Gtechniq CS Black - Crystal Serum with EXO
Discussion
I've just had that done, full hit inside and out, by APM Customs at Deeside near Chester. I had 20 vehicles done which included a couple of Porsches. All these were done over the course of the last couple of months so it's too early to report on the longevity of the Gtekniq product yet but all vehicles are wonderfully shiny and easy to wash and easy to dry and look fantastic.
My 718 is the first car I've had Gtechniq applied to. I wouldn't say it makes it that much easier to clean, and I don't take my car out in the rain either.
Snow foam and pressure washing gets rid of a lot of the dirt, still need a two bucket wash afterwards though.
"Scrubbing" sounds terrible, I assume you're talking about cleaning with a soft mitt after snow foaming?!
Snow foam and pressure washing gets rid of a lot of the dirt, still need a two bucket wash afterwards though.
"Scrubbing" sounds terrible, I assume you're talking about cleaning with a soft mitt after snow foaming?!
I prefer to detail my car myself and find it both rewarding and therapeutic but it depends on whether you have the time and inclination. That said once you have prep'd the car with snow foam, wash/rinse and Clay mitt and used a paint cleanser and wax to seal in your hard work the car should just need a two bucket wash, rinse and dry now and again. Same goes for the wheels, once sealed simply washing with shampoo and some wheel woolies will bring them back.
I've spent a few quid on detailing products over the years but £1000 to detail a car is scandalous despite how good a job they'll do.
Speak to someone like polishedbliss and they'll sort you out with the right products to do it yourself unless you value your time at £1000 because these ceramic products still need you to shampoo the car now and again. I don't think they perform miracles and are no better than decent wax like a cheap tin of bilt hamber or collinite.
I've spent a few quid on detailing products over the years but £1000 to detail a car is scandalous despite how good a job they'll do.
Speak to someone like polishedbliss and they'll sort you out with the right products to do it yourself unless you value your time at £1000 because these ceramic products still need you to shampoo the car now and again. I don't think they perform miracles and are no better than decent wax like a cheap tin of bilt hamber or collinite.
Edited by Blink982 on Monday 4th September 13:18
I have two Porsche's detailed by a certified Gtechniq Detailer - the last one a 981 Spyder with CS Black. My detailer did a fantastic job, very impressed. Beading qualities were excellent & the Spyder was easier to clean & maintain. The paint felt like silk. I also like to do some detailing myself; however, the CS Black products from Gtechniq are certified detailer applied only product so can't do that one yourself. I just felt a professional would do a better job than me & if applied wrongly can be a nightmare to correct. So, yes, I was very impressed. Only had the Spyder a year but was a DD & still looked in showroom condition when i sold the car. Next time not sure to continue with Gtechniq or try paint protection film instead.
I live in London with an underground parking space near a vent, so the car gets covered in general London muck and I have no access to a water supply close by.
My hope was that this would be a surface protection that made the car low maintenance - I quite enjoy cleaning my car properly, too - but it's not always possible any I want my car to look good even when I haven't been able to spend hours on it.
And yes, but scrubbing I mean a contact clean.
Don't want to get too much into the detailing technique stuff, but I was wondering whether, by getting a ceramic coating, it would be enough that the local power wash would suffice.
My hope was that this would be a surface protection that made the car low maintenance - I quite enjoy cleaning my car properly, too - but it's not always possible any I want my car to look good even when I haven't been able to spend hours on it.
And yes, but scrubbing I mean a contact clean.
Don't want to get too much into the detailing technique stuff, but I was wondering whether, by getting a ceramic coating, it would be enough that the local power wash would suffice.
Gtechniq is a very good ceramic coating but i still washed the Spyder every week or every other week. It did make in easier to clean but the car still needs to be cleaned if that makes sense. If you don't have access to a water supply to clean your car you could get the gtechniq done & then use someone like Posh Wash in London to give your car a shampoo every 2-3 weeks.
I am a big fan of Gtechniq Crystal Serum and other products. I just picked up our Boxster on Saturday. Kelly Harris at KDS in Gillingham is my preferred detailer. He is not very local for me but the man is a perfectionist and has invested heavily in the facilities he has.
Although the product is great, I still think you need to wash and care for the car with all the care deserving of an expensive treatment. Two buckets, lots of water, good shampoo, proper mitts and drying towels. Low pressure on mitts and cloths etc to avoid micro scratches in your newly prepped surface. Gtechniq makes it much easier and certainly helps against bird etching etc.
Although the product is great, I still think you need to wash and care for the car with all the care deserving of an expensive treatment. Two buckets, lots of water, good shampoo, proper mitts and drying towels. Low pressure on mitts and cloths etc to avoid micro scratches in your newly prepped surface. Gtechniq makes it much easier and certainly helps against bird etching etc.
Blink982 said:
I prefer to detail my car myself and find it both rewarding and therapeutic but it depends on whether you have the time and inclination. That said once you have prep'd the car with snow foam, wash/rinse and Clay mitt and used a paint cleanser and wax to seal in your hard work the car should just need a two bucket wash, rinse and dry now and again. Same goes for the wheels, once sealed simply washing with shampoo and some wheel woolies will bring them back.
I've spent a few quid on detailing products over the years but £1000 to detail a car is scandalous despite how good a job they'll do.
Speak to someone like polishedbliss and they'll sort you out with the right products to do it yourself unless you value your time at £1000 because these ceramic products still need you to shampoo the car now and again. I don't think they perform miracles and are no better than decent wax like a cheap tin of bilt hamber or collinite.
Agreed. Guys at PB are superb. I've always detailed my own car with great results. Awesome Tough Prep is a fantastic starter kit and outperforms a lot of the expensive systems I've tried. Keeping iron, tar and other crap off the paint for a good 9months just with regular washing on my daily driver. After that then it usually needs a bit of love. That said I've never owned a car which has been done professionally so can't benchmark.I've spent a few quid on detailing products over the years but £1000 to detail a car is scandalous despite how good a job they'll do.
Speak to someone like polishedbliss and they'll sort you out with the right products to do it yourself unless you value your time at £1000 because these ceramic products still need you to shampoo the car now and again. I don't think they perform miracles and are no better than decent wax like a cheap tin of bilt hamber or collinite.
Edited by Blink982 on Monday 4th September 13:18
RMJ891 said:
I live in London with an underground parking space near a vent, so the car gets covered in general London muck and I have no access to a water supply close by.
My hope was that this would be a surface protection that made the car low maintenance - I quite enjoy cleaning my car properly, too - but it's not always possible any I want my car to look good even when I haven't been able to spend hours on it.
And yes, but scrubbing I mean a contact clean.
Don't want to get too much into the detailing technique stuff, but I was wondering whether, by getting a ceramic coating, it would be enough that the local power wash would suffice.
So, I also live in London and my car is parked underground, so I know what you are talking about as regards to no access to water! So, I got my car all ceramic coated up, but it still needed something more than a pressure wash. After many months, I found this product: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00K498I5G/ref...My hope was that this would be a surface protection that made the car low maintenance - I quite enjoy cleaning my car properly, too - but it's not always possible any I want my car to look good even when I haven't been able to spend hours on it.
And yes, but scrubbing I mean a contact clean.
Don't want to get too much into the detailing technique stuff, but I was wondering whether, by getting a ceramic coating, it would be enough that the local power wash would suffice.
It works really well, as it allows you to only use 1 bucket, and crucially doesnt require you to rinse the car down after. So, my regime looked like this: pressure wash the car at a local garage. Go home and prepare the 1 bucket with the Optimum No Rinse (always use a grit guard), and wipe the car down with the stuff using a mitt, and rinsing it in the bucket regularly. You have to do 1 panel at a time though, as you have to wipe off the No Rinse, and not let it dry on. I would then do a quick detailing spray to finish off. This kept my car looking great, and as long as you are a careful,there should be very very few swirl marks. The Ceramic coating really helps getting off bug/stains when cleaning using the No Rinse stuff. Hope that helps.
Thanks all. I think my main takeaway from this is that it doesn't necessarily obviate the requirement to clean as often, and nor does it really make the process of cleaning any easier, but instead it just makes it look better when you do clean it.
I'm less convinced than I was that this is a good use of £1,000...
I'm less convinced than I was that this is a good use of £1,000...
RMJ891 said:
Thanks all. I think my main takeaway from this is that it doesn't necessarily obviate the requirement to clean as often, and nor does it really make the process of cleaning any easier, but instead it just makes it look better when you do clean it.
I'm less convinced than I was that this is a good use of £1,000...
I think the one area where these coatings are undoubtedly a benefit are the wheels....makes maintenance much easier. I'm in two minds....had a Ceramic costing applied to out Cayenne when it was new....yes it comes up really nicely when clean but I don't think it's any easier to clean. Maybe for things like bird sI'm less convinced than I was that this is a good use of £1,000...
t and insects it makes a difference in terms of ease of removal but not general road grime. Cheib said:
I think the one area where these coatings are undoubtedly a benefit are the wheels....makes maintenance much easier. I'm in two minds....had a Ceramic costing applied to out Cayenne when it was new....yes it comes up really nicely when clean but I don't think it's any easier to clean. Maybe for things like bird st and insects it makes a difference in terms of ease of removal but not general road grime.
Controversial but if it's just the wheels which benefits from this then you might as well save the money and invest in ceramics in the first place? You also get (some?) performance benefits and (some?) street cred.t and insects it makes a difference in terms of ease of removal but not general road grime. I had ceramics and was amazed how little cleaning was required for my wheels. I've since moved back to steels and it's a real pain to maintain!
Just sayin ...
RMJ891 said:
Thanks all. I think my main takeaway from this is that it doesn't necessarily obviate the requirement to clean as often, and nor does it really make the process of cleaning any easier, but instead it just makes it look better when you do clean it.
I'm less convinced than I was that this is a good use of £1,000...
I wouldn't say this is exactly true. A good sealant definitely helps keep a car cleaner, but it's the definition of cleaner. It will still get dirty, of course, but it's how the dirt sticks to the paint work. What I mean by this; tar, iron, sap, bird crap etc won't stick to the paint work in the same way. Therefore the paintwork stays silky smooth longer and therefore looks better once clean.. My experience of sealants does make it easier to clean too, but doesn't mean the crap comes off with a hose. In my view a sealants a must have. The question is whether you do it yourself, or pay a premium for a pro. If your hands on then the diy option isn't a bad one. As said before on a nice day it can be quite therapeutic. But I'm a geek 🤓 I'm less convinced than I was that this is a good use of £1,000...
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