Quick follow up from the email I sent. Andy just replied back this evening and his answers are very helpful and informative for someone who doesn’t know a lot about nano sealants!
He also explains it in a very easy to understand way, top!
Below is the email I sent Andy yesterday night:
Hello Andy
I was forwarded your email by a friend of your's, Gally.
I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions on some of your products and what you would recommend for my application. I'm slightly confused by a couple of things in the Carpro line up as they look like they do the same thing in some cases!
My aim is to carry out a full paint correction using a rotary, then protect the paint from swirls and damage for as long as possible. I have decided I want to use a nano sealant to protect everything as to be honest I can't be bothered to wax a car every 3 months, and would much rather pressure wash it off once a month and have it reasonably clean so I dont have to start buffing and dressing plastics etc!
Anyway, here is a list of applications I've already created, but if you had any different ideas on which products would work better then it would be great if you could set me on the right path.
- Body/Paint - Cquartz UK Edition paint sealant
- Glass - Gtechniq G1 for outside, Carpro Fog Fight for inside
- Trim - Gtechniq C4 for plastics, window rubbers and door rubbers
- Interior - Gtechniq I1 SmartFabric coat
- Wheels - Gtechniq C5 (already own)
- Engine bay - 303 Aerospace protectant
As you can see, the manufacturers vary. But as this was my first list, Gally informed me that the Gtechniq stuff isn't like it used to be. More difficult to apply and not as good protection etc. With that in mind I was going to substitute the C4 for the Cquartz DLUX, do they do the same job?
I had a look on the Carpro website and noticed the Flyby30 windscreen sealant. There doesn't seem to be many reviews, is this a new product?
Is there a nano sealant I could use on the exhaust tips to make them easier to clean?
The other thing I wanted to find out is about the PERL Coat. Is this like the 303 Aerospace protectant in that you mist it over the engine bay/dashboard/plastics & rubbers etc. and buff off to give a clean look? Or does it also add its own protection?
Also, I didn't know if I could use the product for other parts of the car, e.g. would the Cquartz UK Edition paint sealant work on headlights or plastics trims? Or would the DLUX be the only thing to use? Could DLUX be used on my Clio plastic headlights?
As far as cleaning goes, would it be best to just pressure wash with water or can I use a shampoo and mitt? I have read somewhere that shampoos can harm the nano coating and they need to be of a certain type, is this true? And after the vehicle is cleaned would I need to top up with Reload? What does Reload actually achieve?
Sorry for all the questions, I hope you can answer some of them!
Thanks, Jon
And here is the reply I got half an hour ago:
Good Evening Jon
Many thanks for your enquiry- please continue to ask as many questions as you would like!
A ceramic coating for your paintwork is definitely the way forward- the days of buffing waxes off in the cold are hopefully long gone! The coatings provide dirt resistance, easy clean and scratch resistance to a greater degree than OEM paintwork. The chemical composition of CQUK (and all good 'glass sealants') uses Silicon Dioxide (siO2) as it's main ingredient. Whilst this gives all the advantageous aforementioned properties, it actually attracts other organic compounds such as water and as a result it creates the visually appealing water beading on the paintwork surface. Unfortunately some parts of the country suffer from hard water and when these water beads dry, it can cause water-etching on the paintwork that will require a paint cleanser to remove. The use of CarPro Reload adds an additional layer to the paintwork that resists this water spotting that so many cars suffer from. It also gives an additional sacrificial layer to help safeguard your paintwork. You can use Reload to 'top up' protection on your paintwork as little or as often as you like, but every month or so is what I tend to do (takes about 10 minutes to coat a car and can applied to a washed car before it is dried to save more time!).
The product choices you mentioned look fine to me . You are quite right in suggesting that Cquartz DLUX would be an excellent alternative to C4 for trim. The DLUX would also be ideal for the front and rear light clusters as well as any rear diffuser (even works great on carbon items). The advantage DLUX has over C4 is that is contains less hardeners that make it brittle. This makes it better for surfaces that naturally flex and consequently greatly increases durability.
CarPro PERL is a water based alternative for plastic and rubber surfaces. Being water based it has a durability of little more than 3 months on plastics and 1 month on tyres, but can be diluted a varying ratios to suit the desired look (neat for plastics, 1:1 for tyres and 1:1 for engine bays is my preference). The usage of PERL in the engine bay is exactly the same as Aerospace 303- you can spray on when dry or wet and leave to dry naturally before mopping up any excess product with a microfiber cloth. PERL has more of the active ingredients contained in 303 which should see durability increased by at least 2 months. I use PERL for engine bay and tyres and DLUX for exterior plastic trim.
CarPro Fog FIght should only be used if you are suffering from a condensation build up already. It is currently changing formula to make it easier to apply, but the inside of the windscreen is always a nightmare so best to try and avoid it if possible (to avoid smearing that can be distracting).
CarPro's Fabric sealant is the alternative to I1. Durability is the trump card for CarPro's product, whilst price makes it an expensive option if using often. However, I would guess you could use just 50ml on a whole interior with enough left over for other household items!
FlyBy30 is our brand new rain repellant that is currently stuck in customs but is on its way to us. Pricing will be very competitive and whilst there are other products on the market that do similar things, the 30-40mph speed of sheeting water off the windscreen with a 12month durability are FlyBy30's main selling points. I hope to have this in stock the beginning of next week.
Thankfully CQUK doesn't care too much what shampoos you use and certainly they will not effect durability of the product. I would recommend not using a shampoo that contains added waxes or 'gloss enhancers' as they add another layer to the surface which in actual fact will be worse than the Reload so best just to use a simple shampoo. Every now and again you are quite alright to use an APC or even Fairy to remove any surface polymers that may be adhering to the coating from rogue shampoos/foams etc.
I am currently using Bilt Hamber's Autofoam and find I can get the car 95% clean with just a foam and a jet wash!
I hope that wasn't information overload, but if you would like any more on the products- please ask!
Andy
CaProUK
Hope this is useful to everyone. I haven’t changed the emails in the slightest, they are ‘as is’ with all my stupid questions!
I am going to reply tomorrow hopefully with a final list of products. I noticed he didn’t answer the one about the exhaust tips, so that will be in the email as well!
Jon
