Review: CarPro Eraser

[CEE DOG]

Review: CarPro Eraser

Introduction:

I first heard about this product a few months ago and as someone who has applied CQuartz more than a few times I was happy to hear a product was coming that would aid in cleansing and prepping the surface before CQuartz. I was particularly excited I would no longer have to jump through any hoops to prep the paint before application of a coating. I’ve now been testing Eraser for a while and have used it on more than a few different vehicles. In the following review I will take you through my experiences with the product but will condense and funnel the majority of my observations towards one vehicle in particular.

Product Claims:

CarPro Eraser is an intense cleaner designed to dissolve oil particles and remove polish residue to prepare the paintwork for Cquartz. Eraser attracts polish residue and dust better, cleans better than IPA, and aids in keeping the finish dust free while you apply Cquartz.

Details:

1.- Packaging: Plastic bottle / Cool label
2.- Directions: Simple
3.- Viscosity: Thin
4.- Color: Light Blue
5.- Scent: Fresh
6.- Regular Price: 1.7 oz. (50ml) = $ 5.99
7.- Regular Price: 16.9 oz. (500ml) = $14.99
8.- Regular Price: 33.8 oz. (1000ml) = $19.99
9 - Regular Price: 169 oz. (5000ml) = $_____
10.-Manufacturer: CarPro
11.-Made in: Korea


Product:




Additional tools needed for application:

Micro Fiber Towel

Introduction (continued)

For years many of us have been using a number of products to strip the oils from our paint during and/or after polishing. Some of us have been using this method just to check the occasional area to be sure we are producing hologram or mar free paint. Others wiped the paint down religiously on each section with IPA or mineral spirits as a couple examples.

For many, another purpose of IPA or mineral spirits was to remove the oils with the goal of producing a surface the wax or sealant could bond to. While others would wash the vehicle with water and an entirely different array of products to achieve this, still others (like myself) would use a paint cleaner that was compatible with the sealant or wax that was to be used.

Fast forward:

Today it is often more important than ever to be sure you have a completely clean surface. Specifically I am talking about when applying a coating rather than wax or sealant. When applying a coating such as CQuartz you want to be sure that the coating bonds to your paint, glass, and other surfaces and lasts for the duration you are expecting. And the most important factor that you can control is the cleanliness of the paint at time of application. Just prior to application coatings are more dependant on a perfectly oil free surface than the traditional lsp is. Actually It would be more correct to say a larger percentage of their lifespan hinges on it.


Video: A Quick Intro to get started

01 Eraser Application.wmv - YouTube


Washing and Prepping Before Polish (Eraser not yet involved):

I had a Taurus I was working on a few weeks back that was to undergo a number of corrections and enhancements. The majority of this review will focus on this vehicle, although some observations and information is based on past and later vehicles as well.

The Taurus was thoroughly rinsed. Next it was washed with UPGW with some OPC mixed in and OPC 3:1 sprayed on one panel at a time during the wash phase. After a thorough rinse and dry I was pre-occupied the remainder of the day with painting certain areas but more on that after the review. It was “predicted” there would be no rain that weekend but the following morning I awoke to a rain soaked car and very cloudy skies.



After rinsing I moved onward with a quick blow dry from the Master Blaster. Next it was time to decontaminate the vehicle. After application and removal of TarX (followed by a rinse and a blow) IronX was next up. After dwell, agitation, and rinsing it was another quick blow.

Just something quick I want to point out. If you haven’t tried the IronX I would recommend giving it a shot. Time is money and the time I saved by using IronX and TarX saved me more than the cost of the product used on it. Riccardo clay was used as needed and went much faster than it would have thanks to my previous decontamination steps.

The vehicle was quickly washed again and the crevices and wheels were quickly blown out. The large planar surfaces were dried with an mf/ww towel. Normally I use the Master Blaster for drying the entire vehicle but in the case of a stripped vehicle that is in need of being corrected, I have a place to still use my ww towels.

Eraser as Inspection tool:

As I moved through the polishing phases I used Eraser as my inspection tool. After polishing a section I sprayed eraser across it and using a clean short weave towel I wiped the surface clean and then flipped the towel and wiped again with an additional mist for good measure. As I have found every time I use it the oils were removed easily and efficiently. I continued this process after each of the first few sections in an attempt to check my work.



Oil Free: (Photo from another vehicle I used Eraser on from an earlier occasion)


Past Vehicle



Being that it was a metallic colored vehicle and the sun showed no sign of breaking through that day it was very difficult to be sure I had polished the paint to the level I expected. LED and Brinkman were of no use with this color paint so even after removing the oils I didn’t have the necessary lighting. The only way to find scratches, holograms, or marring in this paint was in direct sun and that was not in the cards.

It was very cloudy all day and a little rainy most of it. This was what it was like at one point in the day…


Video: Pouring

02 Pouring.wmv - YouTube


When it got bad enough I set up the plastic sheeting (which I had used for masking the day before) as a shield to hold back the rain from hitting Sky.



Between the rains, the mowing, and many other entertaining adventures, it was turning into a challenging day.



Eraser in action removing polishing oils:

As I mentioned I didn’t have the lighting that day to show you Eraser in action removing polishing oils that day so another weekend I threw a quick test together to make a video you could see with good lighting. For this test I applied some Menzerna PO 85RD which we all know has a lot of oils in it. I spread it across a section of my front hood and rather than working it all the way in I only made a few passes in an attempt to leave plenty of oils on the paint for this test.

Video: Eraser removes polishing oils

03 Eraser Removes Polish oils.wmv - YouTube








I finished the day by polishing out the taillights and headlights and again removing the oils with Eraser, which appeared to be as safe on headlights as it was on the paint. (Full story on the headlights after the review)



Prepping the Paint with Eraser Before Applying Cquartz:
The next morning I got started early and after accomplishing a few other things (among them a quick wash and dry) the sun was available for me to properly inspect the paint. I found some swirls still remaining on the passenger side lower panels so they were corrected. Finally it was time to get to my application of Cquartz.

But first would be the Eraser prep clean! I repeated the following method across all paint, glass, head/taillights, and plastic window hoods.

Method of Application:

1.- Spray on and wipe off with mf towel
2.-Flip towel and one more wipe
3.-Move to next section, flip to clean side or new towel, & repeat

How long does it take to prep a car this size with Eraser?

On this day it was a high humidity/high 90’s day (felt like 120) but wouldn’t you know it the rain still tried to pop in and out with sun showers so as you will see in the video I rigged up the plastic I had used from the day before to protect the areas of the vehicle protruding from the shadow of the canopy..

Video: Eraser Total Prep Time

Please note all surfaces were prepped with Eraser although some of it isn’t in this video thanks to the memory card filling up without my knowledge.

04 Eraser Total prep time.wmv - YouTube


After





I would love to continue with the full story of the Taurus but since you clicked on a thread called “Review: CarPro Eraser” I think it’s safe to assume you would like to stay on that subject. I’ll save my jabbering for later and simply tell you that with the patient fresh and clean (courtesy of Eraser) I was able to rest easy as I applied CQuartz to the vehicle and followed with Reload a couple hours later.

Does Eraser Resist dust better than IPA?

Eraser claims an anti-static affect. The purpose of this is to allow the paint to stay clean between the time you prep with Eraser and the time you get back around the vehicle to apply CQ. On the vehicle I featured above the only thing I saw settling on the car were these wonderful little creatures we affectionately call “love bugs”.



To be fair and honest I can’t say I would have seen any dust regardless in such a short amount of time with this color of paint so I set up a separate test on a test panel just today. Unfortunately that is still inconclusive as there isn’t any dust built up on it to tell a difference in the couple hours its been sitting there. I’ll update on that later.


Will Eraser Easily Remove a Polymer Sealant or Carnauba Wax?

Obviously this is not what the product is intended for but I was curious about this question for the people that will ask (like me J). On another test panel I tested the ability of Eraser to remove a polymer sealant, which had been applied a couple months earlier. I did not apply a ton of product or really try to force it to work. I simply used it as I would to prep my paint for lsp after polishing. Based on my findings below I believe a liberal, repeat, or vigorous attempt with Eraser could remove many sealants but I doubt it would be best practice or the most efficient method when you can simply strip them during your pre-polish wash cycle. And of course the sealant will be removed when you polish regardless of what you did up to that point. With a simple spray and wipe method I used it did remove some of the sealant but not all.

Video: Will Eraser easily strip a sealant?

05 Does Eraser strip Sealants.wmv - YouTube

Will Eraser Remove a Carnauba Wax?

Yes it can. I took Eraser for a spin down this road and it did remove the wax in my test.


Cost:

This chart is based on a few assumptions and of course varies depending on the size of the vehicle, the user, the towel, and the trigger used to apply it.








Amount used on a Ford Ranger (small pickup truck):

Twice this amount or more is used on an average car depending on the trigger used to apply.

Started With





Ended With




Pros:

1.- Application: Ease of use
2.- Fast removal of oils
3.- No streaking or smearing
4.- Increased durability of Cquartz and other LSP (Assumed)
5.- Scent: Fresh



???:

1.- What will the cost be of the 5 liter bottles?
2.- Antistatic: Resists dust sticking to the paint before application of LSP (In testing)


Cons:

1.- Price (Based on US Cost) Not sure for my friends on the other side

Product Summary:

The first thing you notice about Eraser as you pull the trigger is the scent. There really is no other way to describe it than fresh. My wife thought it smelled like bubble gum. The first time you actually use it to remove oils from the paint the thing that grabs you is how easily it removes them with no smearing. And also of notice you no longer get that irritating grabby feeling that you find when using IPA.

Previously when you were to apply CQuartz CarPro recommended a dawn/ipa mix where as with Eraser that is a thing of the past and is quite welcome in my opinion. The “guess work” and experimental methods of cleansing varied with each detailer and with Eraser the prep work of CQuartz application is simplified and time is saved.

Eraser is specifically designed for prep before CQuartz but you can use it for prep of waxes, sealants, and other lsp as well. I personally will be using it before application of CQuartz and other coatings from here on out as well as my tool for inspecting the surface during polishing.

Now when it comes to sealants and waxes I have had a different method than most for my prep before sealant or wax. My method for those lsp types rarely ever involved ipa so I didn’t plan to start using Eraser for those preps. However, after figuring it only takes about 1$ or 2 to wipe down a car with Eraser and it will be faster than my previous method (time=money) I will probably use it a lot regardless of lsp.

I haven’t run into problems with Ipa on soft paint personally but I would be negligent if I did not mention that some people say they get marring when using IPA on extremely soft paint. I don’t know if it’s a combination of the towels they use and the IPA but I just haven’t seen it myself.

Discussion, questions, comments, and thoughts are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this review! Cheers

[CEE DOG]

In case you care to see a little more of the adventure from that Taurus feel free to continue reading. Just don’t forget to discuss Eraser when you are done.



Some of the story that I left out:

Backing up to the first day various areas of the vehicle were wet sanded with a majority of that time spent on the headlights and rear view mirrors. As I recall I wet sanded before washing the car. Guess what takes bugs off faster than anything else? J On the mirrors the paint had failed and I decided to sand both the clear and color off and repaint them.










Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get my sanding discs in time and to complicate things further all of the papers I had were 1500 or finer. I had somehow misplaced my rubber block for wet sanding so I used an old CQ applicator block and cut my papers to fit.

Removing the paint from the rearview mirrors was extremely time consuming and after the driver side I decided to get crazy.





I grabbed some regular sandpaper from my closet and quickly demolished the paint from the passenger side mirror. Of course leveling it back out with my 1500 wet sanding was again time consuming. Here’s a picture of the driver side after using (a couple hundred) grit sandpaper before refining it.



After refining it and wet sanding the headlights (more on that later) I washed and dried the vehicle and then masked the areas and covered the car in plastic before using VHT prep to be sure there were no oils on the surface from the wash. After waiting a few minutes I used a tack cloth on the surface before applying my first coat of base from an aerosol can. (I had received all my paints from Automotive Touchup about a week prior)










I repeated with light coats allowing about 5-10 minutes of drying time between each and using a tack cloth each time. With each pass I would start the spray before I reached the mirror housing and not let go of the trigger until I had completely passed it by. After at least 4 coats I allowed it to dry for 40 minutes. Next I moved onto the same process with 4 or 5 coats of high gloss clear.

Throughout this process the vehicle was covered so of course there was almost nothing I could accomplish while I was waiting between coats. The only thing I could think of was flipping the plastic up over the tires and applying my first coat of PERL.

After I finished the final tire I came around to apply the final coat of clear. As I sprayed the final mirror for the final time I witnessed several bubbles popping up!! It was then I realized I had forgotten to use my tack cloth that time and quickly surmised some of the PERL I had sprayed when doing the tire had been blown onto the paint by the wind!! Eek! Well, as usual when times are desperate people (meaning me) sometimes do stupid things…

Yes, I think you know where this is going. Like a 5 year old that was just told not to touch the hot stove and even knows doing so is going to result in a burn I couldn’t keep my hand off the cookie jar. I touched one of the bubbles and then quickly pulled my finger back as if I had just touched a hot burner. Uh oh… too late. A little print of guilt and shame resided on the final of 8-10 coats. Well, what was I to do? Time to shut it down for the day…. It was soon to be dark anyhow and tomorrow this could be corrected. It wasn’t looking too bad for my first ever aerosol paint job.










Unfortunately when I remove the tape I discovered paint had made its way in at this one spot. I removed this stray paint by trying a few things and a lot of elbow grease. It was the VHT prep and a very aggressive buffing with an mf towel that remove it when all was said and done. UTTG was used on this area of the mirror after removing the paint.




Before



After




Before




After




And the headlights:

They were an absolute mess! Again I only had 1500 grit and spent forever on them before finally moving forward. I had saved polishing them for the following day while I was polishing the pillars, glass and window hoods with my 3401 and 4” cyan pads.

Driver Side Before:










Driver Side After Sanding




Driver Side After M105 on HT pad




Passenger Side Before:








Passenger Side After Sanding




Passenger Side After M105 on HT pad

[CEE DOG]

Grocery Cart Damage:

Here was one of the many scratches on the vehicle.



At first I thought it was only a trade of paint or something from the grocery cart and I could clay it off. There was more than just that going on and the scratch that went with it was deep so I grabbed my paper and knocked it down quickly.





Later it was polished back to life.






OK, enough for now. Thanks so much for viewing and please post any questions, thoughts, or experiences you have about Eraser.

Cheers,
Corey

[Shane731]

Can`t stop reading! Must have more!

[C. Charles Hahn]

Ban for posting pornography to the forum!





Just kidding!

Great review as always, Corey.

[Bunky]

Yes great review and there is always bonus features.

Corey, I wonder if you factored in all the supplies cost (plastic, painters tape, etc) in the overall expense how the cost would be end up for a session.

[CEE DOG]

Can`t stop reading! Must have more!

Shane! Thanks buddy!! No!

Ban for posting pornography to the forum!

I agree!! LOL, thanks Charlie

Yes great review and there is always bonus features.

Corey, I wonder if you factored in all the supplies cost (plastic, painters tape, etc) in the overall expense how the cost would be end up for a session.

Ahh, yes Al! My estimate laid out all materials, estimated hours, etc.

I factored it all in and then gave it to the gentleman at a price that was not really worth it for me financially but I did factor it in and knew what I was doing. Just couldn`t bare to charge him what it should have cost him. He`s retired and allthough he said he would pay whatever and wanted whatever package I recomended I wasn`t going to charge him what I should have. Still a good chunk of money just not for how many hours I spent on the car. My fault, not his. (Estimated hours ended up being about a day shy of what I spent as well.) The weather and many other things I didn`t get into factored into that.

[glfahlc]

great write-up on carpro eraser.... would this work well for any other of the nano tech coatings on the market as well...

[Bunky]

I factored it all in and then gave it to the gentleman at a price that was not really worth it for me financially but I did factor it in and knew what I was doing. Just couldn`t bare to charge him what it should have cost him. He`s retired and allthough he said he would pay whatever and wanted whatever package I recomended I wasn`t going to charge him what I should have. Still a good chunk of money just not for how many hours I spent on the car. My fault, not his. (Estimated hours ended up being about a day shy of what I spent as well.) The weather and many other things I didn`t get into factored into that.

I just did a quick paint clean on the Dakota but I did tape up some key trim pieces and think that was of the top 2 cost items (beyond my time but that is free) in the work. Tape also seems to have a shelf life too. My painters tape is not as sticky as it once was....

[polisher]

ahh great write up and the quality of the pictures are really good too

[Todd@RUPES]

Great review Corey. IYO, is Eraser any more effective at removing polishing oils then IPA?

[TroyScherer]

Corey, I know you have used a few product for paint prep. In you experience is Eraser better than GG Paint Prep, Prep SOL, IPA in prepping a surface for an LSP?

Based on you chart the only way I would want to buy Eraser is in the 1000-ml or 5000-ml form to get the best cost effectiveness.

[MarcHarris]

Outstanding review and information!

[CEE DOG]

Thanks guys!

Great review Corey. IYO, is Eraser any more effective at removing polishing oils then IPA?

Thank you Todd

Yes, it absolutely is. IPA removes some oils but its easy to redistribute some of the oils as well. Eraser removes all the oils easily. Did you see the short video of where I sprayed Eraser on a towel and with one wipe leave no streaks of non fully worked 85RD?

I failed at showing IPA side by side in my review. My apologies!! This weekend I will show another test -Using IPA and Eraser side by side and then water over it to show the difference in absence of oils .

Corey, I know you have used a few product for paint prep. In you experience is Eraser better than GG Paint Prep, Prep SOL, IPA in prepping a surface for an LSP?

Based on you chart the only way I would want to buy Eraser is in the 1000-ml or 5000-ml form to get the best cost effectiveness.

Its better than IPA

I haven`t used Griots Pre-Wax cleaner but if you look at Griots website that has citrus oils in it therefore it does not leave the surface oil free.

Griots Paitn Prep you have to wash off like an APC so that isn`t in the same category imo.

I haven`t used Prep SOL but I believe Prep Sol would leave the paint softer much longer than Eraser would.

Yes, 14.99$ for 500 ml I wouldnt grab it as fast but with 19.99$ for the 1000ml I am ok with that. These stores try to mark up our prices too much imo. They need to cut us a little slack or offer the 5000 ml.

Grab the Liter and use a 10% off or more code and it will last for a good many cars.

[paintjobpro22]

Looks great, however I would have just taken off the mirrors lol..