I currently have Sonax CC36 on my daily driver. I also had the opportunity to attend a demo of the coating prior to using it so I got to pick the brains of the Sonax reps.
I am sure using essence would be ok but I would stick with just a regular polish and a good prep wipe. The reason I say that is to get good bonding between the painted surface and the coating without anything else in between such as the SiO2 left behind by essence.
The suede applicator is enough to do one car. It is in the package for those paints that are softer. The Sonax folks also mentioned that the suede applicator is recommended for darker paints where streaking is more noticeable if it does happen. The foam applicators work but you will get the dreaded squeak noise when applying it onto the paint. I felt the suede applicator to work better for step 1.
Another thing is that a little product goes a long way. I barely had enough of step 2 to finish my 99 Pontiac Grand Prix. Step 1 goes a little further.
Here is what the Sonax reps told me about maintenance other than a wash. Brilliant shine detailer was recommended for a weekly wipe down. They mentioned that if one truly wants to get 3 years out of the coating then they recommend to top the coating with Polymer Net Shield every 6 months as they share similar chemistry. Sonax states that this is a 1 year coating.
I have been using McKee's N914 as a drying aid and detail spray to keep my coating properties without any other toppers such as reload. I am trying Brilliant shine Detailer on door to see how that area goes in this long term testing.
In saying this any of those would work if you choose to do so.
I almost forgot that the Sonax coating is slick until the first wash. After that it is not as slick and feels a tad grabby. The water behavior is really nice and most importantly it is easy to apply once you get going.
Two good articles by Mike Phillips
How to use the SONAX CC36 Ceramic Paint Coating
Review: SONAX CC36 Ceramic Coating - LC HDO Foam Pads - Makita PO5000C - Supercharged Dodge Yellow Jacket
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