# Do I GO FOR it OR Not



## youngwangie (Oct 9, 2016)

I keep getting an Add for Gtechniq popping up on my Facebook page.
Have to say I'm thinking of biting the bullet so to speak. Any of you had it done on the pride & joy you have now or have had in the past. My car is a flame red Renault Megan sport tourer ( estate).
I know it will cost more than I should spend. But in my 70's now & I hate to admit it but It's getting harder to keep my Car has shiny as I think it should be.
So come on then Is It worth having Gtechniq ultra


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I have not tried this product but one thing is for sure is that Gtechnic is a tried a trusted brand. The products I’ve used from them have been top quality.


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

While not quite the same, I put CarPro CQuartz UK on my dads (now late sixties and health problems) Evoque when he got it new five and a half years ago. In the last year performance really tailed off so I'm about to redo it, but it survived for four years in pretty inclement conditions beside the coast in the north of Scotland. This allowed my dad to keep it looking in great condition despite minimal effort with the snow foam. He certainly wouldn't have been waxing it every few months since he's had it!


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## Titanium Htail (Mar 24, 2012)

Exclusive Car Care use Gtech exclusively, have a look at them.

John Tht.


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## Jmax (Dec 4, 2005)

youngwangie said:


> I keep getting an Add for Gtechniq popping up on my Facebook page.
> Have to say I'm thinking of biting the bullet so to speak. Any of you had it done on the pride & joy you have now or have had in the past. My car is a flame red Renault Megan sport tourer ( estate).
> I know it will cost more than I should spend. But in my 70's now & I hate to admit it but It's getting harder to keep my Car has shiny as I think it should be.
> So come on then Is It worth having Gtechniq ultra


Having gone for Gtechniq Ultra on my car (Click here to read the thread) I can honestly say cleaning the car has never been easier. A ceramic coating changes the way you look after a car massively. First of all you don't have to wash it as regularly and when you do wash it, it doesn't take as long as the dirt is easier shifted.

As for which coating to go for, I would suggest you check out the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light coating as its at least half the price of the Ultra. Both will give you pretty much the same finish however the Light coating wont last as long as the Ultra (5 years as opposed to the Ultras 9 years).

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to send me a message and I'll do my best to answer them for you.


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## Itstony (Jan 19, 2018)

^^^^^^ that's the spirit^^^^^ 
Kudos :thumb:


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

Few things to add which I have picked up during my love/hate relationship with coatings 

- Given a pro will need to prep and apply Ultra it does cost significantly more as a package... if you find a good pro, the work they do to correct and refine your paintwork is as valuable if not more valuable than the coating itself. I would consider the general condition of the car (they can only correct so much) and how long you plan to keep it before even entertaining the thought of a coating.
- I have Ultra on my own, previously had Crystal Serum Light (CSL) on the same car and there is next to no difference between them in look, feel or initial performance. Bear in mind both were topped with Exo V4 which probably has a lot to do with that. CSU and CSL are a two tier system, CSL and Ultra provide reasonable performance (beading, self cleaning, slickness) on their own, but are enhanced significantly by Exo V4. Exo V4 has a much shorter lifespan than the underlying coatings which I have never understood. In my opinion Exo V4 also does not perform at the level of other ceramic coating 'topcoats', nor does it last at top performance anywhere near what Gtechniq claim. I would sooner go for an all-in-one coating e.g. CarPro CQuartz 3.0 or one from Gyeon or Kamikaze.
- Do the products work, definitely.. but the car will still need to be maintained regularly, though each clean will be easier. On top of this each quarter (at least) the car will need a major decon which includes iron, tar and (depending on conditions) limescale removal. You maintain a wax by reapplying, you maintain a coating by freeing it of any contaminants that clog it up.
- Though it adds an element of 'marring resistance' this is hugely overhyped... the paintwork will still get scratched and swirled albeit to a lesser degree regardless of the care you take to maintain it, and unless you want to polish off your coating in the process you are 'stuck' with any defects you pick up in the 5-9 years the coating is advertised to last. Despite the safest of wash regimes, the odd one is unavoidable and sadly my OCD does not permit them..  If money was no object I would consider a coating with self-healing properties which will mitigate this concern to an extent.
- If you enjoy polishing and waxing your car and want to continue to do so, you will not be able to.. trying different coating 'toppers' and QDs (though not essential) can be fun, but the gains are marginal and it's not quite as therapeutic. The counter argument would be that you've no longer any 'need' to polish or wax the car because the car will stay looking good for months not days. Gloss does eventually drop back and if you've extremely high standards and notice this you'll want a dedicated ceramic coating 'topper' (which contains the same core component as your coating) rather than a wax or QD which will not adhere properly, nor perform as well.
- Despite their 'toughness' there is an element of fear and doubt that creeps in when you have a coating because of the above... can I use X product to touch it, am I using too harsh a chemical that will impact the coating, am I washing the car in a safe enough manner to not scratch it, am I drying it well enough to avoid water spots (the achilles heel of a coating!), until I'd built up enough of an understanding of the way coatings work they can actually make you more paranoid about damaging them due to the semi-permanency of the protection... polishing them off and starting again isn't really something you'd want to do. 

Hope this helps..


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## broncoupe (Aug 19, 2010)

Who keeps a car 9 years? 
I would say new car buyers 1/3 years seem to like the idea of fixed costs or rolled in costs 
So Coatings appeal 
Prestige sports cars at 4/6 years are more affordable (not to most of us)
So these people are good clients for a coating because the prep work gives a new like appearance(plus a private plate)
So people that enjoy there cars 1/2 year products relative value to cost and a reason to try a new product or 2
Happy New Year members


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## ridders66 (May 24, 2019)

youngwangie said:


> I keep getting an Add for Gtechniq popping up on my Facebook page.
> Have to say I'm thinking of biting the bullet so to speak. Any of you had it done on the pride & joy you have now or have had in the past. My car is a flame red Renault Megan sport tourer ( estate).
> I know it will cost more than I should spend. But in my 70's now & I hate to admit it but It's getting harder to keep my Car has shiny as I think it should be.
> So come on then Is It worth having Gtechniq ultra


Absolutely! I have detailed more cars than I care to remember and applied the Gtechniq. Porsches, Rolls Royces, Range Rovers, McLarens, you name it. Every one I have done has been transformed, and maintenance is a breeze. I would recommend the Crystal Serum Light/Exo combination, it is the best. You get the scratch protection and the glass and water run off from the Exo is amazing. I would also recommend putting the C5 on the wheels, G1 on the glass and the C4 on any plastic. Finally, the I1, although bloody expensive, is fantastic. I have coated seats, carpets, mats, boots and soft tops with it. I recently detailed a new Lamborghini Huracan Evo convertible, and applied I1 to it. When I poured water on the roof it ran off in one big blob. It was as if the roof was allergic to water!


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

ridders66 said:


> Absolutely! I have detailed more cars than I care to remember and applied the Gtechniq. Porsches, Rolls Royces, Range Rovers, McLarens, you name it. Every one I have done has been transformed, and maintenance is a breeze. I would recommend the Crystal Serum Light/Exo combination, it is the best. You get the scratch protection and the glass and water run off from the Exo is amazing. I would also recommend putting the C5 on the wheels, G1 on the glass and the C4 on any plastic. Finally, the I1, although bloody expensive, is fantastic. I have coated seats, carpets, mats, boots and soft tops with it. I recently detailed a new Lamborghini Huracan Evo convertible, and applied I1 to it. When I poured water on the roof it ran off in one big blob. It was as if the roof was allergic to water!


Did Rob pay you to say all this :lol::lol:


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## TonyHill (Jul 28, 2015)

Just wondering if you do a lot of mileage, or whether your car is outside exposed to the elements 24/7? If not, and if its garaged most of the time, then me personally wouldn't go down the expense of ceramic coating. :thumb:


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

atbalfour said:


> Few things to add which I have picked up during my love/hate relationship with coatings
> 
> - Given a pro will need to prep and apply Ultra it does cost significantly more as a package... if you find a good pro, the work they do to correct and refine your paintwork is as valuable if not more valuable than the coating itself. I would consider the general condition of the car (they can only correct so much) and how long you plan to keep it before even entertaining the thought of a coating.
> - I have Ultra on my own, previously had Crystal Serum Light (CSL) on the same car and there is next to no difference between them in look, feel or initial performance. Bear in mind both were topped with Exo V4 which probably has a lot to do with that. CSU and CSL are a two tier system, CSL and Ultra provide reasonable performance (beading, self cleaning, slickness) on their own, but are enhanced significantly by Exo V4. Exo V4 has a much shorter lifespan than the underlying coatings which I have never understood. In my opinion Exo V4 also does not perform at the level of other ceramic coating 'topcoats', nor does it last at top performance anywhere near what Gtechniq claim. I would sooner go for an all-in-one coating e.g. CarPro CQuartz 3.0 or one from Gyeon or Kamikaze.
> ...


This is along the lines of what I would say. The detailer and their skill in polishing and prepping the car is more important than the brand of coating in most instances. It isn't that hard to apply a coating, but it is much harder to all the polishing and prep work required to be in the position to apply that coating. That is really what you are paying for.

So provided that the coating is from a reputable, proven brand, then the reputation, portfolio and costs of the detailer are more important.

9 years sounds fantastic, but I think the sweet spot is around 3-4 years. Provided you get that, by that time, you will have either sold the car or will have generated enough minor swirls that you will want to have it redone.

The GTechniq CS light and Ultra are great coatings, but Exo v4 isn't worth it and the C5 wheel coating isn't that great either.


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## ridders66 (May 24, 2019)

Rob who?


chongo said:


> Did Rob pay you to say all this :lol::lol:


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## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

I've had Black Serum on one of my cars now for nearly 4 years (OK, ive only done 9k in that time and it rarely sees any rain) and its still as glossy, slick and repellant as it was when 1st installed.
Very happy with the way it looks and very nice and easy to clean.


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## Ennoch (Jan 31, 2006)

broncoupe said:


> Who keeps a car 9 years?
> I would say new car buyers 1/3 years seem to like the idea of fixed costs or rolled in costs
> So Coatings appeal
> Prestige sports cars at 4/6 years are more affordable (not to most of us)
> ...


I don't disagree with you that 1-2 year products are probably the sweet spot for most people, but plenty of people keep their cars long term. My Impreza I've had 7 years, my CRV 5 years (and my dad for 14 years prior to that) and my new BMW estate is a 5-10 year purchase. The Evoque my dad replaced the CRV with is at 5.5 years now and there is zero likelihood it'll get replaced any time soon unless something catastrophic happens to it. Similarly most of my neighbours seem to keep their cars for 5+ years, but then very few of those are PCP'd, they're all owned outright. Maybe it's an age or location thing but while there are a few people in my local area who I see changing cars reasonably regularly they're in a very small minority. Thus coatings that last 4-5 years are actually quite a reasonable option. Promises of 9 years on the other hand does seem to be making a point that someone's not really asked to be made.


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## atbalfour (Aug 11, 2019)

An interesting test - you can see here the hydrophobicity of the panel after a year and 6 months. Some (including Ultra) still there and sheeting but I wouldn't be happy with the performance of any of the products on the panel (hence why toppers exist!).. bear in mind this is a static panel not exposed to road film, salt etc and no dirt build up.

Also interesting for me is how much stronger Exo V3 performs vs Exo V4 - not a surprise, I've seen this a number of times in the real world too. Wonder how Gtechniq would explain that one...?


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## SadlyDistracted (Jan 18, 2013)

broncoupe said:


> Who keeps a car 9 years? ....
> Happy New Year members


I do!

I like to get a good car, preventatively care for it, modify to suit my preferences, rather than use and abuse and run the risk of getting a plain vanilla unpersonalised and lemon of a replacement every couple of years. And of course after 3 years or so the losses due to depreciation tail off.

So I'd say go for it, the likes of of such coatings do help car stay cleaner and make them easier to clean, but alas do not prevent the need for cleaning, oh how I'd like astaty clean car!

I've used Gtechniq, C1, CSL + Exo from V1 and also CQuartz over the years on family cars and would not have 'my' car without them although self applied, make of that what you will.

My tuppence, if you're keeping the car or are car proud then seriously consider..
S


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## broncoupe (Aug 19, 2010)

Wasn't knocking anyone for keeping a car long term 
Confession time in fact had my Mini Cooper S 12 years luv it 
Just meant Detailing is therapy for a lot of us and do once and forget except for
maintenance doesnt fit with that
Especially with the speed of development of new products


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## Richors (Apr 29, 2007)

Ive got an old car with new paint - Its solid black and its so hard to avoid fine scratches even when just doing wipe downs so , I am considering a ceramic coating simply to help against that.
The car will only be a summer/show car so only ever washed if no alternative but my real question is, would a ceramic coating give the scratch resistance to make it worth doing when looking at the cost?
Looking at the CS light/Evo route professionally applied after a stage one polish to refine prior. 
Thanks


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## grunty-motor (Aug 11, 2016)

Everyone says that Ceramics add hardness but I have not seen a test where someone coats half a bonnet for example.

I have Gtechnic Black on a summer only car - no swirls after 5years. Is that because the coating adds hardness, the coating reduces dirt adhesion, I follow a strict wash process or it is not exposed to the nastiest stuff winter throws at it? Dont know. 

Another advantage is the sheeting of water and you can get a pretty dry car before going anywhere near it with a towel.


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## Richors (Apr 29, 2007)

Interesting points. I think the word hardness suggests a lot more swirl/scratch protection but for a car only rarely used, I am just trying to justify the cost vs some correction and a couple of coats of good wax...……….all subjective I know. Just don't want to spend the money involved for no real gain I guess...…….


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