CarPro DLUX recoating question

[Toonces]

I coated my wrinkle finish black fiberglass targa top in DLUX. The first coat looked fantastic but it's been my practice to apply two coats of DLUX to black plastic parts. My memory is terrible but in retrospect I think I usually wait at least 24 hours before the second coat. This time did the second application a few hours after the first, using the exact same method as the first coat. I could tell right away that the gloss level was inconsistent after the second coat. It's evened out somewhat as it has dried but the shine is still not as even as it was after the first coat. I guess I shoulda waited the full 24 hours as in the past, right? Or should DLUX not be recoated at all?

Anyway, the top doesn't look bad at all and I'm probably the only one who would notice it but I'm a perfectionist so it bugs me. If there were a way to remove it and start over I would, but posts here seem to indicate there's no solvent that will remove DLUX (please tell me if this is wrong) and obviously polishing isn't an option due to the textured finish. So should I attempt another thin coat of DLUX after 24+ hours or is that tempting fate? And has anyone ever tried Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant over DLUX? I'm thinking that might be a way to even out the gloss level of another coat of DLUX is a bad idea. Other ideas?

TIA for any help!

[Toonces]

Additional info since I can't figure out how to edit the original post-- looked at the top with a magnifying glass and found that the difference in gloss level is apparently due to the fact that not all of the recessed areas of the grained finish actually got coated. I guess the first application got all the high spots and then the second application started getting down to some of the lower areas, but not all of them.

So the question becomes, can I safely add a third coat of DLUX, and does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to ensure that all of the graining is coated?

[Mike lambert]

I never had luck with that product. You may want to try a different applicator to make sure it is worked in to the texture. Go with Gyeon trim next time

[Setec Astronomy]

Be careful about over-using products like DLux and C4. It took Rob from GTechniq posting here to get me to understand that these are coatings, and just like you can get high spots with paint coatings, you can overapply and get high spots with trim coatings, which wind up giving a gray/white/silver appearance. The problem is, it's a lot easier to polish off a high spot on smooth paint than it is on textured trim.

PS Yes, people use products like WETS over trim coatings.

[Avi@CarPro]

Hi , 1 layer is enough , no need to build layers , and if you do want wait at least 24h to do the second layer
the difference you saw its because the silan from the first layer maybe wasnt dry yet enough so it made that inconsistent as you said.

[GSKR]

Do not use gyeon.Think you have a headache now use that.

[Rsurfer]

Hi , 1 layer is enough , no need to build layers , and if you do want wait at least 24h to do the second layer
the difference you saw its because the silan from the first layer maybe wasnt dry yet enough so it made that inconsistent as. you said.
Avi, is there any chemical that will remove Dlux short of an acid? I've tried every solvent that I can think of too no avail. Tried Magic Eraser and that helped, but still splotchy. Ultimate Compound did the best job, but a lot of work.

[GSKR]

Strong apc and eraser takes it right off.you will need a apc with butly.

[swanicyouth]

I'll chime in with my 2¢ since I have used this product multiple times, starting shortly after it came out - and why I don't use it anymore .

Ok,

Initially the product works and looks great. Longevity is excellent - 1 year +. However, IME, on daily drivers kept outside - the coating seems to oxidize somewhere before year 2.

The problem is, at this point, there seems to be no way to remove the coating 100% from plastic surfaces it was applied to.

So, any dummy would just think "OK, just re-coat with DLux"... The problem is, the second time around, the coating durability is MUCH less - a few months IME. And also the finish looks "uneven" (sort of like what the OP described).

So, in a sense, to me - the surface is now damaged (stained with uneven coats of DLux). I'm not sure what APC some people are using, but no APC comes close to removing cured DLux from plastics IME.

So, I stay away from it.

[GSKR]

I'll chime in with my 2¢ since I have used this product multiple times, starting shortly after it came out - and why I don't use it anymore .

Ok,

Initially the product works and looks great. Longevity is excellent - 1 year +. However, IME, on daily drivers kept outside - the coating seems to oxidize somewhere before year 2.

The problem is, at this point, there seems to be no way to remove the coating 100% from plastic surfaces it was applied to.

So, any dummy would just think "OK, just re-coat with DLux"... The problem is, the second time around, the coating durability is MUCH less - a few months IME. And also the finish looks "uneven" (sort of like what the OP described).

So, in a sense, to me - the surface is now damaged (stained with uneven coats of DLux). I'm not sure what APC some people are using, but no APC comes close to removing cured DLux from plastics IME.

So, I stay away from it.Agree had to paint 2 mirrors.

[Rsurfer]

Strong apc and eraser takes it right off.you will need a apc with butly.


I'll chime in with my 2¢ since I have used this product multiple times, starting shortly after it came out - and why I don't use it anymore .

Ok,

Initially the product works and looks great. Longevity is excellent - 1 year +. However, IME, on daily drivers kept outside - the coating seems to oxidize somewhere before year 2.

The problem is, at this point, there seems to be no way to remove the coating 100% from plastic surfaces it was applied to.

So, any dummy would just think "OK, just re-coat with DLux"... The problem is, the second time around, the coating durability is MUCH less - a few months IME. And also the finish looks "uneven" (sort of like what the OP described).

So, in a sense, to me - the surface is now damaged (stained with uneven coats of DLux). I'm not sure what APC some people are using, but no APC comes close to removing cured DLux from plastics IME.

So, I stay away from it.


Agree had to paint 2 mirrors.

I thought you said that a strong APC and Eraser will remove Dlux. If so, why did you have to paint it.

[Rsurfer]

I'll chime in with my 2¢ since I have used this product multiple times, starting shortly after it came out - and why I don't use it anymore .

Ok,

Initially the product works and looks great. Longevity is excellent - 1 year +. However, IME, on daily drivers kept outside - the coating seems to oxidize somewhere before year 2.

The problem is, at this point, there seems to be no way to remove the coating 100% from plastic surfaces it was applied to.

So, any dummy would just think "OK, just re-coat with DLux"... The problem is, the second time around, the coating durability is MUCH less - a few months IME. And also the finish looks "uneven" (sort of like what the OP described).

So, in a sense, to me - the surface is now damaged (stained with uneven coats of DLux). I'm not sure what APC some people are using, but no APC comes close to removing cured DLux from plastics IME.

So, I stay away from it.

I agree, 6-12 months later a re-coat looks uneven. Have you tried using Solution Finish and topping with Dlux? Works for me.

[Setec Astronomy]

I had the exact experience you guys are describing with C4 (I even started a thread about it: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/83098-silvering-c4.html ). But later in another thread Rob at Gtechniq explained: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/95561-gtechniq-c4-issues.html .

I have no way of "proving" any of this, the car that I had the most problems with C4, I had also done another piece of (hard black textured) trim that still looks fine 5 years later, and this is a car that is outside 24/7. But hey, that was a different piece than the cowling that appeared to revert back to faded gray 6 months after.

But if you think about it in the terms that Rob details in that second thread, just think about putting a paint coating on paint and putting a lot on and getting a high spot that cures. That spot is perhaps not going to be shiny, or at least will reflect differently, and if you tried to fix it by putting more coating on top of it, then it would compound the problem.

Then think about what we are doing with C4 or DLux, which are ceramic coatings just like C1 or CQuartz, except usually we are putting them on textured substrates. In my case, I didn't follow the directions about wiping off excess, and it's easy to see how, in the process of applying around fins etc. on a cowling, I could have applied what would be an enormous amount relative to what you would with a paint coating. Rob says in that thread that a thick coating may take some months to, as Chris Thomas used to say about Opti-Coat, "fully dehydrate", so it may not be apparent for months that you have applied too heavily. In my case, in a few months the coating seemed to be fading, and after 6 months it was essentially back to the way it originally looked before restoration, but a re-application did not restore the appearance as the original one did.

Anyway, the explanation makes sense to me, and I used DLux for the first time recently, and was very careful to apply very thinly and wipe down immediately after; only time will tell how it holds up.

[DBAILEY]

New product idea for Capro: A solvent capable of removing old DLUX without damaging the plastic

[GSKR]

I thought you said that a strong APC and Eraser will remove Dlux. If so, why did you have to paint it.
Because the only apc that will remove that is highly caustic and it's sold down in palm beach 40 minutes away.Its a apc mostly for concrete.