/cquartz-30ml-kit-new-formula/), the shelf life of an opened bottle of CQuartz is 6 months. 12 months is if it is unopened. Probably best to adhere to this for ideal results and not hang on to it longer term.

[Rsurfer]

Beginning to think that maybe Cquartz and paint coatings are not the most ideal. Could you point me to the latest/best threads of comparison between coatings, sealants and waxes of various types?

Maybe you should go back to a carnuba wax and do it once a month.

[skyace888]

Maybe you should go back to a carnuba wax and do it once a month.

Something to consider. I do have quite a bit of Meg's #21 and #26. Don't think it protects as well though and protection is the most important thing with the amount of miles I do (don't need the deepest gloss or reflections). Pros and cons both ways...

[RaskyR1]

My maintenance process thus far to fix scratches, water spots, etc. has been to correct them by just polishing that area and putting down Reload or more Cquartz to just that area as previously mentioned (not ideal uniform coverage hence why I started this thread). I have a daily driver that is one year old with 26K+ miles (quite a bit on the highway) so it sees use and every few weeks or so I have another "spot" somewhere that needs attention beyond quick detailing. How am I supposed to address them if I am not polishing them every few weeks when I notice them? I quick detail with a detail spray the common stuff like bird droppings, bug splatter, etc.

I use high-quality towels, mitts, techniques, etc. so that is not an issue. I've been detailing my vehicles and those for family and friends for at least 10+ years. Just getting into nanocoatings though.

According to CQuartz 30ml Kit (New Formula) - www.CarPro-US.com (http://www.carpro-us.com/coatings-sealants-spray-wax/cquartz-30ml-kit-new-formula/), the shelf life of an opened bottle of CQuartz is 6 months. 12 months is if it is unopened. Probably best to adhere to this for ideal results and not hang on to it longer term.

How are you getting scratches and water spots so often??? When well maintained you should be able to go a couple years with a coated car before it needs polishing.

[skyace888]

Water spots, nicks, chips, etc. Sometimes it's a few weeks and sometimes a few months but they do happen.

[Mike lambert]

In my opinion coatings don't fit with your maintenance plan. Yes minor things happen, but if you're getting that much damage you need to correct on a frequent basis, a sealant would be better for you

[Rsurfer]

In my opinion coatings don't fit with your maintenance plan. Yes minor things happen, but if you're getting that much damage you need to correct on a frequent basis, a sealant would be better for you

A wrap might even be better.

[LSNAutoDetailing]

My maintenance process thus far to fix scratches, water spots, etc. has been to correct them by just polishing that area and putting down Reload or more Cquartz to just that area as previously mentioned (not ideal uniform coverage hence why I started this thread). I have a daily driver that is one year old with 26K+ miles (quite a bit on the highway) so it sees use and every few weeks or so I have another "spot" somewhere that needs attention beyond quick detailing. How am I supposed to address them if I am not polishing them every few weeks when I notice them? I quick detail with a detail spray the common stuff like bird droppings, bug splatter, etc.

I use high-quality towels, mitts, techniques, etc. so that is not an issue. I've been detailing my vehicles and those for family and friends for at least 10+ years. Just getting into nanocoatings though.

According to CQuartz 30ml Kit (New Formula) - www.CarPro-US.com (http://www.carpro-us.com/coatings-sealants-spray-wax/cquartz-30ml-kit-new-formula/), the shelf life of an opened bottle of CQuartz is 6 months. 12 months is if it is unopened. Probably best to adhere to this for ideal results and not hang on to it longer term.


Interesting technique, almost somewhat European (based upon a Megs 100 vid I saw), that is correcting small spots at a time...

Typically for a DD, pick your opening season (for New England, it's just getting started), and wash, and as needed correction (based upon test spots and condition of the paint), but do the whole car in a single event, then coat or seal. In between, just rinsless or 2BM washes and use reload... Then sometime in the Fall inspect, etc.

It really should be fix ONCE, maintain... If it's the front of the car you're fixing, partial PPF such as 3M or Expel may be good. If you are going around the car every few weeks looking defects you feel need correcting, then you may be a candidate for a more than just a partial PPF, such as a full wrap.

Remember, you're paint & clearcoat is about the thickness of a post-it note. I have a 08 DD with 140K miles on it, and aside from some rock chips, nicks and chips, I get complimented that it looks knew. Dr. Color Chip will take care of the nicks/chips...

Likewise I have a garage queen that has been fully corrected and coated, and I experienced a little bit of marring because of a car cover I put on it. It will get fixed this week, but rest assured, since it's garaged, I will forgo ever using a cover. I really just want to be in maintenance mode from here on with my own privately owned vehicles (POV's).