Radarryan
New member
- Nov 9, 2012
- 778
- 0
I wanted to share my experience over the past 3 - 4 months with GTechniq customer service. I hope that if you all are deciding between some product that GTechniq offers and a competitor, their customer service will maybe serve to be a tiebreaker, plus their results are pretty stellar! :xyxthumbs:
Back up to late spring, early summer of this year and I was deciding what type of coating I wanted to put on my 911, which has the dreaded Porsche black paint. I had perviously used Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 on my dad's and mom's car because of the "permanent" protection that it offers since they are not going to be hand washing their daily drivers (I know, it's a shame, but I am trying to work on them, slowly but surely) but I wanted something with more gloss, even if it lacked the same protection characteristics because I figured after a year or so I would end up re-polishing the soft black paint with Menzerna SF4500 (PO85RD) or something of the sort and then put a new coating on. Well, I had it narrowed down to CarPro CQuartz and GTechniq C1 & EXOv2 topper.
I ended up going with GTechniq C1 & EXOv2, despite the numerous threads instructing people that there were issues with hazing starting to appear a day or so after application. I chalked this up to inexperience on the part of the detailer, or maybe a limited bad batch during production, but figured the odds of it happening to me were slim, so I went ahead. I placed an order with Autogeek and waited for my items to arrive. One item, GTechniq Panel Wipe, was out of stock so I contacted GTechniq North America to see if they had any. After ordering the panel wipe from them, I also asked their main customer service representative if the GTechniq Panel Wipe was safe for 3M branded clear bras (paint protection films). I received a one word email back: "Yes." Armed with that information, I felt confident that everything was going to work out great and my car was going to be an endless pool of black oil.
By the time I had enough time and energy to start the prep, polishing, and coating it was the middle of the Texas summer. I finished polishing with the Menzerna SF4500 paired with a Lake Country Hydro-Tech Crimson pad and my paint was perfection. First step was to use the panel wipe to ensure that the GTechniq C1 would bond properly to the paint. I started with the driver's side door and everything was going great! I got the hang on the C1 application and the Panel Wipe was becoming easier to use.
Then I got to the area with the clear bra, which is the entire front clip on my car. I started low and gave the sprayer a big spray. Almost instantaneously some sort of reaction happened when the Panel Wipe hit the clear bra. It became very cloudy and I struggled to wipe it off. By microfiber towel just grabbed. Upon further inspection, the panel wipe had stained the clear bra. My first call was to GTechniq customer service, which had given me its number in one of the email correspondences that we had prior. I explained the situation. His response was, "Well, we have used it on XPel films." I then asked why he told me in an email, one word at that, why it was safe if he didn't know. He fully admitted that clear bras are different by brand but assumed no responsibility. He said that what I needed to do was go out to a marine supply store and I needed to purchase Plexus, on top of the hundreds of dollars of GTechniq products that I had just purchased.
Needless to say, I was taken back. I used a different type of plastic polish, similar to Plexus, designed for clear bras but to no avail. I also polished with a variety of polishes and pads, but still not luck. I then coated the rest of the car with C1, though left the front end untouched. The next day, I coated the car with EXOv2, save for the front end.
The next day, the hazing appeared. :awman:
This was becoming a detailing nightmare.
I tried contacting GTechniq North America customer service again, specifically the same person, but got no response. Then, I responded to a post here, on AGO, regarding similar hazing issues. I posted some pictures and the next day got a private message from Rob, the managing director of GTechniq in the UK. He was very cordial and basically said, I'm sorry you're having trouble and no fun with our products, let's see what we can do to make everything right.
Rob and I exchanged emails and we decided the best course of action was for him to send up one of the GTechniq authorized detailers to me in Dallas to remove the hazed coating, see if he could do anything with the major clear bra stain, and put on a fresh coating of C1, EXO, and EXOv2 -- all on his dime.
A write-up of what was done during the detailer's trip can be found here:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/70268-2013-porsche-911-cabriolet-coated-gtechniq-c1-exo-exov2.html
In the write-up you can see the stains, as well as the hazing.
Well, after Michael from Thumpers Auto Detailing Salon (highly recommended for anyone that is in San Antonio) got done, the car looked great, but the stain on the clear bra remained. In Michael's professional opinion, the clear bra section needed to be replaced.
Michael told Rob all the developments, and Rob asked if it would be at all possible to have the installers of the clear bra look at it to see if they had anything that could take care of the stain. It took a while for me to track them down because I had the clear bra installed at the Porsche dealer and didn't know the contractor that they used. Thankfully, my sales guy is a stand up individual and texted me the name and phone number of the installer. After calling the installer, Stratashield Customs in Dallas, I arranged a time to meet them at their shop. They tried for a couple hours but could not get the stain out. Their opinion, like Michael's, was that the clear bra needed to be replaced.
I asked for an estimate to be put together and I sent it off to Rob. Without missing a beat, Rob said no problem, where can I wire the funds.
Rob is a stand up individual that runs a company that stands behind their products. He did not rest until my car had the shine that GTechniq promises. He is a professional, and because of that he has made me a repeat GTechniq customer. In fact, just this past weekend I placed an order for their glass products: G1, G2 & G4.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank Rob and his way of doing business. If anyone out there is thinking about a GTechniq product, I would go into it knowing that they will stand behind their product. Nowadays, with many questionable companies out there, it is really refreshing to see one that does things the "right" way.
Rob, thank you for everything. You stand by your products and that means the world. I hope everyone now can see what a wonderful business you run, as well as what a stand-up guy you are, as well. Cheers! :dblthumb2:
Back up to late spring, early summer of this year and I was deciding what type of coating I wanted to put on my 911, which has the dreaded Porsche black paint. I had perviously used Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 on my dad's and mom's car because of the "permanent" protection that it offers since they are not going to be hand washing their daily drivers (I know, it's a shame, but I am trying to work on them, slowly but surely) but I wanted something with more gloss, even if it lacked the same protection characteristics because I figured after a year or so I would end up re-polishing the soft black paint with Menzerna SF4500 (PO85RD) or something of the sort and then put a new coating on. Well, I had it narrowed down to CarPro CQuartz and GTechniq C1 & EXOv2 topper.
I ended up going with GTechniq C1 & EXOv2, despite the numerous threads instructing people that there were issues with hazing starting to appear a day or so after application. I chalked this up to inexperience on the part of the detailer, or maybe a limited bad batch during production, but figured the odds of it happening to me were slim, so I went ahead. I placed an order with Autogeek and waited for my items to arrive. One item, GTechniq Panel Wipe, was out of stock so I contacted GTechniq North America to see if they had any. After ordering the panel wipe from them, I also asked their main customer service representative if the GTechniq Panel Wipe was safe for 3M branded clear bras (paint protection films). I received a one word email back: "Yes." Armed with that information, I felt confident that everything was going to work out great and my car was going to be an endless pool of black oil.
By the time I had enough time and energy to start the prep, polishing, and coating it was the middle of the Texas summer. I finished polishing with the Menzerna SF4500 paired with a Lake Country Hydro-Tech Crimson pad and my paint was perfection. First step was to use the panel wipe to ensure that the GTechniq C1 would bond properly to the paint. I started with the driver's side door and everything was going great! I got the hang on the C1 application and the Panel Wipe was becoming easier to use.
Then I got to the area with the clear bra, which is the entire front clip on my car. I started low and gave the sprayer a big spray. Almost instantaneously some sort of reaction happened when the Panel Wipe hit the clear bra. It became very cloudy and I struggled to wipe it off. By microfiber towel just grabbed. Upon further inspection, the panel wipe had stained the clear bra. My first call was to GTechniq customer service, which had given me its number in one of the email correspondences that we had prior. I explained the situation. His response was, "Well, we have used it on XPel films." I then asked why he told me in an email, one word at that, why it was safe if he didn't know. He fully admitted that clear bras are different by brand but assumed no responsibility. He said that what I needed to do was go out to a marine supply store and I needed to purchase Plexus, on top of the hundreds of dollars of GTechniq products that I had just purchased.
Needless to say, I was taken back. I used a different type of plastic polish, similar to Plexus, designed for clear bras but to no avail. I also polished with a variety of polishes and pads, but still not luck. I then coated the rest of the car with C1, though left the front end untouched. The next day, I coated the car with EXOv2, save for the front end.
The next day, the hazing appeared. :awman:
This was becoming a detailing nightmare.
I tried contacting GTechniq North America customer service again, specifically the same person, but got no response. Then, I responded to a post here, on AGO, regarding similar hazing issues. I posted some pictures and the next day got a private message from Rob, the managing director of GTechniq in the UK. He was very cordial and basically said, I'm sorry you're having trouble and no fun with our products, let's see what we can do to make everything right.
Rob and I exchanged emails and we decided the best course of action was for him to send up one of the GTechniq authorized detailers to me in Dallas to remove the hazed coating, see if he could do anything with the major clear bra stain, and put on a fresh coating of C1, EXO, and EXOv2 -- all on his dime.
A write-up of what was done during the detailer's trip can be found here:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/70268-2013-porsche-911-cabriolet-coated-gtechniq-c1-exo-exov2.html
In the write-up you can see the stains, as well as the hazing.
Well, after Michael from Thumpers Auto Detailing Salon (highly recommended for anyone that is in San Antonio) got done, the car looked great, but the stain on the clear bra remained. In Michael's professional opinion, the clear bra section needed to be replaced.
Michael told Rob all the developments, and Rob asked if it would be at all possible to have the installers of the clear bra look at it to see if they had anything that could take care of the stain. It took a while for me to track them down because I had the clear bra installed at the Porsche dealer and didn't know the contractor that they used. Thankfully, my sales guy is a stand up individual and texted me the name and phone number of the installer. After calling the installer, Stratashield Customs in Dallas, I arranged a time to meet them at their shop. They tried for a couple hours but could not get the stain out. Their opinion, like Michael's, was that the clear bra needed to be replaced.
I asked for an estimate to be put together and I sent it off to Rob. Without missing a beat, Rob said no problem, where can I wire the funds.
Rob is a stand up individual that runs a company that stands behind their products. He did not rest until my car had the shine that GTechniq promises. He is a professional, and because of that he has made me a repeat GTechniq customer. In fact, just this past weekend I placed an order for their glass products: G1, G2 & G4.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank Rob and his way of doing business. If anyone out there is thinking about a GTechniq product, I would go into it knowing that they will stand behind their product. Nowadays, with many questionable companies out there, it is really refreshing to see one that does things the "right" way.
Rob, thank you for everything. You stand by your products and that means the world. I hope everyone now can see what a wonderful business you run, as well as what a stand-up guy you are, as well. Cheers! :dblthumb2: