I'm a professional detailer near Chicago, IL. This was my first venture into paint coatings and my initial impression is that this stuff is awesome! In fact most DIY car enthusiasts avoid trying ceramic installs because the word of mouth is that it's difficult or someone they know had a horrible experience installing it on their pride and joy. Awesome coating, was easy to apply but wasn't my first time coating. Applicator: This one works, but I would suggest getting the Cquartz suede applicators I have in the store. It can be topped with exo for added hydrophobic behavior but csl by itself is much slicker. There are so many of these new girls in school now. None of the above really matters to me any longer because I've found my preference. A ceramic bead is almost a perfect circle, it looks like a perfect bead of water almost hovering on your paint! But this is my DD and I really don't care that much since it is white. Highly recommend this coating! But you need to look past the face value numbers especially if you're used to buying ceramic sealant like Gyeon Cure for $35. Good Coating for the average retail market price. I chose to use new, high quality 70/30 blend microfibers for the job. If you are coating your car outside, then we recommend you do it in the shade. I deconned, corrected, and wiped down with Eraser. I used C1 And EVO before they came out with Crystal Light Serum, After using CLS I wont use anything else. We will ship your items as soon as we get them. We are eager to find us as much as you are! I like it and will continue to use it. I put it on my Audi S6 phantom black pearl paint over a year ago and it's still holding up great, water glides right off. Goes on smooth and wait for it to flash and removes with ease. I have done multiple vehicles with this coating, just csl on one and csl topped with exov3 on the other. You don't want to have a bunch of extra. So you basically remove it almost right after you put it on if you work in a uniform fashion. Price, easy application, looks great in different humidity conditions, water bead is very good. The high density ceramic layer is resistant to chemicals ranging from pH2 - pH12. Haven't washed it yet so I can't comment much other than initial impression is very positive. Really adds a nice deep gloss, I could see the areas on my car that I hadn't applied it to. Use a foam cannon as often as possible and dry with a electric leaf blower or high quality drying towels. I basically do one full line across the pad. Get your Gtechniq CSL on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3bBaP7L. Top notch product, a 30ml bottle used on an average size sedan will leave you with enough left over to do a small car or if you missed a spot, touch up and then some. Crystal Serum Light is the little brother to product in this video. They resist temperatures as low as -40o to as high as +250o C. Every product on this store is used in our detail shop daily. I truly don't think I had the right polish/pad combo to perfect the paint, as there are still some imperfections,. Just applied this to a friends car yesterday and like C1 & EXO, application was easy, only time consuming. The name says all, very good product. The surface was scratch-free and slick as expected. Deep breathalmost all of the other products I now have in the OG store were very simple for me. Does what is described. The EXO is fantastic of top of C1, but when putting it over CS light, I feel like I'm ruining the finish. It doesn't look as good as ISM or Nano Resin Pro, but I think it's durability is likely going to be better. Results are glassy like shine. Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light Ceramic Coating application process. EXO is much more easy to work with and forgiving. Ceramic coatings can be difficult to install. I want to offer you the one I use. I have been applying coatings for approximately 4years and CSL was easy to apply, extreme slickness and gloss. When the time comes I'll def use this product again to protect my paint. Combining the high cost and being highly labor intensive (both with prep and application), all of the frontline ceramic coatings should continue to raise the bar in product longevity and lower per unit product cost. I've even tried it in direct sunlight once and had no issues at all. It's super user friendly. Once you coat a panel it is advised to wait for about one minute so the solution can settle on the worked area. It started out with almost a slight tack to it, but as I continued to massage it into the paint, it would clear up and get really slick. Applied in a 55 degree warehouse, easy as could be. I have applied CQuartz to several vehicles prior. The up to 5 years test is realistic as we know for sure that some Ceramic Coatings, with proper maintenance and care, can achieve such longevity. Cars that see 3 to 4 years are daily driven and rack up a lot of miles. i had to take the coating off and apply a different brand. Just finished putting this on my 2006 Lexus SC430 and was very impressed by the ease of use and beautiful high gloss finish. After using for a few times and getting use to this product I would definitely recommend this product to anyone it's very user friendly and if you f up it's very easy to remove will continue to use. I contacted Gtechniq. Very good, protects the paint well compared to other products. Top with EXO for crazy beading or maintain with C2V3. When you top Crystal Serum Light with EXO V4 and create a Dual Layer Coating you can see up to 7 Years of durability! If you do a full hood by the time you apply it and wipe from where you started to remove you will be good to go. First use of the CSL. Work panel by panel, so don't try to apply CSL to the entire car and then remove it from the entire car. You don't want to have a bunch of extra. Sets up nicely and easy to fix height spots. It will require 2-3 wipes to remove so have lots of towels ready! Have not applied it to the car as of yet but I can. During the six days you can drive the car but should not wash it unless it gets covered in bird poo or salt or something that would be considered heavy dirt. Don't rush! We are here to find and recommend the best Ceramic Coating for your car on the market, all in one easy to use website. Great shine and feel to the touch. I resently applied Crystal Serum Light and Exo v4 to my 2011 Audio A6, after a full 2- step minor paint correction. How did Gtechniq CSL Ceramic Coating perform? Easy to apply and great durability. I've been using C1 & Exo for about (3) years now & love the combination of the two. When finished, you want the car to look amazing because the way it will look then will be how it will likely look for the next five years, if that is indeed the lifetime of this Ceramic Coating. When you're looking at a $100 product like CSL or a $95 product like EXO V4 or maybe you're looking at doing both it is hard to call that good value. Can't comment on the durability, but I've had C1/EXO on my personal car and it's been going strong for 8 months and this is supposed to be better. Serum Light forms an ultra- durable, high-gloss, slick to the touch, chemically bonding inorganic layer of 9h optically clear ceramic. Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light Ceramic Coating has certainly proven itself as a very good Ceramic Coating product and bumped up Gtechniq as a company in our eyes. Used CSL in the past used other CC products and find CSL to be one of the best user friendly products. If you buff an area too late or forget to buff it, you will likely have to compound or polish the defective area, degrease it, and coat again for safe measure instead of potentially leaving an ugly, noticeable spot on an otherwise great-looking vehicle. The reason for that is that in direct sunlight you will have a much higher car surface temperature and the Ceramic Coatings flashing point will be reached more quickly. You can knock out two cars with 50ml but on a full size car 30ml gets you thinking "will I have enough?". But it does claim to be the thickest and most durable Ceramic Coating in the industry and that you would be able to remove it only using 1500 grit sandpaper or something more aggressive. And living in Florida it holds up very well. You can use a cross hatch pattern too. You want to see the product almost start to bead or sweat. You MUST have near perfect or perfect paint to get a proper bond and excellent results out of any coating, CSL is no different. Wiped off just as easily! You will have to wait anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute or two. The first is my 2017 Infiniti Q60 Premium in Majestic White. Tried a bunch of coatings until I tried CSL / EXO and never turned back. Very difficult to remove if you installed it incorrectly or don't want it on the paint any longer, More susceptible to mineral deposit or water spots, Lasts longer than waxes or sealants, but may not look as good, Generally requires more detailed maintenance to keep looking proper. In my opinion this is pound for pound the best consumer available coating on the market. -Once Crystal Serum is on you should wait at least 24 hours to drive the car, especially in rain! I've now coated two cars with this. - Paint correction or a light polish with a DA polisher is recommended. 30ml Bottle: This will do at least 2 car the way that I use it. - Use a clean microfiber towel and wipe the ceramic off the panel. GTechniq CSL has become my top favorite ceramic coating to offer to my clients! Ok, so let's see what this Ceramic Coating is all about: considered the thickest, most durable ceramic coating. Easy to apply and remove, although one has to lay close attention. I was surprised at exactly how easy this was to apply, hardly any buffing needed. It's best to have extra on hand if you need to touch something up or you get a fender bender and need to re-coat after the body shop does it's work. This will make your ceramic bond stronger and increase durability. Every product on this site is a professional level car care product that can be used by the enthusiasts. I was very interested in coatings and after looking into the alternatives, I chose Crystal Serum Light. There was barely any there. Results were excellent! Very good results so far! I also did a section of the Raptor with Nano Resin Pro that looked and was applied much like ISM. Since the coating will cure for the next 1 week, we will wait until that period has passed to get real-world results. So if you do not want to sit through all of this text, you can scroll down to the Average Grade and read our Final Thoughts to get a general idea of what the product is all about. You want to make sure you have covered everything at this point because it can be a bother to have to reapply Ceramic Coatings after you have realized a mistake has been made. We simulated rain using an extension on the water hose that gives multiple modes of water distribution and were pleased to see the water sheeting really well and fast and leaving an almost dry surface with only very few water beads here and there. After the 2 weeks of driving, washing, and checking we found Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light Ceramic Coating didn't lose any effectiveness after those ten washes with a bit rougher car shampoo, if you may. Makes car washes much easier. The gloss and hydrophobic properties are outstanding. EXO will have more swirl resistance, more gloss, and best of all it bumps the hydrophobic qualities to an unbelievable level! The above durability is listed as if it were installed in perfect conditions and cured in perfect conditions. But for the price, ease of use, and results, I would definitely use this again. Tested the car I applied it to. It wait to see the results when applied to a Destroyer Grey Charger. The proper install is when you leave CSL on for an initial cure and then remove when it's just right and ready for removal. A professional Ceramic Coating installation is well over $1000 and a 2 year coating will often run close to $2000. Cant speak for endurance at this time as I am a newby to csl. This characteristic also makes bonded contaminants such as tree sap, tar, and hard water spots, easy to remove. Always make sure you are not using the product in direct sunlight, no matter what the manufacturer claims the product can or cannot do. Nothing beads water like a true ceramic coating. Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light is by far the best consumer available coating on the market. Not easily remove if you let it dry too long or have high spot. Effective, but dangerous and damaging for both you and your car. I did find the application somewhat difficult, I have smears in certain areas. I've probably coated at least 15 vehicles with GTechniq Crystal Serum Lite or EXO by now and smile every time I use it. Certainly a recommendation and Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light Ceramic Coating handles itself well among the top brands on the market. This item is shipped from our warehouse at OGHQ in Lady Lake, FL. Application and removal were easy. All in all a definite winner for ease of use, wide application temp range from 38F to 80F makes it an early 'spring possible' product for those in colder climates. I'll be anxious to see how it holds up over time. So much so, I almost didn't think it was worth it to top with the EXO, but did anyway. Directions were easy to follow and didn't leave any guess work. We inspected the coating further using a flashlight to check for those hard-to-see swirl marks, especially in the bottom parts of the car where most of the dirt and grime would hit the paint. Let cure for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, then apply a coat of. It's been 2-3 weeks since I've applied and have had a chance to see the great hydrophobic qualities of the products, no water marks left behind whatsoever. Just have to be patient in the preparation of the paint and following the directions exactly. My color is dark blue and it looks like the application is flawless. Love this stuff, goes on smooth with easy wipe off. I have ISM on my RS and had it on my Gen 2 Raptor. This is one of the easiest coatings ever. When Ceramic Coating your care, you need to be aware of where you are performing the procedure, what the temperature is, and if you are doing it in a garage or outside. My new go to coating. Those two are the most "wax-like" I've encountered. Serum Light offers 80% of Professional Serums performance, but if applied incorrectly can be machine polished from your vehicles paintwork. This step should be used almost no matter what but can be skipped if on a budget. Your durability will be worse but you will lower your chances for mistakes and high spots a lot! Decided to give CSL a shot since I really like their G4 trim coating. My son has done dozens of cars with this and with 2 persons was easy to buff off excess as he applied another section. Most of them I have been using for years or there is a very clear front runner for use in my garage. - Clay bar the paint if it feels rough after the paint is clean from the wash. - If the paint is still rough or has small rust spots use CarPro Iron X. CSL is basically as easy as applying a traditional wax! Rub the ceramic into the paint in a cross hatch method. Obsessed Garage "Please Do Not Wash" Mirror Hang, Hose & Quick Disconnect Kits for Pressure Washers. Extremely easy to apply and leaves a glass like finish. We are leaving an affiliate link to all our review products but in case the product turns out to be of low quality or not as all as advertised we leave a warning to all our readers and the quality of the product will always be reflected in the grade we assign to it at the end of every review. Dripper: Works fine for me. Get Exclusive Sales, Coupons, Detailing Articles & More, Initial Impressions: Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL), Initial Impressions & Application: Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL). Proper washing and avoiding automatic car washes is very important. The gloss level was amazing! Preparation is the key, very easy to apply with outstanding results.Good job detailed image keep on bringing good product. Applicator Block. 9 out of 10 times I recommend you get the 50ml bottle. The detail process began with prewash and (2) bucket contact wash, next applied Gyeon Iron & tar remover followed by clay bar treatment. As a professional Detailer I have worked with many Professional Coatings. Very slick feeladded C2v3 Crystal Crystal after letting cure for an hour or 2, should help with water behavior. After that, you want to buff the whole area to a glossy shine. Click on Out of Stock in the footer for the most recent stock updates. It turned a milky white color and when I went to apply it to my 2nd car it began to cure white. This was my first coating I ever applied to my vehicle myself and I was definitely nervous about messing up my paint! - Now we can lay ceramic down! Before the first wash, you could clearly see that the coating is handling the dirt really well. This is the best time to wipe off. I've installed it on 4 vehicles and I will continue to use it. As far as application, I found the application of CQuartz was fairly easy. Shake the bottle, open it and get a few drops of the ceramic solution onto the applicator and start working on one panel, covering the whole panel using a criss-cross pattern to ensure full coverage. Tip: get the 50ml if you have a larger car or SUV (especially if you will do extra surfaces like door jambs). We have seen similar claims on other Ceramic Coating products before, so nothing too crazy. Serum Light offers 80% of Professional Serums performance, but if applied incorrectly can be machine polished from your vehicles paintwork. Not the greatest beading, but it sheets like crazy and makes for an incredibly fast and easy wash process for years to come. It is all in the prep. This coating is not like quartz coatings where you need to let them flash. Application is smooth and easy. To me the exo took some of the candy sparkle from the csl but still looked very glossy. Do the hood in 2-4 sections for example. 2014 Ford E250 Econoline panel van used maybe 30ml of the 50ml bottle. CSL adds scratch resistance and will resist swirl marks which is especially helpful on dark colored cars. Okay, I've done two more cars with the C1/EXO combo and have waited 1, 6 and 12 hours to apply the EXO. I recommend this to all of my customers. A winner so far. This removes any left over polish oils and even if you didn't polish, it will still remove all dirt and left over residue from the paint. We will wash the car at the end of almost every day up to a maximum of 10 washes using regular, non-pH-neutral car shampoo. I applied it to my brand new SUV after polishing the paint and using the panel wipe to remove polishing oils. If you are passionate about cars and taking care of your car with the best car care products, then you found your new home. Also I used Essence to finish prep. The 2 year variation is for how well you care for it and how much use the car will see and how good your install is. I've been very vocal of my apprehensions when it comes to a coating for either the paint or wheels. It does have some drawbacks but are minor in the grand scheme of things. Took about 3 1/2 hours on a Mazda 3 coat. To learn how to prepare the paint of your car for paint protection, click here. Very nice results! Also, the curing procedure might not be finished correctly due to UV radiation. Notwithstanding their knowledge of this issue, they failed/refused to warn of this issue and imo putting people's prized cars at risk. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. CSL will also sheet water very quickly! This item is not currently in stock. The ceramic will cure for 6 days after the initial 24 hours. Just a few drops per 2' x 2' section. Not with CSL though! There are lots of great coatings on the market, but I don't want to be a retailer. I hope it holds up. I have 2 minor issues with application. Practice makes perfect as you learn how the product behaves in different temperatures. The video does a great job of explaining ceramic coatings and is from the same manufacture of Crystal Serum Light. The slickness is very important so it doesn't leave the full vehicle covered in water beads because if those are not removed soon after contact and are let to evaporate on the car's paint, they will leave all those minerals, that the water droplets contained, embedded into the coating or worse. This stuff is amazing. Offers just as god swirl resistance as anything else, and superior chemical resistance to everything ive tested. Better to do it right the first time. It doesstart to sweat after just a few minutes in my Hawaii weather, but it was plenty of time for me to cover about a quarter of a hood and wipe off with no issues. When you apply EXO you wait roughly one minute and then remove it. I'm glad with my purchase. The csl only coated the vehicle, I have done multiple coats, 3 to be exact and the gloss and candy just seemed to be getting more and more after each coat. One will be for an initial wipe and other for final wipe. Will be buying more. Or new car. The product is easy to apply and the results are fantastic. I narrowed it down to 4 that I was considering. Automatic car washes should be avoided at all costs and the car should only be hand washed or automatic but full touchless washes. We've rinsed the area with water, dried it, inspected it under a flashlight, and - surprisingly it seemed intact. It's a good quality coating, works great! I had a previous ceramic coating that was on its last legs that I removed prior to install with a clay bar, rewashed, and used the recommended Panel wipe. As you do more installs you will see how the product works and be more comfortable pushing the limits of the initial cure time. This stuff is amazing, my paint is very slick and shiny. I like it! Great coating! Stay tuned to see how we go about the application process for Gtehniq CLS, how this product performs, the grade we will assign to its name, and our overall thoughts on this product when compared to its competition. This is my second use of CSL. I also apply a sealant ~ 3 months, usually Black Fire Wet Diamond or Jescar Powerlock. I use the blue foam applicator from Optimum because it takes much less product. Using the foam bar and suede cloth also helped me cut down the amount of CSL I used so I had a half-bottle left over. Covering a much larger area than the 2x2 with the second MF really helped. Break up panels into 2 or 3 sections so you have a manageable working area. As you get more comfortable you can do larger sections. It is a tremendously robust Ceramic Coating that will deliver 3 to 5 years of durability. Well after the prep work i begin to apply. MY fifth different name brand coating applied. Great product all around! Gloves This is the real deal. Firstly, CQuartz recommends 2 coats which is not a big deal but it is time consuming. Once we have coated the entire car, we have let it overnight inside the garage so it can have its first 24 hours to harden. I apply in a cross hatch pattern. This product went bad within a month after opening. It was still sheeting almost at the same rate regarding speed and effectiveness and leaving only a very small amount of water beads on the surface, definitely indicating that it hasn't lost almost any of its hydrophobic properties and most importantly slickness. At this time I can only comment on application and initial impressions. Buyer's beware and be forewarned. I usually split a hood down the middle and a door in two sections too. The perfect time to remove is different depending on temperature and humidity. Our final thoughts on Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light Ceramic Coating? Having used CSL on a few vehicles now, what finally convinced me was when I tried a new technology coating that was noticeably less effective with water beading in just a few months.