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Ok so it is not so quick and easy as the brake replacement post I just did...but I think it is a needed thread as there is NOTHING out there to help with the application of this stuff. Granted, CQuartz Finest is not available to consumer through retail sales...unless you can get it through a friend who just happens to be a 'qualified' CQuartz application detailer. Even so, if you are not patient...application might be a bit difficult....so... this is my experience and nothing more. It is not an instruction guide but I thought it valuable to post what I experienced in this task. Here is the finished job first off, err, well just when i was starting the brake job:
Ok so...I should also mention that the car has 14K miles and is also covered completely with XPEL. Still, after driving across Canada and the US, and now coating the front bumper with CQuartz...this is the result:
The task started with an overcast sky and decent weather so i thought I might start outside. I did a complete spray wash with Blackfire Waterless and was off. The instructions state that you should only apply a few drops to the supplied suede cloth and then do a panel at a time, but I found that wasn't sufficient. They recommend that you apply with horizontal strokes followed by vertical, but I wasn't comfortable with this as I wanted the final strokes to be horizontal so I did across, up and down across just to be safe.
I then carried on to another panel, and then another, returning about 10 minutes later for a hand polish and second coat. I repeated this for the entire car...well until the sun came out and i learned a very valuable lesson. The sun heats the surface and dries the product incredibly fast so, if it isn't even, you will end up with visible...I don't know the word...buildup or excess? It is like a smudge and seen most often where you stopped your applicatiion pad say at a door or panel edge and there is a bit more at the edge of the stopping point. It is hard to photograph but look here:
Valuable lesson to me...actually two... get out of the sun and...actually I never mentioned that this was partially caused by too much liquid on the applicator. The instructions say a few drops but I found a few insufficient inside or out...a few meaning 4-5 drops a panel. On average I used about 10 per panel and worked it in good. I then paid very close attention for the smudges or edges where there was a buildup
I found a benefit of XPEL was that there seemed to be much more time to correct any imperfections in the coat. So anyway, I used about a half of the bottle by the time I was complete and this included two coats on the entire car, as well as two coats on the calipers, inside of tire rims and outside.
I don't know if this was too much or not enough but the car looks great. I also never did the glass. I learned a valuable lesson when first sealing the car with Blackfire where they say you can do the glass...not such an easy task and I am still wondering how to get the imperfections off.
So having paid $100 for a 50ml bottle, I realized this should have been called 'liquid gold' but was it worth it? I only have Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant to compare it to and both are completely different in their own right. Blackfire goes on quick and easy and is amazing at 'self leveling' so there is no buildup or smudges anywhere. IT does very well at bringing up a great shine with a very deep look. With Blackfire, I can do the entire car in under an hour.
With CQuartz Finest, the process is much more intricate and a few hours longer. The end result is more like having a thin glass coating over the car and visually, it is stunning.
With the XPEL, you will never get that perfectly smooth glass look, but I have to say that there aren't many that notice the XPEL coating in any event...just the high shine and finish. The car finish just pops. Hopes this helps...
I have this on my DD with Reload on top of it and it's a fantastic product. Obviously doesn't offer any paint protection but one of the best coatings out there and way superior to opti-coat imo.
However, I would be VERY weary about letting anyone (including myself) apply this that doesn't have significant experience with it. I've seen it when a detailer missed a couple of spots when wiping it with the cotton wipes or waited too long to wipe it and when that thing hardens it is practically impossible to get it off, and it doesn't look good ... basically like little drops of glass permanently cured onto the paint. So done right = amazing product, done sloppily and it might take repainting panels to remedy. So please please be careful if you try this at home.
There are tricks to this that help. When you do this in a garage, it helps alot when you apply and buff the sealant on the panel, and then have the opportunity to shut all of the lights off and go over that panel with a flashlight; this will easily show hazing or buildup that might not have been so easy to notice in the light. It is actually very obvious with the flashlight.
If you find it well after the fact and are much more ambitious...
Comparing CQuartz and Blackfire sealants again, they are polar opposites in a way as CQuartz hardens within minutes, whereas Blackfire levels itself off and is les susceptible to mistakes. I don't ever remember seeing hazing with Blackfire.
I am definitely not a dealer. In fact, I am pretty much the auto version of Tim the Tool Man Taylor, always with the cart in front of the horse and learning the hard way. This is the exact reason I went to XPEL in fact, to protect the car against me rather than external influence. A perfect example is my removing the car top in underground parking in LA last month, hitting the top on the overhead pipe and mandating XPEL replacement but no damage to the roof!
I simply posted the need and someone 'on one of these forums hum dee dum' pm'd me asking if I was truly interested in a bottle as they could sell me one. Unfortunately, they asked me not to pass their info on.
Nope... I did alot of reading and found validation from both CarPro and XPEL CEO's that CQuartz Finest was just fine on XPEL and didn't affect its self healing properties whatsoever, or cause discoloration....so I thought I might try it! The car has 100% complete exterior XPEL coverage. I guess the fact that you looked at the piks and never noticed this is quite the compliment soulsea...tx!
Nope... I did alot of reading and found validation from both CarPro and XPEL CEO's that CQuartz Finest was just fine on XPEL and didn't affect its self healing properties whatsoever, or cause discoloration....so I thought I might try it! The car has 100% complete exterior XPEL coverage. I guess the fact that you looked at the piks and never noticed this is quite the compliment soulsea...tx!
Ok cool.
I would have thought that a coating that hardens like glass would defeat the elasticity of the clear bra and counteract its self healing advantage, but it's good to know that it's not the case. Interesting chemistry.
I just got the UK version, gonna tackle thiis later this month. How hard are the front of the wheels? With all the spokes looks like a nightmare.
The wheels are very easy as their shape would cover up any mistakes. i just took the rag and wiped it, first inside the rim walls with the tire removed, and then around the spokes...no prob whatsoever. This combined with the new Carbo 1521 brakes makes things MUCH better for brake dust reduction.
So how many drops for each outside of wheel. I assume also one suede rag per wheel?
Originally Posted by AllFlash
The wheels are very easy as their shape would cover up any mistakes. i just took the rag and wiped it, first inside the rim walls with the tire removed, and then around the spokes...no prob whatsoever. This combined with the new Carbo 1521 brakes makes things MUCH better for brake dust reduction.
Pretty much every time I wet the cloth was 10 drops.... for me the key was ensuring that the coat was even by cross pattern passes. I used one suede cloth for the entire job and yes, I know that a detailer could come on here and jump all over some of my practices but the job turned out right.
I am curious how much of the bottle a detailer goes through on a typical application.
Wow 1 rag. I have read like 4-7 a car. Changing cloth every 2-3 body panels
My car is clean to say the least. The rag never showed any signs of wear or dirt. Did fine although I do want to know what the norm is. would be great to have a detailer jump in and say whether my usage of 1/2 bottle was on par, or whether they prefer a certain temp. Do they do dark checks for shadowing, ghosting or excess? Do they prefer to make their last pass a horizontal motion or verticle...and so on...
Believe me... I have been out and checked the car with a fine tooth comb...like the end result. I do wonder if I can apply a 3rd coat after it has cured for insurance though.
Ok so it is just under 24 hours and I pulled the car out into the daylight for a final check. CQuartz Finest has definitely created a hard shell and given the car a much smoother and shinier coat. It has also leveled off perfectly and I never really noticed this before but the clear coat it has now is much different than yesterday. Perfect finish I think...last piks... It is very much the mirror appearance I was hoping to achieve.
So done right = amazing product, done sloppily and it might take repainting panels to remedy. So please please be careful if you try this at home.
I had Finest on my '14 and will be getting my '16 done, scheduled for correction and application early December.
If you mess up a coating like Finest, UK, or Opti, you won't need to repaint, but you will likely need to go back to machine polishing with more than a light finishing polish to remove it and then you're starting over from scratch.
Great product for sure and I use the rest of the CarPro line as well, DLUX is awesome on plastic trim and Reload works great with or without a coating. My Daily Driver 2015 Mustang GT only has Reload on it and it is excellent. Total of 2 applications in the last 13 months and it beads and sheets like mad.
The wheels are very easy as their shape would cover up any mistakes. i just took the rag and wiped it, first inside the rim walls with the tire removed, and then around the spokes...no prob whatsoever. This combined with the new Carbo 1521 brakes makes things MUCH better for brake dust reduction.
Glad to see you didn't forget to do the calipers too.
On my '14 I did my calipers and wheels and 99% of anything would come off with just spraying water.
Originally Posted by AllFlash
I am curious how much of the bottle a detailer goes through on a typical application.
For the price many charge, I would hope it is 3 bottles per car.
I know my detailer very well and got a good deal, but still had to pay a good amount due to the 30 hours spent on correcting the paint. I don't want to know what he would charge someone off the street for that job.
11-05-2015, 10:43 PM
Quick and Easy CQuartz Finest Application
