CarPro C-Quartz / Reload help needed

[ctpj]

Over the weekend I applied two coats of C-Quartz followed by one coat of Reload to my wife's black C7 Corvette. Although I have been detailing cars for decades, this is the first time I used C-Quartz. The panels were well prepped and polished and I went over the car with Eraser prior to the application. I had a well lit area in my garage and everything looked great, that is until I pulled the car out into the sun today. I noticed several places were there were dark patches and/or streaks streaks (See pictures below). Is this from the C-Quartz or the Reload? Will these go away as the product cures or will I have to polish the areas down and re-apply C-Quartz? Finally, what is the best way to avoid this happening in the future? Non-metallic black was probably not the best color to try this on (not to mention being my wife's DD). Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Todd

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[glen e]

Most likely it's from the reload, you can polish off the reload with some car pro essence plus.....then more reload.

[The Guz]

You either have a high spot from not leveling the coating or from Reload. Reload is prone to streaking if too much is used and not all is wiped off.

How did the paint look after the coating? Could you see any high spots?

Two towels seems to work best with Reload.

If you polish it off with Essence then you will also remove the base layer coating. Been there, done that with a high spot of Cquartz.

[rlmccarty2000]

Guz is right. It could be the coating or it could be the topper. From your description of “streaking” I’m going to guess it’s the Reload. High spots are usually dark blotches rather than long streaks. The Reload will wear off in time. You can try to even it out with more Reload, just buff the hell out of it with a clean microfiber. I have heard reports of the streaks going away after awhile, but I have never witnessed this phenomenon.

With Reload it’s best to spray onto one towel and apply and wipe/buff off with a second clean towel. Personally I would dilute Reload with distilled water to cut down on any streaking or like some of us just quit using Reload.

[MarkD51]

Beautiful car.

We will assume you waited the prerequisite times for leveling CQuartz after applying, and then when finally topping with Reload. Usually a minute or two max to level, and the bare minimum of 1 hour after full application before applying Reload. I have never done 2 coats of CQuartz, one is usually sufficient.

I would maybe first try a wipe down with water dampened MF Towels. If that wouldn't get it, I might be inclined to try another detailer product and see if either will cure any possible ill effects from Reload.

In other words I wouldn't be so hasty to yank polisher and other products just yet.

There's been some that have had problems with Reload streaking and also causing dark areas, and this might possibly be exasperated on darker colors.

You might consider trying-switching to Blackfire Coating Booster, or their SiO2 Spray. Seems nobody's having such streaking issues with either of these products.

I'm usually not one to buck a manufacturer's procedures and believed to be orthodox application methods, but also feel that any such other mild products would not have any ill effects on the CQuartz Coating once dried.

[DetailedByPrecision]

Carpro essence plus will remove the streaking and not harm the coating. Ive done it within hours of applying cquartz before for testing and no negative effects.

[NsnRogue2014]

I asked CarPro about this situation, if it is in fact the coating that is hazed or streaked you can use Essence Plus to fix the area and it won't damage the coating. Essence plus has no abrasives in it, if you use essence it will fix the issue but you will have to reapply the cquartz. You may want to try to just wipe the area with eraser and see if it's just the reload.

[Belo]

Seems like one of these posts pops up at least every week. I have no doubt that done right, a coating is the way to go. But man it just seems like such a process and risk for a little bit longer protection.

I still think I'll stick to my annual polish and seal with the polymer spray on topper every month or so.

beautiful car btw.

[MikeC78]

Belo, don't be scared to try a coating, I was the same way at first. A coating is the way to go if you like protection that lasts. Don't let some of these threads deter you from doing one. If you use proper lighting and inspect your work in small areas, you will have no problems. Its very easy to do.

IMO, the coating might subdue annual polishing for you, saving your clear coat even more. In my experience, a yearly decon/reset wash and my vehicle is as good as the day I coated it. Your experience may vary due to different driving conditions.

I've used Reload on my GM black before. You will cause streaking if you overuse and not use a separate dry towel to wipe. Its a very easy fix. Go over again with a bit more liberal of a process and use a separate towel to wipe. Otherwise, as others have said, you can wait and the streaking will disappear over time. (Has been the case in my experience) If the OP hasn't touched the paint since last inspection, I almost bet the streaking has disappeared. Reload has a learning curve if you don't follow their directions. :) A little goes a long way. Carpro products are very concentrated and thats not a bad thing! You could dilute the product (distilled water) and get even more bang for your buck. :props:

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Been there and done that. The facts are you as the applier will always miss a spot. Key factors that go into coatings:

Temp/humidity
Have lots of towels - I use an entire bag of CarPro Sued Towels for one vehicle. For every CarPro Towel, I use a Gold Plush Jr. to follow up with (two towel method).
Use swirl finder lights to review your area. The big culprits will be the adjoining panels to the one you're working on. Make sure you inspect the entire area.
Have a second person go behind you with a towel and looking. Two sets of eyes are better than one.

For Reload - Use the Ultima Autospa MF Applicator to apply, use two towel method to wipe.

[ctpj]

Thank you all for your advice. I have ordered some Essence Plus and a Gloss pad. There is always a learning curve with a new process. I like the results overall and will avoid making the same mistake next time...hopefully.

Todd

[RippyD]

Seems like one of these posts pops up at least every week. I have no doubt that done right, a coating is the way to go. But man it just seems like such a process and risk for a little bit longer protection.

I still think I'll stick to my annual polish and seal with the polymer spray on topper every month or so.
Not sure. I use both coatings and sealants. For a garaged car in good weather I have no doubt a coating is beneficial. Expose to the elements and with a lot of rain, coatings lose their appeal for me. If I have to clay or polish my coating, what's the point of having a coating?

In my environment coatings have 1-2 advantages and many disadvantages. Sealants have many advantages and 1-2 disadvantages. A long lasting sealant + something else to make pop occasionally is a better option for me.

And I would agree the streaks are likely Reload. I've overapplied Cquartz and it generally looks like opaque areas, not streaks. The reload streaks will disappear relatively soon with washing or when you reapply it. I'd give it some time before taking a polisher to it.

[glen e]

I have coated two cars, and won't be doing it again. I still use cquartz on a lot of other things like my motorcycle helmets, bike fairings, etc.… But for me it's just not necessary being garaged and in Florida, the car stays relatively clean, and a SIO2 spray works fine in keeping up the protection. The only time that I would do a coating in the future, is if I owned a black car , like this one.

[Belo]

Belo, don't be scared to try a coating, I was the same way at first. A coating is the way to go if you like protection that lasts. Don't let some of these threads deter you from doing one. If you use proper lighting and inspect your work in small areas, you will have no problems. Its very easy to do.

IMO, the coating might subdue annual polishing for you, saving your clear coat even more. In my experience, a yearly decon/reset wash and my vehicle is as good as the day I coated it. Your experience may vary due to different driving conditions.

I've used Reload on my GM black before. You will cause streaking if you overuse and not use a separate dry towel to wipe. Its a very easy fix. Go over again with a bit more liberal of a process and use a separate towel to wipe. Otherwise, as others have said, you can wait and the streaking will disappear over time. (Has been the case in my experience) If the OP hasn't touched the paint since last inspection, I almost bet the streaking has disappeared. Reload has a learning curve if you don't follow their directions. :) A little goes a long way. Carpro products are very concentrated and thats not a bad thing! You could dilute the product (distilled water) and get even more bang for your buck. :props:


Not sure. I use both coatings and sealants. For a garaged car in good weather I have no doubt a coating is beneficial. Expose to the elements and with a lot of rain, coatings lose their appeal for me. If I have to clay or polish my coating, what's the point of having a coating?

In my environment coatings have 1-2 advantages and many disadvantages. Sealants have many advantages and 1-2 disadvantages. A long lasting sealant + something else to make pop occasionally is a better option for me.

And I would agree the streaks are likely Reload. I've overapplied Cquartz and it generally looks like opaque areas, not streaks. The reload streaks will disappear relatively soon with washing or when you reapply it. I'd give it some time before taking a polisher to it.

Yeah I believe in them, they're just not for me. And I'm not really scared, it just seems like the bang for the buck isn't there. I only maintain my own fleet and I enjoy the process. I suppose I might try one someday on the wife's explorer as I'm really looking for more protection, less maintenance on that one. I'm only using very light polishes so generally I'm ok with that annual detail.

Just rarely see "help my powerlock is ruined, how do i fix it" haha.

[MarkD51]

My thoughts have sometimes been a concern about ever trying to do 2 coats. I wonder if there's a possibility that the carrier solvents in CQuartz with a second application might cause an upsetting-dissolving characteristic on the first coat?

There might be some validity to these thoughts of mine, that could be dependent upon time period allotted in between coats, and as well the variable of temperature-humidity conditions thrown into the mix?

Akin to like spray painting a little hobby project, you want to wait an ample amount of time in between coats of paint.