CarPro Essence Plus - A Review
Hello Folks,
Introduction
Just recently I was asked by a friend whether I'd help a friend of his who'd
been impressed on what we'd achieved on his missus' Mégane. Apparently,
he'd been blown away as much by the paint's smooth and silky feel. Perhaps
rather foolishly, I agreed to tackling this car sight unseen, as a tuition detail.
The other chap's missus' car turned out to be a blue Toyota Rav 4, of 2003
vintage no less. I wasn't to find out the real reason behind this request for a
little while, but I was left in no doubt that regardless of the car's state, I'd
made the right decision. I rather enjoy the challenge of bringing back paint
on elderly cars anyway.
As I don't have access to a previously glass/ceramic coated car, the Essence
combo provides a kind of cheat. Essence lays down a primer of SiO2 and the
Plus reinforces it. The car's owner has products he has been tutored with to
continue that maintenance at will, with at least 6 month intervals between
treatments. The gaps should extend over time if followed.
What Is It?
CarPro Essence Plus is a maintenance product intended to boost the longevity
of glass and ceramic coatings.
What Does It Bring to the Table
CarPro Essence PLUS Non-abrasive Gloss Agent & Top Coat Jeweller
Imagination becomes reality…
Introducing an incredible new tool for detailers around the world!
Lets get one thing out of the way first… CarPro Essence PLUS is NOT Essence!
Where Essence could go UNDER the coat, Essence PLUS can go OVER the
coat. Essence PLUS is a unique, easy to use, SiO2 coat made from a distinct
blend of ceramic coat repair agents, high gloss quartz resins, and hydrophobic
nanoparticles!
The concept behind Essence PLUS was an extremely glossy, semi-permanent
nano-agent for repairing durable ceramic coatings, which have been abused
or mistreated over the course of time. Historically, the only option that a
technician had was to polish or compound the damaged ceramic coating and
then re-coat, starting from scratch.
However, over the course of development, Essence PLUS grew into something
- unexpected but equally satisfying! It is not coated, but uncoated paint that
finds its way into the “cross-hairs” of Essence PLUS!
With Essence PLUS, we introduce you to the first NON-abrasive solution to
partially repair fine swirls, when an abrasive correction is not in the cards!
While increasing the gloss, Essence PLUS simultaneously cleanses the
surface, leaving a “smooth as glass” feel and amazing hydrophobic
properties!
https://s5.postimg.cc/kgvn99qlz/cpessplusbot.jpg
Features:
- High Gloss Jeweling Coat
- Repairs Nano Coatings
- Adds layer of SiO2 Quartz protection
- Excellent Hydrophobic Agent
- Produces Extreme Gloss
- Use with D/A or by Hand
Cleans, glosses, and protects: bare paint, PPF, chrome, and glass.
Formulated for Professional use on previously coated vehicles
What Do I Think Of It?
It does exactly what is claimed. The Rav4 has been given a good clean, a
clay cloth treatment, a polish with CarPro Fixer, see separate review, and a
coating of CarPro Essence approximately 18 hours ahead of this Plus coating.
Preparation
The car was kept indoors overnight after this coating and is seen here the
following morning...
http://s5.postimg.cc/6ulqp8u7r/cpessplus01.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/7legv0wl3/cpessplus02.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/3rl0lvf93/cpessplus04.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/6zphyx1iv/cpessplus05.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/bzmy6v75j/cpessplus06.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/o2s9ufi7r/cpessplus07.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/z3s0d6zuf/cpessplus08.jpg
The car was then checked for detail cleaning, like this algae growth...
http://s5.postimg.cc/aojsc50xj/cpessplus09.jpg
...finishing the glass...
http://s5.postimg.cc/wp04srjlj/cpessplus10.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/f08e157uf/cpessplus11.jpg
...doing the door-shuts...
http://s5.postimg.cc/hvlh80buf/cpessplus12.jpg
...and giving the rear lenses some attention too...
http://s5.postimg.cc/xv44rk7w7/cpessplus13.jpg
Ahead of the Essence Plus coating all the paint was given a panel-wipe to
ensure a clean surface. Here's one side completed...
http://s5.postimg.cc/tn9cit6gn/cpessplus14.jpg
While Adey, the owner, finishes the other side...
http://s5.postimg.cc/m8k0qfkl3/cpessplus15.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/hb6g5bilz/cpessplus16.jpg
Application
Before even opening the bottle, I would recommend that you obtain and read
the MSDS for Essence Plus. Its 12 pages of warnings might scare you half to
death, or it might very much reinforce the need for plenty of care, both in
application and buffing off. There's good reason why CarPro say it's for
professional use!
I used a black Flexipad waffle applicator. To begin with I applied four split pea
size drops into the dips in a triangle with the 4th in the centre. I then spent
half a minute or so working the potion into the pad until it had almost
completely disappeared. Later top-ups were with just 3 drops.
As ever, this is a "less is more" product, when not applying it thinly, and I
mean almost to the point of invisibility, will not only be a waste but will also
be more hazardous than it need be. You need only use light brisk strokes to
swipe your applicator across the surface without pressure. Basically, if you've
got a haze, you've applied too thickly.
Buffing off is a breeze and can be done fairly soon after application. Beware
of any dust that's created! There will be no drag in your buffing cloth. When
moving to the next panel, do check whether you really do need to reload the
pad. With a waffle pad you can start by dabbing the pad with some pressure
before picking-up and going ahead. It is easy to overload the pad and to
work against yourself.
Here's the completed car. Sadly, what sun there had been was now obscured
by cumulus cloud...
http://s5.postimg.cc/m10z7nz07/cpessplus19.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/owe2ej307/cpessplus20.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/f0czevx87/cpessplus21.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/cx2k77xfb/cpessplus22.jpg
http://s5.postimg.cc/tm4034u0n/cpessplus23.jpg
So, we went from this...
https://s5.postimg.cc/5ld588jjr/cpfixer04.jpg
to this...
http://s5.postimg.cc/bxc9bii9j/cpessplus24.jpg
Conclusions
CarPro Essence Plus completes the need for technology that reduces the
need to abrade paint to either diminish or eradicate swirls. However, it does
this at a cost. Back in the day, stroking smoothed and cherished curves with
bare hands was the culmination of a therapeutic process that happened to
produce a wonderful finish.
Of course, I'm overlooking the huge toil of getting to that smoothed state,
but even so, I do wonder at how many people will ignore the safety aspects
of using these new potions. It almost makes me feel like a spoil-sport, but
nanofine SIO2 is but one aspect of safety not to be disregarded! That's only
the start...
As a disabled guy I recommend this product to others only on the basis that
you can cope with the PPE needs, in that wearing masks and eye-protection
doesn't otherwise disorientate you. There's no question that Essence in
combination with Essence Plus will produce a very satisfying finish, even on
neglected paint like on that Rav4.
Where Do I Buy It?
CarPro Essence Plus is available direct from their UK distributor and other
approved resellers in several sizes, with the 250ml bottle @ £21.99 excl P+P.
The smallest bottle has the easiest to use cap for dispensing.
Acknowledgements
My thanks go to Craig Hall at CarPro UK, for his advice, MSDS provision and
giving honest answers to my sometimes dumb questions.
Regards,
Steve
