Any CarPro Essence Tips?

[DetailKitty]

I finally broke down and bought some to use on the new car.
I will be using it as an AIO.
Also got Reload to go on top.
Any advice or suggestions on using it? With what pad, etc?

Thx!

[Rsurfer]

Any fine polishing pad will do, however I do favor Car Pro's white Gloss Pad.

Since your car is brand new, maybe Essence Plus might be better.

[suke]

Don't use much pressure. Also if you're using a MF pad limit your passes to 1....max 2. In my case that's when the residue would be harder to remove. Otherwise on a foam pad I could work it just about as long as I wanted and it was still a breeze to remove.

I will say I'm not personally a fan of the beading I get from essence/reload combo. The water doesn't quite bead up like true coatings....or hasn't in my case anyways. I plan to remove the essence/reload combo and put cquartz standard on then maintain with reload.

[DetailKitty]

Don't use much pressure. Also if you're using a MF pad limit your passes to 1....max 2. In my case that's when the residue would be harder to remove. Otherwise on a foam pad I could work it just about as long as I wanted and it was still a breeze to remove.

I will say I'm not personally a fan of the beading I get from essence/reload combo. The water doesn't quite bead up like true coatings....or hasn't in my case anyways. I plan to remove the essence/reload combo and put cquartz standard on then maintain with reload.

Thx for the tips... I am planning to use foam pads.

I don't expect it to behave like a true coating, so hopefully I won't be disappointed.

[atgonzales]

What Rsufer said...

[JeffM]

It needs some degree of heat to activate it, if you cant wipe off the white product residue then simply go over it with the pad again, until you have the process dialed in.

[Aaryn NZ]

Any fine polishing pad will do, however I do favor Car Pro's white Gloss Pad.

Since your car is brand new, maybe Essence Plus might be better.

What Rsufer said...

Hey,

I'm in agreement with these guys. Essence + I believe will offer more durability, both are really nice to work with but I'd go with + in your situation. CarPro Gloss Pad are nice too but any soft finishing pad will get great results.

Aaryn NZ.

[MarkD51]

It needs some degree of heat to activate it, if you cant wipe off the white product residue then simply go over it with the pad again, until you have the process dialed in.

From what you say, I think this is correct, and mirrors what the Carpro folks would advise-recommend.

That this product seems to like being "Burnished" into the paint surface for greatest effect.

That's no doubt because of the fine correcting abrasives within which will refine the surface.

That, and as well, that this product seems to also behave closely to a true Glaze product. In that a Random Orbital Polisher of almost any kind, even be it a lowly Craftsman-Waxcoa-etc "Orbital Waxer" Machine would probably prove beneficial versus a hand application to aid and enhance it's "filling" capabilities by such random motions across the Paint.

[WillSports3]

Unless your clearcoat is as soft as a Lexus or an Infiniti/Toyota and Nissan, an orange pad, or a medium cutting pad works best with Essence. Just ease off the last few passes, but don't be afraid to give it pressure during the first two or three passes. I do have to say it CAN be finicky depending on what you're using it for. It takes me about 8 passes to break it down with a black/no-cut pad so I can wipe it off easily but if you work it for too long, it gets difficult as well. Once you dial it in, it's a great product to use. The other trick too is I just spritz Eraser right on the residue sometimes so there's extra lubrication when I have to remove residue.

[lane5515]

I found the following information on the CarPro Forums a while back. I pretty much follow this advice and get great results.

For fine finishing, do not prime the pads when using CarPro Essence.

Essence is quite unique, and differs from other polishes you may be used to .

For Essence:

- Do not prime your pad
- Use 2 small dots of product (perhaps 3-4 small dots on first pass with clean pad)
- Spread product quickly onto working area at machine speed 1
- Begin your first pass at a moderate speed (say around 4 on BOSS) with medium pressure
- Make 1-2 slow passes at this moderate speed with moderate pressure (ie up & down, then left to right)
- Make 1 final pass at a slower speed (2.5-3) with no pressure
- Wipe residue away (there should be very little since so little product was used to begin with)
- Clean pad & repeat on next section

If you use too much product, or work it too long it may be a bit difficult to remove, or you may see slight marring. The abrasives break down very quickly (just a couple passes), and you need very little product.

Once you get the hang of it, the process is very quick and easy!

Essence on a Scholl Concepts Neo Honey Spider, Megs MF, or a CarPro gloss pad USUALLY works very well!

Some light marring with Essence is possible on the very first section. When this happens try adding a few more drops of polish and hit the area again. Some paints are more susceptible to marring with a dry pad.

If you're using a microfiber cutting pad, you're probably looking to maximize cut. In this instance, lightly prime the MF pad with Essence, and use 2 small dots of product for each working section.
Again, clean the pad after each section.