What are ceramic coatings, how do they work 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 Unsurpassed Vehicle Image (UVI).
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 Unsurpassed Vehicle Image (UVI).
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.
