A Deeper Look at Gyeon quartz Q² CanCoat
by Jeff McEachranJeff McEachran is the National Brand Manager for GYEON quartz USA and Owner of Denver Auto Shield in Denver, CO.
I wanted to reopen the discussion on Gyeon quartz Q² CanCoat. This is one of the most popular products in the line and I want to make sure we all understand it’s intent and procedure so we get the best results! I have seen a few different application methods as well as the product placed in side by side comparisons against other products that don’t really fit the category. Now, of course, there is a ton of personal preference when it comes to application and whatever works, works, but I thought I’d talk about the specifics of the product and it’s strengths so we have some insight into why the product was developed.
- Is an SiO2 based coating. It is not a “spray sealant” or a “spray wax”.
- Uses a fast release carrier solvent designed to deliver a very thin layer of material quickly and easily.
- Will last at least 6 months under normal conditions and maintenance, but I have personally seen it perform well past that.
- Is designed to be a quick wipe on application with minor removal of excess product. We should be getting around a car in roughly 20 minutes.
- Can be used as a stand alone coating, layered up to 3 layers. It can also be used as a top coat to any high quality coating.
- Is very versatile. It can be used on paint, trim, engine plastics, wheels, chrome, etc. I know many that like it on glass, but I prefer Q² View.
- It delivers an intense candy gloss and great water behavior.
Where I like to use Q² CanCoat:
- Great entry level coating offering. When applied over Q² Primer we get a boost in durability and a really great finished look for very little effort.
- As a yearly top up to an existing coating. I have Q² One on my personal truck which is performing very well in a tough climate and plan on applying Q² CanCoat yearly as a quick top up.
- As a quick application to wheels, exhaust tips, engine plastics or literally any other exterior surface of the car.
I think the biggest point to cover in this article is the application process, which I think is where the strength of the product really exists. I have seen people switch from the sprayer/wipe method and apply Q² CanCoat as a traditional coating by using a suede and foam block or microfiber applicator. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. The product will certainly perform as intended. So if you like this method, by all means, keep on rolling with it. But to me, we are taking the products biggest strength out of the equation. Q² CanCoat is designed to be a FAST installation.
I totally understand based on my own OCD brain why one would want to see a nice thick layer of material go down, applied nice and slow with a perfectly even cross-hatched pattern. But if that is the application you like then bump up to Q² One or Q² Pure which are the two other SiO2 based coatings in the Gyeon quartz line. Q² CanCoat is designed to leave a thin layer of material behind with a quick and easy installation. So let’s go over the application method.
First, always perform a wipe down of the surface with Gyeon quartz Q²M Prep. This will remove the polishing oils or lubricants from a previous detailing step and make sure we have a direct bond between the coating and the paint. If an exceptionally oily polish was used, you may need a bit more of a de-greasing stage to make sure all oils are removed.
Spray Q²M Prep directly on to the paint over a shoulder width section at a time. Use just enough product to where it starts to run down the paint. Use a long fiber and highly absorbent microfiber towel like the Gyeon quartz Q²M SoftWipe to collect the Q²M Prep as well as the material it is designed to breakdown. Make sure all material is removed, as this is the final finish of the surface before coating. There is nothing worse than coating over a bit of leftover Prep and finding it later.
Now on to the Q² CanCoat application! Remove the metal cap and set it aside. You will replace this later. Attach one of the (3) included plastic sprayers to the bottle. 200ml of product is included in each can. The can size is larger than the 200ml so the bottle will be about 3/4 full. You did not get shorted!
Using the included microfiber towel, cup the spray nozzle and deliver 2 sprays of product into the towel. If you don’t cup the sprayer it is very easy to waft or transfer the floating product on to the paint. Again, we do not need to see a big thick layer of material going down. We should have a nice thin layer over a shoulder width area that nearly disappears completely as we work it into the paint. This is not an apply, wait 30 seconds, and then remove scenario. If we overuse the product and let it sit on the paint it is going to be a pain to wipe off.
Use a quick arm speed and work the product into the surface in straight line overlapping patterns for 10 to 20 seconds. Don’t stop moving the towel until the product has all but disappeared. Use a handheld light when done to pick up any leftover build up. That’s it! This should be a very quick and easy application.
For your secondary wipe up towel, or the towel for your next install after you’ve toasted the towel it came with use Gyeon quartz Q²M BaldWipe. The short pile height and dense fiber will move the product over the paint smoothly while absorbing excess material.
You’ll be left with a very warm gloss that looks fantastic. The surface will bead water like crazy and keep the finish well protected from environmental damage. Make sure to remove and rinse your sprayer very well. If you don’t, it will harden and be useless next time around, but don’t worry there are two more in the box. Replace the metal cap for storage. Enjoy!
Absolute great product. Getting an easy 12 months plus with on going maintenance. As a stand alone coating. Don’t use sprayer anymore though. Found that product was floating onto paint work still. Dropper bottle works great. I’m OCD and still use suede and block application.
Awesome! I have seen similar longevity our of CanCoat.
Jeff – So appreciate how well written your piece on CanCoat is. It is a personable, intelligently thoughtful and a thoroughly detailed step by step line upon line well reasoned set of instructions. Well done my friend. Well done. Excellent Job!
Am I correct in assuming from your title that you are a member of the Gyeon team? If so I’m curious if CanCoat is Skin in another delivery form? If not is Skin ever going to be available as a stand alone product outside of the MOHS kit. Hint..it should be. It’s awesome.
Thank you for your reply.
Category leading product for sure, either as a stand alone or on top of a coating. Mohs + CanCoat is an amazing combo. With all the recent releases of ‘spray coatings’ and their claims, they remain Pretenders to the Throne in comparison to the original in that space, CanCoat.
Heck, I’ve used CanCoat on top of other mfg coatings that were sub-par in self cleaning/water behavior and 10-15 minutes later these coatings were re-born. Great stuff.
Now about that pro-only CanCoat Pro…:)
Awesome! SO glad it has been working for you. CanCoat it one of my long time favorites as well.
Big fan of CanCoat. It’s my staple product when doing corrections for clients. Great price point too for the number of cars I’m able to get out of a can. I do struggle with the sprayer though around the third application but it’s great that Gyeon provides two sprayers in the kits.
Agreed. There is no “great” solution for the sprayer as you are transferring a material that will solidify through it. I rinse the heck out of mine in warm water with a bit of APC mixed in and can get about 4 uses out of each sprayer. The package comes with 3 now so that is just about perfect for the amount of product.
Nice write up Jeff. CanCoat has exceeded all expectations for me. Achieving a durability of 15 months when combined with Primer Polish and the occasional Cure. I continue to use it as it just works so well. I am guilty of applying it with a microfiber applicator instead of a towel. I just feel the microfiber applicator gives more even coverage without sacrificing the speed of application.
Primer + CanCoat is amazing. That combo is hard to beat. If you have a microfiber application that works that is awesome. No wrong way to do it.
Hi Jeff,
Enjoyed the article, I was not aware that Can Coat was so easy to apply. I currently have Reload on my car (properly polished before applying) . Wondering if I could top off with Can Coat, or would it not bond ?
Thanks for your reply, Sean
In this case, you would want the most durable product of the pair interacting directly with the paint. So best to have CanCoat as the base layer and then top up every few months as desired with a product like Q2M Cure to keep the repellency at the absolute maximum.
Jeff, how many times can you spray and apply to a face of a folded towel? Do you need to flip to a fresh towel side with each half panel?
Hey George. When we are focusing on speed of application, one of the factors can be too much product applied to the surface. With the fast acting solvent that CanCoat uses, if you have too much product over a given area that isn’t removed quickly it can be more of a chore to wipe off the excess. So I will use a side of a towel until I can kind of “feel” that it is saturated and that side of the towel itself isn’t helping me pick up excess material. I change sides of the towel fairly often, say a panel at a time to get the easiest install. If the application towel is over saturated you will start to push product around vs absorbing it.
Extremely helpful, thank you Jeff. I’ve been using a microfiber pad to install, but will give cloths another try.
So roughly how many of each towel do you end up using?
Hi Greg, I will say I used five towels (two for each side of the vehicle) and one for final wipe down. One for the initial wipe off and the second for a second wipe and one for the final wipe down. All towels were thrown away after usage.
I used CanCoat on a 2017 Gray Miata RF and Wow! My wife opened the garage at night and said it looked like glass. My process was using Chemical Guys V38, Gyeon Prep and then Can Coat. One bit of advice,make sure you do not lay anything wet or get water on it after immediately coating. It will create minor white water spots but they are easily removed with a coating safe spray. My wife drove the car two days ago in the rain and though it had dirt on it, it was far less then it would have been prior to this application. It still shines even through the dirt. It doesn’t have a dirt haze to the finish just little dirt spots that were blowing in the wind.