# Review: CarPro Eraser



## CEE DOG (Nov 13, 2010)

*Review: CarPro Eraser*

*Introduction:*

I first heard about this product a few months ago and as someone who has applied CQuartz more than a few times I was happy to hear a product was coming that would aid in cleansing and prepping the surface before CQuartz. I was particularly excited I would no longer have to jump through any hoops to prep the paint before application of a coating. I've now been testing Eraser for a while and have used it on more than a few different vehicles. In the following review I will take you through my experiences with the product but will condense and funnel the majority of my observations towards one vehicle in particular.

*Product Claims: *

CarPro Eraser is an intense cleaner designed to dissolve oil particles and remove polish residue to prepare the paintwork for Cquartz. Eraser attracts polish residue and dust better, cleans better than IPA, and aids in keeping the finish dust free while you apply Cquartz.

*Details:*

1.- Packaging: Plastic bottle / Cool label 
2.- Directions: Simple
3.- Viscosity: Thin
4.- Color: Light Blue
5.- Scent: Fresh
6.- Regular Price: 1.7 oz. (50ml) = $ 5.99 
7.- Regular Price: 16.9 oz. (500ml) = $14.99
8.- Regular Price: 33.8 oz. (1000ml) = $19.99 
9 - Regular Price: 169 oz. (5000ml) = $_____ 
10.-Manufacturer: CarPro
11.-Made in: Korea

*Product:*










*Additional tools needed for application:*

Micro Fiber Towel

*Introduction (continued)*

For years many of us have been using a number of products to strip the oils from our paint during and/or after polishing. Some of us have been using this method just to check the occasional area to be sure we are producing hologram or mar free paint. Others wiped the paint down religiously on each section with IPA or mineral spirits as a couple examples.

For many, another purpose of IPA or mineral spirits was to remove the oils with the goal of producing a surface the wax or sealant could bond to. While others would wash the vehicle with water and an entirely different array of products to achieve this, still others (like myself) would use a paint cleaner that was compatible with the sealant or wax that was to be used.

*Fast forward:*

Today it is often more important than ever to be sure you have a completely clean surface. Specifically I am talking about when applying a coating rather than wax or sealant. When applying a coating such as CQuartz you want to be sure that the coating bonds to your paint, glass, and other surfaces and lasts for the duration you are expecting. And the most important factor that you can control is the cleanliness of the paint at time of application. Just prior to application coatings are more dependant on a perfectly oil free surface than the traditional lsp is. Actually It would be more correct to say a larger percentage of their lifespan hinges on it.

*Video: A Quick Intro to get started*






*Washing and Prepping Before Polish (Eraser not yet involved):*

I had a Taurus I was working on a few weeks back that was to undergo a number of corrections and enhancements. The majority of this review will focus on this vehicle, although some observations and information is based on past and later vehicles as well.

The Taurus was thoroughly rinsed. Next it was washed with UPGW with some OPC mixed in and OPC 3:1 sprayed on one panel at a time during the wash phase. After a thorough rinse and dry I was pre-occupied the remainder of the day with painting certain areas but more on that after the review. It was "predicted" there would be no rain that weekend but the following morning I awoke to a rain soaked car and very cloudy skies.










After rinsing I moved onward with a quick blow dry from the Master Blaster. Next it was time to decontaminate the vehicle. After application and removal of TarX (followed by a rinse and a blow) IronX was next up. After dwell, agitation, and rinsing it was another quick blow.

Just something quick I want to point out. If you haven't tried the IronX I would recommend giving it a shot. Time is money and the time I saved by using IronX and TarX saved me more than the cost of the product used on it. Riccardo clay was used as needed and went much faster than it would have thanks to my previous decontamination steps.

The vehicle was quickly washed again and the crevices and wheels were quickly blown out. The large planar surfaces were dried with an mf/ww towel. Normally I use the Master Blaster for drying the entire vehicle but in the case of a stripped vehicle that is in need of being corrected, I have a place to still use my ww towels.

*Eraser as Inspection tool: *

As I moved through the polishing phases I used Eraser as my inspection tool. After polishing a section I sprayed eraser across it and using a clean short weave towel I wiped the surface clean and then flipped the towel and wiped again with an additional mist for good measure. As I have found every time I use it the oils were removed easily and efficiently. I continued this process after each of the first few sections in an attempt to check my work.

*Oil Free:* (Photo from another vehicle I used Eraser on from an earlier occasion)

Past Vehicle










Being that it was a metallic colored vehicle and the sun showed no sign of breaking through that day it was very difficult to be sure I had polished the paint to the level I expected. LED and Brinkman were of no use with this color paint so even after removing the oils I didn't have the necessary lighting. The only way to find scratches, holograms, or marring in this paint was in direct sun and that was not in the cards.

It was very cloudy all day and a little rainy most of it. This was what it was like at one point in the day…

*
Video: Pouring*






When it got bad enough I set up the plastic sheeting (which I had used for masking the day before) as a shield to hold back the rain from hitting Sky.










Between the rains, the mowing, and many other entertaining adventures, it was turning into a challenging day.










*Eraser in action removing polishing oils:*

As I mentioned I didn't have the lighting that day to show you Eraser in action removing polishing oils that day so another weekend I threw a quick test together to make a video you could see with good lighting. For this test I applied some Menzerna PO 85RD which we all know has a lot of oils in it. I spread it across a section of my front hood and rather than working it all the way in I only made a few passes in an attempt to leave plenty of oils on the paint for this test.

*Video: Eraser removes polishing oils*

































I finished the day by polishing out the taillights and headlights and again removing the oils with Eraser, which appeared to be as safe on headlights as it was on the paint. (Full story on the headlights after the review)










Prepping the Paint with Eraser Before Applying Cquartz:
The next morning I got started early and after accomplishing a few other things (among them a quick wash and dry) the sun was available for me to properly inspect the paint. I found some swirls still remaining on the passenger side lower panels so they were corrected. Finally it was time to get to my application of Cquartz.

But first would be the Eraser prep clean! I repeated the following method across all paint, glass, head/taillights, and plastic window hoods.

*Method of Application:*

1.- Spray on and wipe off with mf towel
2.-Flip towel and one more wipe
3.-Move to next section, flip to clean side or new towel, & repeat

*How long does it take to prep a car this size with Eraser?*

On this day it was a high humidity/high 90's day (felt like 120) but wouldn't you know it the rain still tried to pop in and out with sun showers so as you will see in the video I rigged up the plastic I had used from the day before to protect the areas of the vehicle protruding from the shadow of the canopy..

*Video: Eraser Total Prep Time*

Please note all surfaces were prepped with Eraser although some of it isn't in this video thanks to the memory card filling up without my knowledge.






*After*










I would love to continue with the full story of the Taurus but since you clicked on a thread called "Review: CarPro Eraser" I think it's safe to assume you would like to stay on that subject. I'll save my jabbering for later and simply tell you that with the patient fresh and clean (courtesy of Eraser) I was able to rest easy as I applied CQuartz to the vehicle and followed with Reload a couple hours later.

*Does Eraser Resist dust better than IPA?*

Eraser claims an anti-static affect. The purpose of this is to allow the paint to stay clean between the time you prep with Eraser and the time you get back around the vehicle to apply CQ. On the vehicle I featured above the only thing I saw settling on the car were these wonderful little creatures we affectionately call "love bugs".










To be fair and honest I can't say I would have seen any dust regardless in such a short amount of time with this color of paint so I set up a separate test on a test panel just today. Unfortunately that is still inconclusive as there isn't any dust built up on it to tell a difference in the couple hours its been sitting there. I'll update on that later.

*Will Eraser Easily Remove a Polymer Sealant or Carnauba Wax?*

Obviously this is not what the product is intended for but I was curious about this question for the people that will ask (like me J). On another test panel I tested the ability of Eraser to remove a polymer sealant, which had been applied a couple months earlier. I did not apply a ton of product or really try to force it to work. I simply used it as I would to prep my paint for lsp after polishing. Based on my findings below I believe a liberal, repeat, or vigorous attempt with Eraser could remove many sealants but I doubt it would be best practice or the most efficient method when you can simply strip them during your pre-polish wash cycle. And of course the sealant will be removed when you polish regardless of what you did up to that point. With a simple spray and wipe method I used it did remove some of the sealant but not all.

*Video: Will Eraser easily strip a sealant?*






*Will Eraser Remove a Carnauba Wax?*

Yes it can. I took Eraser for a spin down this road and it did remove the wax in my test.

*Cost:*

This chart is based on a few assumptions and of course varies depending on the size of the vehicle, the user, the towel, and the trigger used to apply it.










*Amount used on a Ford Ranger (small pickup truck): *

Twice this amount or more is used on an average car depending on the trigger used to apply.

*Started With*










*Ended With*










*Pros:*

1.- Application: Ease of use
2.- Fast removal of oils
3.- No streaking or smearing
4.- Increased durability of Cquartz and other LSP (Assumed)
5.- Scent: Fresh

*???:*

1.- What will the cost be of the 5 liter bottles?
2.- Antistatic: Resists dust? (No difference between IPA and Eraser Noted)

*Cons:*

1.- Price (Based on US Cost) Not sure for my friends on the other side

*Product Summary:*

The first thing you notice about Eraser as you pull the trigger is the scent. There really is no other way to describe it than fresh. My wife thought it smelled like bubble gum. The first time you actually use it to remove oils from the paint the thing that grabs you is how easily it removes them with no smearing. And also of notice you no longer get that irritating grabby feeling that you find when using IPA.

Previously when you were to apply CQuartz CarPro recommended a dawn/ipa mix where as with Eraser that is a thing of the past and is quite welcome in my opinion. The "guess work" and experimental methods of cleansing varied with each detailer and with Eraser the prep work of CQuartz application is simplified and time is saved.

Eraser is specifically designed for prep before CQuartz but you can use it for prep of waxes, sealants, and other lsp as well. I personally will be using it before application of CQuartz and other coatings from here on out as well as my tool for inspecting the surface during polishing.

Now when it comes to sealants and waxes I have had a different method than most for my prep before sealant or wax. My method for those lsp types rarely ever involved ipa so I didn't plan to start using Eraser for those preps. However, after figuring it only takes about 1$ or 2 to wipe down a car with Eraser and it will be faster than my previous method (time=money) I will probably use it a lot regardless of lsp.

I haven't run into problems with Ipa on soft paint personally but I would be negligent if I did not mention that some people say they get marring when using IPA on extremely soft paint. I don't know if it's a combination of the towels they use and the IPA but I just haven't seen it myself.

*Discussion, questions, comments, and thoughts are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this review! Cheers
*

In case you care to see a little more of the adventure from that Taurus feel free to continue reading. Just don't forget to discuss Eraser when you are done.

*Some of the story that I left out:*

Backing up to the first day various areas of the vehicle were wet sanded with a majority of that time spent on the headlights and rear view mirrors. As I recall I wet sanded before washing the car. Guess what takes bugs off faster than anything else? J On the mirrors the paint had failed and I decided to sand both the clear and color off and repaint them.





































Unfortunately I wasn't able to get my sanding discs in time and to complicate things further all of the papers I had were 1500 or finer. I had somehow misplaced my rubber block for wet sanding so I used an old CQ applicator block and cut my papers to fit.

Removing the paint from the rearview mirrors was extremely time consuming and after the driver side I decided to get crazy.



















I grabbed some regular sandpaper from my closet and quickly demolished the paint from the passenger side mirror. Of course leveling it back out with my 1500 wet sanding was again time consuming. Here's a picture of the driver side after using (a couple hundred) grit sandpaper before refining it.










After refining it and wet sanding the headlights (more on that later) I washed and dried the vehicle and then masked the areas and covered the car in plastic before using VHT prep to be sure there were no oils on the surface from the wash. After waiting a few minutes I used a tack cloth on the surface before applying my first coat of base from an aerosol can. (I had received all my paints from Automotive Touchup about a week prior)




























I repeated with light coats allowing about 5-10 minutes of drying time between each and using a tack cloth each time. With each pass I would start the spray before I reached the mirror housing and not let go of the trigger until I had completely passed it by. After at least 4 coats I allowed it to dry for 40 minutes. Next I moved onto the same process with 4 or 5 coats of high gloss clear.

Throughout this process the vehicle was covered so of course there was almost nothing I could accomplish while I was waiting between coats. The only thing I could think of was flipping the plastic up over the tires and applying my first coat of PERL.

After I finished the final tire I came around to apply the final coat of clear. As I sprayed the final mirror for the final time I witnessed several bubbles popping up!! It was then I realized I had forgotten to use my tack cloth that time and quickly surmised some of the PERL I had sprayed when doing the tire had been blown onto the paint by the wind!! Eek! Well, as usual when times are desperate people (meaning me) sometimes do stupid things…

Yes, I think you know where this is going. Like a 5 year old that was just told not to touch the hot stove and even knows doing so is going to result in a burn I couldn't keep my hand off the cookie jar. I touched one of the bubbles and then quickly pulled my finger back as if I had just touched a hot burner. Uh oh… too late. A little print of guilt and shame resided on the final of 8-10 coats. Well, what was I to do? Time to shut it down for the day…. It was soon to be dark anyhow and tomorrow this could be corrected. It wasn't looking too bad for my first ever aerosol paint job.





































Unfortunately when I remove the tape I discovered paint had made its way in at this one spot. I removed this stray paint by trying a few things and a lot of elbow grease. It was the VHT prep and a very aggressive buffing with an mf towel that remove it when all was said and done. UTTG was used on this area of the mirror after removing the paint.










*Before*










*After*










*Before*










*After*










*And the headlights:*

They were an absolute mess! Again I only had 1500 grit and spent forever on them before finally moving forward. I had saved polishing them for the following day while I was polishing the pillars, glass and window hoods with my 3401 and 4" cyan pads.

*Driver Side Before:*




























*Driver Side After Sanding*










*Driver Side After M105 on HT pad*










*Passenger Side Before:*




























*Passenger Side After Sanding*










*Passenger Side After M105 on HT pad*










*Grocery Cart Damage:*

Here was one of the many scratches on the vehicle.










At first I thought it was only a trade of paint or something from the grocery cart and I could clay it off. There was more than just that going on and the scratch that went with it was deep so I grabbed my paper and knocked it down quickly.










*Later it was polished back to life.*



















OK, enough for now. Thanks so much for viewing and please post any questions, thoughts, or experiences you have about Eraser.

Cheers,
Corey


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Nice review! I enjoy reading your reviews mate!


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## TOGWT (Oct 26, 2005)

Very thorough product review as always THANKS...

Some polish / compounds use heavier oils than others for surface lubrication, which IPA alone will not remove them completely, sometimes it holds them in suspension and when the alcohol evaporates it re-deposits them onto the surface. If a diluted IPA solution doesn't remove the surface oils perhaps a specific paint preparation product, i.e. CarPro Eraser Intense Oil & Polish Cleanser or DuPont PrepSol II™ may be more suitable


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## terryvtr (Mar 27, 2011)

Top Notch write up learn't alot cheers buddy


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

Nice review buddy. just goes to show what can be accomplished with time effort and elbow grease:thumb:


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## Sti_Brumby (Aug 19, 2010)

Thanks for the review, I'll get me some of this next order
clint.


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## CEE DOG (Nov 13, 2010)

type[r]+ said:


> Nice review! I enjoy reading your reviews mate!


Thank you! I appreciate that 



TOGWT said:


> Very thorough product review as always THANKS...
> 
> Some polish / compounds use heavier oils than others for surface lubrication, which IPA alone will not remove them completely, sometimes it holds them in suspension and when the alcohol evaporates it re-deposits them onto the surface. If a diluted IPA solution doesn't remove the surface oils perhaps a specific paint preparation product, i.e. CarPro Eraser Intense Oil & Polish Cleanser or DuPont PrepSol II™ may be more suitable


Thanks Jon! I appreciate the added info as well. Cheers :wave:



terryvtr said:


> Top Notch write up learn't alot cheers buddy


Excellent! Thank you 



chillly said:


> Nice review buddy. just goes to show what can be accomplished with time effort and elbow grease:thumb:


Thank you my friend. It's much appreciated.



Sti_Brumby said:


> Thanks for the review, I'll get me some of this next order
> clint.


Thank you! You will be very happy with it to be sure.


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## CEE DOG (Nov 13, 2010)

*Eraser vs. IPA*

*Intro: *

After reading my recent review on CarPro Eraser I had one member ask me how Eraser compared to IPA so it occurred to me that I must not have done a clear job of showing this. Visually I hadn't shown the two side by side with a test so here we go!

*The Test:*

The video tells the story but basically I applied Poor Boys Black Hole (a glaze with fillers) to the top of the panel and 3M Ultrafina (an oily polish) to the bottom of the panel. Then I stripped one side with Eraser and one side with IPA.

The IPA was a very strong dilution by any of the standards I have seen written (25% IPA and 75% water) And, yes that does take into account the percentage of IPA I started with.

I based my ratio of IPA mix on what Dr. G told me in my Q&A with him about IPA and also what Mike Phillips wrote in his article on the subject. Mikes article also relied on other chemists in the industry. Here is a partial quote from Dr. G in the Q&A I just referenced.

"I would follow the recommendations that Mike Phillips has made of 10-25% IPA in water as a safe cleaning solution. The reason for this wide range is due to the variations in the clear coat paint systems. Therefore, when dealing with a soft clear coat or for those who notice a great deal of softening effect, they should stay at the lower end of the range while others can use the upper limit. Of course, the greater the percentage of IPA, the faster it will remove the oils."

So as you can see I picked a heavy ratio of IPA.

I also went out of the way to place lots of oils on the paint before stripping it with each product.

*Video: Eraser vs. IPA*






*Conclusion:*

CarPro Eraser removed all of the oils more thoroughly than the strong mix of IPA. As you saw in the video some spots on the IPA treated side still had oil of some kind on the surface.

Do those spots that still have oil matter?

Well, if your goal was to remove the oils and some are left then obviously they matter.

If checking your paint after polishing to make sure you achieved a perfect finish I say yes it matters (obviously).

If applying a coating that does rely on a completely oil free finish they matter a great deal. Obviously your coating wouldn't have the same durability on those spots and my theory is that even worse your applicator would spread some of the oils from those spots and compromise the durability of the coating in other areas as well. That is just my theory and I could be way off but there you have it.

If applying a polymer sealant or wax the remaining oils left by IPA don't matter near as much as if you are applying some of the nano coatings that rely on a completely oil free surface. How much they do matter I don't know the ********** answer to that.

*--- Update on Dust Resistance ---*

I watched my test panel that was kept out of the rain for 1 week and could find no difference in the dust resistance between IPA and Eraser.


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## autoaesthetica (May 13, 2011)

Love your tests Corey

for the other fellas/gals to consider



autoaesthetica said:


> Corey can you do a test with a tint safe glass cleaner like D120, IPA and then Eraser?
> 
> I ask because I know some glass cleaners have a glycol in them that helps to suspend(to allow pick up) of what the IPA has solubilized/re-dissolved where with many straight IPA solutions the oils just sit in suspension and end up getting wiped around a little - potentially leaving some behind.
> 
> I think it would make for interesting results.


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Very good test , thanks :thumb:


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## CEE DOG (Nov 13, 2010)

Thanks guys! :wave:


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