Has anyone recently paid for 'crystal glass coat' on their car?

[ghworker2010]

Is it worth the expense? How long does it last?

thanks

[Soutpeel]

a buddy of mine got it done on his new car and swears by it, I stand to be corrected but believe he has to take it in every 3 months or so for "touch up"/inspection or what ever it is they do.

[IMHO]

Is it worth the expense?

That's a hard question to answer - we'd need to know how much it's costing you, and how much you'd normally spend on waxes/polishes otherwise

How long does it last?

Some formulations last as little as 6 months, others as much as 5 years. Mainly it depends on the Si2 content of the product being applied.

[steveromagnino]

the higher quality ones you pay for a spray, then every month or so you get a slight amount ground back and it lasts about 3 or 5 years.

You still need to wash the car, it does not stop that, and most of the glass coatings are not stone chip resistant, but it makes the wash/wax process faster and also gives the car that really shiny look which would be very difficult to achieve otherwise.

For 30,000b around about, it isn't so expensive.

[JAS21]

Do I assume correctly that you are talking about the product from the company which is called Crystal Glass Coating. The company that has quite a few Service Centers ,in and around BK and also Up Country.

A while back, whilst researching glass coating, I went in to chat about what they offer and they were doing a ‘maintenance treatment’ on a vehicle, shiny black always looks good.

Now there are many different products in the market place and many companies are on the ‘Glass Coating Band Wagon’. Some need maintenance frequently and others far less frequent. Some products will give limited protection from stone chips and others won’t

I have some experience of products from Chrystal Process Products Co.Ltd ( just have a look here http://crystalprocess.co.jp/products.htm )Eco7000, 8500 and Si-700. The problem using Eco or 8500 is that they need about seven days to fully cure and you should to avoid getting the surface wet during that time if possible. It’s best to do it and then store the car. Those two products are low maintenance though.

They are both wipe on and then wipe off quickly products, Eco is one coat and 8500 is two coats. From a friend, who visited Japan recently and chatted to detailing companies, as is his interest, the quick way to glass coat is to use a Polymer (eg CP501F) and then apply over it … if you use the polymer the glass coating will not last as long BUT it saves a huge amount of preparation time. Be warned, CP501F can’t be removed with IPA.

A new car needs far less preparation than one covered with swirls, so a polymer isn’t normally used on a new car if you are going to glass coat.. You really need a DA polisher to prepare paintwork for glass coating. I just have the Meguiars attachment that you stick in an electric drill, fine for me.

The quickest and easiest way is a polymer and then Si-700. You can Si-700 a small car in 10-15 minutes. It’s easier to apply and polish off than just about anything else I have found. Of course you must throw away the polishing cloth after use as it has small glass particles embedded in it. You will need several microfiber cloths (buy then from China).

There are many videos on the internet on ‘how to’ and water sheeting etc. I think a number of companies use Si-700 for the maintenance coat.

Preparation is the key to a ‘no swirl’ shine. If you polish on top of Glass Coating you may very well loose some of the water sheeting but you might improve the shine slightly.

Sorry I can't help you with CCG durability but it will look nice. You could try and argue a price for preparation and one application and then Si-700 it yourself. Or just pay the money, sit back, admire the shine whilst downing a Chang

This twenty year old car has polymer topped with Si-700 it looks okay.

Edited July 6, 2015 by JAS21

[thierryviteau]

The latest stupid idea on the market...

[thierryviteau]

not so expensive but still the same price as painting a complete car... so it's clearly ridiculous to pay for that scam...

the higher quality ones you pay for a spray, then every month or so you get a slight amount ground back and it lasts about 3 or 5 years.

You still need to wash the car, it does not stop that, and most of the glass coatings are not stone chip resistant, but it makes the wash/wax process faster and also gives the car that really shiny look which would be very difficult to achieve otherwise.

For 30,000b around about, it isn't so expensive.

[Don Mega]

The latest stupid idea on the market...

Why do you say that ?

[IMHO]

not so expensive but still the same price as painting a complete car... so it's clearly ridiculous to pay for that scam...

the higher quality ones you pay for a spray, then every month or so you get a slight amount ground back and it lasts about 3 or 5 years.

You still need to wash the car, it does not stop that, and most of the glass coatings are not stone chip resistant, but it makes the wash/wax process faster and also gives the car that really shiny look which would be very difficult to achieve otherwise.

For 30,000b around about, it isn't so expensive.

As a DIY, using the best quality product, it's maybe 1000 Baht. That doesn't buy you very much paintwork

[JAS21]

not so expensive but still the same price as painting a complete car... so it's clearly ridiculous to pay for that scam...

the higher quality ones you pay for a spray, then every month or so you get a slight amount ground back and it lasts about 3 or 5 years.

You still need to wash the car, it does not stop that, and most of the glass coatings are not stone chip resistant, but it makes the wash/wax process faster and also gives the car that really shiny look which would be very difficult to achieve otherwise.

For 30,000b around about, it isn't so expensive.

As a DIY, using the best quality product, it's maybe 1000 Baht. That doesn't buy you very much paintwork

Actually I paid just over $15 for my Eco (enough for one car) and then another $3 for a couple of applicators, about $7 for some microfiber cloths (from China), although it is better to use good quality ones. Someone gave me the IPA and the Si-700 was $21 (that will do many many cars). Okay a friend brought the stuff back from Japan for me ... I ordered all the products direct from the factory in Japan... there was a small postage charge to the guys house in Japan. The CP501F would have been $6 but the kind person that I dealt with gave me the sample to try.. It's saves a lot of time as it is a cutter and a filler all in one, so you don't need to fully polish out all the swirls ... they get filled with the polymer.

Yes if I'd had to have it EMS'd then the postage would have been around $20 BUT I could have purchased the stuff from Thai washer car club for a little over twice the price that I paid in Japan.

The products are cheap ... the price charged by Detailing Shops is exorbitant in my opinion. It's relatively easy to DIY, you just need to be able to see, have a little common sense, understand how to prepare the car ... if you leave swirls in they will be there for years. Obviously better to have a sealed garage but if not choose a still day and keep the car undercover for the recommended time. As I said before Si-700 only needs two hours.

If you want it done and don't have a lot of free time then pay ... if you are like me, retired, it's another interest. I am married so I don't need to hang around bars for hours on end.

Edited July 7, 2015 by JAS21

[casualbiker]

JAS21.. When are you free to do my car then... I haven't cleaned it for a few months, and it's got a few scratches due to local cats sleeping on it... Any weekend is good for me

Oh it's only a little one, Mitsubishi Mirage with thin silver paint

Edited July 10, 2015 by casualbiker

[IMHO]

JAS21.. When are you free to do my car then... I haven't cleaned it for a few months, and it's got a few scratches due to local cats sleeping on it... Any weekend is good for me

Oh it's only a little one, Mitsubishi Mirage with thin silver paint

Yeah that makes sense. Anything else you don't wash or care for that he can glass coat for you while he's at it?

[casualbiker]

JAS21.. When are you free to do my car then... I haven't cleaned it for a few months, and it's got a few scratches due to local cats sleeping on it... Any weekend is good for me

Oh it's only a little one, Mitsubishi Mirage with thin silver paint

Yeah that makes sense. Anything else you don't wash or care for that he can glass coat for you while he's at it?

Ummm well there is the wife's Honda Wave.. !!!

[steveromagnino]

not so expensive but still the same price as painting a complete car... so it's clearly ridiculous to pay for that scam...

the higher quality ones you pay for a spray, then every month or so you get a slight amount ground back and it lasts about 3 or 5 years.

You still need to wash the car, it does not stop that, and most of the glass coatings are not stone chip resistant, but it makes the wash/wax process faster and also gives the car that really shiny look which would be very difficult to achieve otherwise.

For 30,000b around about, it isn't so expensive.

I don't clean my own car (I probably should but consider it a bit of a waste of my time given my salary and what else I could use the time for) and I like it to look shiny and nice. 30,000 payment once.....it gets cleaned (washed, vacuumed, polished) I think either 36 or 60 times over 5 years with 2 sprays and a noticeable difference in the paint sheen. Since that is included in the original price, the average price per clean works out at 500-700b. I think it is 60 times but to be honest, I didn't really look too closely as the cost of the glass coating wasn't paid by me, it was paid by the car brand when they sold me the car.

When I cannot be bothered to go the place where I got the coating, and I get it washed somewhere else, the car comes out looking substantially more shiny than it did without the coating.

I am not sure I would be able to paint my car for 30,000b anywhere in Thailand - but maybe. Certainly would not include cleaning it 60 times though.

Edited July 13, 2015 by steveromagnino