Review: The Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating V2 DISCLAIMER/DISCLOSURE: This product (50ml Ceramic Coating) was provided to me at no cost by Richard Wright of The Gloss Shop. Had used V1 of this product last Winter/Spring. Also in the box was 30ml of the not-yet-released Rim & Trim Coating. Finally, coating a car is not gonna cost me any $$. Well, sorta anyway. Product Details (From Vendor Web Site): -One coating to protect all non-porous surfaces...paint, glass, plastic trim, wheels and bare metal. -Up to 2 years durability with proper maintenance. -Odorless Made in the USA and VOC compliant in all 50 states. The Gloss Shop has just released version two of it Ceramic Coating! What's different you ask? Version two has a much higher silica content, increasing its durability and providing more scratch resistance. Not to worry though, the new formula is just as easy to apply as version one. Are you ready for the next generation of automotive surface protection? Ceramic coatings are much more durable than standard carnauba waxes and paint sealants. In fact, one application of the Gloss Shop's Ceramic Coating will last up to 2 years when properly maintained. The Gloss Shop's easy to use ceramic coating offers your car long term protection from the elements. With one bottle of Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating, you can protect all non-porous surfaces on your car such as your paint, glass, plastic trim, wheels and bare metal surfaces. And since it comes in a 50 ml bottle, you can apply it to all of these surfaces without having to purchase multiple bottles or multiple products, saving you money. Unlike most coatings on the market, Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating is made in the USA and is VOC compliant in all 50 states. It is also odorless, making application pleasant. Prior to application of Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating, you will want to properly prep your car. You will need to wash, clay, decontaminate and, if desired, polish your paint. Once you have finished prepping your car, you will want to use a product such as Optimum Paint Prep to make sure any silicone or wax if fully removed from the surfaces you want to coat. You are now ready to apply your coating. Make sure to shake the bottle well. You want to work out of direct sunlight and have an ambient temperature of 60-85° F. Pour a few drops onto the included microfiber applicator and wipe onto the surface. Work in sections no larger than 2 ft. x 2 ft. and wipe in a crosshatch pattern, making sure to get complete coverage. Allow 1-5 minutes dry time before gently wiping away any residue with the included short pile microfiber towels. Do not use heavy pressure when wiping. The cooler the ambient temperature the longer your dry time, but make sure not to cross over the 5 minute mark as the residue will become grabby and require additional effort to remove. When applying to glass, only allow 1-2 minutes of dry time. Once you have finished applying Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating, make sure the car is not exposed to water within the first 24 hours. To allow for proper curing, you will have to wait 1 week before you can wash your coated car. You will also need to throw out the applicator and towels you used with the coating. The residue on them will crystallize in the fibers, making the rough and abrasive. Included in this kit: (1) Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating, 50 ml (1) Microfiber Applicator (2) Short Pile 380 GSM Microfiber Towels (color may vary) (2) Black Nitrile Gloves Application note from Facebook Page: Just a reminder for those who install our ceramic coating: Only one layer is necessary. IF you decide to layer our ceramic coating, wait at least 24 hours before laying down the second coat. The coating needs time to setup and applying a second layer too soon may remove some of the first layer. This may cause premature failure and we are not liable for this. Price: $59.99 for 50ml bottle Coating Application: Disposable Plastic Pipette Microsuede applicator cloths Microfiber Coating Application Cloths: 1st pass: Carbon Black Edgeless Microfiber Polishing Cloth 2nd pass/final buff: EDGELESS 70/30 PLUSH DUAL PILE MICROFIBER TOWEL (420 GSM) Vehicle: 2011 Ford Ranger, 41K miles – Torch Red Prep: Gyeon Foam, rinse, Sonax Fallout cleaner, apply, agitate a bit with foam pad, rinse, Gyeon Bathe w/ Nanoskin Medium Prep mitt, rinse, dry, Gyeon Prep wipe down Compound/Polish: Flex 3401, M101 w/ Gray LC Force Hybrid Heavy foam cutting pad, HD Polish+ w/ White LC Force Hybrid foam polishing pad. Application notes: Slight chemical smell to the coating, a bit thicker in consistency than V1. Ended up popping off the ‘standard’ coating bottle drip cap and drawing coating out of bottle with disposable plastic pipette. Much more controlled method of applying to applicator. I generally apply the coatings with the standard block/microsuede cloths and started out doing a panel or 2 with these. Applied easily and evenly, pretty much standard coating fare. I then switched to the Esoteric microfiber application cloths. These cloths recently became available and were described as a good option where linting is an issue during application, a problem that seems to exist in my garage since mid-summer. Anyway, application with these was quite easy, they hold more material for longer, don’t dry out and get grabby like microsuede seems to do after a few panels. I like ‘em and will use next week when doing Gyeon Mohs. Ended up using just one for entire car, and it was still smoothly gliding over surface at end of job with no grabbiness. They hold a lot of product in a state where it can still be applied, even panels. Coated the entire vehicle with these much quicker than I ever had before, would be a real advantage for coatings with rather forgiving apply/buff of times…little bit of product goes a long way on these. As for the coating itself, it’s able to cover paint, trim, glass, rims and metal surfaces. I used it on paint and trim. I believe I read somewhere that it is a high-solids coating, akin to 22ple HPC and Gtechniq CSL. Anyway following are some totally subjective views of The Gloss Ceramic Coating V2: My first thoughts were that it’s a product that has the versatility of Kamikaze ISM with the appearance and ‘feel’ of 22ple HPC. I applied it to paint, plastic trim…even the flat, oxidized wiper arms of the truck. The paint took on a highly glossy, molten-glass look (i.e. 22ple HPC) and being able to slather it on plastic trim (chrome grill and black plastic lower bumper, wheel well spats and door handles, windows moldings, etc) meant not really having to avoid those areas like some other coatings (Kamikaze ISM is an ‘all-surface’ coating as well). The black plastic bits took on an appearance of nicely dressed pieces and the wiper arms were rejuvenated to a like-new appearance. I applied on a nice, low humidity, 73 degree day here in Northeast Ohio and the coating flashed to the ‘rainbow effect’ state within a minute of being applied to the surface. I stretched out wipe-off from 1 minute to 5 to 6 minute intervals on different panels. Towards the upper end of that range, it would get a little tacky during removal, but still easily removed without pulling lint from the towel. I ended up at around 1-2 minutes, coating an entire panel and then going back to remove without much of a wait and it came off nicely. the amount of area you can cover with one of the microfiber applicator cloths and the 1-2 minute removal time, I ended up coating the vehicle quicker than I have ever coated one before, not really moving like a possessed maniac but with a methodical, quick approach. Even doing the trim/black plastic I ran into, it was a very quick process, completed in about 30-35 minutes. The paint was reasonably slick to the touch afterwards, with that soft, smooth feel of a freshly coated surface. Much like the 22ple HPC appearance, it kinda smoothed over edges and body transitions in a visually pleasing manner. It had a deepness to it that is a bit less of the somewhat sharper 22ple HPC gloss, somewhere nicely in the Gyeon Mohs ‘warmer gloss’ and the bright 22ple HPC gloss. I didn’t notice that it darkened the paint any. For those interested, the applicator cloths were somewhat hardened the next day, able to stand on edge with a slight crystalline feel to them (especially the microfiber application cloth). Not as rigidly stiff after use as some I have used (Kamikaze Miyabi) but definitely a ‘solidifying effect’. At the end of the day, I’m thinking that if The Gloss Shop Ceramic coating has ‘legs’ and the durability, self cleaning and hydrophobic effects hold up over the long term, it’s in the same league as 22ple HPC at about 1/3 of the cost….(22ple HPC was one of my top picks with regard to the now-14 coatings I have tried over the past 18 months). It has a ‘substantial’ feel to it during application and leaves a pleasing feel to the paint after application the look is deep and pleasing without being retina-burning in terms of some coatings, hard-gloss look. Again, if it holds up and reaches near the durability claimed, they really have something special here at an unbelievable low cost. Given the suggestion of 1-coat only (a’ la Kamikaze ISM) a 50ml bottle would easily cover two somewhat large vehicles, including Trim, knocking it down to a cost of $25 per vehicle for a solid, good looking and (hopefully) well performing Ceramic Coating. Being an American-made, America- developed product that gives high performance at a low cost would certainly make it stand out and even stand above some more mainstream coatings. It’s finally gonna rain here this week so I look forward to seeing how the bare coating does w/ respect to shedding, sheeting, beading water and if it leaves water spots going forward. I guess I’ll be maintaining going forward this winter using The Gloss Shop Trifecta concentrate as a Rinseless (winter is coming at some point here in NE Ohio) to keep within the recommended product family. The Trifecta product description indicates that it ...safely cleans and coats your vehicle in a high gloss, durable synthetic wax coating. While that is kinda counter-intuitive to the ‘no wax or sealant on top of coating’ thinking, it also states that Trifecta was originally designed to safely clean and maintain ceramic coated vehicles, specifically The Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating. We put in extra time and work to make sure that Trifecta will clean and protect even vehicles without wax protection. Trifecta is pH neutral and will not strip waxes or sealants, in fact it builds upon your existing protection extending overall durability! I’d guess at some point I just wont’ be able to resist dropping some Kamikaze Overcoat on there but am trying to hold off to see how the coating alone does with the recommended maintenance products. Since I’m pretty sure I could top a brick with Overcoat and it would sheet water off, really don’t wanna skew the findings of theGloss Shop products on their own: Quick note on the included Gloss Shop Rim & Trim Coating, which I don’t believe is available yet. It compares very favorably to Gyeon Trim, but is a bit easier to use very easy to wipe in/on, even in grooved plastic areas like rear bumper steps. Wipes off very nicely after about 3 minutes, less grabby than Gyeon Trim. The finish it leaves is a nice ‘Just Out Of The Box’, new look to plastic while the Ceramic Coating leaves a more ‘dressed’ look after use on plastics/trim. The Wheel & Trim left a very nice, somewhat glossy but not overpowering look to the aluminum (clearcoated) wheels…very pleasing. To sum it all up: The Gloss Shop Ceramic Coating: I like it a lot very cost-effective, great look, easy application. If it performs well, don’t know how I could pass on using this a lot going forward for most situations. The Gloss Shop Rim & Trim: A viable substitute for Gyeon Rim and Gyoen Trim…if it holds up. Don’t know what the final price will be when released though so not sure if it will be a preferred choice over other options based on price alone. I do like the ‘new’ look it gives to plastic trim as opposed to the ‘dressed’ look but that’s just a preference.
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