To Essence or Not to Essence?

[OZD 35]

I bought Cquartz UK 3.0 and will be applying it to my car and my wife's car. I've always been a wax/sealant guy but decided to go the coating route. I went ahead and bought Essence as well and I've been reading a lot of mixed reviews. Seems like some people love it and some think it's over hyped. Will the CQUK30 bond better and last longer if I use Essence? Or I'm thinking of just doing a quick over of M205 and wiping the cars down with Eraser and then coating. Both cars are relatively new and don't need a ton of correction.

[TTQ B4U]

I use it all the time and love it. Not sure what the negative reviews are. In terms of longevity, it can't hurt. It lays down some compatible SiO2 prior to the coating and it does an excellent job polishing and filling in any imperfections prior to sealing. If it's a new car with just a polish not a correction, you will love it.

I'll let you decide on it's gloss level. Here are a few examples.

New Mazda 5, essence base, McKee's coating:

New Civic with Essence and UK 3.0

Honda CR-V with Essence and UK 3.0

Vette ZO6; Essence & UK 3.0

FX35 with Essence & UK3.0

[OZD 35]

I use it all the time and love it. Not sure what the negative reviews are. In terms of longevity, it can't hurt. It lays down some compatible SiO2 prior to the coating and it does an excellent job polishing and filling in any imperfections prior to sealing. If it's a new car with just a polish not a correction, you will love it.

I'll let you decide on it's gloss level. Here are a few examples.

New Mazda 5, essence base, McKee's coating:

New Civic with Essence and UK 3.0

Honda CR-V with Essence and UK 3.0

Vette ZO6; Essence & UK 3.0

FX35 with Essence & UK3.0

Wow, very impressive! The main complaints I have seen is the amount of passes and different speeds to use while working with it....

[TTQ B4U]

Wow, very impressive! The main complaints I have seen is the amount of passes and different speeds to use while working with it....

I probably have posted something along those lines. All depends on the machine and pad combo. On the Flex 3401 with hybrid force pads I run speed 5 as it can generate some heat and dry it out too quickly otherwise. However, on the Rupes Mille with Rupes pads, I have zero issues running full speed.

[acuRAS82]

I also recall that the best way to work Essence is like a finishing wax, or at least it should not be used aggressively like one would do to accomplish correction with a polish.

Reading things like the above, my assumption would have been slow speed (2-3) with a finishing pad. This assumes a good polish prior or new paint of course, but hopefully still utilizing Essence filling abilities for remaining minor imperfections.

Is my assumption for a good method of applying Essence way off?

[OZD 35]

I probably have posted something along those lines. All depends on the machine and pad combo. On the Flex 3401 with hybrid force pads I run speed 5 as it can generate some heat and dry it out too quickly otherwise. However, on the Rupes Mille with Rupes pads, I have zero issues running full speed.

I have a GG with red, blue, white and orange lake country foam pads.

[OZD 35]

Thinking about getting either some Surbuf pads or Buff & Shine finishing MF pads and giving this stuff a go.....

[The Guz]

I bought Cquartz UK 3.0 and will be applying it to my car and my wife's car. I've always been a wax/sealant guy but decided to go the coating route. I went ahead and bought Essence as well and I've been reading a lot of mixed reviews. Seems like some people love it and some think it's over hyped. Will the CQUK30 bond better and last longer if I use Essence? Or I'm thinking of just doing a quick over of M205 and wiping the cars down with Eraser and then coating. Both cars are relatively new and don't need a ton of correction.

Use it. They work fine together. I tend to use it with wither cquartz coating. I would recommend wiping with Eraser prior to applying the coating to ensure all polishing residue/oils are gone. Or let it sit overnight close to 24 hours and let the SiO2 in it cure. Then come back with a light Eraser wipe and coat.

I also recall that the best way to work Essence is like a finishing wax, or at least it should not be used aggressively like one would do to accomplish correction with a polish.

Reading things like the above, my assumption would have been slow speed (2-3) with a finishing pad. This assumes a good polish prior or new paint of course, but hopefully still utilizing Essence filling abilities for remaining minor imperfections.

Is my assumption for a good method of applying Essence way off?

I use Essence like a polish. You may be thinking about Essence Plus which is treated more like a finishing wax.

I've used Essence with a Rupes yellow polishing pad with no issues during a polishing step on speed 3-4 on the LHR 15 MKII. Have also used it with a CarPro Gloss Pad at speed 3 on the same machine.

Thinking about getting either some Surbuf pads or Buff & Shine finishing MF pads and giving this stuff a go.....

Are you planning to use this as a one step polish for correction or a finishing polish? I was not a big fan of it on microfiber.

[OZD 35]

Are you planning to use this as a one step polish for correction or a finishing polish? I was not a big fan of it on microfiber.

More along the lines as a finishing polish. I’ve read MF pads are the way to go with Essence. I’d be happy to use the pads I already have though!

[The Guz]

More along the lines as a finishing polish. I’ve read MF pads are the way to go with Essence. I’d be happy to use the pads I already have though!

Is just use it with a foam polishing pad or finishing pad and called it a day if you are doing a multi step process.