Vansibel

I got a layer of cquartz finest applied on my car about 4 months ago and now it's full of swirls again. I was wondering if there was special instructions to follow because of the nano coating or if you can just remove them the same way as with a car without nano coating. I recall the guy who applied it warned me that I need to be careful when removing new scratch because I could make matter worse and I could damage the paint. Does the nano coating need to be removed first ? Also, I'm guessing that the swirl are mostly in the cquartz layer and not the clearcoat ? It's the first time I'm using cquartz coating and I'm kinda lost. Not that I'm very knowledgeable regarding car care in the first place.

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iTrader: (17)

The fact of the matter is, the swirls are in the coating (assuming it was applied correctly and is still present on the car) and also in the clearcoat. Nobody, not even that guy that spends 65 hours looking at his customer's Lamborghini paint under a digital microscope can definitively tell you what's really been damaged with the swirl marks.

To remove the swirls, you're gonna need to polish the car again. The same exact way as you would polish an uncoated car. Not sure why he said you can damage it further. Only damage you can cause is the chance of removing the coating with the polishing process. Personally, if it was me, I'd recoat the car again afterwards because who really knows how much, if any of the coating remained on the car.

Is the car a jet black? If it is, then just live with the swirls or spend 6 hours every weekend washing your car VERY carefully in a way to minimize adding more swirls to that paint.

Coatings are great, but if the coating is designed to last two years and your super soft black paint only goes three months before getting trashed again, then what's really the point? You gotta learn to accept the fact that the paint is very bad quality or drive yourself nuts and spend countless hours trying to find a way to wash the car without swirling it up (which is impossible).

Vansibel

Thanks for the response. The car is obsidian black. I never cared for my car esthetics before I got my ls600hl. Since I have another car as daily driver I'm trying to keep the Lexus as clean as possible. Car was gorgeous after the nano coating, but it's an absolute nightmare to try to keep it that way. I don't go to automatic car washes and I only get my car washed by hand by the same guy. I like when my car is clean but I hate doing this myself (no way I'm spending 6 hours a week washing my car), and I can't always call the guy every time there is a little dirt. I may be for the most part responsible for those swirls as sometime I just remove some dirt with a microfiber clothe without putting any soap. When I realized my mistake it was a bit late. Like I said car esthetic is new to me. I guess the best solution would be to just try and remove the most obvious swirl and try not to remove too much coating. I just don't want do redo a coating of this magnitude just 3 months later. So if I understand correctly, you can just re-coat a car without having to remove completely the old nano-coating ? If I want to revert to wax do I need to make sure I remove all the nano coating first ? I heard that the wax don't stick on nano-coated car.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

This is 100% a case of not knowing how to (or just choosing not to) take care of your vehicle properly.

Swirls are created from improper washing and drying. The 3 bucket wash method, along with high quality products are absolutely crucial to minimizing wash induced swirls or scratches. Failure to use proper technique or products will greatly increase the amount of swirls in the paint over a period of time... Especially on soft black paint.

Unfortunately the only way to repair this damage would be to have the entire vehicle corrected again and re-coated. I imagine the detailer suggested that you shouldn't try to remove any scratches because it is not as simple as it looks, and an inexperienced person using a buffer/polisher can truly make the car worse or even ruin the paint entirely (worst case scenario).

Since you mentioned that you do not like maintaining the vehicle on your own, I would highly recommend working out some sort of maintenance plan with your Finest installer so that he/she could keep the vehicle clean for you with proper care unlike the treatment you will receive at the auto wash.

Let me know if you have any questions

-Zach

Vansibel

Thank you for your input. I do try to care about the car condition, and since spending the weekend rubbing my car is not my cup of tea I thought nano-coating was the right stuff for me. From my experience so far the thing swirl like whipped cream. I wasn't expecting a miracle but I did expect it to be more resistant to swirls. I'm not ditching the product as it might have it's merit and others might have get better results. But let me throw a German car analogy there: of course your car is gonna run great if you care for it and replace every part before they break, but the whole point of a reliable car is by not having to do this as their parts won't break as easily. If someone spend so much time trying to prevent swirls their car gonna look great, regardless if they are coated or not. I was in the impression that this product was aimed at people who wanted less maintenance on their paint. If I still have to spend 6 hours during weekend to wash my car as carefully I just don't see the point of using this over wax.

I though it added a layer of protection, so why would the softness of the pain have anything to do with it if the coating is so easy to break to begin with ? If it require as much care and maintenance as traditional methods I don't see the advantage at that price point over waxing your car once every two months. Which is what I'm gonna do from now on.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Let me assure you that a "proper car wash" can still be done in an hour or less.

I am an authorized installer of CQuartz Finest and use the product on my Lexus as well as my wife's SUV. Her car is jet black, and gets washed maybe once a month (shame on me, I know)... the car still looks fantastic 2 years later, as does mine.

Any coating will scratch/swirl when subjected to poor maintenance practices... it is insanely easy to scratch a vehicle when using even a slightly dirty wash mitt or towel... this is why the 3 bucket method is crucial.

The ceramic nano-coating is certainly harder than your vehicle's original clear coat, so there is some resistance to swirls, however the coating is by no means bulletproof. I will say it over an over... proper maintenance is absolutely critical. I am not saying you have to wash your car every week even, I am just saying that when you do wash your car, you need to do it the right way with the right products/tools.

The hydrophobic and self cleaning properties of these coatings do lead to less maintenance as the car looks better even after it is dirty, and it is MUCH easier to clean as the dirt wipes away effortlessly when washing. Also, the only true maintenance required for a coated vehicle is washing... no waxing or sealing several times each year which does take a fair amount of time to accomplish. This is the "less maintenance" part of these products.... nothing should have ever been said or implied that would lead you to believe that you could bring the car to an automatic car wash or other hand wash aside from your certified installer and still expect the car to remain relatively defect free.

As far as waxing vs. coating... a coating provides far superior protection as the layer of product on top of the paint is hundreds of times thicker than the average layer of wax. This means that the coating will stand up to environmental contamination much better, thus working to protect the surface of your paint from damage caused by bird droppings, bug guts, hard water, etc.

If you've got any other questions, please feel free to ask.

-Zach

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

I am curious to know who installed CQuartz Finest for you.

Looking at our map of authorized installers, I do not see anyone near the Quebec area. If you wouldn't mind sharing the name of the installer or shop you worked with, I would be happy to reach out to them to provide you with some assistance/products to help you properly maintain the vehicle from here on out.

It also concerns me that perhaps someone may have conned you into thinking you were receiving CQuartz Finest when they were actually installing something else. This happens from time to time unfortunately, that is why there is a public map that displays all Certified Installers.

Thanks!

-Zach

Vansibel

Again, thank you Zach for that useful information. This is the guy who did my car: https://www.facebook.com/Waxxonspa
I think that he usually rent a place to do his detailing maybe that's why he didn't showed on the map ? When he did my car he had a space in his girlfriend brother garage (in Montreal) if I recall correctly. I live in the south shore so it's out of the questions to go in Montreal just to see him each time I need to wash my car.

The level of dedication which seems to be needed to keep a black car clean is just impractical for people who don't always have the time or the space to do the detailing themselves. Even if I knew someone extra careful, it's not like I can just show up without notice each time I need my car wash. That's why I though that product like cquartz looked promising. But if 98% of the damage (swirls) occur when you wash your car anyway, it make little sense to me to use this product at all. It might prevent a few of them, but like you said the most important part is how you wash your car, period.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Unfortunately the reason you do not see him on the installers map is because he is no longer authorized to use the CQuartz Finest products. CarPro works very hard to ensure that their professional installers are at the top of their game and exceed the industry standards, however on occasion, some applicants pass screening and are accepted but are later proven to not be up to the highest level of service. I certainly do not know the story behind this, as it is not my job to know, but I would advise you to contact Corey at www.CarPro-US.com with any questions or concerns regarding this matter.

As far as the coating not protecting against swirls... the benefit of these ceramic nano-coatings is first and foremost protection from the environmental contaminates that the vehicles are subjected to on a regular basis. One of the many secondary features is the increased surface hardness that can provide some resistance to light swirls and scratches, among other secondary benefits are enhanced gloss and ease of maintenance. If you feel the coating has not performed adequately you're certainly entitled to voice your opinion to CarPro.

Please let me know if you have any other questions, and again, I'd recommend contacting CarPro regarding this issue. Please reference this thread if you'd like to. -Zach

Merlinii

These are just my humble opinions...

This one particular Lexus paint color Obsidian Black (OB - 212) is a huge swirl magnet.

Quote from CQFinest website
"Increased hardness: up to 2 (mohs scale) beyond original surface
CQuartz Finest has been proven to resist fine swirls when cared for as directed."

What does this mean?

"Obsidian Black" looks awesome when it is polished and detailed but it is a very soft paint.
The problem is (on the Mohs scale) a 7 can be a 9 but a 2 is only going to be as much as a 4.
Knowing this, the Obsidian Black paint color is your Nemesis. OB paint needs high maintenance.

All three are excellent points...

First point...
NEVER ever drive a Lexus Obscene Black vehicle through a "Tunnel O' Swirls" car wash.
Always wash by hand with the minimum of the 2 bucket was method. 3 bucket is best choice.
I have seen, what are marketed a very good quality microfiber towels, create fine scratches.
Purchase the BEST quality wash mitt (Merino Wool) and highest quality microfiber towels.
This includes the Drying towels and the Quick Detailing (QD) towels. Never wipe dry paint.

Second point...
A coating, in just durability, longevity and protection have traditional waxes & sealants beat.

Third point...
There is a detailer near me that tells his customers he uses CQ Finest. He uses the Cquartz.
He is not CQ Finest authorized. When he's called-on-the-carpet he says "It's the same thing"


EPILOGUE
To my knowledge CQ Finest is the best coating on the market, but it is not indestructible.
Another thought would be...that particular paint is a good candidate for Carpro Immortal.

sydtoosic

The swirls are from improper wash techniques... A coating is not Kevlar and it should be treated as you would the original clear coat... 2/3 bucket wash etc... Lots of lubricity... Proper drying techniques... I ONR my car twice a week. Wash her once every 2 weeks. Do not have a problem with swirls. As far as that OB Lexus paint... Been there, done that, won't do it again. However if I knew then everything that I know now... I think I'll be okay.

99alta

"
EPILOGUE
To my knowledge CQ Finest is the best coating on the market, but it is not indestructible.
Another thought would be...that particular paint is a good candidate for Carpro Immortal."

Now that looks cool !!
Maybe I should hold off on CQuartzing my vehicle myself? I wonder what it is going to cost to do a vehicle ?

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Immortal is still no where near being market ready... so I would not hold your breath.

I have not received any direct info from CarPro regarding pricing, but I would bet it will be very expensive given the establishment and resources needed to apply it (clean room and painting equipment), as well as the assumed high product cost.

roadfrog

As the owner of an Obsidian LS460, I have finally come to terms with the FACT that this paint will scratch no matter what you dod or precautions you take. End of story.

I use the two bucket system, using a MF wash mitt, and I even tried letting it dry without wiping down and suffered with the water spots instead......didn't matter, the swirls returned regardless. So....I live with it and enjoy the one or two weeks of mirrored bliss of the freshly polished paint, and then grieve when the swirls return. Then repeat the process 4 or 6 months later.