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  1. #1

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    My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    I spent an enormous amount of time researching online information on applying ceramic coatings and felt confident I could be successful. This first attempt was going onto a 2018 F150 pickup. If I messed up, I would have a huge target for people to shake their heads at in bewilderment. I`m sure most here have already done multiple applications and will find this rather boring, but in my research I was looking for first-time experiences to gauge if this was something I wanted to tackle.

    I bought the CQUK 50ML car kit, since I wanted to do multiple coats, and this is a full-size pickup. Actually, I bought two kits, as I didn`t want to be caught short on materials. Anything left would be for my second car.

    For my work area, I setup my garage with high-intensity T5 fixtures on each side of the truck to complement the overhead LED lighting. I would have plenty of light sources to check my work.

    Prep work:
    My process started outside with two pressure washer rinses and hand-washes, with the second using a wax removing shampoo. Each wash was finished with a pressure washer rinse and a complete towel and air blower drying so I could identify any problems.

    The truck was returned to the cool garage. The paint was in good condition and required very little correction. I had already lightly polished the surface, so no new polishing was required. Two complete claybar treatments pushed the surface from good to excellent. Never underestimate the value of claying a car. Another pressure washer rinse-down and dry followed.

    The next step was two laps of the truck with CarPro Eraser as a final step to ensure there was no remaining wax or polish. Even with all the prior cleaning to remove wax and polish, there was a notable difference after each Eraser treatment. If you haven`t noticed, I like doing things in twos.

    It was time to call my wife, the QA inspector, to give the truck a final review. It`s amazing what a new set of eyes can find. Most of the issues required a simple buff out.

    The coating:
    Now comes the part that gave me concern. Like I already mentioned, I had researched as much as I could, and watched a number of videos, both amateur and product company videos. Everything I watched spent very little time on the actual ceramic coat treatment. They all seemed to jump from opening the bottle and applying a small patch followed by "Voila" the car is done. Maybe it was really that easy.

    I started on the top of the cab. If I messed up, it would be in an area that isn`t easy to see. The first application went on 1/4 of the top. I was surprised at how grabby the material was when applying. I found I had to reapply additional material to the applicator for this roughly 3x3 area. With two MF towels in hand, I buffed the section out with the first, and completed the task with the second.

    For the rest of the top, I found I could do 1/4 of the top, and go ahead and apply to a second section. The time it takes to apply the second section was just about the time needed to let the first flash and be ready for buffing. Once the entire top had been treated, I grabbed a soft, fluffy MF for a final buffing. Amazing!

    So, I made the call to go for it. The next section was the hood, followed by working my way across the driver`s side, and then the passenger side, and finally the tailgate. The chrome grill, bumpers and running boards also got treated. After each major section, I would stop, assess and do a full buff with a soft MF.

    I ran through two more full coatings. I found the time it took to complete one coat was just about perfect to start the next. I expected the second and third coat to go on easier, similar to what I would expect in applying paste wax. Nope. It was the same experience for each. I used a complete 50ml bottle of CQUK for the three coats.

    After three coats of ceramic, I took a step back and was literally floored by the shine and depth of gloss. It was worth the time invested in the effort. But wait, there`s one more step:

    At this time, the QA inspector gave thumbs up after a few corrections. I was ready to apply CarPro Reload. Reload is the final topcoat/sealer for the ceramic finish. A 3oz spray bottle of Reload was included in the kit It is literally a spray on, wipe off process. A final inspection found a few areas where i had to spray on some more Reload in order to buff out the hazy spot. Reload took an amazing gloss to spectacular.

    Apologies that I failed to get good before pics, but I started with a rather dirty car and felt it wouldn`t be a good basis of comparison. But for the final results, I have pictures!

    Results!





    The truck spent the next two days in the garage to allow initial curing.

    Observations:
    • The gloss is spectacular!!!
    • If you can wax and polish a car, you can do a ceramic treatment
    • Surface prep is critical!
    • Wear gloves to keep oily fingers and hands off the surface. Even with gloves, keep a clean towel in your free hand - it will eliminate any hazing if you happen to touch the surface.
    • Have plenty of MF towels on hand - I consumed 8-10 towels on the job, two for each major section, and a couple more softer MFs for the final buffing
    • I spent 8-10 hours on the project


    Pros:
    • The results are impressive!
    • Application was far easier than I expected (I`ve got to quit over-thinking things), and I`m prepping to do my second car
    • The cost is relatively low - I spent under $300 for the two kits, towels, Eraser, claybars, and towels, towels, towels
    • Did I mention the results are spectacular?


    Cons:

    • I found the material grabby when applying - I`m not sure if this is specific to the specific product I was using, the temperature and humidity (I was working in a lightly air conditioned garage on a 95 degree humid day)
    • Ceramic kits aren`t readily available locally - this is likely to change as brick and mortar suppliers see the demand
    • The kit really could use more applicators and micro suede covers
    • CQUK by itself isn`t terribly "slick"
      • Towels didn`t slide off the hood like I expected until Reload was applied
      • It was slicker than bare paint, but not what I expected

    • Have a respirator handy or use in an open, well-ventilated area; CQUK has a definite odor when being applied


    The next step is to finalize my go-forward protocol for maintaining the finish. With a conventional finish, I would use a detailing spray for light cleanups between washes. It seems there are a ton of options for ceramic finish maintenance that I`ll need to sort through. Any specific recommendations would be appreciated.

    I hope this gives someone else the confidence to give it a go. For those that have multiple coatings experience, what would you do differently on my next coating effort?
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  2. #2

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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    nice write up

  3. #3
    RaydiantDetail's Avatar
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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    great write up! share some pictures if you can!

  4. #4
    BudgetPlan1's Avatar
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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Quote Originally Posted by SomewhereInIndy View Post

    The next step is to finalize my go-forward protocol for maintaining the finish. With a conventional finish, I would use a detailing spray for light cleanups between washes. It seems there are a ton of options for ceramic finish maintenance that I`ll need to sort through. Any specific recommendations would be appreciated.
    Poorboys Spray & Wipe makes for a nice lite cleanup product, as does McKees 914 diluted to QD strength. Neither leaves anything behind to interfere with coatings beneficial properties.
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  5. #5
    Mike The Guz's Avatar
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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Quote Originally Posted by SomewhereInIndy View Post
    The next step is to finalize my go-forward protocol for maintaining the finish. With a conventional finish, I would use a detailing spray for light cleanups between washes. It seems there are a ton of options for ceramic finish maintenance that I`ll need to sort through. Any specific recommendations would be appreciated.

    I hope this gives someone else the confidence to give it a go. For those that have multiple coatings experience, what would you do differently on my next coating effort?
    CQUK takes a panel or two to get the hang of. Seems like you figured out how to use it. I have not used the new CQUK 3.0 yet so I can`t comment on how it differs. Will be using it this week.

    Get yourself some CarPro Ech20. It`s a waterless wash but it`s quite versatile. Mix it up at 1:20 for a detail spray and drying aid. Works great with any coating.

    To answer your last question, you don`t need to use the entire bottle of the coating. In most cases the 30ml bottle is good enough. A 50 ml is good for a large SUV or Truck to apply the recommended 2 coats. I am not sure what towels you are using but a low nap towel with a GSM of 300 is a good choice. For example the edgeless 300`s from the rag company. Using two of these towels works great. One for leveling and one for the final wipe. This will save your nice plush microfibers for better duties.
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  6. #6
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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Nice write up and review. When I hear how coatings don`t leave a slick finish, I cringe. Keep us in the loop on how much easier it is to keep clean.


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  7. #7
    TTQ B4U
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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Good write up. I just completed my 2nd Cquartz v3.0 car. Improvements over the previous version in terms of wipe off but still nothing like some of the other coatings out there. Comes off very clean though. I use two CarPro Suede like towels, first is for the initial wipe, second is for the buff. I move the buff one to the initial wipe towel after ever other panel / half the hood and replace it with a fresh one.
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  8. #8

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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Great write up!

    As Guz mentioned get carpro Ech2o and you have a versitale product you can maintain your coatings with. The recommendation from budgetplan is 2 solid choices too.

    I would also get carpro reset to use with the 2bm or multible wash mitts and or mf wash towels when washing. It`s one of the best car soaps out there and especially for coated vehicals. I would not be afraid of useing chemicals that desolves different kind of dirt that get on your coatings. Coatings is very chemical resistant and you will keep it contaminants free for longer when it needs decons. It`s depending much of the environment you live in when and what decon is needed. Since you have CQUK it`s good to have Carpro Bug & Grime Out and TarX and IronX and Spotless in your arsenal. Then you can get carpro IronX Snow Soap too as a maintance product to every 2 months or so. Those are made for coatings to get different contaminants of and revive the coating when you see it starts to loose it`s behavior. It`s to figure out which kind of contaminants you have gotten on the paint and use the right chemical product to desolve it. You don`t do decon washes every wash just when needed.

    I would also get a foamcannon if you don`t already have one. And get a prewash foam like gtechnic w4 citrus foam or gyeon foam or Angelwax Fastfoam or Angelwax Cleanliness is some great options. The BOSS foaming system seems promesing too. It`s to get the paint as clean as possible before touching it with the wash mitts. Look over your wash mitts and the mf wash towels and the drying towels so they are fresh and effective. Carpro has a mf wash mitt and a wool wash mitt that are great. Mf wash towels I`m not so familier with but the Eagle Edgeless towels from rag company is great. Drying towels is the Griots Garage PFM towels and Gyeon Silk Drying towels great options. This just some options and there is many great options available.

    Then you have the toppers. If your coating is holding up awesome then have it so without the toppers. And if you come across problems with water spotting or other things. Then look into different toppers. I just recommend to use them that don`t degrade the behavior of your coating. Carpro has released their Gliss which is a great topper that you get a more slicker feeling and holds up the water behavior and self cleaning ability at top. This can be applyied after some time too and not just in a time frame from when the coating has cured.

    This is what I have read and think it`s a good thing to do for maintaining a coating to last for a long time. With a great performance through the longevity of it.

    And if you want to do a little extra on the car you are going to apply the coating on. The Carpro Essence to polish with to get an awesome finish and a primer to apply the CQUK coating on. And you could apply Carpro Gliss to it afterwards. This is to amp up the gloss and depth even more than the CQUK alone

  9. #9

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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    CQuartz was my first one as well. I did the reading, YouTube videos and watched everyone`s results.
    I believe it`s the best one. Especially when you have Reload!
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  10. #10
    tom p.'s Avatar
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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Somewhere, welcome aboard! Glad it went well for you. In general, the newer products seem to be easier to work with. Cquartz UK was my first coating - - probably 5 or 6 years ago. I did permit it to sit too long without doing my wipe down. I can still see a high spot on the roof of my car that I`ve kind of left there for test purposes. Cquartz UK is the only product that I can actually say lasts a long time. I hope their newest version is comparable.

    Enjoy it !!
    Cars: bringing people together

  11. #11

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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    SomewhereInIndy: That`s a Great write up on CQuartz UK. Glad everything came out so well!

    I used the same game plan on Quarter panels of my Landcruiser after replacing window frame weather stripping, minus the Three coats.

    The Guz and SWETM both have well informed ideas of how to round out your CQuartz experience.

    I think you`ll like its longevity. Just make sure you have a method of dealing with IFO that`s not abrasive(i.e. claying).

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  12. #12

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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Thanks, everyone, for the helpful responses. I was hesitant to post my experience as my first ever post on the forum, but this site has been so helpful in my research, I wanted to give something back.

    I was doing a QA followup three days after application when I noticed dust had settled and lightly stuck onto the hood and cab top, enough where I could feel it when a fluffy MF was draped over the surface. That`s been taken care of. I`m thrilled with the gloss depth and overall look.

    Swetm, you mention other topcoat options. I applied Reload as a final coat over the CQUK, can I apply Gliss or other topper over that so soon? Besides a good shampoo and dry along with a light Eraser treatment, what other prep would be needed? The truck has only been on the road for 20-30 miles since the ceramic went on, so I wouldn`t expect much would be needed. Besides the dust fallout noted above, I`m not seeing or feeling anything to address. Downstream, how often should a topcoat be applied? I`m seeing such a wide variety of recommendation, I`m curious about collective wisdom here.

  13. #13
    Mike The Guz's Avatar
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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Quote Originally Posted by SomewhereInIndy View Post
    Thanks, everyone, for the helpful responses. I was hesitant to post my experience as my first ever post on the forum, but this site has been so helpful in my research, I wanted to give something back.

    I was doing a QA followup three days after application when I noticed dust had settled and lightly stuck onto the hood and cab top, enough where I could feel it when a fluffy MF was draped over the surface. That`s been taken care of. I`m thrilled with the gloss depth and overall look.

    Swetm, you mention other topcoat options. I applied Reload as a final coat over the CQUK, can I apply Gliss or other topper over that so soon? Besides a good shampoo and dry along with a light Eraser treatment, what other prep would be needed? The truck has only been on the road for 20-30 miles since the ceramic went on, so I wouldn`t expect much would be needed. Besides the dust fallout noted above, I`m not seeing or feeling anything to address. Downstream, how often should a topcoat be applied? I`m seeing such a wide variety of recommendation, I`m curious about collective wisdom here.
    This is the only thing I have seen from CarPro`s site. If you do not want to go through the hassle of this then stick with Reload every few weeks.

    Q. My coating is a few months old and I want to apply Gliss but Reload has already been applied over the coating, can I still use Gliss?
    A. No, as Reload will not allow the coating to bond to the paint but if you still want to apply Gliss than the process would be as follows:

    1. Wash with CarPro Reset
    2. Decontaminate with Iron X if necessary
    3. Use CarPro Tar X (this will pull the oils out of Reload that will prevent Gliss from bonding. Use in shade, do not allow to dwell, and be careful around sensitive plastics)
    4. a. Spray and wipe in Tar X into panel with microfiber and immediately neutralize the Tar X by either rewashing the panel or using a waterless wash such as CarPro Ech2o (Make sure to neutralize Tar X before moving onto next panel)
    5. Give it one more good wash with CarPro Reset
    6. Wipe down with CarPro Eraser
    7. Gliss application *If applying over an old coating there is a possibility Gliss may haze up the next day and you can see the application marks. If this happens wiping down the vehicle with CarPro Ech2o or a damp microfiber will remove it.*
    8. If you choose to apply Reload over Gliss than you must wait a minimum of 12 hrs to allow Gliss to cure.
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  14. #14

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    Re: My First Ceramic Coat Attempt

    Quote Originally Posted by The Guz View Post
    This is the only thing I have seen from CarPro`s site. If you do not want to go through the hassle of this then stick with Reload every few weeks.
    Had a cooler than normal Saturday and decided to go the Gliss route. I am not disappointed - it was well worth the effort. Especially considering the time I had already invested on the base CQUK prep and application, this only made sense.

    Thanks again for the guidance and help.

 

 

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