applying ceramic for the first time,

[jojokoko]

Am thinking of re-applying ceramic protection on my own for the first time on a black cadillac CTS, it previously had ceramic but thats 4 years ago, time to polish it off and reapply it, i will get it polished and clayed by a professional shop, then its my task to apply ceramic and get it done in my garage,

I already have the car pro cquartz (bought like 1-2 years ago and never opened the bottle), my ONLY concern is how to apply it, because am unfamiliar with the process, am not sure if i will be able to spot it when it starts to flash, and am worried ill do it wrong !...

my other option is to buy the car pro Lite for beginners, i will need it to last for up to 1 year, since it comes with a MF and seems like a better option, my only question here will it have similar hardness and gloss to the car pro cquartz or not ? and will it last for 1 year because my car will be parked in garage at home, will applying several layers extend the durability of the product and what is the hardness its rated at ?

thanks,

[The Guz]

Your bottle of cquartz should still be ok as long as it has no sign of crystallization within it.

Have you considered doing the prep work yourself? Something as simple as Essence followed by cquartz and you will be good to go.

First of all don't buy into the hardness of coatings. They can still be swirled and scratched. The gloss will primarily come from the prep work with the coating giving the glassy like appearance.

There are too many factors/variable when it comes to durability. Such as environment the vehicle is exposed to, maintenance and care. If the vehicle is stored in a garage that will aid in the coating lasting longer than it being outside.

CarPro recommends two coats with their coatings.

Cquartz applications per CarPro's site


Tips:

If contamination exists, Iron X and clay your vehicle before polishing.
To gain the most from Cquartz your vehicle should have all surfaces 100% clean and paint polished to a high level
Use CarPro Reflect to achieve an incredible high gloss finish in less time with no fillers
Use CarPro Eraser to remove any oils leftover after polishing - This is critical to ensure durability of CQuartz
We recommend Coating Removal Towels: CarPro 2 Face (No Lint) 16" x 16" - Blue/ Orange 10 Pack, Microfiber Madness Slogger (16" x 16") or Edgeless White Polish Towel - 16" x 16"
We recommend Extra Suede Applicators if applying more than 1 coat - CarPro Suede MicroFiber Applicator 4"x4" 10 PACK
Finding the right time to "level" (wipe off) excess coating after it flashes:
Start with a single 2ft x 2ft test section to determine flash time before applying coating to entire vehicle. Flash time will vary depending on temperature, humidity, air movement, paint type, how thick it is applied, and more.
If coating is applied thick then the coating will take longer to flash. If applied thin it will flash faster. Hot temps will cause it to flash faster, Cold Temps will cause it to flash slower. Air movement will cause it to flash faster.
When it starts to flash you will see colors that will make the coating look like a rainbow or oil slick. You will see hints of blue, purple, red, and yellow.
Remove too soon and it will be oily with no grab to it when wiping. If you wipe off too soon it will not give the coating a chance to bond.
Remove too late and it becomes hard to remove.
The time to remove is when you feel just a little push back or "grab" against your towel but it is not difficult to remove and it is no longer oily. It may leave some streaks at first but with the second wipe of a fresh clean side of the towel, the streaks should wipe off and the paint should be nice and clear.
Lighting - Lighting is key to make sure you wipe off completely when you do wipe off. You don't want spot lighting like would use on paint correction but ambient lighting. Look at the paint from different angles to make sure none of the coating is missed. Spot lighting will "wash out" the high spots visually. Think of it like this: when you wipe off a sealant you have hours to go and check it again outside or in other lighting. In this case you need to pay attention as you go rather then wait an hour. Thorough removal of the coating is very necessary as any product left on the surface will harden and require polishing to remove soon after.
Cquartz Tio2 - Wait between 1-5 minutes depending on temps, humidity, and paint and find the right window to wipe when you’re doing your test panel. Generally in summer temps 2-3 min. Too soon and it will still be oily. Too late and it becomes hard to remove.
High spots - A high spot is excess coating that was not leveled (wiped off). Most of the time it will look like an application mark. If you discover to them within minutes then a bit more product will lift them. Otherwise you would use a dot of finishing polish such as CarPro Essence or Reflect and rub the high spot off, wipe it down with Eraser or your IPA of choice, and then re-coat that area and onto the area around it by about 6". Then start wiping off the perimeter immediately and slowly work inwards to feather it until you reach the area you are trying to re-coat at the appropriate time.


Directions: Use only in good ambient lighting
Precautions:

Do not apply in direct sun or on hot surface
Do not re-use 4" Suede applicators
Do not re-use the towels you used to buff off with on paint
Wear hand protection
Wear respiratory protection such as painters mask
Read "Tips" above before coating

Wrap a 4" microfiber suede around the grey side of applicator block.
Shake CQuartz.
Slowly open bottle and drag one or two lines of product down the applicator.
Spread across paint in a criss cross pattern approximately 2 sq ft at a time depending on conditions.
Buff off as soon as it flashes (within 1-5 minutes depending - see tips above) using a CarPro No Lint Ultra Towel 16" x 16".
Be sure to remove all excess residue and only then do you move to the next section.
Switch out the 4" Suedes every 2+/- panels.
Additional coats may be applied with 45-60 minutes or wait until the following day if you are beyond 60 minutes. CarPro recommends 2 coats. Max Layer - 3 coats.
Apply Reload after final coat within 30- 60 mins. Wait until next day for Reload if you miss the 30-60 minute window or at least a minimum of 12 hrs.
After Tips:

Keep surface dry for at least one hour after application (For best results keep dry for 24 hours)
Gently wipe any water off the surface during the first 24 hours after application
Avoid detergents and chemicals for 5 days after application
If it is dry and the air is clean outside then you may park the vehicle in direct sun after application to speed the curing.
Coating Maintenance:

The best thing to do is start using CarPro Reset to wash with regularly. Other soaps can leave residue that temporarily messes up the beading and allows dust and dirt to stick more readily.
Wash Mitt:
Microfiber Madness Incredimitt 
(Recommended for daily drivers and most cars - This mitt is easiest to maintain and is extremely durable as well as washing out most easily)
Merino Wool Wash Mitt (Recommended if car has extremely soft paint or car does not get extremely dirty)
Drying Towel: CarPro or Microfiber Madness
Quick Detailing
: CarPro ECH2o Concentrate and Microfiber Madness Crazy Pile towels (need about 3-6 towels)
Occasionally (every 3 to 6 months) decontaminate surface with CarPro Iron X. Use during wash cycle (after Reset) and as directed
If using CarPro Reload as topper: use every 3-12 months, for special occasions or any time you like.


Q & A:
1. What are the consequences of buffing the product off too soon?

You will remove some of the coating layer and affect durability.

2. Approximately how many microns will (1) coating of CQuartz add to the paint?

Between 1 ~ 2 microns

3. Can CQuartz be applied to single stage paints of any age?

This depends on the paint type. There are many different types of single stage paint. If it’s very old it may remove some of the paint. We tested on acrylic paint and it didn’t work so well. Remember this is not to replace clear coat. Clear coat has 20~30 microns minimum. On single stage paints always do a small test section, allow time to dry, buff off and verify results before duplicating the effort on the remainder of the vehicle.

4. What temperatures will CQuartz withstand before failing?

For this I think you should see our flame retarding video on car paint. At approximately 1500 to 1800 deg. paint would peel from the vehicle. See the video on my site. It’s really impressive and shows how well CQuartz is bonded to paint.

5. What is the shelf life of CQuartz before being opened by the consumer?

1 year minimum, keep away from moisture and refrigerator.

6. If only some of the bottle is used and the cap replaced tightly what would the remaining shelf life be?

Maybe 6 months. That’s why we do it in small bottles, not to store much.

7. Can CQuartz be clayed a year down the line if any contaminants stick to it?

Soft ultra light clay won't be a problem. Use CarPro Reset car wash regularly and Iron X every few months you will be surprised how needless clay becomes.

If you choose to go with cquartz lite you can reference my review.

Review - CarPro Cquartz Lite (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/123222-review-carpro-cquartz-lite.html)

[Coatingsarecrack]

I’d use the cquartz if it’s still good. 2 coats should be good.read directions.... pretty easy to apply.

I agree with Guz. Give the correction a shot yourself. I did my first one and went pretty smooth. You could probably get a griots G9 polisher, 12 boss pads and needed polishes for less than $300. A good polish jobs gonna cost more than that.

Not as hard as people think. Just need a good day or 2 to do it.


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[Dan Tran]

Doing the prep work on your own will reap in rewards within itself.

The nice thing is that if you feel unsatisfied with a part of a panel or left a high spot, you’ll have the means to polish it off and try again.

Coatings have a slight learning curve, but it’s not rocket science. Key advice...GOOD LIGHTING.

—

If you are sticking to CARPRO, Essence is a great Polish for your position as it will prime the surface for CARPRO Quartz or even Lite.

On the other hand, if you are not married to a brand, Optimum Gloss Coat is user friendly. I haven’t used CARPRO coatings yet. But I can only imagine it will be similar.

With Gloss Coat, you apply it on so that it should look like oil-slick on water. Wait a moment to let it disappear about 85%. And for the remaining to level it off with a quality (virgin) microfiber towel—about 300 gsm I think is a happy medium.

[jojokoko]

thanks guys for all your recommendations but i dont have electricity in my underground parking (mistakenly referred to it as a garage) and atm i just need a quick solution to fully remove the old crappy coating and apply a new one, also acquiring a polisher ATM is not a feasible option for me, maybe on the long run when i have my own garage !...

am still trying to decide whether to use my cquartz bottle or get the Lite version on the current autogeek weekend Promo...

am unfamiliar with the Flashing effect and dont know what MF are needed to remove it with when it does that, also am not quite sure if i can 70% alcohol or Reset is a MUST to remove residue !?..

can someone link a a review for the normal cquqrtz (not UK), thanks...

[The Guz]

Get yourself some edgeless 300's from the rag company. They work very well for coating removal. The CarPro 2face towels are another good option. What you want to do is use one towel for the initial wipe and a second for a final wipe.

If you are looking to buy items here on autogeek then these are a good option

IGL Coating Removal Towels 10 Pack (https://www.autogeek.net/igl-coating-removal-towels.html)

Flashing is going to vary with the environment with any coating. You will get a better idea once you apply it to an area. It is not that different from CQUK 3.0. I posted this up above which comes straight from CarPro's site.


Finding the right time to "level" (wipe off) excess coating after it flashes:

Start with a single 2ft x 2ft test section to determine flash time before applying coating to entire vehicle. Flash time will vary depending on temperature, humidity, air movement, paint type, how thick it is applied, and more.

If coating is applied thick then the coating will take longer to flash. If applied thin it will flash faster. Hot temps will cause it to flash faster, Cold Temps will cause it to flash slower. Air movement will cause it to flash faster.

When it starts to flash you will see colors that will make the coating look like a rainbow or oil slick. You will see hints of blue, purple, red, and yellow.

Remove too soon and it will be oily with no grab to it when wiping. If you wipe off too soon it will not give the coating a chance to bond.

Remove too late and it becomes hard to remove.

The time to remove is when you feel just a little push back or "grab" against your towel but it is not difficult to remove and it is no longer oily. It may leave some streaks at first but with the second wipe of a fresh clean side of the towel, the streaks should wipe off and the paint should be nice and clear.

Lighting - Lighting is key to make sure you wipe off completely when you do wipe off. You don't want spot lighting like would use on paint correction but ambient lighting. Look at the paint from different angles to make sure none of the coating is missed.

Spot lighting will "wash out" the high spots visually. Think of it like this: when you wipe off a sealant you have hours to go and check it again outside or in other lighting. In this case you need to pay attention as you go rather then wait an hour. Thorough removal of the coating is very necessary as any product left on the surface will harden and require polishing to remove soon after.

Cquartz Tio2 - Wait between 1-5 minutes depending on temps, humidity, and paint and find the right window to wipe when you’re doing your test panel. Generally in summer temps 2-3 min. Too soon and it will still be oily. Too late and it becomes hard to remove.

High spots - A high spot is excess coating that was not leveled (wiped off). Most of the time it will look like an application mark. If you discover to them within minutes then a bit more product will lift them. Otherwise you would use a dot of finishing polish such as CarPro Essence or Reflect and rub the high spot off, wipe it down with Eraser or your IPA of choice, and then re-coat that area and onto the area around it by about 6". Then start wiping off the perimeter immediately and slowly work inwards to feather it until you reach the area you are trying to re-coat at the appropriate time.

Best i could find.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsEbYEujpmE

I would recommend you give it a try and see how it goes. If you are not confident in using it then get yourself CQ Lite. It is wipe on wipe off. Also for prep I would get Eraser. It is not a bad idea to have Reset in your arsenal for washing.

How long will it be after it is polished that you will apply the coating? You could have the shop coat it as well.

[jojokoko]

Get yourself some edgeless 300's from the rag company. They work very well for coating removal. The CarPro 2face towels are another good option. What you want to do is use one towel for the initial wipe and a second for a final wipe.

If you are looking to buy items here on autogeek then these are a good option

IGL Coating Removal Towels 10 Pack (https://www.autogeek.net/igl-coating-removal-towels.html)

Flashing is going to vary with the environment with any coating. You will get a better idea once you apply it to an area. It is not that different from CQUK 3.0. I posted this up above which comes straight from CarPro's site.



Best i could find.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsEbYEujpmE

I would recommend you give it a try and see how it goes. If you are not confident in using it then get yourself CQ Lite. It is wipe on wipe off. Also for prep I would get Eraser. It is not a bad idea to have Reset in your arsenal for washing.

How long will it be after it is polished that you will apply the coating? You could have the shop coat it as well.


Thanks a lot, i could finally make sense a bit more of this whole process, but unfortunately its not the right time for me to get a polisher and i cant risk applying the original carpro, if i do a slight mistake then that will be a big problem for me since ill have to get it polished again !... so i guess ill just get the Lite version, and save the original Quartz for future use when i gather enough knowledge here on the forums !...

to answer your question i will instruct the workshop (or ask him to install quartz for me) to pickup the car as soon as the polish job and full detail is done !...

they did mention a full wash will be done and clay bar will be used followed by full polish,

- just not sure if they will actually clay the entire body, so it it a good idea to get a clay towel and re-do it myself ? and something like this is ok to be used as a lube ?
Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash, no rinse car wash (https://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-uber-rinseless-wash.html)

- what about this clay towel ?
Speed Master Clay Towel (https://www.autogeek.net/speed-master-clay-towel.html)

- I already bought a TRIX to compensate for having to use both Ironx (which smells HORRIBLE) and TARX, is that fine ?

- my final concern since u brought it up, is the free MF coming with the CQ Lite gonna be sufficient and level the coating fine ?
CarPro CQuartz Lite - 150mL Kit (https://www.autogeek.net/carpro-cquartz-lite.html)

Already obtained Reset !

As you can tell this is my only ride and jsut wanna enjoy it for 1 year then sell it, so i want a quick and easy ceramic to apply...

Many thanks indeed for your support and everyone here !...

[The Guz]

Ask the shop to clay the entire paint. Claying has the potential to instill marring onto the paint which is resolved by polishing. No sense in taking a step backwards if you are going to coat it yourself.

The microfiber towel included in the CQ Lite kit is a the 2face microfiber. It is a good towel but I would recommend having a few towels on hand as they will eventually soak up excess product. You will see the product being pushed around once the towel is saturated. Which is why i included those IGL towels to purchase.

[Bruno Soares]

If you don’t think they’ll clay the entire car are they the right people to polish it? Either specify you want everything clayed or clay it yourself before they polish it. You don’t want to clay after polishing as that process adds marring to the paint and you need to polish to remove.

[jojokoko]

If you don’t think they’ll clay the entire car are they the right people to polish it? Either specify you want everything clayed or clay it yourself before they polish it. You don’t want to clay after polishing as that process adds marring to the paint and you need to polish to remove.

So I assume following the polish job with my own TRIX to decontaminated the body further and then follow that with IPA to wip down would be Ok ? Not gonna clay it thanks for that hint !... maybe just clay my glass regularly from time to time...

am not sure if that shop will agree doing the same steps to prep the body for ceramic coating at the same price coz they have that on a special discount, but will give it a shot, other shops charge 270$ for car prep + coating, which is the main reason why i wanna do the coating myself and learn from that process...

[Bruno Soares]

You want to do Trix before claying and polishing. So you can do that before they get your car. Just make sure to wash it after applying and before taking your car in for polishing.

[Bruno Soares]

And $270 for polishing and coating is way too cheap. You can bet it’s half a$$ work.

[jojokoko]

You want to do Trix before claying and polishing. So you can do that before they get your car. Just make sure to wash it after applying and before taking your car in for polishing.

It's funny uve mentioned that. The car Mostly got ceramic coat on top installed 3 years ago and still looks mirror like.

Since it got the coating and was installed professionally and fully decontaminated beforehand
Is it necessary to redecontaminate after removing the old coat or can I fully decontaminate the car my own then take it to get polished ?...

Another question, is it guaranteed not to introduce high spots when using those special microfiber towels recommended to me ?? Any chance a newbie like me will mess up the job if I settle to use the Original cquartz (I never got the lite version delivered to me unfortunately).

Lastly, any work around buying 30$ MF towels from autogeek and throwing them away into trash after applying and the coating ?? Can I buff off with the towels slightly moist, keep them damp in a water bucket after use and take them to the washing machine latter on to clean them off and reuse for other detailing tasks ??

[Coatingsarecrack]

It's funny uve mentioned that. The car Mostly got ceramic coat on top installed 3 years ago and still looks mirror like.

Since it got the coating and was installed professionally and fully decontaminated beforehand
Is it necessary to redecontaminate after removing the old coat or can I fully decontaminate the car my own then take it to get polished ?...

Another question, is it guaranteed not to introduced high spots when using those special microfiber towels recommended to me ?? Any chance a newbie like me will mess up the job if I settle to use the Original cquartz (I never got the lite version delivered to me unfortunately).

Lastly, any work around buying 30$ MF towels from autogeek and throwing them away into trash after applying and the coating ?? Can I buff off with the towels slightly moist, keep them damp in a water bucket after use and take them to the washing machine latter on to clean them off and reuse for other detailing tasks ??


Yes you’ll need 4-5 for coating removal I used the 245 gsm rag company towels. I used 350gsm’s one to polish. Used 4 of those. The one’s you use for 2nd buff can be washed and re used. Just to try I soaked one I used for removal in snappy clean and washed with griots MF and pad cleaner and it’s just fine. You can buy in 10 packs if you wanna have extra or buy single from autogeek



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bruno Soares]

It's funny uve mentioned that. The car Mostly got ceramic coat on top installed 3 years ago and still looks mirror like.

Since it got the coating and was installed professionally and fully decontaminated beforehand
Is it necessary to redecontaminate after removing the old coat or can I fully decontaminate the car my own then take it to get polished ?...

Another question, is it guaranteed not to introduce high spots when using those special microfiber towels recommended to me ?? Any chance a newbie like me will mess up the job if I settle to use the Original cquartz (I never got the lite version delivered to me unfortunately).

Lastly, any work around buying 30$ MF towels from autogeek and throwing them away into trash after applying and the coating ?? Can I buff off with the towels slightly moist, keep them damp in a water bucket after use and take them to the washing machine latter on to clean them off and reuse for other detailing tasks ??

You should decontaminate. 3 years is a lot of time letting new contaminants land on the car.
Only technique and good lighting are a guarantee to not have high spots. No towel will give you that certainty.
For coating removal you want low GSM towels and several of them. I’d say about 3 or 4 towels per layer of coating. The secret is to use and then immediately soak them in a bucket with APC/MF cleaner and then once done wash them all. No need to throw them out. Just inspect them after the wash to make sure there are no hardened areas. My favorite coating towel is Gyeon Bald Wipe but it’s not cheap. I have some from Rag Company (I think 300 GSM, light grey ones) and they’re fine but not as nice as the Gyeon towel.