CQuartz and other comparable products

[Stevelsd]

As I have stated in a previous post, I am new to the detailing arena.

I did post a question regarding Pittman's Vapor Wax but no one commented.

Feed back please

Regarding CQuartz and other comparable competitive products, does this product replace the ritual polishing and waxing?

Do these products bring out a deep wet shine or are they just a "protective clear coat" product?

Does one polish and wax AND THEN apply these CQuartz like products?

:props:

Thank you ahead of time
Stevelsd

[MirandaAutoSpa]

I didn't see your Pittmans Vapor Wax, but I have have have recently been getting into coatings. From my research and consulting with other detailers coatings like Cquartz, Gtechniq, etc. are extremely durable and do add excellent gloss and shine. I started using Opticoat which I felt was the one of the easiest coatings to apply, so I am currently testing that.
Coatings are a completely different product then wax, the paint needs to be not only clean properly, but corrected (removal of swirls and such) to your liking, then wiped with a oil and wax remover like IPA to completely clean the surface free of all oils left from the polishes. Then the coating needs to be applied meticulously with proper lighting. Then allowed to cure per directions.
After applying the coating and allowing to cure, you can maintain it with a wax or sealant, but it won't bond to the coating so it won't last long.

[TundraPower]

I didn't see your Pittmans Vapor Wax, but I have have have recently been getting into coatings. From my research and consulting with other detailers coatings like Cquartz, Gtechniq, etc. are extremely durable and do add excellent gloss and shine. I started using Opticoat which I felt was the one of the easiest coatings to apply, so I am currently testing that.
Coatings are a completely different product then wax, the paint needs to be not only clean properly, but corrected (removal of swirls and such) to your liking, then wiped with a oil and wax remover like IPA to completely clean the surface free of all oils left from the polishes. Then the coating needs to be applied meticulously with proper lighting. Then allowed to cure per directions.
After applying the coating and allowing to cure, you can maintain it with a wax or sealant, but it won't bond to the coating so it won't last long.

:iagree:

22PLE plays well with waxes on top. I really like Migliore Strata as well. I'm going to post some pictures of it soon.

[PiPUK]

From my perspective, the coatings tend to be predominantly protective. For the most part, the polishing step is even more important than when using waxes because these products are far less able to hide imperfections. That said, once you have done the job, the necessity for polishing can be reduced for the future. I do not go so far as to be certain that this is the case for several reasons:

1) Coatings, inspite of their hardness claim, do suffer damage. If ceramiclear finish that a vehicle is supplied with can suffer swirls, it should not surprise anyone that the aftermarket coatings can suffer as well.

2) A lot of the protection provided to paint work by after market products is not down to it being super hard and able to resist scratching. It is often down to is being super slick and abrasive media being less able to adhere. In that regard, many waxes and traditional sealants are actually better than coatings, even if their actual scratch resistance is lower.

3) Detailers are inherently careful people. Most of the time I have someone talking about applying coatings, I find that they are quite capable of maintaining their paint (without endless polishing) with traditional LSPs. Likewise, those who are forever needing to polish with traditional LSPs tend to be the ones who, after applying a coating, are most rapidly asking for something to put on top of it.

From my perspective as someone who makes/sells both coatings and traditional LSPs, I think that both have their place. In truth I think that coatings are not best suited to a detailers own vehicle. I feel that the very best performance is achieved by a traditional LSP at the top as the appearance can be much more easily tailored. As such, the coating is just a middle step protection and I feel it really does very little for an avid detailer - it is there but you end up not seeing it and using the argument that it is probably protecting (but without real certainty on this point). Where I think coatings have most merit is on vehicles which are not going to be on a weekly detailing schedule. Here you can compromise that the appearance is not ultimate because you know it will last on the vehicle and will give it maximum protection from an uncaring regime.

At the end of it, it will come down to how much you want to spend. You can get some pretty amazing durability out of traditional sealants (we can get a year out of one of ours, in rough UK/Irish conditions) and, considering these products can be applied in minutes, even doing an occasional 'top up' will still take less time and effort than doing a single coating.

[TroyScherer]

Here is my long term review on CQ:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/49041-product-review-cquartz-ceramic-quartz-paint-protection.html

[Stevelsd]

WOW. Thanks to everyone for their input. I think I am first going to try the traditional till it gets a little sunnier and warmer. then I might give the CQuartz a go and document my experience.

thanks all
Stevelsd