Essence / HD speed

**KBsToy** · 03-11-2016, 09:43 AM

It`s getting warmer here and in no time I will be getting my Artic White Vette out of storage and starting to give her a really good spring cleaning. Wash, Clay, Iron X and wash again. Now comes my problem my car, finish is in relativity good shape, maybe some light scratches from my OCD with washing and QD`s and a coat of FK 1000 put on last fall.

Reading over Mike`s comments on jeweling wax he answered my question on light / colored cars and trying to get the perfect shine. White is hard to get the pop / shine and he talked about using a quality AIO to get it there.

So I was thinking of HD speed or Essence I bought these over the holidays along with other HD / Car-pro products...

Your thoughts and advice please for a weekend detailer

Thanks.
KB

**Matt@Revive** · 03-11-2016, 09:52 AM

both products work awesome! i am still playing with Essence trying to get it to work consistantly, but on a white car it should work great. i use HD Speed for quick and easy show car prep, works great and leaves a nice gloss finish.

**KBsToy** · 03-11-2016, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Matt@Revive

both products work awesome! i am still playing with Essence trying to get it to work consistantly, but on a white car it should work great. i use HD Speed for quick and easy show car prep, works great and leaves a nice gloss finish.

What type of ,pads ??? I have car-pro gloss pads along with with numerous polishing pads from different companies....

**StephenK** · 03-11-2016, 10:02 AM

Just remember you need to use a pad with some type of cut. Not necessarily a pad you would use for compounding but at least a nice polishing pad. Same pad you would use for HD polish.

**Angus** · 03-11-2016, 10:04 AM

I've had excellent results with HD Speed + White CCS Pads from LC. Full write up here:

HD Speed - Review

HD Speed is an AWESOME product.

**vobro** · 03-11-2016, 10:33 AM

I've used and like both but on lighter colors the Essence followed by Reload is a great quick combo obviously not as fast as Speed cause it has the sealant already. I just did a silver ATS with Essence/Reload with a Rupes 15 with a Megs mf Finishing pad ( tried the cutting mf pad, Megs thin foam cutting and polishing pads), which gave the silver a very high gloss candy look. Both are great products but I like the water shedding aspect of the CarPro products.

**ski2** · 03-11-2016, 10:34 AM

The one point regarding Essence that has me confused is that you have to remove existing sealant/wax before using Essence. From the CarPro website: "20 - Should I strip existing protection if paint is in great shape to apply Essence?
Yes, I would strip the wax or sealant as a minimum prep step."

Since Essence contains abrasives shouldn't they remove the existing LSP? Since we know now that a strong wash with Dawn or even CG Citrus Wash has been shown to not remove existing LSPs this would mean an extra step perhaps with a paint cleaner before polishing with Essence.

**AGOatemywallet** · 03-11-2016, 10:39 AM

If you are trying to squeeze the last bit of gloss out of your paint...why would you use an AIO?

AIO's do a lot of things, but they do not do any of them at the level of a dedicated product.

As an LSP, they have less durability than a dedicated LSP. Many have argued that the appearance of an AIO as LSP is not as good as a high end dedicated LSP.

They don't clean as well as a dedicated Cleaner product.

They don't cut as well as a Compound

They don't finish as well as a true finishing polish

If you are only doing your own car, what's the rush.

Skip the AIO

Take your time

**KBsToy** · 03-11-2016, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by ski2

The one point regarding Essence that has me confused is that you have to remove existing sealant/wax before using Essence. From the CarPro website: "20 - Should I strip existing protection if paint is in great shape to apply Essence?
Yes, I would strip the wax or sealant as a minimum prep step."

Since Essence contains abrasives shouldn't they remove the existing LSP? Since we know now that a strong wash with Dawn or even CG Citrus Wash has been shown to not remove existing LSPs this would mean an extra step perhaps with a paint cleaner before polishing with Essence.

Great point something else to look into. I have used Griots paint prep in the past with good results...

**boomdone** · 03-11-2016, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by vobro

I've used and like both but on lighter colors the Essence followed by Reload is a great quick combo obviously not as fast as Speed cause it has the sealant already.

Essence contains Sio2 quartz and claims to have durability on its own of up to 1 year. So certainly much more durability than HD Speed on its own. Carpro recommends using Reload or CQuartz after Essence only to improve beading and dirt repellency. But certainly Essence can be used as an AIO with great durability.