Another Coating Application and More Lessons Learned

[Desertnate]

The CanCoat I applied late last summer on my wife`s Highlander was starting to wear out, so it was time to apply another coating. This time around I used CQuartz UK 3.0 and I thought I`d share my thoughts on applying the product some things I learned during the process. Last year, I applied CQuartz UK 2.0 to my daughter`s car and I was really pleased with the results and how the coating has held up since then. However, with any new version I wasn`t sure what to expect.

In no particular order:

- CQuartz UK 3.0 seemed a little thicker in consistency than 2.0, though it still spread easily.

- Flash time was far longer in the right conditions, almost too long. Due to weather conditions outside, the temps in my garage varied during the application. It started out in high 70`s low 80`s, and after it started to get really warm I opened the door to my house and let the A/C bring things down to the mid-70`s. When the temps were at their most comfortable in the mid 70`s it took forever to flash. I found myself applying the coating to multiple sections and then going back to buff them out because I became tired of standing around waiting. 2.0 would not flash so fast it was difficult to use, but I wasn`t standing around either.

- 3.0 seems more temperature sensitive than 2.0. It might be I had a fairly stable environment when applying 2.0, but I remember the flash time was pretty consistent throughout the entire application process. With 3.0 I noticed it varied widely with only a 10 degree temperature swing. In the mid 70`s it would flash almost too slowly. In the upper 70`s/low 80`s seemed the sweet spot. At one point, when doing the rear hatch of the vehicle, I had to open the garage door due to space. The outside temps were around 85~88F and the stuff flashed almost instantly. It was so bad I quickly closed the door as soon as possible and then waited for the garage to cool down a bit before moving on.

- 3.0 spread MUCH farther than 2.0. Maybe I`m becoming better at application, but I used approx 25 of the 30mL`s of 2.0 to coat a second-gen Mazda 3. With that in mind I bought a 50mL bottle to do the Highlander. I applied what I thought was a similar amount to the applicator as the previous application, but this time I only used about 15mL`s to do the entire SUV! I`d bet I can do my other two cars with what is left over...and maybe a set of wheels.

- Appearance and performance-wise, 3.0 is another home run like 2.0. The Highlander looks fantastic and after a good hard rain last night the vehicle is perfectly clean and the water is beading up really tight. I have no doubts it will hold up as well as 2.0.

Overall, I`m really pleased. Good thing because I now have to figure out how to use up another 30mL`s of the stuff before it goes bad!

 

[lloydrm]

Nice. You mind sharing your old coat stripping and prepping process? I am always curious about what approach makes people most confortable for those steps.
IMO, those steps are probably the greatest limiting factor of coats. At least modern coats that are more user friendly than early ones.

 

[Desertnate]

My prep process is pretty straight forward. I`ll wash, clay, machine polish, and then do a wipe down with a prep spray.

I used Optimum Car Wash to wash the car and I also used my wash solution as the clay lube so I wouldn`t have to add a step. I clayed the vehicle with Pinnacle XMT clay I still have in supply after PBMG merged the brand into McKee`s 37. Polishing was done with SONAX EX 04/06 and a mixture of Lake Country white Flat and Thin Pro pads since Toyota`s have notoriously soft paint. Gyeon Prep was my prep spray to remove the polishing oils.

I try not to overthink things and keep them simple. When I still used sealants I used the same process, with the only difference being the elimination of the prep spray and I ran the process every 6~12 months vs every 18~24 months with a coating. Since you can easily polish away a coating high spot by hand with a finishing polish, I`m not worried about the old coating being left behind after running a DA and a good polish over the vehicle.

 

[lloydrm]

Thanks for sharing. I am all for simple/working approach. Still on the fence with coatings as I am don`t polish all that often.
BTW, have you tried Sonax PF? I understand EX is very similar with a lower price tag.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

How was the humidity? I find humidity a much bigger problem than temperature. The last coating I applied was in 99% humidity and it would take forever to flash and I had high spots from hell to deal with. Temperature is easier to deal with (for me). I will never attempt another coating job in extreme humidity.

 

[SWETM]

Nice write up and thanks for shareing your experience with us!

I would think it`s the experience of been applying the coating before that made you stretch it longer. It`s not a problem to apply CQUK in 1 layer. But Carpro recommends 2 and max 3 layers. The extra layer gives you around 6 months longevity from it useally. Also you fill the tiny valleys in the clearcoat a little more which gives you a notch higher gloss. It`s also what will get you easier over the 2 year mark when doing the 2 layers. Vs 1 layer it`s more of 18 months longevity from it. But not easy to be prepared when you thought the 50ml would not reach for 2 layers. Could be something to have in mind next time around.

Interesting about the temperature sensitive you had when applyied the CQUK coating. Rlmccarty mentioned about the humidity useally is what makes a huge difference when applying coatings and even when you polish. Now that the first version of Menzerna FG400 had problems when it was high humidity where you polished. It throwed out lumps of residue polish that was a little like gum. But they took care of that rather quickly but many here in Sweden was put down by this fenomen.

 

[Desertnate]

Thanks for sharing. I am all for simple/working approach. Still on the fence with coatings as I am don`t polish all that often.
BTW, have you tried Sonax PF? I understand EX is very similar with a lower price tag.

I have not tried PF. From my reading and speaking with folks on the forums I found PF was originally designed to be used with a rotary polisher and EX was developed later to be used with DA polishers. Since I only own a DA I went with EX. I believe someone here felt PF provided a slightly better finish, but I was quite happy with the results using EX.

How was the humidity? I find humidity a much bigger problem than temperature. The last coating I applied was in 99% humidity and it would take forever to flash and I had high spots from hell to deal with. Temperature is easier to deal with (for me). I will never attempt another coating job in extreme humidity.

Humidity was pretty high the entire time. It`s usually high in my area, but with the constant monsoon rains and flooding we`re having, it`s even worse. I have since discovered a healthy share of small high spots I`ll be dealing with in the near future.

Nice write up and thanks for shareing your experience with us!

I would think it`s the experience of been applying the coating before that made you stretch it longer. It`s not a problem to apply CQUK in 1 layer. But Carpro recommends 2 and max 3 layers. The extra layer gives you around 6 months longevity from it useally. Also you fill the tiny valleys in the clearcoat a little more which gives you a notch higher gloss. It`s also what will get you easier over the 2 year mark when doing the 2 layers. Vs 1 layer it`s more of 18 months longevity from it. But not easy to be prepared when you thought the 50ml would not reach for 2 layers. Could be something to have in mind next time around.

Thanks. Depending on what is left over, I might go back and second coat the roof, hood, rear hatch, and lower door panels. My daughter`s car with 1 layer of 2.0 has gone over a year with none coat in and still going strong. If I get 18 months, I`ll still be pretty happy. Time and weather didn`t allow me the opportunity to do a second coat during this application.