Gtechniq Detail advice

[Hampo7]

With summer not too far away (not as if we get much of a summer) I'd like to give my A45 a good clean / detail. I want a ceramic coating so based on reviews etc I think I want to go with gtechniq products. Now I could get someone local to do this for me, but I've holidays to use up so was thinking of giving it ago myself.

Has anybody experience of using the gtechniq product range themselves? Is this a difficult thing to do for a Amateur car cleaner or am I best to leave it to the professionals?

If I'm good to do it myself, what gtechniq products do you recommend & whats the best routine?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Alex225]

I'm certainly no professional but like to think I'm relatively well informed for a hobby detailer type.

Personally, I'd leave coatings like C1 etc. to the experts. Purely as I don't have an indoor place to apply, let cure etc.

I don't blame you for wanting to have a go yourself but my recommendation would be to give the car a proper detail - wash, clay, polish etc and then apply a good sealant and maybe even wax on top of that.

Coatings wise, I'd pay a pro. I hope that helps.

 

[Simon_M]

I am a big fan of the GTechniq products but I leave the hard coatings to professionals. I have Crystal Serum on my cars which is Pro only, but I did see Palmball's black jaguar after he applied C1 himself and it was an absolute mess so had to be all stripped off and reapplied.

The hard coatings need 24 hours to cure and most pros have indoor storage to keep cars overnight.

I did also buy a bottle of EXO to put on the Mini but never used it which I am actually flogging on eBay at the mo.

But C4, C5 and the interior treatments are easy DIY.

Try a bit on the wife's car first - that's what I always do!

S

 

[markwibbs]

As per alex225 above - if DIY application of this goes wrong then its a nightmare of wet sanding.

Stick to a good prep routine and good quality wax ie a tub that costs more than £40 or so, to give you durability, if you want to do it yourself.

Depending on where you are the Kenolon product looks very good on the SLS on the website: Kenotek Valeting Products from More Than Polish

 

[J LAD]

There should be no reason why you should not apply the GTechniq product yourself but here are a few tips that should give a a good outcome / finish.

1. Preparation - coatings like this will not adhere correctly or give a good finish unless the paint is prepared to exacting standards. There can be no trace of any other wax on the paint, be it synthetic or pure carnauba before application. Plus as these coatings add around 1 to 2 microns on the paint thickness, any scratches, swirls or other paint defects need to be removed prior to application.
I allways carry out a full paint decontamination and at least a 2 stage paint correction / machine polish before application, otherwise you are simply wasting the clients money.
Rush this stage at your peril!

2. Enviroment - the car needs to be indoors, with a constant warm stable enviroment. Most detailers will apply C1 then C2 over the top for example. The C1 should be left for at least 12 hours before the C2 can be applied.
Therfore you do not want the garage going freezing cold overnight.

3. Correct application - GTechniq can, if not applied correctly, ie rushed, use too much, etc, cause streaking to the paint finish. This is more noticable on darker coloured metallics paints. You really do have to concentrate when applying this product, making sure the surface is evenly coated, do not try and cover large areas at any one time. The Gtechniq home tutorial video is very good and helpfull.
Once this " streaking " happens you may have to machine polish the whole panel again to remove it. I would strongly recommend practicing first on an old car panel, you will then see how it reacts when applied.
Rush this stage at your peril!.

4. Most of these ceramic coatings are suspended in a kind of alcohol based solution, thats why you have to wear gloves. C1 tends to " flash off " very quickly when applied, so you have to know its working limits before you have to stop and buff it off, try and be clever here and again it will turn out a mess!

If you are not prepared to be patient and carry out the necessary steps then leave well alone in my opinion.

 

[Bigdrew]

With summer not too far away (not as if we get much of a summer) I'd like to give my A45 a good clean / detail. I want a ceramic coating so based on reviews etc I think I want to go with gtechniq products. Now I could get someone local to do this for me, but I've holidays to use up so was thinking of giving it ago myself.

Has anybody experience of using the gtechniq product range themselves? Is this a difficult thing to do for a Amateur car cleaner or am I best to leave it to the professionals?

If I'm good to do it myself, what gtechniq products do you recommend & whats the best routine?

Thanks in advance!

Most of these products like gard X or supaguard are not
Worth the money you would be better of with a good sealant
then wax it

 

[J LAD]

The biggest advantage of Gtechniq is its durability. It really does depend on what you want.
If your car is simply a " car " and used to get from A to B, gets washed once in a while down at the local guys or garage jet wash then this paint protection system would be ideal for you.
I have applied C1 and C2 to a few daily workhorses, that just get washed, (admittedly correctly), every week, and after a year the surface is still beeding well, and paint swirl marks are minimal.
Would i pay a dealer £500 for Supaguard - no! Would i pay a good detailer upwards of £700 for Gtechniq - yes!

 

[Hampo7]

Thanks for the advice, appreciated! Still debating on what to do. As said, its an A45 so I like it to look as good as it can, with it being washed weekly then a "big clean" (Wash, clay, polish & wax) every couple of months.

The main reason I'm thinking of going down the Gtechniq route is simply the durability & how easy it is to clean. If I knew it was simple albeit time consuming process id give it a go & possibly do a couple of other cars around the house. I'll watch a few more youtube videos and maybe bite the bullet and give it ago on one of the lesser cars first

Cheers

 

[kam09]

Thanks for the advice, appreciated! Still debating on what to do. As said, its an A45 so I like it to look as good as it can, with it being washed weekly then a "big clean" (Wash, clay, polish & wax) every couple of months. The main reason I'm thinking of going down the Gtechniq route is simply the durability & how easy it is to clean. If I knew it was simple albeit time consuming process id give it a go & possibly do a couple of other cars around the house. I'll watch a few more youtube videos and maybe bite the bullet and give it ago on one of the lesser cars first Cheers

Applying gtechniq nano coatings isn't as hard as it appears, you just need to have squeaky clean paintwork after all swirls and scratches have been removed via machine polishing (cutting then refining) making sure no holograms etc are left, then apply the coating.. i would only apply it if you have access to a well ventilated garage.. you can watch how to apply videos on the gtechniq website and YouTube..

 

[Mister T]

I have a new A45 on order in Black!! As soon as it arrives, it goes to the detailer to be coated in Gtechniq!

Its my daily runner and I really don't have time to wash it regularly, but with it professionally coated I know that the paintwork will be protected!

After all those episodes of the 'A' team, I simply don't have the energy to wash cars!!

 

[tromppost]

I had mine done last week, really easy to keep clean after. Worth taking to a pro imo

 

[jotter22]

https://youtu.be/38Z_Up5hUts

Worth a watch....Dont think i would be doing this at home myself!

Tony.