# Gtechniq C5 Longevity



## Dunc2610 (May 23, 2011)

Had a look around, and other than the Gtechniq website suggesting C5 to last up to 2 years, but what are peoples real world experiences? 

Mine were done beginning of December '18 and am wondering if they may need a recoat?


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

Dunc2610 said:


> Had a look around, and other than the Gtechniq website suggesting C5 to last up to 2 years, but what are peoples real world experiences?
> 
> Mine were done beginning of December '18 and am wondering if they may need a recoat?


Im on just over 2 years and its still clearly on my white wheels.

I do about 2000 miles a year and didn't run them on the car last December, January and February, however, due to different circumstances they have been on the car all winter and go 2 weeks between washes.

There are places where I can see it dropping of like around the edge by the tyres but thats because of the tyre cleaner overspray.

I take the wheels of every 3 months or so to give them a deep clean with fall out remover both faces and barrels.


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## skk (Mar 16, 2014)

Dunc2610 said:


> Had a look around, and other than the Gtechniq website suggesting C5 to last up to 2 years, but what are peoples real world experiences?
> 
> Mine were done beginning of December '18 and am wondering if they may need a recoat?


I redo my wheels in the beginning of winter and summer season, during wheel change.
Summer wheels/tires from April to November, winter set from November till April


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Mine are still holding up really well, applied C5 to my wheels last April.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

I got about 18 months from C5 with occasional top ups of a spray sealant. 


Gonz.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Still going from June of last year. Brilliant stuff, just don't apply it in the cold...


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

I get about 10/12mths from C5....based on doing around 15k a year, washed with shampoo, acid free wheel cleaner at this time of year when the car goes longer between washes and some fall out remover every 2/3 months.

Cheers,

Chris


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

I did about 12k in a year with my C5 on brand new wheels, Gtechniq PW Panel Wiped and 1 coat of C5.

I topped up once or twice maybe with C2v3.

At 12 months I took the wheels off and all they had ever had was standard shampoo, no wheel cleaner.

Shampoo'd them, applied another coat of C2v3 and to be honest its over 2 years since I sold the car and I've seen it since and the wheels still looked great, no brake dust build up or anything after a quick wash.

Its great stuff in my opinion.


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## Itstony (Jan 19, 2018)

This topic question on the C5 product must have the most new threads started and replies than any other product.:doublesho 

It's superb product if prepped and applied well (loads written on this).
It lasts a long time that is sure, longevity cannot be defined, way too may variants, such as weather, mileage and how well they are kept clean just couple of lots more.

Personally, treat the wheels with the same care taken with any other part of the car and all will be fine. Shampoo wash, QD them regularly and they will be great. Just like the rest of the car.
Neglect them and it will simply take more drastic effort, time, plus more expensive and aggressive products to restore them.
It's like washing your face, neck and hands 6 days a week and then having a shower only once a week.:wall:

Hardly rocket science. Good regular maintenance is always better than repair. Ask anyone that does not have the time. :thumb:


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## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

I change my wheels over summer&winter ~ October/November - March/April and each time they get a good cleaning and treatment; cleaning, fall out remover, tyres a good scrubbing, then depending on how the rinse waters beading they get a polish with Carpro Essence and as a minimum c2v3, or c5 and Exo. 
It does depend a bit on a) how much time I have b) what the weather's like, warm more / cold less time put in, c) how they were beading after the cleaning.

Over the last 3 years they have been c5 and exo'ed, so any easy 2 years. 
But I like to keep them clean; washed every 2 weeks, with finishing with a squirt or two of Carpro's Hydro2 (if wet/cold) and or c2v3 if its dry/warmish.
:detailer::buffer:

As the wheels end up being stored for the season the treads get a coating of Espuma rd50 (you never hear of this these days do you?) or diluted Perl, and the sidewalls T1 or Gyeon Tyre. then put to bed in the dark on a tyre rack. 

This is a bit of a pain as this happens on the wifey's car as well and doing 8 wheels takes quite some time.

However when it comes time to change the wheels it's nice to get the 'new' spotlessly clean wheels to put on, knowing any coatings' have had plenty of time to cure, and it almost feels like a new set of wheels and tyres on 
:thumb:


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

It's less time dependant and more mileage/condition dependant. As Itstony has said, look after them. There is no need to use harsh cleaners every time, just wash them with normal soap and nice brushes and the coating will last longer.


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## andy__d (Jun 27, 2018)

as with most Gtechniq products , IF you take the time and effort to put in the prep Before applying it, And apply it Correctly, AND then do not drown it in all sorts of harsh cleaners then they Will last as long as the manufs claim.
skip prep, apply incorrectly or smother it with harsh cleaners and , shock horror it wont
if yours isnt the it is down to you , how you preped, or didnt, applied it and what you used over the top of it after.


applies to pretty much ALL products from All manufs..


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## davewave1 (May 18, 2007)

I applied C5 Wheel Armour about 18 months ago and I want to reapply it before the weather gets worse. Will panel wipe remove the old C5? If not what will?


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2008)

davewave1 said:


> I applied C5 Wheel Armour about 18 months ago and I want to reapply it before the weather gets worse. Will panel wipe remove the old C5? If not what will?


If I were you I would follow the usual wash (using some sort of stripping shampoo - Garage therapy zero decon shampoo is my go to) and decon process (tar and iron) and *then* use panel wipe.


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## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

Dunc2610 said:


> Had a look around, and other than the Gtechniq website suggesting C5 to last up to 2 years, but what are peoples real world experiences?
> 
> Mine were done beginning of December '18 and am wondering if they may need a recoat?


I would say its likely it needs replacing.
You may find this of interest and I suspect others will too.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

davewave1 said:


> I applied C5 Wheel Armour about 18 months ago and I want to reapply it before the weather gets worse. Will panel wipe remove the old C5? If not what will?


Nothing but mechanical abrasion (hand or ideally machine polishing) will guarantee the removal of the coating to be honest.

If it's still performing 'ok' I'd be inclined to do a thorough strip wash, decon then PW as has been suggested, but this won't remove a wheel ceramic nor give you as clean a bond - shouldn't have any issues getting a further year and a half out of it mileage dependant.

C5 is a nice entry level wheel ceramic but there are better ones available which will perform at a higher level for longer if you have a little bit of experience.


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## davewave1 (May 18, 2007)

atbalfour said:


> Nothing but mechanical abrasion (hand or ideally machine polishing) will guarantee the removal of the coating to be honest.
> 
> If it's still performing 'ok' I'd be inclined to do a thorough strip wash, decon then PW as has been suggested, but this won't remove a wheel ceramic nor give you as clean a bond - shouldn't have any issues getting a further year and a half out of it mileage dependant.
> 
> C5 is a nice entry level wheel ceramic but there are better ones available which will perform at a higher level for longer if you have a little bit of experience.


Thanks for the info. What would be better, KKD Revolve?


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

I recoated after 18months but could easily have gone the full 2years or more.

I only do a few thousand miles a year however some one who does 20,000 miles a year will probaly get 6-9 months from C5

As others have said its millage and other factors that really determine longevity


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

davewave1 said:


> Thanks for the info. What would be better, KKD Revolve?


It's a better performing and more durable product but for me Revolve is much fiddlier and it's an alloy refurb job if you get it wrong. Think of it as a pro-coating which is available to consumers.


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

One thing to note with KKD R-Evolve, on the barrels and backs of faces, it is effective at self levelling so I have applied it and left it without buffing, using an applicator and if you swoop around the barrel quickly, it self levels fine and doesn't need buffing.

On the faces, obviously, this is different, but you can utilise that knowledge to leave it in the nooks and barrels. With the actual faces, then do no more than half the wheel, then buff immediately with a short pile and use elbow grease. Then go over with a plusher pile for the final buff.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

roscopervis said:


> One thing to note with KKD R-Evolve, on the barrels and backs of faces, it is effective at self levelling so I have applied it and left it without buffing, using an applicator and if you swoop around the barrel quickly, it self levels fine and doesn't need buffing.
> 
> On the faces, obviously, this is different, but you can utilise that knowledge to leave it in the nooks and barrels. With the actual faces, then do no more than half the wheel, then buff immediately with a short pile and use elbow grease. Then go over with a plusher pile for the final buff.


Friend of mine swears by not buffing on the faces (even on gloss black alloys) and fair play as the finish looks as good as I could manage when wiping.

Don't try this at home I'd suggest lol! Have you ever had to remove it?


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

No thankfully! Wouldn’t fancy that, especially if there if there is any topography involved.

The ability to self level allows it to work great with the air brush, so provided that the applied layer is even when applied with an applicator, then I wouldn’t be worried with your friend’s way either as it wouldn’t then be hugely different to the air brush layer. 

I’m actually keen now to try it on a test patch on my bonnet to see how it deals with the Autofoam at 4% test, when I can do it. I’ll try and get some by Friday before lockdown so I can run the test if I can fit it in.


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## davewave1 (May 18, 2007)

I have gone with KKD R-evolve X this time as I have diamond cut wheels and they need all the help they can get. I noticed a difference in the instructions between the website and the bottle:

Website: https://krystalkleendetailstore.co.uk/products/revolve-x?variant=18477306757 
Instructions for use:

Release cap slowly.

Apply in light even strokes with suitable lint free applicator.

It is important not to over apply and spread out any excess product. R-EVOLVE will become tacky as it dries and should be allowed to dry fully before buffing.

The product will be fully weatherproof within 6 hours of application and continue to cure for a period of up to 30 days dependent on weather conditions.

Any errors in application should be corrected within 5 minutes to avoid the natural repellency inhibiting the application of further product.

Expected coverage is approximately 5ml per wheel but will vary depending on design etc.

Not suitable for matt wheel finishes

On the bottle:
1.	Ensure surface to be applied to is clean and dry

2.	Apply a small amount to a small applicator pad and apply to a small area at a time ensuring complete coverage. Allow 30 seconds to flash and then buff until a clear streak free finish is obtained. Alternatively, the need for buffing is removed if application results in a self-levelled finish

3.	A second coat can be applied after 90 minutes if required

After 4 hrs the product will be 'weatherproof'. Can also be used on bare metal surfaces and small painted items requiring a high level on protection.

Which is correct, especially regarding the second coat?


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

davewave1 said:


> I have gone with KKD R-evolve X this time as I have diamond cut wheels and they need all the help they can get. I noticed a difference in the instructions between the website and the bottle:
> 
> Website: https://krystalkleendetailstore.co.uk/products/revolve-x?variant=18477306757
> Instructions for use:
> ...


They are both correct in a way - though not sure about the 4-6 hour time difference. The website instructions and point 2 on the bottle are actually essentially the same, they don't contradict each other. On the less visible faces, aim to let it self level and get a thicker coat.

After the coating has dried sufficiently, so I guess 90 minutes, then it will accept another layer without affecting the first. If this is too soon, then the solvents will remove parts but not other parts and you'll have streaks and whatnot. So any time after 90 minutes, layer if desired. I've never layered it. I now apply it with an airbrush if at all possible.


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