GTechniq CSL + C2V3 vs CSL + EXO + C2V3 - EXO worth it?

[nvestr]

Hi all,

I am hobbyist for my own vehicles and love to learn from other's experiences.

I recently coated my brand new XC90 (white pearl) with CSL only. Application was done in a heated garage in December and was subsequently exposed to harsh Atlantic Canadian roads. Water behavior on lower panels (below belt line) is very disappointing but seems to act as it should on hood and above the belt. I feel like perhaps my coating did not fully cure before it was exposed to harsh salts, slush, snow, etc., even though I definitely left the vehicle for around 30 hours in the garage before going outdoors. Either that or it got contaminated extremely fast.

I am waiting on an order of products to try to revive the coating (if it's contaminated, etc.). If I am able to return water sheeting to the lower panels, I am curious how to keep the higher water beading to improve self-cleaning, etc. I find CSL's self-cleaning to be below my expectations.

1) Do I decontaminate, clay, IPA wipe and then apply EXOv4 on top? Followed by monthly or semi-monthly applications of C2V3?

2) Do I decontaminate, clay, IPA wipe and then go straight to C2V3, skipping EXO? CSL is the hard, scratch resistant coating and is the one that adds the gloss. What exactly does EXO add to the picture if it's going to be topped with C2V3 anyway?

Just curious if I should bother with EXO or not, given that EXO is not cheap ($90 Canadian), is harder to work with than CSL and the labor involved is high.


Last question: Assuming that I am not able to revive CSL on the lower panels. Is it possible to try to reapply CSL on the lower panels without polishing? Obviously I would Iron-X, clay, IPA wipe, etc. before re-applying CSL but wonder if overlapping it will be problematic?

[Bruno Soares]

I'm not familiar with the Gtechniq offerings but IMO if you clay, you will need to polish. And that will remove what you've done already. So do decontaminate with Iron-X but skip the clay unless you plan on polishing afterwards.

[Ancient1]

If I were you I would do the decon wash but forget about the clay to not chance marring the paint. I would then coat it with can coat and apply that like every spring and fall. I would not try to do CSL on CSL without removing the coating 1st. Can Coat is quite hydrophobic and would to me be a much better option that the C2V3.

EXOv4 isn't much more difficult to use than CSL other than it is supposed to be done in two layers and requires a wait for flash between application and wipe off.

[Calendyr]

CLS is not designed to be layered. Don't apply a second layer of it for sure.

EXO is a topper product designed to give better hydrophobicity than CSL. So if you decide to add it, that is what you will be getting.

As others have said, do not clay. Claying is abrasive and will marr the coating. Just do the chemical decon steps.

I don't know how well EXO will be able to bind to CLS this long after the application of CSL. Normally you have a window of a few hours to do it.

I suggest you contact Gtechniq and ask them the questions you just did in this post. They are gonna be able to give you far better advice than we can.

As for performance of CSL. It's designed to be super durable. Gtechniq give a 5 year warranty on it when installed by authorized installers. It's not the most hydrophobic though. So just using a ceramic sealant as a drying aid (C2V3, Reload, HydroSilex, etc) will resolve the issue of it not beading and sheeting water like you would enjoy.

[nvestr]

Thank you for all the replies!

I have always clayed and have never seen any marring. Perhaps it's because all my cars are white and it's not visible or that I use very mild clay with very little pressure and lots of lubricant. Either way, I won't risk it! Thanks for confirming that. I also won't layer CSL.

As for EXO needing to be applied within a specific window after CSL, I have never read that. I know there is a minimum but never read about a maximum amount of time until you can coat with EXO.

[The Guz]

1) Do I decontaminate, clay, IPA wipe and then apply EXOv4 on top? Followed by monthly or semi-monthly applications of C2V3?

As others mentioned claying has the potential to marr the surface and could possibly affect the coatings performance. It won't remove it.

If you want to apply Exo then you can do a decon wash and a prep wipe prior to application. I would actually skip C2V3. Sure it beads nice and leaves the surface slick but the self cleaning effect is nowhere near that of Exo.

Actually I have C5 + Exo on my wheels and I noticed water spots on one wheel that guess what, was topped with C2V3. At one point water spotting was a complaint of C2V3.

2) Do I decontaminate, clay, IPA wipe and then go straight to C2V3, skipping EXO? CSL is the hard, scratch resistant coating and is the one that adds the gloss. What exactly does EXO add to the picture if it's going to be topped with C2V3 anyway?

Just curious if I should bother with EXO or not, given that EXO is not cheap ($90 Canadian), is harder to work with than CSL and the labor involved is high.

You have the option to just use C2V3 instead of Exo. Exo is a stand alone coating that is often used as a topper. It has better overall performance than C2V3 and as I mentioned a better self cleaning effect.

Exo is really not that much harder to work with. I would go with CSL + Exo.

Last question: Assuming that I am not able to revive CSL on the lower panels. Is it possible to try to reapply CSL on the lower panels without polishing? Obviously I would Iron-X, clay, IPA wipe, etc. before re-applying CSL but wonder if overlapping it will be problematic?

As mentioned CSL is a one layer coating. You could just follow up with Exo or C2V3 as a temporary solution. If it were me I would prep and polish after the winter season if there is no sign of revival and recoat with CSL + Exo.

[Calendyr]

Thank you for all the replies!

I have always clayed and have never seen any marring. Perhaps it's because all my cars are white and it's not visible or that I use very mild clay with very little pressure and lots of lubricant. Either way, I won't risk it! Thanks for confirming that. I also won't layer CSL.

As for EXO needing to be applied within a specific window after CSL, I have never read that. I know there is a minimum but never read about a maximum amount of time until you can coat with EXO.

I might be wrong. Again asking Gtechniq would give you the most accurate information. The way I understand it, the topper coating should be applied during the curing period of the base coating (which is about a week for most coatings). I can't point you to where I read it, I read and watch videos everyday so the source is never something I can point to when it comes to my knowledge ;( This information might be wrong. So if you intend to do it asking Gtechniq would be best.

As Guz mentionned, your other option would be to redo CLS then top with EXO after polishing the paint. CSL and EXO are sold in a kit that cost less than buying both seperatelly. So the extra cost would be minimal over just buying EXO alone. Of course that means a lot more work since you would have to polish the car and coat it twice.

As for C2V3, I purchased a bottle of that product last year and was underwelmed by it. I have been using CarPro Reload for about 3 years and to me, C2V3 is not as good when it comes to gloss of the paint. Maybe it is more durable, impossible for me to tell, but from the standpoint of looks, I would take Reload any day.

[rlmccarty2000]

C2V3 has the same durability as Reload from my side by side testing. I got about 2 weeks out of both.

[nvestr]

Unfortunately I ordered a 500ml bottle of C2V3 last week. Will give it a try - won't be the last time I waste $40 on something lol.

I will try to revive the coating with Iron-X, APC and few baths in CarPro Reset. Is there something else I should be using to decontaminate? I know Tar-X is not recommended on coatings.

I just found this on GTechniq's EXO instructions :

If you are applying over CSL, EXOv4 can either be applied straight away after you have finished applying CSL starting the process at the same place you did with CSL and following the same order of panels you did with CSL, or it can be applied up to 24 hours after finishing the CSL application

You were right, Calendyr - thank you. I guess I will do my best to use C2V3 to get some hydrophobicity on top of my CSL application.

I have a new car on order that arrives in May. 2019 BMW X3 M40i in Alpine White. As it's a non-metallic white, I definitely want to add some gloss and depth to the paint. For that one, I will do CSL + EXOv4. From there I will be able to compare both of the vehicles and see if I want to polish and re-apply with EXO on the XC90 or if I'm satisfied with frequent applications of C2V3 (or something else when I run out).

[Calendyr]

There you go. I read it in the instructions for the coating I wish I could remember the sources when I have knowledge about something.

C2V3 will still give you water beading and all that... it just doesn't make the paint glossy like Reload does.