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I am looking for the "best" coating regime to put on a black car to get the deepest, darkest, wettest, looking finish possible.
I realize that the preparation has more to do with the outcome - but the coating products also add some depth, darkening, etc.
I have been looking at GTechniq and Kamikaze... along with Gyeon`s Duraflex.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks!
Unless you are a professional you won`t be getting your hands on Gyeon Durflex. Unless you have a buddy that is going to hook you up under the table.
Right... I will have a pro do it...
I just have to know which product I want...
I love the look of CQuK3 on my shadow black mustang. Topped with Gyeon Cancoat and PA Cosmic Spritz. Gloss was another level.
I will be coating My black Chevelle in spring. I was all set to go Kamikaze (miyabi/Zipang) but have been so impressed with Cquartz I may wait to see more about their new Silica Carbide coating.
Between the two I’d go Kamikaze. Not read or was impressed with the Gtechniq coating i saw in real life.
I do like their auxiliary products and coating. Fabric has been a thoroughly impressive product.
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Avoid Gtechniq... really overhyped paint coatings.
I`m a big fan of Kamikaze stuff so take the info below with that in mind, my objectivity may be skewed...there`s countless ways to `skin the cat` with regards to coatings and YMMV. That said...
1. Gyeon Duraflex: Being a pro-only coating I have never used it but a Gyeon rep told me that Syncro (Mohs + Skin), which I have used, is a consumer approximation of the Duraflex (Base + Flexi) pro offering. Nice gloss, slickest coating I`ve used, strikingly entertaining water behavior, beading is mind-bending. This is mostly due to the silicone-based top coat Skin which sits on top of the base Mohs. Unfortunately the Skin topcoat faded after a few months. I`d guess Duraflex w its Base + Flexi topcoat would look and perform similarily but probably a bit tougher/durable.
2. Gtechniq: I have used Crystal Serum Light (CSL) on 2 vehicles. First was CSL + C2V3 (their reccomended spray sealant) which was abysmal in the self-cleaning department; I was happy when it (C2V3) wore off. The base CSL was a nice coating, pretty tough stuff with a look that was glossy without a ton of the `candy` look of many coatings. Not overly entertaining on it`s own w regards to water behavior though.
I also gave CSL w their `ultra hydrophobic` topcoat, EXOV4 on top a try. It was OK, I think EXOV4 is kinda weak though and while it did have good, fun water behavior, I dunno if I`d call it `ultra hydrophobic`. In the end, it didn`t work that well for me but *tons* of folks find it wonderful so maybe it was just me. :shrug:
If you`re having a pro install they may be using the pro-only version, Crystal Serum Ultra, an apparently crazy durable coating, one of the *very* few I`ve seen that folks suggest needs wet sanding to remove.
Dunno, the Gtechniq coatings just dont do that well for me which is kinda a bummer; IMO they have some of the best product naming I`ve seen with Crystal Serum, Liquid Crystal and Crystal Lacquer...that stuff just plain sounds glossy [emoji1].
CSL is also one of the most enjoyable coatings to apply, just somehow fun to use.
3. Kamikaze: No secret that this is my favorite, stuff just plain works for me. They have a few different coatings so you can use each as a stand-alone or mix & match/layer them if you want to tweak looks and durability.
On my black 2017 Honda Accord I first had Miyabi x 2, ISM 1.0 which lasted 24 months, 42k miles in daily driver use in NE Ohio. I now have Miyabi x 2 with ISM 2.0 on top on most of the car, only about 3k miles in after 3 months.
On wife`s black 2004 Corvette, Miyabi x 2, ISM 1.0 was still doing great after 18 months when car was sold.
Wife`s Aegean Blue `16 Honda Civic had Miyabi x 2, ISM 1.0 on it for 3 years, 17k non-freeway miles, likely performing 85% as applied in Summer 2019 when I removed it to try Miyabi + Zipang on it which is doing wonderful after a year. Car doesnt see a lot of hard use which is why things generally last considerably longer on this car.
2016 Cayman has Zipang-Miyabi-Zipang on it, applied in September 2019, 12k miles or so since, still stunning on metallic gray paint. Car sees daily use `in season` but no Winters. With the forgiving paint color and shape of the car I can drive this thing through 200 miles of rain on the freeway and still not feel the need to wash it.
Based upon visual wants you mention, ISM 1.0 alone or the Miyabi base w ISM 1.0 on top might be nice. ISM 1.0 has a bit more of a wax look to it than the overt, sharp gloss of Miyabi or the touch of candy-type gloss that Zipang or ISM 2.0.
Worth noting these are all personal observations of a garage hobbyist and the visual cues I see and like may be real...or all in my head. At the end of the day I just feel better about my cars when done in Kamikaze and there may be no definitive rhyme or reason behind it [emoji1]
If you`d like more detail about the various combos/particulars of the Kami products, I keep my notes here about Kami stuff: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/kamikaze-coatings/
And somewhere towards the bottom here I ramble on in more detail about why I finally settled on Kami as my `bestest`: https://budgetplan1.wordpress.com/gl...atings/#MYBEST
Best of luck with whatever you choose, will be interested to see and hear about your final decision and results.[emoji41]
Edit: I`ve also got Miyabi + ISM 1.0 and Miyabi + Zipang on a few fleet vans at work and it does well in a, uh...`limited maintenance` situations, another reason it works well for me. I often ignore our 2 Honda`s in the Summer, sometimes for a month or so and they always clean up nicely and easily. Not all coatings I`ve used seem to like that much.
Haven`t used Kamikaze but I have used CSL and Exo. I used Exo V3 and I didn`t have any issues with it. Held up nicely and good water behavior. I have heard some don`t like V4. I have not used it. CSL is pretty good. One layer and easy to use. Just not as hydrophobic as other coatings. So this is where Exo comes into play.
Most of us on here are doing the application of coatings ourselves so you may not get a lot of feedback on the pro only coatings.
All the coating your name are probably all great product but I can second the Gtechniq coatings just didnt really do it for me. Cquartz UK has a great look to it a lot of people love the beading of the product myself included but I like the look of my paint most with CquartzUK. It’s easy enough that any one could apply I would say average difficulty in applying.
It pretty much was this YouTube video 6 years ago that started everything for Kamikaze - and their Miyabi coat and ISM coat combo.
The still pictures starting @2:45 and on, and then the video @3:50 are nothing short of stunning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoNc-7uollE