Reddit reviews CarPro Cquartz 30ml Kit - Ceramic Coating Finish

I'll give my /r/AutoDetailing inspired rundown. I live in an apartment so a lot of this is extra hassle if you have access to water.

2 Bucket (apartment) Method Wash

• 5 gallon bucket of water (w/grit guard)
  
  
• 5 gallon bucket premixed soap and grit guard
  
  
  • Lids for transportation
    
    
• Head down to the local self service wash. The kind with the foamy brush and pressure washer. (ONLY THERE FOR THE WATER)
  
  
• I follow 2 Bucket method above but my process is a bit different since I'm paying for the water.
  
  
  • Clean wheels/wheel wells, exhaust tips, rinse, wet car and remove built up debris/bugs with remaining time
    
    
  • Clean roof, windows, hood, front, rinse
    
    
  • Clean driver side (not bottom), back, passenger side (not bottom), go back and clean bottom of sides, rinse
    
    
    • If time remaining, switch to low pressure for final rinse
      
      
• Dry car and head home!
  
  My personal favorite wax is Collonite #845. I also like Griot's Best in Show since it can be found in big box stores locally.
  
  I would also recommend a paint protection such as Cquartz as extra protection against winters and daily driving.
  
  The absolute #1 rule to keeping your car swirl free, NEVER USE AUTOMATIC CAR WASHES.

I bought it off amazon. it's around $50 https://www.amazon.com/Carpro-Cquartz-30-Ml-Kit/dp/B005DZJ7VA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496839515&sr=8-2&keywords=cquartz

there's three types (maybe more)

Cquartz

Cquartz UK (for lower temperature applications)

Cquarts Finest (has to be done by a certified shop not for the home gamer)

either way it's really not for your home gamer if you ask me. it's essentially a clear coat that you're adding over top of your paint. it cures hard and beads water relatively well. it has a ~2 year life to where the surface essentially stays as protected as wax but you don't have to wax.

it's longevity really depends on how you wash your car and the damage it takes on. I'm expecting to get about 3 years out of this maybe 4 since I garage it and it's not my daily.

you have to have your paint as flat as you can (paint correction) before you apply it because it does not fill or hide scratches, they need to be removed first. what it will do is lock them in. if you apply it too thick and don't buff it out by hand before it cures they only way to remove it is to polish it back out and reapply.


the application went easy enough for me because I was anal about the process. your car has to be completely decontaminated before you apply it (no oils, no wax, no nothing) to do that I wiped it down with car pro eraser and then a wipe down with IPA (alcohol)



if you haven't done a paint correction and haven't done much detailing and what not I wouldn't even look at it unless you're gonna get a detail shop to do it for you. What I would recommend is a great wax that is cheap and lasts a long time. collonite 845. it's awesome shit, you can get a bottle for under $20 and it'll last years. the wax when applied will protect your car for roughly 6 months. it's great shit, just wash/clay and wax with collonite. It's easy to apply, easy to buff off and beads water like a mofo, it also will fill in minor scratches) it's what I always used before I went for a 2 week long paint correction and decided to lock it in a bit better with cquartz

in the US, I bought mine straight off Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Carpro-Cquartz-30-Ml-Kit/dp/B005DZJ7VA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481291418&sr=8-1&keywords=cquartz

There's several good kits just gotta figure out how much you have to spend. I got a 30mL bottle and it wasn't quite enough to do my entire car. 50mL would be perfect for a WRX in my opninion. I'm not a pro at all so that's just my advice.

https://www.amazon.com/Carpro-Cquartz-30-Ml-Kit/dp/B005DZJ7VA/ref=sr_1_7?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1517563728&sr=1-7&keywords=ceramic+coating

https://www.amazon.com/CarPro-CQuartz-UK-Kit-Reload/dp/B00W8APMQM/ref=sr_1_6?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1517563728&sr=1-6&keywords=ceramic+coating

https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WAC227-Protective-Coating/dp/B01ALMQD3O/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1517563728&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=ceramic+coating&psc=1

Recently picked up the 2017 S3, clay barred with Mother's clay bar and two stage polish with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P67GT7K followed by some nice CQuartz to seal https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DZJ7VA. I also have a 1/3rd clear bra on there, it's an XPEL bra and not super noticeable.

I think it looks pretty good.
http://i.imgur.com/Z9e3MIz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qM1H57p.jpg

No you don't have to but it just removes anything extra that's in the paint. Claying removes all of the bonded contaminants on top of the paint which means it shaves it off. Sometimes little bits of iron can still be left over and then you use iron x to fully remove it. The product you linked isn't the coating. That's a sealant.

This is a coating and one I would recommend. It's not as tough to apply as optimum gloss coat is. Very user friendly as long as you can follow directions.

Thanks for the feedback. Here is the ceramic coating I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DZJ7VA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Also, as part of the prep and pre-wash I am using:


Optimum (NR2010Q) No Rinse Wash & Shine

Carpro Iron X Iron Remover

Rain-X 620034 Spot Free Car Wash