# Aquapel -v- Gtechniq G1, a quick review



## lowejackson

For years my default glass sealant has been Aquapel as it is easy to apply, lasts for up to six months and of greater importance it does not smear when the wipers are used. The Gtechniq range seems to have gained a healthy number of positive reviews so I thought I would try a bottle of G1 or more specifically their G1 (sealant) G4 (cleaner) kit.

Aquapel. (£6 approx) This product has now been on sale for many years and to my mind is a genuine aid to driving. The package is essentially a plastic tube with one flat application side attached to some wings, inside the tube is the product which is released when the wings are brought together.

Once the glass has been thoroughly cleaned application is very easy. When the wings are squeezed together *all *the liquid soaks onto the pad and must be applied by wiping over the glass immediately. There is just enough liquid to coat all the glass on a average sized car but speed is critical as the pad dries quickly. Aquapel does not need to cure before buffing; straight after applying, buff with a towel. The entire process takes a few minutes.

Getchniq. The G1 & G4 (£13) works in a slightly different way in that the G4 is the cleaner and G1 is the sealant. Once the windscreen has been cleaned with G4, apply one coat of the G1 with a cotton make-up pad, wait 10 minutes or so and then reapply, wait for 15 minutes and then buff the residue. The product is very easy to apply and buffing is straightforward, IPA can be useful for any problem areas. I suspect there is enough to coat 2 cars or top up the existing sealant every so often.

In terms of application, Aqualpel is the easiest one to use but this is also its potential weakness, once the sealant has reached the applicator, speed is critical. I don't wish to suggest that it is necessary to run around like a possessed demon but a leisurely stroll around the car is likely to end in disappointment. The G1 seems to have more steps in but bear in mind Aquapel assumes you have a clean windscreen.

Both sheet water very effectively from 50 mph (depending on car, windscreen angle etc), the G1 did initially smear the windscreen when the wipers were deployed but after a few days all the smearing was kept to a minimum. In practice I would suggest it would be very hard to separate the performance of either product. Possibly Aquapel starts to work at a slightly lower speed. Gtechniq say G1 will last up to 2 years or 30,000 miles which is significantly longer than Aquapel but as the G1 has only been on my glass for a couple of months, I cannot really comment.

One thing G1 does not seem to like is other synthetic products, for example Serious Performance Show Detailer (v2), this created a haze on the glass which requires a lot of washing or IPA to remove although I experienced no problems with Optimum No Rinse shampoo.

Getchniq has a higher initial cost but you get more product, Aqualpel is cheaper but it is a 'one shot' treatment but incredibly easy to use. To my mind the one thing which separates these products from many others is the lack of smearing from the wipers and the longevity on the glass.

Both products make driving in the rain a less stressful and safer


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## SRI_NICO

Great review, funnily enough i've been a user of Aquapel for the last few years and recommended it to friends and family but this morning I ordered some Gtechniq G1 to use as a change this time around


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## Jed

has anyone done a comparison with G3, which has better repellency, but not the longevity


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## lowejackson

I have not tried G3 but I suspect it would work very well on the side and rear windows. There would be no mechanical abrasion and the better repellence of water would work better in the lower air pressure areas


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## Blueberry

I applied G1 to my hubby's Discovery 4 at the weekend. I put 3 layers on the windscreen, 1 on all the other windows. 

I'm driving his car this week and yesterday when I left work it was raining. Bear in mind that the windscreen on a Disco 4 is not steeply raked, its very upright - the water was dispersing at 30mph:thumb: Obviously, it was even more impressive at higher speeds too.

First impressions are very, very good - would highly recommend :thumb:


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## lowejackson

12 month update.

I noticed quite a drop off in performance with the G1 but a good clean of the glass and reapplication of the the G1 and the rain is sheeting off the windscreen yet again.

12 months is a lower lifespan than advertised but it is a great product and I still have enough left over for another coating in 12 months time


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## Laurie.J.M

lowejackson said:


> 12 month update.
> 
> I noticed quite a drop off in performance with the G1 but a good clean of the glass and reapplication of the the G1 and the rain is sheeting off the windscreen yet again.
> 
> 12 months is a lower lifespan than advertised but it is a great product and I still have enough left over for another coating in 12 months time


How many miles have you done during the 12 months and how much have you used the wipers? Both of these factors affect how long G1 lasts.


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## lowejackson

Driven about 8,000 miles and used the wipers when ever it rained, which in Cumbria is quite a lot


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## E38_ross

So it costs twice as much as aquapel but you get twice as much in the pack. The value is the same, however, g1 lasts twice as long in your case, why would you choose aquapel over g1? 

You might find beading improves with g1 after claying the screen after 9+ months.


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## lowejackson

E38_ross said:


> ........ why would you choose aquapel over g1? ....


Because Aquapel is a good alternative, both products are good



E38_ross said:


> You might find beading improves with g1 after claying the screen after 9+ months.


I did not know claying could help but in my case I clayed the glass about a month before reapplying G1 as part of a general cleaning session but did not notice any improvement in performance. I will make a mental note to see what improvements can be made by claying in 9 months.


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## GJM

What is the cost of Aquapel, do you mean £4 for one?

I picked up some packs of 2 from memory, maybe there was more, need to check for very cheap.

Probably should have bought a lot more at the time, still not used it yet...hope it doesn't go off


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## lowejackson

£4 seems to be a good price, assuming nothing is damaged I would guess it has a very long shelf life


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## Grizzle

E38_ross said:


> So it costs twice as much as aquapel but you get twice as much in the pack. The value is the same, however, g1 lasts twice as long in your case, why would you choose aquapel over g1?
> 
> You might find beading improves with g1 after claying the screen after 9+ months.


You need to apply 3 coats of of G1 on the front class... so technically the Aquapel is better value and seems a better product in my eyes.


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## Alpina-d3

^^ agree

Aquapel is better value; FACT. Read the thread and it's been proved 

but the G-techniq clique will always disagree.


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## PhillipM

Alpina-d3 said:


> Aquapel is better value; FACT. Read the thread and it's been proved


No it hasn't, it's been proven for the way one person applies it, I can get 3-4 full car applications out of a G1 bottle, so G1 works out better value for me.


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## Exotica

Vote for Aquapel


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## DesertDog

I prefer G3 on the windscreen as it sheets water at lower speeds than G1. One treatment of G3 lasts 3-4 months before it needs reapplication.

I use G1 on all the other glass surfaces.


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## Jayde

And if you've got a Costco card Aquapel is £12 ish for a pack of 4.

Making it even better value.


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## Guest

I've tried G1 several times and am not impressed with it.
It's a pain to apply and the longevity is poor in my opinion. I've not found it to last as long as it says on the can.
A big no-no for me is that it doesn't appear to start working until you hit 50 to 60 mph, which is next to useless for a lot of roads.
I've stopped selling it to my customers.


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## hotrod09

:thumb:


Exotica said:


> Vote for Aquapel


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## Paddy_R

PhillipM said:


> I can get 3-4 full car applications out of a G1 bottle, so G1 works out better value for me.


As can I, easily. And thats doing 3 coats on the screen and one coat on the rest of the glass.



Jayde said:


> if you've got a Costco card Aquapel is £12 ish for a pack of 4.


Sounds good value. However G1 is £10.16 with the DW discount (£10.99 without) and as stated can do 4 full cars from a bottle. It's also stated that aquapel is a one shot deal, so a 4 pack gives you 4 applications max. If you were to do your car with G1 then (as I've experienced) you will not need to do the side windows every time you re-apply to the screen as it's the wipers that effect it's performance the most so you could easily do more from a bottle of G1.

I cant comment on their relative performance as I've never used aquapel but it seems that on a cost per application basis the two are very similar.


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