What Are Ceramic Coatings And Which One Is Best For Me?
A ceramic coating is a mixture of nanostructured silanes and siloxanes that when hand-applied, chemically bond to the paint or glass. Ceramic coatings protect the surface from chemical and UV degradation as well as offering a level of scratch resistance. Gtechniq have a range of chemically bonding coatings that are quartz-based through to composite coatings, each offering varying levels of protection and durability. Let’s take a more in-depth look at each of them below;
Crystal Serum Light comes with a 5-year guarantee when applied by a Gtechniq Accredited Detailer.
Crystal Serum Ultra
Crystal Serum Ultra delivers the best swirl resistance of all the Gtechniq coatings. This product is a composite ceramic coating, that when applied phase separates into two layers. The first layer measures 7h on the pencil hardness scale and bonds to the paintwork, so that it cannot be washed off. The second layer is a harder 10h layer which is an aggregate of 7nm and 20nm nanoparticles that offer superior chemical resistance, weather resistance and swirl resistance.
Since incorrectly applied Crystal Serum Ultra can only be removed using sand-paper, it is only available to be applied by a specially trained accredited Gtechniq detailer and is backed by a 9-year guarantee.
What about my glass, trim and rims? You need not worry as Gtechniq have specially formulated products for these particular surfaces.
Crystal Serum Light
Crystal Serum Light is the prosumer version of the world-famous Gtechniq Accredited Detailer Crystal Serum Ultra. It offers 80% of professional Serum Ultra’s performance, but if applied incorrectly can be machine polished from your vehicles paintwork.
When it comes to adding gloss, resisting swirls, contaminant and dirt repellency, Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra and Serum Light are the pinnacle in paint protection. Serum Light forms an ultra-durable, high-gloss, slick to the touch, chemically bonding inorganic layer of 9h optically clear ceramic.
Once applied, gloss levels will remain in the upper 90th percentile for significantly longer when compared to traditional paint protection products, and cleaning your car will be a breeze. The high-density ceramic layer is resistant to chemicals ranging from pH2 – pH12. This characteristic also makes bonded contaminants such as tree sap, tar, and hard water spots, easy to remove.
Unlike mainstream wax and organic polymer coatings, Serum and Serum Light can resist much higher and lower temperatures. They resist temperatures as low as -40°c to as high as +250°c.
Crystal Serum Light comes with a 5-year guarantee when applied by a Gtechniq Accredited Detailer.
C1 Crystal Lacquer
Crystal Lacquer is a chemically bonding quartz paint coating. It can bond to any type of gel coat, vinyl and all kinds of paint – eg clear coat, acrylic, nitro-cellulose, two-pack, solid paint, metallic paint, pearlescent, urethane, polyurethane and matt paint surfaces.
As C1 is a relatively thin and relatively hard it offers good swirl resistance but we recommend overcoating it with either C2 or EXO to give your finish the ultimate in dirt and water repellency, gloss and slickness. C1 is also resistant to temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius.
C4 Permanent Trim Restorer
C4 utilises a chemical bond to become an extension of the plastic molecule it is protecting.
The coating swaps part of its molecular structure with the surface molecules of your car’s trim. This means that you have a protective coating of unparalleled durability.
Unlike many trim products on the market, C4 is exceptionally thin (circa 30 nanometers) optically clear film – this means it will not add an unattractive gloss finish to the surface. Instead, it restores all, but the most faded trim to an ‘as new’ condition. Since it has a strong UV filter, C4 is also ideal for new trim, helping to prevent fading.
C5 Wheel Armour
C5 Wheel Armour offers the best protection for wheels, repelling brake dust and contaminants and making them easier to maintain.
Because of C5’s high density and chemical bonding mechanism, its performance is outstanding. The former property gives the coating its excellent stain and contaminant resistance, and the chemical bond formed between the wheel surface and C5 makes the coating durable.
C5 will retain its integrity up to temperatures of 600oC (1112oF) making it suitable for all parts of your vehicle’s rims and brake callipers.
G1 Clear Vision Smart Glass
Unlike regular rain repellent coatings that adhere to the surface of the glass using relatively weak physical bonds, G1 uses a chemical bond which gives G1 unrivalled durability.
G1 ClearVision Smart Glass’hydrophobic function improves wet weather visibility helping to improve safety and eye strain. It also makes removing contaminants from the glass such as ice, bugs and tree sap much easier.
G1 will only work on glass substrates and so, it will not work on modern headlight lenses which are made from polycarbonate. For these, you will need to use G5 Water Repellent for Glass and Perspex.
