GTechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL)

[SH20]

My ES300h is painted in solid black paint and as such is the best colour for reflection but the worst for showing micro scratches and swirls even with very careful washing and cleaning.  I bought it new and started a comprehensive detail the very next day I got it home.   Dealership valet department staff don't have a clue how to prep a new car.    So after 7 months I took a long hard look at my paint again and decided to detail the top coat again, the intention this time was to end up giving the car a coat of a quality ceramic coating instead of relying on a quality wax.   

So long story short after the paintwork was washed, clayed, machine cut of the top coat with a mid point foam pad, polished with a mid point polishing pad and then fully degreased I was ready to apply the ceramic coat.     It is absolutely safe to say that once the car has been prepared it is safe to apply the coating.

If you can apply a liquid wax and polish it off with quality micro fibre cloths  then you will find applying a ceramic coating a lot easier.    GTechniq's CSL needs one application only and goes on like you have applied  a thin film of oil.  It looks like an oil film and after approx. a minute you must then begin to buff the area you applied the coating to.    No heavy rubbing, just medium pressure, turning the folded micro fibre cloth 3 or 4 times each time making sure it is a fresh side till you can no longer see any sign of the coating. The application and buffing are completed in seconds rather than minutes  and the coating needs an overnight curing period, at least 12 hours preferably inside somewhere like a garage.   The micro fibre towels are toast however because the residue you remove effectively dries as crystals of ceramic in the fibres so become useless for car cleaning.   There must be dozens of coatings out there but believe me the various  GTechniq coatings  are amazing and CSL is without doubt the easiest to apply.    If you leave it too long before you buff the panel you will have a big problem because it cures quickly and requires heavy machine cutting to remove it.   At £85 for 50ml it sounds pricey but will cover  a very large car and give 3-4 years real paint protection, much better than the best waxes.    Watch YouTube on GTechniq Crystal Serum Light to see how easy it is to apply after proper preparation.            

[First_Lexus]

I had this GTechniq coating applied by a pro (Summit detailing in Weston, Chris also sorted my MINI) to my NX a week after purchase. As you found, the dealer prep wasn't brilliant with lots of holograms which was addressed with a full correction.

Nearly two years on all I need to do to bring it back to perfect is a wash and a quick dressing with GTechniq c2v3. Best £500 I've spent in some time - I also had the leather seats protected, and glass and wheels coated - and all the coatings are lasting superbly. Random strangers comment on the finish when it's clean (and sometimes even when I don't think it is!)

 

[JeffL]

2 hours ago, SH20 said:

My ES300h is painted in solid black paint and as such is the best colour for reflection but the worst for showing micro scratches and swirls even with very careful washing and cleaning.  I bought it new and started a comprehensive detail the very next day I got it home.   Dealership valet department staff don't have a clue how to prep a new car.    So after 7 months I took a long hard look at my paint again and decided to detail the top coat again, the intention this time was to end up giving the car a coat of a quality ceramic coating instead of relying on a quality wax.   

So long story short after the paintwork was washed, clayed, machine cut of the top coat with a mid point foam pad, polished with a mid point polishing pad and then fully degreased I was ready to apply the ceramic coat.     It is absolutely safe to say that once the car has been prepared it is safe to apply the coating.

If you can apply a liquid wax and polish it off with quality micro fibre cloths  then you will find applying a ceramic coating a lot easier.    GTechniq's CSL needs one application only and goes on like you have applied  a thin film of oil.  It looks like an oil film and after approx. a minute you must then begin to buff the area you applied the coating to.    No heavy rubbing, just medium pressure, turning the folded micro fibre cloth 3 or 4 times each time making sure it is a fresh side till you can no longer see any sign of the coating. The application and buffing are completed in seconds rather than minutes  and the coating needs an overnight curing period, at least 12 hours preferably inside somewhere like a garage.   The micro fibre towels are toast however because the residue you remove effectively dries as crystals of ceramic in the fibres so become useless for car cleaning.   There must be dozens of coatings out there but believe me the various  GTechniq coatings  are amazing and CSL is without doubt the easiest to apply.    If you leave it too long before you buff the panel you will have a big problem because it cures quickly and requires heavy machine cutting to remove it.   At £85 for 50ml it sounds pricey but will cover  a very large car and give 3-4 years real paint protection, much better than the best waxes.    Watch YouTube on GTechniq Crystal Serum Light to see how easy it is to apply after proper preparation.            

Thanks Steve. I've copied and saved that for future reference. I remember when you got the ES you posted photos and a lot of information about what you did to the paintwork at the time. Keep us posted on the long term results of your latest treatment.

[SH20]

Yes Ed, forgot to mention the Gtechniq C2 which is great for follow up quick detailing which effectively buffs the ceramic coating.    If you dilute it also, 1 part C2 to 20 parts water and spray it onto the car's surface or on your micro fibre drying towel/cloth when the car is still wet after a wash it lubricates the panel as you remove  the surface water.  The towel picks up the water but the C2 makes the cloth glide over the wet surface to minimise drag.   I had a LS460 in 2015 in Siena Red  so your Mesa Red  NX must look great with a ceramic coating.

[SH20]

Will do Jeff,  I've just ordered a cordless hand held blower with a nozzle air speed of 150mph to initially blow the bulk of the rinse water off the car after future washes. Going forward I want to minimise contact with the paint and  revert to minimum hand drying with high quality drying towels.   This will keep swirls and micro scratches to a minimum I hope.   

[First_Lexus]

13 hours ago, SH20 said:

Will do Jeff,  I've just ordered a cordless hand held blower with a nozzle air speed of 150mph to initially blow the bulk of the rinse water off the car after future washes. Going forward I want to minimise contact with the paint and  revert to minimum hand drying with high quality drying towels.   This will keep swirls and micro scratches to a minimum I hope.   

@SH20

I can recommend the Gyeon silk drying towel, it's a fantastic thing and very gentle on the paintwork.

This was my NX after a good clean about a month ago. 

[SH20]

Very smart Ed,  I thought about Mesa Red last year but I have this thing about black paint and tan coloured interiors  so opted for that instead.   If Lexus had offered a similar  version of  British Racing Green it would have been green and tan  but the green Lexus offered in 2019 was not something that ticked that box so black and tan it was.   Black paint can look like a black mirror if correctly looked after and Red also has that deep reflective quality that we all like.  Nice wheel contrast too.  Can't work out what interior you have.

[First_Lexus]

My interior is black leather. I had a problem with my first NX, and Lexus agreed to replace it as long as I took a car from stock (along with a free set of side steps and extra Winter wheels - the black ones currently fitted). Ironically the red wouldn't have been my choice, but now I've had it I love it! I would have preferred tan leather too, but the offer was far too generous to turn down because of something so minor...

 

[SH20]

I accept black paint will always give the most reflection compared to other colours like  white but the ceramic coating does give the deepest reflection as per the photo. 

[Eldavo]

A bit of #CoronaWork - Gtechniq C2V3 topped with Zymöl Concours Wax. 
 

I must say that whatever powdercoat finish Lexus do to their wheels, these are the easiest to clean out of any wheel I’ve ever cleaned! Keep meaning to C5 them but they come up amazingly with just a light wash. 

[SH20]

Your F Sport looks really good in blue Dave, very smart.    Yes I agree the wheels on Lexus cars clean very easily.