Projects | BMW M2 | Paint Correction | Gyeon MOHS

Okay, so I know what you must be thinking, “another new coating? What makes this one different from the laundry list of others out there?”

I stumbled across Gyeon at last years SEMA show and was instantly drawn to their products by the vibrant packaging and the simple, clear system. I chatted with Jeff at Gyeon USA and remember asking him what was going to be the craziest, glossiest coating combination in the Gyeon range. Jeff advised me that 3 coats of Gyeon MOHS ceramic coating topped with Gyeon CanCoat would yield a candy-like gloss that would definitely turn some heads. So, I decided to give it a go. Now we only had to find a suitable test subject. It didn’t take us long, after we got a call from a client looking to take his Long Beach Blue BMW M2 to the next level.

First up, the wash process. We gave this blue beauty a 2 bucket wash and chemical decontamination with Gyeon Iron. After a heavy rinse, we gave all the paintwork a thorough clay treatment with a Clay Magic fine grade clay bar.

After the vehicle was dried, we pulled the car up and inspected the finish with our Scangrip Sunmatch Light. We quickly realized a single stage correction was going to be the perfect recipe to revive this paintwork. Sonax Fine Abrasive Paste paired with a Rupes yellow pad on the Griots Garage G21, eliminated the swirls and scratches and produced a finish worthy of this coating test.

We started our coating installation with a Gyeon Prep wipe down, spraying the paintwork liberally and wiping with a microfiber towel. Gyeon Prep is designed to eliminate all polishing oils in order to prepare the paintwork for an optimal bond with the coating. I have to say, Gyeon Prep also smells pretty darn good. We went around the car 3 times with Prep in order to ensure all oils were removed.

Once the paint was ready for the coating, it was time for the Gyeon MOHS installation. Below is a little excerpt from the product description for MOHS:

The hardness of average car paint is approximately 3-4H and Mohs will add another layer that is 3-4H! This dramatically improves your vehicle’s ability to resist environmental contamination, swirls, RIDs, etc. Mohs however is not “too hard” and still reacts to the changes in the environment such as temperature and humidity. This allows the coating to be “flexible” in a way, meaning that even though it is hard enough to protect, it is still soft enough to not develop micro-cracks that can hurt looks or longevity. Once cured, Mohs will easily last up to 12 months or 12,500 miles and the hydrophobic qualities will have you standing back to admire the tight uniform water beads.

First, we shook the bottle and applied two thin lines of MOHS onto a Gyeon Microfiber Suede. We then spread the coating using a criss-cross pattern to a panel no larger than half a door.  After about 30 seconds, it was time to remove the remaining residue using the three towel removal system. The first towel wipes off the majority of the coating residue followed by the second and third which ensures no residue is left over.

The first characteristic I noticed about MOHS was how cleanly it wiped off. No pressure was used in removing the residue, only leaving behind crisp, glossy paint. I also took note that exceeding the 30 second wipe off time didn’t have much affect on the residue removal experience. Even at the 60-120 second mark the coating was still wiping off cleanly. Keep in mind it was only about 60 degrees in the shop with no humidity. If it were summer, I would have most likely been sticking to that 30 second wipe off time.

After the entire vehicle had been coated with 1 layer of MOHS, we baked each panel with our Infratech short wave IR lamp to increase the overall hardness and gloss of each coating layer. Each panel was baked for 10-12 minutes at about 158 degrees. Once the baking was complete, we applied the second layer, baked again, followed by the third and final coat. Keep in mind, if IR curing isn’t an option for you, wait about 1 hour between layers of MOHS with a maximum of 3 layers possible.

We then let the car sit overnight, letting the third layer cure before applying Gyeon CanCoat in the morning. Below is an excerpt from the Gyeon CanCoat product description for a quick overview of the product:

Gyeon CanCoat is essentially a coating in a can, designed to help you save time when protecting your paint! We all love coatings, the glossy look and durable protection they provide, but they can be time consuming to apply. Very simply CanCoat is a coating, packed into an aerosol can. Having the coating in this form, allows you to simply spray it onto the paint, and wipe away with a clean microfiber towel. Application is really that easy and allows you to coat an entire car in around 20 minutes!

Why did we top MOHS with CanCoat? Well, we wanted the paint to be pretty darn shiny!  Following Jeff’s recommendation, we applied two layers of CanCoat (three hours apart) using a DI microfiber applicator and a few general purpose microfiber towels. CanCoat spreads nice and evenly and wipes away cleanly as well. The one draw back is that if the spray top on the bottle isn’t removed and cleaned after each usage, it will become clogged from dried coating.

At first I really disliked this aspect of CanCoat, but then I started to think about it a little more. If a 6-8 month sealant can cure that hard, the durability should live up to the expectations and that’s exactly what happened. 4 months back, we tested CanCoat on a daily driven Mini Cooper S which wasn’t shy around the old automatic car wash, and when it returned, the beading blew away what we had come to expect from a sealant. I was very impressed.

We finished it all off with an application of Gyeon Cure on the paint, wheels, engine plastics and door jams. For a quick overview of Gyeon Cure check out the excerpt from the product description below:

Gyeon Cure is a hydrophobic spray on sealant that will help extend the life of your existing coating layer. With just a few sprays per panel, Cure will refresh the coating underneath and add extra gloss, along with extending the durability of the protection layer. This will in turn help keep the surface cleaner for longer and protect against dreaded water spots. The secret is in the SiO2 (i.e silica), which helps add extra hydrophobicity making the surface feel slick combined with fantastic anti-static properties.

I have to say Cure was easy to apply and added slickness to paintwork that had been missing from just the MOHS and CanCoat applications.

 

Exhaust tips received a few coats of MOHS as well.

And now, the beauty shots!

Final Thoughts:

After wrapping this one up, I have to say, I really enjoyed working with the Gyeon products. They are very user-friendly which many detailers and DIYers are going to enjoy. I will have to post an update once we see this vehicle back in the shop so we can review on how the coating is performing. From a looks and installation stand point, Gyeon MOHS works very well, achieving a candy like gloss with little to no installation issues. From a price standpoint MOHS is a real winner. For $119.99 you receive a 50mL bottle capable of coating 3-4 cars, a 100 mL bottle of Cure, facemask, applicators, stickers, and a detailed manual. That is a lot of value for that price point.

I hope you enjoyed reading this one.

Buy Products From This Article