Tuxedo Black Focus ST with Essence and Gloss Coat

[Pats300zx]

Awesome work !!

[BadgerRivFan]

Thanks for providing a follow up/update to your initial post Nautical.

While trying to learn more about Essence by searching various forums, I believe I read somewhere along the way that Essence and Gloss-Coat were not recommended to be used together. I certainly don`t see why not, and I`m glad to see you tried it!

Will be curious to see how it works on your vehicle over time...

[RaysWay]

Figured I`d do a small update after almost a week. First, it seems that this coating really makes the metallic flake in the paint more noticeable. The past sealants I`ve used seemed to have muted the flake a little and since I`ve noticed this question comes up once and awhile I figured I`d address it. Second is that I am thoroughly impressed with how easy removing bird bombs are, which was a big reason I went with the coating in the first place.

Thanks for the update. I think the longer you have it on the car, the more you`re going to love coatings. Have you washed it yet? Watching all the dirt slide off the car after only rinsing fun. Which shampoo will you be using for maintenance? I would recommend getting a blower to dry most of the car without touching it in the future.

I can`t wait to Gloss-Coat my bike. I`ve had a syringe of Gloss-Coat on my desk for months now. But I told myself I`m going to wait for the RUPES iBrid Nano to polish the bike before coating it.

[Nautical]

Thanks for providing a follow up/update to your initial post Nautical.

While trying to learn more about Essence by searching various forums, I believe I read somewhere along the way that Essence and Gloss-Coat were not recommended to be used together. I certainly don`t see why not, and I`m glad to see you tried it!

Will be curious to see how it works on your vehicle over time...

From what I was seeing, CarPro really couldn`t comment on how it`d work with other coatings, which is to be expected. I went in knowing there is always the possibility of premature failure, but that`s just how it is without several long term tests being posted.

Thanks for the update. I think the longer you have it on the car, the more you`re going to love coatings. Have you washed it yet? Watching all the dirt slide off the car after only rinsing fun. Which shampoo will you be using for maintenance? I would recommend getting a blower to dry most of the car without touching it in the future.

I can`t wait to Gloss-Coat my bike. I`ve had a syringe of Gloss-Coat on my desk for months now. But I told myself I`m going to wait for the RUPES iBrid Nano to polish the bike before coating it.

I haven`t washed it yet but I`m excited to see how it differs from the sealants I was accustomed to. As for soap, I have DP Wash & Gloss, Blackfire Wet Diamond and Hyper Wash. I plan to try each one and see if there is any noticeable difference. And for drying, I`ve been using the DP blower which is also a reason I went with a coating. Once the sealants start losing their hydrophobic properties it becomes a lengthy process trying to blow dry the whole car.

[The Guz]

Came out great.

The optimum guys have said gloss coat is not compatible with essence. Even on the FB detailing groups. But keep us updated on how both work out.

I imagine it would hard to tell if the coating fails prematurely given that Essence states a durability of 1 year.

[Nautical]

Came out great.

The optimum guys have said gloss coat is not compatible with essence. Even on the FB detailing groups. But keep us updated on how both work out.

I imagine it would hard to tell if the coating fails prematurely given that Essence states a durability of 1 year.

Hmm, I never saw that. The only thing I recall seeing was that they were unsure if it would work together. But I wouldn`t expect Optimum to test Essence as a base seeing as it`s a competitors product, so I would think their reasoning for why it wouldn`t work is speculation. But oh well, I know there`s a possibility of premature failure and if that happens I`ll just polish it off and try another coating.

And I imagine that I`ll be able to tell when the coating starts falling off as the properties should be sightly different than what Essence provides. Either way, it was kind of experimental in the first place so we`ll see.

[zerix]

I`ve found CarPro Reset is a perfect soap for Gloss-Coat, restores the beading to brand new, removes all kinds of road grime, bugs, and those ugly bug gut trails you can get when it rains. Great soap!

[Nautical]

Figured I`d bump this to give anyone interested an update on the coating with essence. My car recently needed some bodywork done and now the driver`s side fender and partial door are uncoated, so in the next few weeks or so I`ll be removing Gloss Coat and trying another coating. I will say that I had no issues or complaints with GC and I`m only trying another coating because this is Autopia and why not.

With that being said, here are some pictures from what may be my final wash before I remove GC.
Here`s the door that needed a partial polishing thanks to the accident. You can see the GC on the right and the uncoated side on the left.


And a final close up with overcast skies.




Final thoughts are that the coating seemed to be doing its job and still had a pretty good shine to it, although a decon wash would probably give it a little more pop and helped sheet water a little better like originally. I also never used any toppers or coating boosters either so that likely would`ve helped as well.

I may do another write up again when I redo the car with Polish Angel Primer and coat it with Cosmic V2 to track its effectiveness and overall longevity. Hopefully this helped anyone curious about Essence plus Gloss Coat and how it held up down the road. Too bad I couldn`t test it`s overall longevity, but it is what it is.

[Billy Baldone]

Great write up. And updates. I wanted a FoST, but just couldn`t do it. I had a13 Titanium Fucus, and when the time came I ended up with a 2 door GTI. More rear passenger room, instant fold flat seats, and I am geeked out by the interlagos interior. But I still love the FoST. Yours looks crazy good

[jatleson]

Ohio plates, shorts in February and palm trees? Could there be a move in there between first post and recent update?

[Nautical]

Ohio plates, shorts in February and palm trees? Could there be a move in there between first post and recent update?

Ha yeah. I moved a month after I made this write up from NE Ohio to the east coast of Central Florida and never looked back!