New truck exterior protection
09-19-2016, 10:38 AM
#41
Nice shine!
I have always been a bit skeptical of miracle finish products. Lots of hype and anecdotal evidence but not much scientific data to go on. Here is a link to data by someone named artsci that did a reasonable test of various "products". Although CQuartz did well in the test for gloss, all the products returned to baseline gloss in a period of 2 weeks. Perhaps their "protection" lasted longer. YMMV
I have always been a bit skeptical of miracle finish products. Lots of hype and anecdotal evidence but not much scientific data to go on. Here is a link to data by someone named artsci that did a reasonable test of various "products". Although CQuartz did well in the test for gloss, all the products returned to baseline gloss in a period of 2 weeks. Perhaps their "protection" lasted longer. YMMV
cQuartz and OptiCoat and such are not really for gloss, though they do seem to add a bit of luster, but rather some added hardness to the surface to help protect against future swirling (which will in turn kill the reflective properties) and also to help with preventing contaminants from bonding from the surface. In this case the majority of the "gloss" came from the CarPro Reload - and I expect it to dull soon enough - heck, I live down a 2/10 mile long dirt road - the gloss will be gone by the time I get to the paved road the 1st time 
I will say the Opti-Coat 2.0 I used on my previous Mazda did keep a high-level of small beading of water even 18-20 months after installing it with very infrequent washings...
Last edited by mwardncsu; 09-19-2016 at 10:42 AM.
09-19-2016, 11:27 AM
#42
Senior Member
Certainly no "miracle" here - this is the result of well prepared paint in terms of ensuring as much of the swirls / micro-scratches were removed that affect the reflective properties - like everything in life, best results come from proper preparation cQuartz and OptiCoat and such are not really for gloss, though they do seem to add a bit of luster, but rather some added hardness to the surface to help protect against future swirling (which will in turn kill the reflective properties) and also to help with preventing contaminants from bonding from the surface. In this case the majority of the "gloss" came from the CarPro Reload - and I expect it to dull soon enough - heck, I live down a 2/10 mile long dirt road - the gloss will be gone by the time I get to the paved road the 1st time
I will say the Opti-Coat 2.0 I used on my previous Mazda did keep a high-level of small beading of water even 18-20 months after installing it with very infrequent washings...
cQuartz and OptiCoat and such are not really for gloss, though they do seem to add a bit of luster, but rather some added hardness to the surface to help protect against future swirling (which will in turn kill the reflective properties) and also to help with preventing contaminants from bonding from the surface. In this case the majority of the "gloss" came from the CarPro Reload - and I expect it to dull soon enough - heck, I live down a 2/10 mile long dirt road - the gloss will be gone by the time I get to the paved road the 1st time I will say the Opti-Coat 2.0 I used on my previous Mazda did keep a high-level of small beading of water even 18-20 months after installing it with very infrequent washings...