CarPro SiC

S

showbbq

Member
Hey all, anyone get a chance to test out CarPro SiC? I`m curious how it fares against the reliable ole Cquartz UK 3.0.

Link Removed

I found someone`s impressions here but not much else on the Internet:

Link Removed


For my next project on a car with PPF, I`m either using Kamikaze ISM, CQUK3, or this new stuff. Like many of you, it doesn`t matter to me if the formula uses Ti02, Silicon Carbide, or sugar crystals. If it performs, then great!
 
Does look interesting the takeaway from Sandro was slightly better water spotting than UK but still not a game changer. Very slick for a coating compared to many others and way slicker than UK. Layering on top of UK may yield better performance than two coats of SiC or UK on their own.
 
Have you considered using a dedicated PPF coating? Cquartz Skin and Halo are two good options. Skin is more flexible over PPF according to Avi at CarPro.
 
The Guz said:
Have you considered using a dedicated PPF coating? Cquartz Skin and Halo are two good options. Skin is more flexible over PPF according to Avi at CarPro.
Click to expand...

Good point. I haven`t tested any ppf specific coatings yet. Only parts of this car will have ppf so I`ll probably coat the entire vehicle with the same coating. At least on the paint. On the wheels and interior I`m planning on using 4 different coatings I have on my shelf. B)
 
So I had a chance to play with CarPro SiC and here are some thoughts. I applied it recently so the notes below are about application. I think most are curious how it compares to Cquartz UK 3.0.

- Finding the correct wipe off and leveling time is the most important step. My temp was 51 degrees Fahrenheit with 50% humidity, and I found the ideal time to be approximately 7 minutes. After leveling the area should look darker but completely even. Wipe off after 8 minutes was a bit too stubborn. Whereas with CQUK 3.0, you get a nice rainbow oil slick and can roughly estimate the correct wipe off time based on grabbiness.

- Give it a few minutes past the ideal time or cover too many panels too fast and well, Godspeed and may your forearms have unlimited strength and endurance. Of course you can always apply more coating to assist with wipe off.

- Low nap microfiber towels are especially helpful with this coating. Even cheapo ones work better than the standard yellow ones you see everywhere.

- If you see an area and think it might have a high spot, it probably does. Mr. Miyagi that spot quick! There were a few "oh crap" spots that didn`t start leveling out until 4-5 more passes with the microfiber.

- The solvents and coating smell just as tasty as CQUK 3.0. A mask is probably not a bad idea. If only everything smelled like CarPro Reload huh?

- I applied 2 layers of SiC and wipe off of the second layer was marginally easier. I did polish with CarPro Essence prior to application.

- Looks wise it`s comparable to cquartz, which is to say the paint takes on a richer hue with improved gloss. Trim and plastics also darken up nicely.

- Overall if you`re patient, methodical and have proper lighting, application shouldn`t be an issue. For newcomers I`d recommend starting with a more forgiving coating.

attachment.php

attachment.php

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • image4.jpeg
    image4.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 200
  • image5.jpeg
    image5.jpeg
    818.8 KB · Views: 204
  • image0.jpeg
    image0.jpeg
    933.1 KB · Views: 208
@showbbq nicely done write up. Very good info on the second layer being a wee bit easier. Because Cquartz UK second coat was alway a PIA so much that I wouldn’t even attempt after I kept applying. So I will definitely be trying it thanks for twisting my arm.
 
Used SiC to coat the door jambs today and talk about a long flash time. I had to wait the full 8 mins.

Slick just like TiO2 and even has the same scent.

cdec759de68b0327355ad5aa4bd2be59.jpg
 
Those wait times seem way to long and I`d think they would slow me down.

After using CQuartz UK 2.0 and CQuartz TiO2, I found their flash times just about perfect for my work flow. I can easily get a half pannel or even whole panel applied and properly removed. CQuartz UK was actually long enough it slows me down and it sounds like SiC can be even longer!

I realize the idea is to keep working ahead, but if the flash time is 7+ minutes, I`m either standing around waiting or trying to work farther down the car. Typically for me, working too far ahead leads to problems and mistakes. about two minutes is perfect!

Performance-wise I really like CQuartz coatings, but their really long flash times are starting to make me look for other products I can apply easier/faster.
 
Desertnate said:
Those wait times seem way to long and I`d think they would slow me down.

After using CQuartz UK 2.0 and CQuartz TiO2, I found their flash times just about perfect for my work flow. I can easily get a half pannel or even whole panel applied and properly removed. CQuartz UK was actually long enough it slows me down and it sounds like SiC can be even longer!

I realize the idea is to keep working ahead, but if the flash time is 7+ minutes, I`m either standing around waiting or trying to work farther down the car. Typically for me, working too far ahead leads to problems and mistakes. about two minutes is perfect!

Performance-wise I really like CQuartz coatings, but their really long flash times are starting to make me look for other products I can apply easier/faster.
Click to expand...

Seems carpro went backwards on Sic for novice users like myself. Complicated. Haven`t checked there site lately but they didn`t even have an user manual on there site a week or so ago.
 
Desertnate said:
Those wait times seem way to long and I`d think they would slow me down.

After using CQuartz UK 2.0 and CQuartz TiO2, I found their flash times just about perfect for my work flow. I can easily get a half pannel or even whole panel applied and properly removed. CQuartz UK was actually long enough it slows me down and it sounds like SiC can be even longer!

I realize the idea is to keep working ahead, but if the flash time is 7+ minutes, I`m either standing around waiting or trying to work farther down the car. Typically for me, working too far ahead leads to problems and mistakes. about two minutes is perfect!

Performance-wise I really like CQuartz coatings, but their really long flash times are starting to make me look for other products I can apply easier/faster.
Click to expand...

You may want to start looking at other coatings to see what would work in your area with shorter flash times. Nothing wring with trying something new. Look at Budget and I :). You can always go back to Cquartz. May want to put 22ple down the line on your list as they also have long flash times. The benefit is working multiple areas at once with these longer flash times.

SiC like TiO2 won`t harden the applicator like UK.

noorth said:
Seems carpro went backwards on Sic for novice users like myself. Complicated. Haven`t checked there site lately but they didn`t even have an user manual on there site a week or so ago.
Click to expand...

It is similar to TiO2 as that also had longer flash times compared to UK. It just depends on the conditions as in the right conditions TiO2 would flash faster. Everyone won`t care as soon as they feel how slick SiC is. People never commented on the flash times of TiO2 because UK was the popular coating.

They took a step forward with UK. Still too early to say on SiC but it will do well. Already seeing a lot of UK/SiC combo`s in the group. Gliss seems to be losing some traction at the moment.
 
Edit: video already posted. It is a good watch.

Saw a video (car craft auto detailing where he did a test spot to wipe off. Basically did half a trunk and wiped off a section at every minute to find right wipe off time he knew 7 was it because 8 min was where it got grabby.

For initial testing a layer of cquk3 abd topped with SiC performed best

Here’s his video

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AjHhhsVe_oM

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Coatings=crack said:
Edit: video already posted. It is a good watch.

Saw a video (car craft auto detailing where he did a test spot to wipe off. Basically did half a trunk and wiped off a section at every minute to find right wipe off time he knew 7 was it because 8 min was where it got grabby.

For initial testing a layer of cquk3 abd topped with SiC performed best

Here’s his video

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AjHhhsVe_oM

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I watched that and another one by Detail Popo, he done basically the same thing.

Not a fan of the process personally. Uk is pretty straight forward i found, Sandro stated its a quick bonding coating so its hard to mess up. Sic seems to be very tedious.
 
They took a step forward with UK. Still too early to say on SiC but it will do well. Already seeing a lot of UK/SiC combo`s in the group. Gliss seems to be losing some traction at the moment.
Click to expand...

Mike are you referring to the facebook group?
 
noorth said:
I watched that and another one by Detail Popo, he done basically the same thing.

Not a fan of the process personally. Uk is pretty straight forward i found, Sandro stated its a quick bonding coating so its hard to mess up. Sic seems to be very tedious.
Click to expand...

Think it’s a good way to get flash times once you have that you have to decide if all that extra time is worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
@coating=crack, the process itself i`m sure is a good practice to get the best out of the product.

I have 2 ceramic coating now - Nova Evo and CQUK3 so i don`t need another one anyhow. :) But i almost ordered Sic very glad i didn`t.
 
The Guz said:
You may want to start looking at other coatings to see what would work in your area with shorter flash times. Nothing wring with trying something new. Look at Budget and I :). You can always go back to Cquartz. May want to put 22ple down the line on your list as they also have long flash times. The benefit is working multiple areas at once with these longer flash times.
Click to expand...

For my personal car you and Budget already inspired me to experiment beyond CarPro! I was actually planning on using 22PL HPC but might have to re-think it. For my other family vehicles, CarPo coatings have always been a first choice due to how well they hold up and their affordable price in a 30mL bottle.

I guess my biggest complaint with the flash time of UK 3.0 and now SIC is the current length of the flash. If the flash time is only 1~2 minutes I can very methodically work one panel at a time before moving on, I never have to backtrack to buff it out. With a 5~8-ish minute flash time it becomes hard to find a break point to go back to buff off previously applied areas. I could be in the middle of applying on a door and then have to jump back to a previous applied area to buff it out before it hardens too much...and then jump back to the area I was applying. For me this leads to application errors. If a flash time is even longer, the ideal length would be enough to do any entire side of the car before having to go back and buff off. That or the product is still easy to buff out after it`s flashed for a period of time. High humidity in my area also wreaks havoc on flash times and makes them even more variable the longer they get.

I really like CarPro products, and plan to still use UK in some circumstances. I`ll just have to adjust my work flow or really slow down.
 
Desertnate said:
For my personal car you and Budget already inspired me to experiment beyond CarPro! I was actually planning on using 22PL HPC but might have to re-think it. For my other family vehicles, CarPo coatings have always been a first choice due to how well they hold up and their affordable price in a 30mL bottle.

I guess my biggest complaint with the flash time of UK 3.0 and now SIC is the current length of the flash. If the flash time is only 1~2 minutes I can very methodically work one panel at a time before moving on, I never have to backtrack to buff it out. With a 5~8-ish minute flash time it becomes hard to find a break point to go back to buff off previously applied areas. I could be in the middle of applying on a door and then have to jump back to a previous applied area to buff it out before it hardens too much...and then jump back to the area I was applying. For me this leads to application errors. If a flash time is even longer, the ideal length would be enough to do any entire side of the car before having to go back and buff off. That or the product is still easy to buff out after it`s flashed for a period of time. High humidity in my area also wreaks havoc on flash times and makes them even more variable the longer they get.

I really like CarPro products, and plan to still use UK in some circumstances. I`ll just have to adjust my work flow or really slow down.
Click to expand...

Still surprised by your comments. Not sure if it was here or autogeek that you had to wait a very longtime for Uk3.0 to flash - over 10min i think you said. I applied it inside, flashed under 2 minutes...

So i will be very interested how it goes outside in 3 mths or so.

Thanks for the insight!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top