PICS & Vid: CQuartz UK on my MG

[aboulfad]

Finally got to it, spent two half days doing the whole process and prep to apply CQUK in my inside heated garage. The gloss/shine is insane for a product available to hobbyists. My plan was to apply it before the winter and see how it compares with my previously old tech Klasse Sealant. If anyone wants to do it, shoot any question and I'll try to help.

Video action of water sheeting, to be honest i think it was also similar w Klasse Sealant before applying CQuartz, but its fun to see it.
Update: I sealed my wife's car with Klasse, and CQUK is way more hydrophobic!

[aboulfad]

had to upload pics separately ...

[aboulfad]

Pic

[aboulfad]

Pic

[EALm4]

The shine is crazy. Hit it with some Reload spray and it's even better

[aboulfad]

Yeah, I will reload one month after application. I didn't have to apply reload as my car was garaged for two days after application. It looks shiny but more curious about his hydrophobic capabilities and endurance during our harsh winter that is yet to come! What I found with my color, is that if you have dust, then rain, the you have mud on the car. Terrible color to maintain as it doesn't hide dust...

[aboulfad]

Updated with a video in the first post showing the water sheeting effect on the trunk. looks cool and definitely will help when it comes to drying the car inside the garage !

[jayyp]

Seems like it would be a bit difficult to wash your car since the water just slides right off! How does this compare to opti coat?

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by jayyp

Seems like it would be a bit difficult to wash your car since the water just slides right off! How does this compare to opti coat?

usually when you sheet water, the idea is you do it at the final stage before drying the car, this way it reduces any potential swirls when you are wiping with a MF waffle weave. When I wash the car I use a fire hose head inside my garage and a pressure hose outside and the water would stay there as well the soap, it glides regardless because of gravity, mind you I haven't washed the car since I applied CquartzUK.
Don't confuse CQuartz Finest with CquartzUK, the former is professionally applied and isn't available for hobbyists! I don't have any experience with opticoat.

[Brasko]

Nice work! Looks great!

I was thinking of sealing with Modesta on my M3. I wonder how this compares to it.

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by Brasko

Nice work! Looks great!

I was thinking of sealing with Modesta on my M3. I wonder how this compares to it.

Thanks! I don't think CQUK is in the same league. Modesta is professionally applied and cost orders of magnitude more, and could last many years, seems to offer more protection, and not sure if it is available to hobbyists. There are few threads from one of the sponsors about M's having Modesta coating BC-04 or BC-05.

[Gatchaman12]

Looks great! I just got Cquartz on my car and love it!

[aboulfad]

Post first wash two weeks after application, car was dirty from lots of rain and dust accumulation. Shine still is amazing. I noticed that dirt still accumulates the same way, no improvement as dust/dirt repellant, but after two washes spread few weeks apart I am noticing that soap tends to glide easier and on its own which is great because it will lift most debris off and makes the contact part of washing easier and less prone to introducing swirls.

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by aramz09

Thank for for that link; very informative. Now with some many products out there, including CQuartz UK, i'm contemplating on using this instead as i've read the shine is deeper and longer lasting. What are your thoughts? Is cQuartz difficult to apply? If I decide to go with Cquartz, what polish would you recommend before applying cq uk? thanks again.

Having used both Klasse and CQUK, I can confidently say that CQUK will last longer and provide a bit more protection. It's hydrophobic characteristics are superior than Klasse and at slightly higher cost but more preparation time. And the shine is indeed very deep and longer lasting.

As far as applying CQUK, I'll pm you a forum link and my post there that summarizes some of my concerns and useful tips before I applied it. In the end, it was as easy as applying Klasse but with some different accessories required and keeping in mind few basic steps.

As far as selecting polish, CarPro makes a good easy to use polish (Reflect), but it all depends on the condition of your paint and how much correction you want to do. I skipped the polish step, as next year I may be upgrading my polishing tools to Rupes polishers and new Menzerna polishes and didn't feel like redoing it.

[aboulfad]

Hi aramz09 , If you believe your paint is in good condition, you can skip the polish but be aware that if you clay your car, you may introduce micro-marring and you can probably hide it with CQUK but it's there.

Most detailers will tell that claying is required because of the crap that clings to the CC during transport. Post wash, you can check by running your hand enclosed in a thin plastic bag/sandwich bag on the lower side of vertical panels. Chances are that you will feel some edges. So if you decide to clay, use something on the soft side and a lot of lubrication. Clay a small section and check really well with different lighting/angles. If you are good, then no need to polish post clay. Lighting is key to detecting imperfections and also applying CQUK.

As far as ambient temperature, 50-70F is ideal for CQUK, and at 57F you shouldnt have to hurry much and you can apply it on full panels in one shot before wiping (except hood & roof which I divided in 3-4 sections). Again, the key here is to apply to a small section, 1/3 of the trunk and check how easily it removes and adjust the time before removal. This way you understand the flash time based in your environment, anywhere from 1-5mn.

Good luck and ask here or there if you need more help

[aramz09]

Originally Posted by aboulfad

Hi aramz09 , If you believe your paint is in good condition, you can skip the polish but be aware that if you clay your car, you may introduce micro-marring and you can probably hide it with CQUK but it's there.

Most detailers will tell that claying is required because of the crap that clings to the CC during transport. Post wash, you can check by running your hand enclosed in a thin plastic bag/sandwich bag on the lower side of vertical panels. Chances are that you will feel some edges. So if you decide to clay, use something on the soft side and a lot of lubrication. Clay a small section and check really well with different lighting/angles. If you are good, then no need to polish post clay. Lighting is key to detecting imperfections and also applying CQUK.

As far as ambient temperature, 50-70F is ideal for CQUK, and at 57F you shouldnt have to hurry much and you can apply it on full panels in one shot before wiping (except hood & roof which I divided in 3-4 sections). Again, the key here is to apply to a small section, 1/3 of the trunk and check how easily it removes and adjust the time before removal. This way you understand the flash time based in your environment, anywhere from 1-5mn.

Good luck and ask here or there if you need more help

Awesome advice. Thanks my man. I looked closely into the side panels, the black part between the doors and i found SWIRLS! So disheartening. What polish or corrective action do you recommend?

[aboulfad]

The B-pillar trims will swirl even if you breath on them. Honestly, I don't have that problem because I have a coupe and I never cared to polish them on my previous BMW sedan for how easy they swirl. But any soft pad with any swirl remover (Meguiar's swirl remover, ...) and a random orbit polisher should do.

[MaX PL]

I used my rupes mini to polish those and guess what happened?

They're so easy to scratch that the wiping away of the excess polish started to cause scratching right away.
Definitely improved it though and come spring, I will do it again, but put a glass coating on it this time.

[aboulfad]

Originally Posted by MaX PL

I used my rupes mini to polish those and guess what happened?

They're so easy to scratch that the wiping away of the excess polish started to cause scratching right away.
Definitely improved it though and come spring, I will do it again, but put a glass coating on it this time.

That's insane, here's a little tip, spray some QD directly to the trims and wipe away the polish residue with a MF. That trick works for removing light dust off the car so it may work the same. I've been wanting the big and mini Rupes, how do you like it?

[aboulfad]

Happy to report that 3 months later, CQUK is still holding up. Mind you my car is garaged overnight but it still saw snow, rain, slush...
Sad to report that after a trip to the dealer, and although I instructed them NOT to wash it twice, they did and it has more swirls I wrote a complaint letter but nothing happened.

So a word of advise, not only mention it to them, also attach a similar sticker on the window visor and on side windows "DO NOT WASH"

[aramz09]

Originally Posted by aboulfad

Happy to report that 3 months later, CQUK is still holding up. Mind you my car is garaged overnight but it still saw snow, rain, slush...
Sad to report that after a trip to the dealer, and although I instructed them NOT to wash it twice, they did and it has more swirls I wrote a complaint letter but nothing happened.

So a word of advise, not only mention it to them, also attach a similar sticker on the window visor and on side windows "DO NOT WASH"

Actually thought of this. I plan on posting it on the windows and on the dash for my upcoming 1200 mile service in a few weeks.

"DO NOT WASH, JUST DETAILED WITH C-QUARTZ"

[aboulfad]

Yeah, make sure it's in few places as the CQF Detailer I met told me that even w the sticker hanging from the visor, they still freakin washed one of his customer's car :