Source: YouTube
Professional detailer James Melfi talks about the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light. CSL is a high-quality protective coating that provides you with increased levels of gloss, hydrophobic properties and helps reduce the risk of adding imperfections into the paint. Above you will find the entire video covering some information on the product and application tips. Below is a video transcription and application instructions as well. If you want to check out other Crystal Serum Light articles, click here.
Product Description:
Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (CSL) is a high-quality coatings that will add an unbelievable amount of gloss, depth, and protection. It is so strong that right after you apply it you can’t remove it with traditional polishes you would need to wet sand it. CSL was designed from the same DNA as the incredibly popular, but professional only Gtechniq Crystal Serum. The original Crystal Serum professional coating boasts a 7 year guarantee from Gtechniq and they took it upon themselves to make an easier to apply consumer product, which is Crystal Serum Light. While the original Crystal Serum is supposed to last 7 years, CSL will last approximately 3 – 5 years according to Gtechniq. CSL’s ultra-durable, high-gloss, slick to the touch, 9h clear ceramic will reach about 80% of the CS Pro’s performance (scratch and chemical resistance). When compared to the other consumer Gtechniq coatings (i.e. C1 Crystal Lacquer) it is about double the performance (scratch and chemical resistance). The gloss and shine of the paint is simply put, amazing, and your paint will really stand out above the rest. For the best results we highly recommend removing imperfections before application, like you would with any coating. Once your paint is thoroughly cleaned and prepped with an IPA or Panel Wipe wipe-down, apply CSL in a nice thin layer panel by panel. For in depth application tips check out the steps directly from Gtechniq below. Once applied, CSL will be resistant to chemicals ranging from pH2 – pH12. This means your paint will stay clean and protected from the elements for much longer than before. Pick up the Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light today and experience the amazing look on your car that only a high end coating can supply!
CSL Includes:
- 1x Bottle of CSL
- 1x Dropper/pipette
- 1x Applicator pad
- 1x Pair of gloves
- Instruction/info sheet
- Gtechniq sticker
Application Instructions:
- To apply CSL your vehicle must be indoors and it must remain indoors for at least 12 hours after application
- Wash and decontaminate your vehicle’s paintwork. If required, clay your paintwork to remove other bonded contaminants
- If needed, polish your paintwork, either by machine or by hand, to remove any imperfections
- Spray Panel Wipe onto a microfiber towel towel
- With your panel fully cooled after polishing, taking care to avoid any paint protection film or other types of vinyl film, buff away all polish residues. This process ensures you will get the maximum number of chemical bonds between the coating and your vehicle’s paintwork
- Put on gloves to prevent CSL coming into contact with your skin
- Soak the applicator pad with two full measures from the pipette and work the liquid into the pad to get an even saturation
- Replace the lid on the bottle and set aside – do not keep the bottle in your hand as this promotes premature curing
- Apply with applicator provided in overlapping strokes to an area roughly 2′ x 2′, or work to the bodylines of the vehicle
- After coating a single small panel or half a larger panel, remove residue with a clean microfiber towel. Always remove from further than you have applied, working from the outside in. It is essential to check for residue
- You may need to buff the same area several times to remove residue. We recommend using two microfiber cloths at any one time. Please note that you are only removing excess product
- When working with coatings, we recommend you inspect the panels with a bright but diffuse light source, not with bright spot lights which are very poor for spotting coating residue
- Avoid buffing with too much force as this can spoil the surface you are protecting, and you may also drag the partially cured coating off the surface
- The microfiber cloths you are using should be rotated sufficiently and quickly so that CSL does not partially cure in the cloth, if it does cure then buffing residue will be significantly more difficult
- If you miss removing residue and it cures fully, you should re-polish this area, and reapply CSL
- As soon as you finish put the microfiber towels in water, and wash and dry them as soon as possible
- Use CSL within 1 year of purchasing, for best results, once opened use within 3 months
- Store opened bottles in a dry and cool storage area that is out of direct sunlight
Video Transcription:
Hey, it’s James with Detailed Image. So we’re gonna be talking about Gtechniq’s prosumer coding Crystal Serum light, also known as CSL. CSL forms an ultra-durable high-gloss super slick protective coating on various types of paintwork. What’s interesting about CSL is that it offers eighty percent of the performance of Gtechniq’s professional only coating Crystal Serum Ultra. Unlike Crystal Serum Ultra, which produces an extremely hard coating that if applied incorrectly needs to be sanded off, with CSL a simple polishing procedure will remove any residue issues. In my personal experience, I’ve always found CSL to be a very easy and forgiving installation. It allows the installer to spread the product a little bit farther before having to wipe away the residue, reducing installation time. Now let’s break down Crystal Serum Light it has the suggested durability of three to five years and like other coatings that is dependent on maintenance and wash technique. The coating is resistant to chemicals ranging from pH 2 all the way up to ph 12 and it’s also resistant to swings in temperature ranging from negative 40 all the way up to over 450 degrees. Now let’s go over the proper application of CSL the first steps in any coating installation are to properly prepare the surface. First by the wash and decontamination steps, followed by any paint correction if required to remove any defects. This will lay down the best foundation for the coating. Spray Gtechniq’s Panel Wipe onto a microfiber towel and wipe that surface thoroughly. This will ensure that all polishing oils and residues have been fully removed, allowing that coating to perfectly bond to the surface. Be mindful of paint protection film as Panel Wipe can scour that material. Apply CSL evenly to the applicator pad with two full measures from the pipette. Now you want to also remember to put the cap back on to the bottle between applications. Now you want to apply the coating with overlapping passes to a two by two section at a time. Removing the residue after a whole panel has been fully coated. Now on larger panels like a hood you do want to then split it up into multiple sections. Now when it comes to residue removal you want to be using the three towel system. The first microfiber towel to remove the majority the residue and the second and third towel paired with an LED light to ensure all the residue has been fully removed. Now it would definitely also recommend one final LED light check at the end, just to be certain that all the residue has been wiped away. After the CSL application, you have the option to apply a topcoat, in this case Gtechniq C2 V3. This adds extra slickness in a super hydrophobic effect. Simply spray C2 V3 into a towel and wipe into the paint. Gtechniq’s Crystal Serum Light combines great performance, in an easy to install package, making it a great choice for enthusiasts and detailing professionals alike.