# Gtechnic C1? Professional application.



## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Has anybody purchsed this online that hasnt had training and how did they get on?
I thought this product was for specialist application only as its a product that once cured and if not applied and removed correctly needs to be compounded off and full correction done to the panels which some people may not be adequately prepared or have the knowledge to do safely.
I see The Ultimate Finish now sells this to the general public which surprises me as ive used it recently and found it workable and fine but on a fine balance between perfect and bordering on having to remove and also found timing critical as i believe the product crystalised up on my pad very quickly which would have induced surface scratching very easily if i hadnt used about 10 to 15 pads to do it. Admittedly this was on a friends car that is being fully restored and resprayed but it gave me the chance to see the product first hand and test it , id hate to see this in the wrong hands from someone who thought it was a wipe on wipe off outside on the drive product..

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/gtechniq/c1-crystal-lacquer.aspx

Maybe this is a mistake but i would think professional application is the correct route and the guys who apply it have had specialist training which is why its been pro application only for such a finely balanced product with obvious great results.

Anyone else tried it and thoughts?


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

I never thought Rob was putting this product out for the general public, it is a tricky product to work with, but to be fair some well written instructions would have you going in the right direction with it.


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## ocd13 (Aug 25, 2010)

In the video of how to apply it on that link he says its a new version of C1 that has longer cure times.


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

I only posted as a friend off Facebook said is it worth using on his 350z?
He has applied srp before and nothing else, im like god if you dont understand this product or havent used it what happens if he wipes it on like marmalade.


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## DW58 (Nov 27, 2010)

I'm glad that you have posted this as there are several members who appear to have purchased/acquired C1 from undisclosed sources, often described as "my mate who is a pro" or similar plus as you say Ultimate Finish currently have it for sale via their website.

I'm pretty sure that Rob from GTechniq has said elsewhere on DW that the only way of removing misapplied C1 is by wet sanding.

I haven't tried C1, nor would I until such time as it was:


Approved for amateur use.
There was adequate training material available in terms of video, PDFs etc.
I was totally confident in my ability to apply this product correctly.

In the meantime, as far as I am concerned C2 is a world class product in its own right and will do me until such time as C1 becomes available for amateur use as described above.


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

yep so even on a longer cure time if it goes wrong how does an average person remove it? I just think maybe it needs to highlight at least on the website that this is a professional product and a limited amount of knowledge may be needed..


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## Kelly @ KDS (Aug 4, 2008)

ocd13 said:


> In the video of how to apply it on that link he says its a new version of C1 that has longer cure times.


I have tested and used both versions and i guess more than most detailers and in close talks with Rob on his products regarding some of the things Marc has brought up , Robs bringing us a new product to test soon .

Of all the products i have used and tested this so far (C1 we are talking about not the other G techniq products) is the fussiest products to use , on some surfaces its fine on other its a nightmare to use when going to the standards we do .

This does not knock the product for the job it can and does more the application could stump some people if not fully aware of the ways to use correctly , and the difference between the 2 types of C1 did not make a massive difference / help to the problem

kelly

www.kdsdetailing.co.uk


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Iv used C1 for years now, I believe i was one of a handful of the first detailers to go see Rob way back in 2007. id have to disagree, i dont find fussy to which paint it is applied but more so the conditions its applied in (ie temps and humidities) its not a product id try to put on out doors my self.


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## hutchingsp (Apr 15, 2006)

Interesting thread. I'm leaning towards having C1 applied to my new car when it arrives.

Whilst I wouldn't even consider doing it myself, I did wonder what means it's only suitable for "pro application".

I wasn't sure if it's the level of prep required or something inherent in the actual product?

There's quite a few pros on here who offer gtechnig - are they all approved or, as demonstrated by the link above, can anyone get hold of the stuff?


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

I would think because for starters i personally wouldnt use this product on anything that hasnt been prepared properly as its such a good magnifier from what ive seen it would highlight a poor finish then put a glass finish over it and as stated if someone who has just purchased it puts it on and doesnt get their timing correct , or applies too much or doesnt wipe or apply it properly they then have a car that needs a serious amount of work to remove it which they simply wouldnt have the skills to do , if they wax a car and get it wrong or zaino it then they either wipe the product off to early and nothing remains or they have a skinned product that may be a slight bugger to get off but will be removable. The selling point of the product is its crystalline layer which isnt designed to be easily removed i believe.


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## Kelly @ KDS (Aug 4, 2008)

james b said:


> Iv used C1 for years now, I believe i was one of a handful of the first detailers to go see Rob way back in 2007. id have to disagree, i dont find fussy to which paint it is applied but more so the conditions its applied in (ie temps and humidities) its not a product id try to put on out doors my self.


James it's not something i can post directly with information on here, but some of the loose details.

Rob and myself must talk twice maybe 3 times a week every week sometimes for a long time (this does not includes emails and texts) by just phone calls. 
The reason all being C1 application That I discovered and brought to Robs attention, which in fact took me many discussions with Rob about the Pros and cons.

Now even Rob was not aware off any problems like you, but Rob is now and has sent a car to us from G techniq to do some tests with as there had been problems with G techniq C1 on the car.

Now the fact Robs is using an independent company to test C1 and has now noticed what i had been saying i think i can say it can be "fussy".

James the guy i brought to your training day USED to work for G techniq and is well up on using C1 day in day out, and he did not notice either the problems UNTIL i pointed them out,
This means it's only a small problem that will only come up on a very low percentage of cars and that Rob wants to get it right with the C1 application as easy as possible. 
But this is with me using C1 with many years of experience we had a problem and may be far higher occurrence with guys using for the first time.

HTH Kelly

www.kdsdetailing.co.uk


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## gtechrob (Sep 11, 2006)

it was a glitch on their site.


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

It's kinda the whole reason I never bought into the Aquartz/C1 thing it reminds me of applying lacquer to the paint and i'm not into that at all. 

Even C2 as a spray sealent uis fine but C1/Aquartz think nanolex (correct me if i'm wrong) had one also.

They remind me of nail varnish.


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## agpatel (Jun 5, 2009)

kdskeltec said:


> I have tested and used both versions and i guess more than most detailers and in close talks with Rob on his products regarding some of the things Marc has brought up , Robs bringing us a new product to test soon .
> 
> Of all the products i have used and tested this so far (C1 we are talking about not the other G techniq products) is the fussiest products to use , on some surfaces its fine on other its a nightmare to use when going to the standards we do .
> 
> ...


Interested in hearing about this new product coming out sometime...there line is great from what I have used so far. Rob, any comments to ETA for when something may be said about this.


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## Dionysus (May 18, 2010)

I would definitely agree that the current version of C1 is for professional use only as is clearly stated on the Gtechniq website. UF have added this warning to C1 but it's still missing from the New Car Paintwork Kit which also includes C1 (no doubt due to 'teething problems').

My experience of C1 has been that it is difficult to apply on the 'wrong' surface, but no more so than, for example, using Iron-X on a smart repair (slightly different context).

I would agree with Marc that care should be taken to regularly change the make up added during application to avoid introducing marring through crystalised product. Rob has said the same for mircofibre clothes used to remove C4/C5 residue, i.e. do not use them on painted surfaces again, so the same logic should apply. Also, being a solvent based product, a truely clean surface prior to application would probably be recommended. Obviously, the softer your paintwork, the easier that marring may occur if not careful.

I don't believe that C1 has any filling properties, at least not to the extent a filler-heavy glaze/wax would. It just adds gloss to the underlying surface; any underlying marring or that introduced during application will be sealed in to a 'true' finish', as opposed to a glaze/wax that may hide minor marring (and may later suffer drop-back, but that's a different subject).

Having said this I have used C2, both neat and as a QD. Applied neat, it offers protection that lasts several months and 'self-cleaning' properties that many waxes general do not. It's also easy to apply and you don't get wax residue left in all the nooks and crannies. I have even treated an unprotected car with C2 QD and it has still been beading water several weeks later and have not experienced 'dust spots' (after rain) that you sometimes find with waxed paintwork. C1, in some respects, is diametrically opposed to C2; the protection it offers is in a different league to C2 (I have simply wiped off bird dropping residue with no marks left behind which, I have experieced in the past, would have etched waxed or even C2'd paintwork), but it's very tricky to apply (I guess you can't have it all). My conclusion would be to find a reputable pro who is willing/experienced in applying C1 and enjoy.


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

i used it for the 1st time at the weekend.

crazy different to anything else ive ever used!! not sure if ive done it right or not, but i did exactly as the video suggests.

hardest thing i found was seeing where i had applied it :lol:


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## sim L (Jan 3, 2010)

ianFRST said:


> i used it for the 1st time at the weekend.
> 
> crazy different to anything else ive ever used!! not sure if ive done it right or not, but i did exactly as the video suggests.
> 
> hardest thing i found was seeing where i had applied it :lol:


How long did you leave it to cure for?


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Wipe on and wipe off straight away, needs at least 4 hours to cure so is not an outside product.


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## Goodfella36 (Jul 21, 2009)

Crystal Lacquer is a rapid humidity cure formulation. No special curing
mechanisms, tools, or controlled environments are required.
Approx 70% of the cure cycle occurs within 2-10 minutes of initial wipe-on
application, with 100% cure occurring within approx 3 hours. The higher the
ambient temperature and/or humidity, the faster the cure rate.
C1 bonds covalently and permanently with modern PU automotive paints, and with
a wide range of common substrates such as PE gel coats, certain metallic, enamel,
ceramic and vitreous surfaces.


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## DW58 (Nov 27, 2010)

Dream Machines said:


> I professionally apply C1 but not in my own shop, I wont use it at all in mine C2 I will though.


That's a rather odd statement - I'm not exactly sure what you are implying here.

Are you saying that you will not apply C1 under the auspices of your own business, but will apply it independently - why? If this is not the case, what are you saying?


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## DW58 (Nov 27, 2010)

Delete please.


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## Maggi200 (Aug 21, 2009)

Dream Machines said:


> Well thats what Rob says but I can tell you, its easy to remove
> 
> #1 - add more product and buff it in
> #2 - Use SEM SOAP 39362 slightly diluted to remove it
> ...


Let's not start this one again.... 

I do agree, however, C2 is a very, very good product and I don't see why anyone looking after their own car would need C1 unless it's just to say they've got the "best" product available. Say I'm perfectly happy with glasur but I still want royale


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Dream Machines said:


> Well thats what Rob says but I can tell you, its easy to remove
> 
> #1 - add more product and buff it in
> #2 - Use SEM SOAP 39362 slightly diluted to remove it
> ...


And you think the average person looking online who see,s C1 for sale is going to have all that in the garage if they get it wrong yet alone know how to remove it , id say 99.9% of people will have never even picked up a rotary let alone used one. 
Hence professional application only by somebody like you who does have all this to hand and the experience to use it all.
Not knocking your post at all so please dont be offended , its a serious thought for people not experienced in machine correction.


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## DW58 (Nov 27, 2010)

Dream Machines said:


> Well thats what Rob says but I can tell you, its easy to remove
> 
> #1 - add more product and buff it in
> #2 - Use SEM SOAP 39362 slightly diluted to remove it
> ...


I'd really like to see what GTechniq themselves have to say about the above.


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

sim L said:


> How long did you leave it to cure for?


i did about 1/4 to 1/2 a panel at a time (ish) wiped on with makeup pad thing, wiped off.


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## Kelly @ KDS (Aug 4, 2008)

I think i need to sort through some pics (i think the best to date) showing what C1 can protect against , on one of my customers cars the results surprised me and if it was not our work and customer would not of believed it if shown the photos .

It on a black car in the summer months and returned a few months later so gave me the perfect chance for "real" test .

I will drop a link here once i have posted in the studio section hopefully this will bring back on track why C1 :thumb:
Of course rob got first viewing of pictures many months ago 

Kelly

www.kdsdetailing.co.uk


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## Dream Machines (Mar 13, 2006)

DW58 said:


> That's a rather odd statement - I'm not exactly sure what you are implying here.
> 
> Are you saying that you will not apply C1 under the auspices of your own business, but will apply it independently - why? If this is not the case, what are you saying?


very simple. I do not use C1 personally and stopped using it in my shop last year. 
however I sometimes apply it where I work which is an authorised applicator

I just love C2 though. am buying some of this for my vehicle


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## Kelly @ KDS (Aug 4, 2008)

Here is the linky to the C1 in action :thumb:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=201934

Kelly

www.kdsdetailing.co.uk


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