Product Review | CarPro Essence & CarPro Reload
by James MelfiCarPro Essence was released at last year’s SEMA show and really took the detailing world by storm.
Designed as a ceramic coating primer and gloss enhancer, Essence has built-in SiO2 Quartz for long-lasting protection and light abrasives to polish away fine swirls and scratches. Where we have grown to love Essence even more is as an AIO (All in One) polish. When paired with a Meguiar’s Microfiber Finishing Disc and a long-throw DA polishing machine such as the Griots BOSS G21, Essence has the potential to polish away light to medium defects and leave an outstanding finish to apply a sealant on top of. The combination of Essence + CarPro Reload has been one of our go-to pairings for AIO/light polishing jobs.
Not every vehicle that comes into our shop receives a full paint correction. In some cases, only a small amount of polishing and a sealant application is on deck to improve the finish of a vehicle… That’s where Essence + Reload comes into play. The pair is a quick and effective combination that produces a finish normally reserved for a much more expensive paint polishing service.
Polishing with Essence at speed 3.5-4 on the Griots Boss G21. We first primed the entire face of the pad with Essence and applied an additional 2-3 dime sized drops.
In some cases, if too much pressure is used during polishing, Essence can to a little tricky to remove. Not to worry, a little IPA and a microfiber towel and it comes right off.
Removing Essence with a high quality microfiber towel using straight line motions and light pressure.
As you can see, on a relatively hard Range Rover paint, Essence has eliminated fine scratches, using its light abrasives and substantial filling ability. Also, keep in mind if you are working on a vehicle that has a limited amount of material (clear) left to polish, Essence is one product that can come in handy. When paired with a mild finishing pad such as the Rupes White Pad, Essence can enhance any paintwork while removing very little clear coat.
Once the polishing stages were completed, we turned our attention to the CarPro Reload application. We first wiped the paint down with IPA which will ensure that the sealant can bond to the surface. Then, we applied Reload to the paint, wheels, trim and glass.
On directions on how to apply Reload, check out our product review by clicking here.
This detail was completed in 3.5 hours…but the finish has the look of a much more expensive job. That’s just the magic of this combination. Stunning results in a short amount of time.
Buy Products From This Article
Related Posts
- Projects: Lotus Evora GT, Paint Correction, Clear Bra, Ceramic Coating
- Detailing Projects: Ferrari 488 Pista Paint Correction, Clear Bra, & Ceramic Coating
- Detailing Projects: Ferrari 488 Pista #2 Paint Correction, Clear Bra, & Ceramic Coating
- Video | Griot’s Garage G9 Orbital Initial Impressions
- Video | Griot’s Garage G9 Random Orbital Unboxing
I have yet to crack open my teenie tiny bottle of Essence. I’m looking forward to it. That IPA trick is a good one to keep in mind.
3.5 hrs. Wow, that is impressive for a mid/larger SUV. No way you touched the interior, other than a quick vac and wipe down?
Great turnaround and results.
Thanks Bob, worth a try, produces great results in a short amount of time.
Great article James. I have used both and really like the combo. One you get the hang of Essence it really is a great product.
RELOAD is my favorite sealant…easy to use and has lasts awhile.
Steve, agreed they have become our go-to on light polishing jobs that need to be completed a little faster pace.
What is the best machine for a 21 mm throw a rupes 21 or the Torq 22d? I have already had experience with other torq tools as far as the torq 10fx and the Torq X and both are great. I’m really wanting to step it up to a 21mm throw. Thanks
Aaron,
I haven’t used any of CG polishers, but I really enjoy the Rupes 21 and the Griots Boss G21.
Wonderful article and great shots of this Range Rover.
Question about the IPA wipedown after Essence? ..would the filling capabilities of Essence be removed with the wipe down? Rendering one of the best characteristics wasted..?
Lastly, if that is the case, would we essentially be wiping off any protection value provided by Essence?
Zach, Thanks for the comment!
What I’ve found with Essence is that if it doesn’t cure for about an hour before you apply a protection product like CarPro Reload the durability of that product can be greatly diminished. So we started experimenting with wiping the paint down super lightly with IPA after polishing with Essence. Didn’t seem to reintroduce any marring that had been filled and increased Reloads durability tremendously. Essence is pretty strong on its own and if you wait an hour before wiping with IPA I wouldn’t worry about pulling off any protection.
Beautiful job! I just polished up my S4 with Essence and layered on two coats of Ceramic last night. My This is my new found favorite as a primer for my coating applications. I may have to re-try Reload again as I had a bad experience with it leaving water spots. Would hate to hit a customers car ony to find water spotting issues develop.
PDQGP, thanks
Essence does really leave a nice high gloss finish. We have been using Reload almost as a quick detailer its been so easy to use. If clients come in for paint protection film or maintenance washes we have been giving the cars a quick layer of Reload and they look amazing.
PDQGP
Essence does really leave a nice high gloss finish. We have been using Reload almost as a quick detailer its been so easy to use. If clients come in for paint protection film or maintenance washes we have been giving the cars a quick layer of Reload and they look amazing.
From my understanding i thought essence did not require an IPA wipe down prior to applying a sealant as it would act as a primer for Reload?
I thought so too…
What I’ve found with Essence is that if it doesn’t cure for about an hour before you apply a protection product like CarPro Reload the durability of that product can be greatly diminished. So we started experimenting with wiping the paint down super lightly with IPA after polishing with Essence. Didn’t seem to reintroduce any marring that had been filled and increased Reloads durability tremendously. Essence is pretty strong on its own and if you wait an hour before wiping with IPA I wouldn’t worry about pulling off any protection.
So if I wait for an hour before Reload, I don’t need IPA wipe right?
Any answers to the above comments? I agree if you wipe off essence with eraser or IPA then how is it priming for the coating? Has anyone tried not wiping it down then costing with the fillers in place?
Interested in using Essence for it’s fill-in capabilities on fine lines as I am a DIY’er and not experienced at polishing down to a perfect surface. If I do not use Reload as a sealant will the ceramic particles in Essence inhibit good bonding when using sealant/carnauba waxes such as Collinite, or if using Opti-Seal? Also, on the Essence wipe down…can I use Eraser instead of IPA, or have you found that IPA has better properties when wiping down Essence? Finally, do you know whether short-throw DA’s would produce problems vs. the long-throw machines you use…i.e., does pad “heat” influence the performance/problems in using/removing Essence? I have 2015 Nissan Rogue in Jet Black. Thank you for your help!
Richard,
Ive had great results using other protection products like opti-seal on top of essence, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Eraser should also work just fine for your wipe downs prior to sealing. After chatting with other detailers, building up heat does play a roll in the filling abilities of Essence but using a traditional DA polisher like the griots G110 should work just fine. Hope this helps!
How long filling properties from Essence sustain?
Saul,
With proper maintenance Essence should last about a year.
This has been my experience too. After about one year, I am experiencing a loss in slickness and QDs start smearing. So I am very impressed with the Essence/Reload combination given the fact it is an AIO with a spray sealant. If you use the latest version of Reload, you should not experience any streaking. The 2014 version of Reload you may need to dilute it 2:1 IIRC.
I’m under the impression that you can go directly to a ceramic coating from essence without the IPA wipe in between. Is this correct?
reading as much as possible about application…u can go directly to coating IF u are using a carpro coating…if u are going outside the product line then it seems that u should wait an hour…then lightly use an ipa…then apply your coating/sealant/lsp of choice.
i am considering IGL Premier – wolfgang uber ceramic spray – or NV Lustre for protection…i will share results when i finished. right now eating..then finish essence step. probably apply lsp in morning