Our blog in a short period of time has compiled a lot of useful information on how to keep your car running. After all, mechanical maintenance of your car is crucial if you want to get from point A to point B reliably. One area that we have not touched, and I believe is equally important, is how to maintain your car's paint. Anybody who truly cares about their car (or cars) has likely spent a good chunk of free time in their lives keeping it clean.
On occasion, as car enthusiasts we even go that extra mile and buff the paint and add a nice coat of wax. You can always tell when a car has been recently waxed because the clear coat is that much more reflective and the car looks that much nicer. Up until a few weeks ago I assumed that wax is still the preferred method of keeping your car looking great. It turns out that those who are in the know, professional and enthusiasts alike, no longer prefer wax to exterior coatings. After being introduced to this relatively new method of car care I too am a firm believer that carnauba wax and synthetic wax alike are about as obsolete as an iPhone 3G.
An exterior coating that cures to your clear coat
A longtime friend of mine, Kevin Awalt has always been a person who pays close attention to the details. After all, he owned and operated one of the most successful detail shops in Connecticut. What I didn't know is that he recently became a product manager for a company called G-Techniq NA. He introduced myself and some of the staff here at FCP to a new method of paint protection that I didn't even know existed. One of the highlights of this car care line is it features a variety of exterior coatings which eliminate the need to ever have to wax your car again. This relatively new product is an exterior coating that cures to your existing clear coat and creates a layer that is harder than the clear coat beneath it. This added protective layer on the paint aids in repelling water, acid rain, dirt, brake dust, pollen, and bird droppings. It is also designed to make paint maintenance an easier experience by preventing foreign debris from sticking to the coat.
We demoed this product on a 2006 BMW M6 owned by an employee here at FCP and the results are nothing short of amazing. Kevin did a two stage paint correction before applying the coating/sealant. The required paint correction process is no different than what you are likely already accustomed to. Applying the coating is a surprisingly easy process but it differs in how it needs to be applied. When waxing your car, you likely apply wax to the entire vehicle and then wipe off the excess once finished. With these new coatings you must work in small sections at a time. The reason for this is exterior coatings are designed to cure to the clear coat. Applying it like wax would not afford you enough time to remove the excess product before the curing process begins. For example, you apply the product to half of your cars hood, complete the application process (3 simple steps), and then follow the same steps to do the other half of the hood. When all is said and done applying an exterior coating like G-Techniq takes virtually the same amount of time and effort as applying traditional wax.
The first coat we applied to the M6 is called C1 Crystal Lacquer which creates a chemical bond to the clear coat. It is intended to create a high gloss finish while offering UV protection and swirl resistance. The second coat applied the following day as a follow up was EXOv2 which is designed to repel dirt and to further enhance the paints natural gloss. Once applied the C1 Crystal Lacquer lasts between 4-5 years and the EXOv2 lasts between 18 and 24 months. During this time all you need to do to maintain the coating is to wash your car with G-Techniq G-Wash or any other wash designed to work safely with coatings. We also applied C5 Wheel Armor which is a special coating for alloy wheels. It functions just like the paint coatings but is specifically formulated to deal with the harsh environment that your wheels must endure. Brake dust is a particular nuisance on vehicles equipped with high performance brakes and anyone who has nice wheels already knows the struggle of keeping them clean. The C5 Wheel Armor prevents the brake dust from sticking the wheel surface preventing buildup and further reducing clean up time later on.
Save time while accomplishing the same goal
Not having to wax your car ever again has a high appeal to many, myself included. While these coatings don't last forever they do last significantly longer than their traditional wax alternatives. During their usable service life these exterior coatings also offer a greater level of protection and help cut down on the maintenance required to keep your car looking great. I truly appreciate anything that helps cut down vehicle maintenance time. I have learned that having the correct set of tools for a specific mechanical repair is invaluable as it helps get the repair done faster and safer. As I wrote this blog post, I find myself looking at G-Techniq exterior coatings and other similar products in the same light as a tool to help keep cars looking great for longer periods of time with less work involved down the road. Anything that helps save time while accomplishing the same goal is always a worthwhile investment in my book.
Photos
Below are some images of the M6 complete with the coatings. This car has been in the FCP family for a while now and I don’t think any of us have seen the black paint look this good or shine this well before. I also included some photos of this car in the rain showing how nicely water beads and some photos from right after the rain storm. It is remarkable how clean this car remained after being driven nearly 50 miles in the rain that morning.
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With that said I'm interested in knowing if any readers have had experiences with this new generation of protective coatings. If not, do you see yourself adopting their use or are you going to stick with your favorite wax?
About the Author
Gareth runs the BMW catalog at FCP Euro, he can be reached at gareth@fcpeuro.com
