Gtechniq Halo: Durability (Part 3)

Gtechniq Halo is Gtechniq’s latest release. It is marketed as a ceramic coating for PPF and vinyl films. Gtechniq claims it lasts up to two years, which, in real-world testing, I can not attest, however, after a good 3 months of running Halo through the salt and nasty Wisconsin winter without a single wash, I can say, Halo has surprised me. Before reading on, if you missed the other parts of this series, take a look at part 1 and part 2.

In the initial application, I used a 2011 Yukon Denali XL. I prepped and applied the lower front-drive and passenger doors for Hexis PPF. After application, I tapped off the PPF in small sections to try and give the most consistent and fair test for each coating possible. Prepped with Panel Wipe diluted 1:1, I wiped down the PPF and applied CSU, EXO, and Halo on the PPF.

After not a single wash in nearly 3 months, I just did a wash this weekend. I pre-washed with W6 and W5, letting sit for about 4-5 minutes. Using the two bucket method, I then washed the truck normally with G Wash. The beading characteristics of Halo were at about the same, maybe even a bit better than Ultra and EXO. Protection was still not an issue on the passenger side. The driver side showed less hydrophobic properties, but still very resilient and had held up well considering it had gone through some rigorous weather and road conditions. Watching through Gtechniq’s video and seeing their entire testing process was quite interesting. It’s no wonder I have fallen in love with Gtechniq’s products so much. I wish more companies would open up to their testing qualifications so we could see more behind the scenes.

Here are some photos of the PPF before washing. You can pretty easily see the tape lines and where the PPF was not protected. The beading properties after about 3 months of constant abuse are also photographed below. Notice the water sitting stagnant on the edges of where the tape was, now bare PPF. This was really hard to photograph due to being white paint, so hopefully, you can get a decent idea of what’s going on.

Overall, very impressed with Halo. It will become a staple at the shop for our wrapped vehicles that we do, or that come in. As always, if you have any questions, or would like to schedule and appointment with my company, Refined Auto Studio, feel free to reach out!