Crystal Serum Light

[zmcgovern45]

I'm getting ready to apply csl this week on my 2016 gti. I don't have essence. But I have a flex with adams orange compound and white fine polish. I also was going to do the IPA wipe. Can someone walk me through the process to make sure I'm doing everything correctly. This will be my first ceramic coating. Thanks

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The process follows the basic clean, decontaminate, correct, and protect workflow...

-Remove loose dirt with a thorough hand wash.
-Remove bonded contamination with appropriate chemicals (iron removers, tar removers, etc) and mechanically with detailing clay.
-Correct the paint to your satisfaction. In order to maximize the final appearance, the vehicle should be swirl free.
-Thoroughly wipe with GTechniq Panel Wipe or IPA to remove any residual polishing oils
-Apply CSL as directed.

[mwemaxxowner]

The only polish I have is McKee's AIO. When the time comes to do this again, I can't use that, can I?

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[tytus1994]

The process follows the basic clean, decontaminate, correct, and protect workflow...

-Remove loose dirt with a thorough hand wash.
-Remove bonded contamination with appropriate chemicals (iron removers, tar removers, etc) and mechanically with detailing clay.
-Correct the paint to your satisfaction. In order to maximize the final appearance, the vehicle should be swirl free.
-Thoroughly wipe with GTechniq Panel Wipe or IPA to remove any residual polishing oils
-Apply CSL as directed.

Thank you so much. Sounds like a plan. Is there any special towels to remove the residue of the csl? How long do I wait to wipe off? I'm in florida.

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[Nicholls]

Just wanted to follow up on this since I pressure washed my car yesterday and snapped a couple of pictures... The hood just has CSL on it, it is not topped with EXO or anything else. One half was polished with Essence and then coated, the other half M205, IPA, then coated. No noticeable difference in performance many months later (none expected when Essence used properly).




CSL might not have as high of a contact angle as some other coatings, but it still repels water like crazy and the beads slight right off when driving.

Zach you said no noticeable difference in performance many months later " none expected when Essence used properly "

Sorry might sound like a silly question but what do you mean by using Essence properly? I have my technique with Essence but just wondering what yours is? Are there any specifics regarding the use of Essence do you find?

Thanks in advance

[DaveT435]

The only polish I have is McKee's AIO. When the time comes to do this again, I can't use that, can I?

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I wouldn't recommend it because it leaves protection behind which will interfere with CSL bonding.

[mwemaxxowner]

That's what I figured. Are there other "diminishing abrasives" style polishes that don't add a layer of protection?

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[The Guz]

That's what I figured. Are there other "diminishing abrasives" style polishes that don't add a layer of protection?

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Yes. Any finishing polish will not add protection. Menzerna is one that comes to mind.

[mwemaxxowner]

But is it "diminishing abrasive" like McKee's AIO? That's what attracted me to it. How it polishes out to pretty much nothing.

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[The Guz]

But is it "diminishing abrasive" like McKee's AIO? That's what attracted me to it. How it polishes out to pretty much nothing.

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I'm not a menzera polish user or a mckee's 37 AIO user so I can't comment. But menzerna uses diminishing abrasives. There are other diminishing abrasive polishes. Not sure if the McKee's 37 compound and polish is diminishing abrasive. You will have to search that out or contact Nick from McKee's 37. Meguiar's and Griot's use non-diminishing abrasives.

[zmcgovern45]

Thank you so much. Sounds like a plan. Is there any special towels to remove the residue of the csl? How long do I wait to wipe off? I'm in florida.

If it is warm (temps above 70F), then CSL is basically wipe on, wipe off. Work in relatively small areas. Apply CSL to 1/3 of a door, for instance, then immediately wipe off. Be sure you have removed all residue. This stuff sets up quickly, and unlike other coatings which give you some time to find high spots and easily wipe them off, CSL will harden so quickly that within just a minute or two you will no longer be able to fix your mistakes without breaking out the polisher and starting over again.

As far as towels go, I prefer shorter nap towels for the initial pass (meguiar's supreme shine or similar) and then a fluffier towel for the final pass (CarPro Boa or similar). I actually use a dual nap towel that has short nap on one side and a medium nap on the other. Use several towels, switching to a new one after a few panels or as needed. If you aren't going to wash the towels immediately after use, soak them in some water with a bit of APC to prevent the coating residue from hardening in the fibers.

Zach you said no noticeable difference in performance many months later " none expected when Essence used properly "

Sorry might sound like a silly question but what do you mean by using Essence properly? I have my technique with Essence but just wondering what yours is? Are there any specifics regarding the use of Essence do you find?

Thanks in advance

It has been said that Essence needs to be properly broken down for best results as a primer polish that is not going to be followed up with a prep-solvent/alcohol solution. In my article on the DI Ask-A-Pro Blog titled "Product Review: CarPro Essence (Initial Impressions)" I outline how I use Essence.

When using Essence as a final polish, very little product is needed. Simply apply 2-3 small dots of product to your pad (no need to prime), then spread the polish onto your working area. Make a couple of passes with a moderate machine speed and moderate pressure, and finish with a slower speed and very light pressure. Use slow arm movement throughout the process, and as always, make sure to keep your pads clean. Some of my favorite finishing pads to use with Essence are the Rupes Yellow Polishing Pad.

We use Rupes Yellow pads 99% of the time as I have found the stiffer foam helps break the product down. I usually make 2-3 passes at speed 4-4.5 with some pressure on the Rupes 21, and then 1 pass at speed 3 without pressure. This is how I was instructed to use CarPro Reflect, and since Essence utilizes the same abrasive technology we carried the technique over and have had outstanding results using Essence as a finishing polish with this method.

Hope that helps.