Ceramic Coatings and Protection
CQUARTZ SiC vs CQUARTZ UK 3.0: reading the CarPro ladder
CarPro sells several coatings with similar names and one of them publishes a full specification. This page is about how to choose a rung when only one rung is documented.
By Sawyer V. · Last verified 2026-09-08
We have not tested any of this. Everything below is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, and the arithmetic is printed so you can check it. This page carries affiliate links: if you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it does not change the order of the picks. Full disclosure.
| # | Pick | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CarPro CQUARTZ UK 3.0 CarPro | The only coating here that publishes its SiO2 percentage | 6.1/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | CarPro Reload 2.0 CarPro | Topping a coating you already have | 3.7/10 | Check price on Amazon |
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price rather than a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
Stating the gap before anything else
CarPro sells its coatings under a family of similar names, and buyers reasonably want to know which one to pick. On 8 September 2026 we could retrieve and verify CarPro’s published specification for CQUARTZ UK 3.0 and could not retrieve a working product page for the SiC variant. Rather than fill the gap with numbers from a forum or a reseller summary, this page does what our method requires: it prints what is documented and says plainly what is not.
That still leaves a genuinely useful page, because the question underneath “SiC or UK 3.0?” is almost always “how do I choose a rung on a coating ladder?” — and that question has a good answer that does not depend on the missing figures.
What UK 3.0 publishes, in full
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| SiO2 content | 70% at 99.9% purity |
| Claimed durability | 2 to 5 years |
| Consumption | 10ml per coat |
| Application temperature | 40F to 90F |
| Buffing window | Within 2 to 5 minutes |
| Sizes | 10ml, 30ml, 50ml, 100ml |
| 30ml kit price | $59.99 |
| Kit contents | 30ml bottle, 4 suede applicators, applicator block, 16x16 suede leveling towel |
How to read a coating ladder, generally
Coating ranges are almost always structured the same way, whatever the brand. The lower rungs are easier to apply and shorter-lived. The higher rungs demand more preparation discipline, have shorter working windows, and claim longer. Price tracks difficulty more closely than it tracks durability.
- The rung most people should buy is the one whose application window they can meet on their first attempt, not the one with the biggest number.
- Moving up a rung usually means a shorter leveling window, which means better lighting and smaller working sections, not just more money.
- Where a maker publishes a consumption figure, use it. It is the only way to compare bottle prices honestly across rungs.
- Where a maker publishes nothing for a rung, treat that rung as unevaluated rather than as good or bad.
Where Reload fits, and why it is on this page
CarPro states that Reload 2.0 was originally formulated to maintain CQUARTZ coatings and has also proven itself as a standalone sealant offering up to three months on daily drivers. That makes it the maintenance half of the system rather than a competitor to it, and it is why almost every CQUARTZ owner ends up with a bottle.
The practical version of the CarPro ladder, then, is not a choice between coatings at all. It is a base coating chosen for your application confidence, topped every few months with Reload. That combination is what actually produces the multi-year performance the base coating claims, because the topper is what takes the UV and the fallout.
Every pick, with the working
Each entry lists the specifications the maker publishes, the axis scores those specifications produce, and what you give up. Rows that read “Not published” are not omissions on our side: they are figures the maker will not commit to in writing, and they cost the product points on the transparency axis.
Our pickThe only coating here that publishes its SiO2 percentage
CarPro CQUARTZ UK 3.0
CarPro
CarPro publishes 70% SiO2 at 99.9% purity, a 2 to 5 year durability range, a 10ml-per-coat consumption figure and a 40F to 90F application window. That is four hard numbers on one page, and it is four more than most of this category manages. Buy it because it is checkable, not because 70% is magic.
- Sizes
- 10ml / 30ml / 50ml / 100ml
- SiO2 content
- 70% SiO2, 99.9% purity
- Claimed durability
- 2 to 5 years
- Published consumption
- 10ml per coat
- Application temperature
- 40F to 90F
- In the box
- 30ml bottle, 4 suede applicators, block, leveling towel
- Cure time
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
What it does well
- 70% SiO2 at 99.9% purity, published by CarPro on the product page
- Application window published as 40F to 90F, which is the figure that decides whether your garage works in November
- 10ml per coat published, so a 30ml bottle is roughly three coats and the arithmetic is yours to do
- Kit includes suede applicators, a block and a leveling towel rather than just the bottle
Who it is not for
- The durability claim is a three-year-wide range, which is a wide range to plan around
- No cure-time figure published beyond the 2-5 minute buffing window
- Leveling is unforgiving compared with a spray coating; this is not the coating to learn on
How this score was calculated
- Protection claim4.0/10, weight 20%
- CarPro claims 24 months, scored against the 60-month ceiling this category tops out at. That is the manufacturer's claim reported here, not a durability figure anyone measured for us.
- Published SiO2 content8.3/10, weight 22%
- 70%, scored on a band running from 20 to 80. Published by CarPro.
- Cost per ounce4.4/10, weight 16%
- $59.99 for 1.01 oz works out at $59.40 an ounce, scored against a band of $20.00 (good) to $90.00 (expensive) for a ceramic coating.
- Price against the ceiling6.0/10, weight 14%
- A listed $59.99 against the $150 one upgrade in this category realistically tops out at. A list price captured on the compile date, not a live price and not what you will pay.
- Written commitmentdropped
- CarPro publishes no warranty term on this product's own page, so the axis is dropped. On a tool that is worth noticing, and it costs the product points on transparency instead.
- Spec transparency7.5/10, weight 18%
- 6 of the 8 specifications we went looking for are published by CarPro. Every blank row below is something the maker will not put in writing, and it costs the product points here.
List price $59.99 per CarPro's US store, 30ml kit, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
Specifications from CarPro's CQUARTZ UK 3.0 listing, compiled September 8, 2026.
2Topping a coating you already have
CarPro Reload 2.0
CarPro
A 500ml SiO2 spray sealant CarPro describes as offering up to three months standalone on a daily driver, and which was originally formulated to maintain CQUARTZ rather than replace it. Buy it as a coating topper, which is the job it was designed for; three months standalone is honest but unremarkable.
- Sizes
- 50ml / 100ml / 500ml / 1L / 1 gallon
- Claimed durability
- Up to 3 months standalone on a daily driver
- Application
- Wet or dry
- Stated trim safety
- Does not stain rubber or plastic trim
- SiO2 content
- Not published
- Published coverage
- Not published
- Dilution
- Not published
- Warranty
- Not published
What it does well
- Designed as a maintenance layer for CQUARTZ, which is exactly what a coating owner needs
- 500ml at $35.99 is a lot of applications for the money
- Can be applied wet or dry, which makes it a drying aid as well as a sealant
- Explicitly stated as safe on rubber and plastic trim without staining
Who it is not for
- Three months standalone is short if you are using it instead of a coating rather than over one
- No SiO2 percentage, coverage figure or dilution published
- Not a substitute for a real coating on an uncoated car
How this score was calculated
- Protection claim1.3/10, weight 20%
- CarPro claims 3 months, scored against the 24-month ceiling this category tops out at. That is the manufacturer's claim reported here, not a durability figure anyone measured for us.
- Capabilitydropped
- No single published number decides capability in this category, so the axis is dropped rather than invented.
- Cost per ounce6.7/10, weight 16%
- $35.99 for 16.91 oz works out at $2.13 an ounce, scored against a band of $1.20 (good) to $4.00 (expensive) for a spray coating.
- Price against the ceiling2.0/10, weight 14%
- A listed $35.99 against the $45 one upgrade in this category realistically tops out at. A list price captured on the compile date, not a live price and not what you will pay.
- Written commitmentdropped
- CarPro publishes no warranty term on this product's own page, so the axis is dropped. On a tool that is worth noticing, and it costs the product points on transparency instead.
- Spec transparency5.0/10, weight 18%
- 4 of the 8 specifications we went looking for are published by CarPro. Every blank row below is something the maker will not put in writing, and it costs the product points here.
List price $35.99 per CarPro's US store, 500ml, captured on the compile date below. Not a live price and not what you will pay — the button is where the real number is.
Specifications from CarPro Reload 2.0 500ml listing, compiled September 8, 2026.
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price rather than a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
Questions people actually ask
+Why does this page not compare SiC's specifications?
+Which CQUARTZ should a first-timer buy?
+Do I need Reload if I have a coating?
+How much coating does one car need?
Where these figures came from
- CarPro, CQUARTZ UK 3.0 product listing — retrieved 2026-09-08
- CarPro, Reload 2.0 500ml listing — retrieved 2026-09-08
Every figure on this page is a published manufacturer or authorized-retailer claim, not a measurement we made. How we research explains exactly what we did and did not do.