So once again, my 2004 FX35 gets to be the guinea pig for me to try out Aquartz. I also tried out the Dr Chip product as well for some chips I have accumulated in over a year. Yes, I hate to admit it, but it's been over a year since I have wheeled out my FX. The Aquartz, for the most part, went well except for the very end. I only planned on doing the front clip of the car: front fascia and hood and fenders. I had some light scratches and several chips. The chips were filled with Dr Chip. It is a pretty easy product to use. They suggest smearing the paint with a gloved finger and letting it dry prior to leveling the paint. I tried that method. I did not like it. Instead, I used my usual pointy toothpick to fill the chip and used the side of the toothpick to spread the paint over the chip. That filled it better IMO. The Process: Materials Needed to begin: As always, LOL!! Wheels/Tires/Barrels: The tires were cleaned with Zep purple. The barrels and wheel face were also cleaned with it. The wells were cleaned with Zep Citrus. Wash: Washed with 1bm with DG 901 and clayed with CM blue. Paint Correction: Scratches and wet sand marks were compounded with M105 and PFW using Dynabrade rotary. Polished with M205 and LCC flat white pad. Wipedown with 75% IRA. Aquartz Application: There are several different ways to apply this product online including using a wool pad. I'm sorry, with soft Infiniti paint, the last bloody thing I was going to do was introduce a wool pad to the perfect paint and risk having to compound off the Aquartz b/c it marred the finish with the wool. I tried both rotary, PC and hand applications. The rotary application was with a blue LCC pad. I spritzed the pad twice and sprayed the right front fender in about 4 places. I spread it around and then ran the rotary over the surface to spread it. The instructions suggest heavy pressure, followed by lighter and lighter pressure. It does not go on like any product I've ever used. It looks awful when you're first putting it on. It has an appearance of gas on water. After buffing it in for a minute or two (no longer), then I used a hair dryer on low heat, high speed for a few minutes. It removed easily and gave a great looking appearance...whew..the relief!! I did a 2nd coat the same way. You poop bricks thinking you'll have to compound it off when you're first putting it on when it looks the way it does. The front fascia was done by hand due to the narrow areas. I had used a lot of the Dr Chip in that area due to gravel rash. It seemed to smear the paint while I was putting it on, but again, after removal it looked OK. The left front fender was done with a PC and the same blue pad. I used a speed of 4 to spread after dabbing the spritzed pad over 1/2 the panel. I bumped it to 5 and applied moderate pressure. This time it looked different. It hazed up and would not clear. I worked it for a few minutes. I then applied heat again with the hair dryer. It buffed off easily although a fair amount of pressure was required to remove a bit of a film that was on the surface. A very soft mf towel was included in my order which was what I used. The same process was repeated with good results again. The hood was done about an hour later. The first coat I did the same way with great results. Then I tried something different....not a smart idea. I should have stuck with what I knew worked. Stupid me!! I applied the Aquartz in 4 sections of the hood with the PC without stopping to apply heat and buff off. When I had finished the last section, I went back to apply heat. I again did the whole hood. I then went back to buff off. It did not want to come off. It had a very hazy appearance and still had that gas on water appearance to the surface. Now I'm pissed off I didn't do it as I had before. I tried another coat on top of that mess doing it each section at a time. It improved it a bit but not by much. I ended up taking Aquawax to it and buffing it hard. It removed much of the problem but you can tell in the sun shots...it looks like swirls. Bottom line: do not divert from the directions!! Paint Corrected and Ready to Go: Here's the haze I was describing when doing it according to instructions...it buffs off. You can see it on the front section of the hood: Also played with Opti-Coat: I thought I would also play with the OC so I applied it to the wheels on the driver's side of the car. The passenger side had been treated with Collinite Metal Wax. Believe it or not, I actually prefer the appearance of the Metal wax. You be the judge of what you think looks better.... AFTER SHOTS: FENDER DONE..DOOR NOT: FENDER DONE; DOOR NOT: PROBLEM AREA: OPTI COAT WHEELS: COLLINTE WHEEL WAX WHEELS: In summary, I'm glad I tried this product. It takes a long time to do the procedure. The payoff is with the durability. Time will tell for that. The PC is the easiest way to do it but the follow the instructions and do a section at a time completely.
ive been gearing up to try the aquart on my GTR but i dont think im going to bother - it's far too easy to get it wrong and strangely, every sealant ive used both on my solid black GTR (only BF WD atm) and on my old solid black 350z (Z2, Z5, Z-CS, K SG, Carlack NanoSeal) have all resulted in haze on the bonnet to varying degrees me and sealants just dont get on
Great review Richy, that is exactly my experience with Aquartz. I honestly never applied it to anything above the trim line of my Saab because it was so erratic in the results it would leave, even with the same techniques that worked on previous panels. I have to say, Aquartz is by far the best plastic trim sealant and restorer I have ever used. It darkens the plastic, leaving a sheen that is almost exactly what brand new trim looks like and lasts forever so if there is anything Aquartz excels at, that is it.
This should be a great product for the once-a-year customers who want a great shine and excellent durability.
I have aquartz'd a hand full of vehicles recently and find the product ok to use, i imagine that this view will change in the winter months.
I'm glad to hear of your success. Would you mind sharing your technique? I want this product to work for me.
