Review: GTechniq L1 Leather Guard Introduction: As a lot of you know technology over the past few years has begun to provide us with some revolutionary products. I’m referring of course to the new products know as “coatings” and also those created with “nano technology”. Those of us who haven’t had a chance to try the coatings have been able to keep up somewhat thanks to the videos and first hand accounts of Richy, Chad, Ron, and others. Using GTechniq L1 would be my first experience with any type of true nano technology car care product that I am aware of… or “coating” for that matter. I use the word coating because that is what GTechniq describes this product as. My friend Jim sent me 4 oz. of this product, which is probably enough to last my Sky’s leather for 2+ years! Jim, thank you for the L1 and for the time you spent discussing your findings and theory’s with me. Product Claims: GTechniq L1 Leather Guard offers the best type of protection against staining and durability. Being solvent based L1 penetrates deep into the leather. GTechniq L1 Leather Guard is a true nano scale product that offers better durability and performance than standard products. GTechniq L1 Leather Guard also adds water repellency to the surface of the leather. The GTechniq L1 Leather Guard is the only leather coating product that prevents die transfer onto pale leather. Typically prevents blue jeans marking cream leather auto interiors. GTechniq L1 Leather Guard is ultra durable, stain resistant and provides effective UV protection for leather. Details: 1.- Packaging: N/A 2.- Directions: Vague and incorrect in my opinion 3.- Base: Solvent 4.- Consistency: Thin spray able liquid 5.- Color: White 6.- Scent: No scent 7.- Size/Price: (32oz. / $49.95) 8.- Manufacturer: GTechniq 9.- Made in: United Kingdom Additional products used for prep, during application, or removal: 1.- Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel 2.- Foam Applicator 3.- Damp Microfiber towel 4.- Nitrile Gloves 01-Products 02-Conditions Condition of Surface / Method of Preparation: Approximately 1 month ago I applied Ultima Interior Guard Plus (UIGP) to my leather seats. The first step would be to attempt to remove it in case it might have an affect on the application of the Gtech L1. I sprayed Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel (UISG) across the surfaces and used a mf towel to spread and wash the seats with it. After this step was complete I took the precautionary measure of wiping the seats down with a wet (water) mf towel and of course allowing them to dry. One thing to keep in mind throughout the duration of this review is that I cannot guarantee that all UIGP was removed. There is no way for me to know for sure. What I can say is this. For those unfamiliar with UISG cleaning ability it is gentle (safe) but VERY effective. To give you an idea I once used it on a brown rubber floor mat that had been scuffed by shoes until it was mostly black. I also used OPC 2:1 on another floor mat of similar condition. The UISG cleaned the mats faster and easier than did the OPC. For more info on the cleaning ability of UISG consult that review. 03-Drivers Side Before 04-Drivers Side Before Method of Application, and noted Observations: I began by spraying the passenger side seat back with L1 until I had enough product to easily work with. After spreading the product with my foam applicator I finished in straight lines. Video: 03A Application of L1 with Foam Applicator YouTube - 03A-Application of L1.AVI Almost instantly (as seen in the video) I observed the product separating a little from the surface rather than wanting to spread evenly for me. I thought this might be an affect of the UIGP that had been applied a few weeks ago. I gave Jim a call and discussed his experience with application. He had witnessed the same quality even though his leather had not been previously coated with another product. Jim also explained to me that the bottles directions simply say to spray on which neither of us thought made much sense. Jim had previously tried the method of spraying and wiping as well as just spraying on. The spraying on method ended up far too thick for him. After moving back to the garage I continued application by coating the entire drivers seat. To completely cover the drivers side seat on all faces and sides took approximately 3 minutes. Next I moved back to the passenger seat and applied the product to its remainder except for one half of the seat itself, which was left bare. I found I had a little difficulty getting the L1 into the seams evenly in some places. Difficulty may be the wrong word but a little focus is needed. Another option would be to use a small brush or other tool for the seams, which would probably work nicely. After about 4 hours some places still looked a little streaky. I lightly rubbed one spot with my finger and it seemed I could have wiped it with a towel and be done. Of course I didn’t do that because from what I understand that is not the correct way of application. At this point I considered I might have over applied the product. I went ahead and put the top up and closed it down hoping the streaking would resolve itself overnight. After I got home from work Monday I went out to the garage to take a look at what 24 hours would do for the L1 coating. The seats were a slightly darker black and the streaking had subsided in most areas. However if I looked really close under good lighting I could still see very slight streaks in most areas. In a couple areas the streaking was bad. I believe those may have been the areas where it had been applied most heavily. 05-During Application 06-During Application 07-Immediately after application 08-50/50 Immediately after application 09-50/50 Immediately after application 10-Immediately after application 11- After 2 Minutes 12- After 15 Minutes 13-After 15 Minutes 14-Amount Used for Two Seats 15-After 24 hours 16-After 24 hours 16F-After 24 hours 16B-Video: Streaks Remain After 24 Hours YouTube - 16B-Streaks after 24 hours.AVI Obviously the next question is how do I remove the streaks. I started by rubbing it with my finger to see what I would find. While this did make a difference it wasn’t going to make things perfect. The next three options were using a dry towel, a slightly damp towel, and using Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel. I took videos of each of these three methods. I found that using a dry towel was less effective then using my hand. This may be because the natural moisture in the hand is helpful while the dry towel doesn’t cut it at all. Using my hand was not very effective either but more so than a dry towel. 16C-Video: Dry towel does not remove streaks YouTube - 16C-Dry towel does not remove streaks.AVI 16D-Video: Hand does not remove streaks YouTube - 16D-Hand does not remove streaks.AVI Using a damp towel was effective and became the preferred method for smoothing out the streaks. The damp towel straightened things right out with very little effort. 16E-Video And Audio: Damp towel removes streaking easily YouTube - 16E-Damp towel removes streaking easily.AVI 16G-50-50 16H-50-50 Of course the next question is “Am I removing the streaks or am I removing the coating entirely?” Well let’s hope it isn’t the latter! To learn more about the L1 and troubleshoot the coating removal theory I thought it important we find out what a cleaner would do to the coating. As you should remember from the beginning of our adventure we ran tape down the middle of the passenger seat. The side closest to the door had been left bare and the other coated with L1. So for the next test I ran another piece of tape in the opposite direction effectively creating four sections. Then I tore half of the original tape off. Here we could see a 50/50 of the darker L1 side contrasted with the untreated side without the tape in the way. After starting the video camera I sprayed a couple shots of UISG on the L1 and wiped it in with a mf towel. After repeatedly wiping the area it appeared that the UISG had removed a high percentage of the coating. 17-Ultima Interior Products 18A-Video: UISG 1st try YouTube - 18A-UISG 1st try.AVI I allowed the area to dry for a few seconds and the line reappeared slightly showing that the cleaner had not removed the L1. How much if any actual protection was removed I don’t know. I wasn’t happy with the shadows in the video so I moved the halogen lights to the passenger side of the car for the next go. 18B-Video: UISG 2nd try YouTube - 18B-UISG 2nd try.AVI After applying the UISG for the second time, buffing it off, and allowing it to dry I could only make out a very faint difference. It appeared two treatments of UISG had removed the visual effects of the L1 coating. This was a little disappointing to me, as I didn’t expect any cleaner to have a serious affect on the L1. However logic would suggest that if it took 2 coats of UISG than a damp mf towel shouldn’t affect the L1. 18-After attempting to strip with UISG Twice 18C-Video: Results after UISG 2 times YouTube - 18C-Results after UISG 2 times and allowing to dry.AVI The results of the UISG allowed me to feel relatively comfortable that using only a damp cloth to wipe was not removing the protection but only smoothing the streaks. Based on that, I moved forward with lightly wiping the rest of the treated areas down with a (straight water) damp cloth. As I was wiping down the seats I found that in some areas I was getting a little buildup of a few little white dots. This seems to be further evidence that I may have applied too heavily in some areas. Another possibility is that I wiped the product with my applicator more than I should have possible interrupting its initial curing ability. I lean towards too much product being applied. Next up would be a comparison of looks between UIGP and the subject of our review Gtech L1. In the last corner of our taped off passenger seat I applied the UIGP and allowed it to dry. 19A-Video: Application of UIGP YouTube - 19A-Applying UIGP.AVI After giving the UIGP some time to dry the results are in. The appearance of L1 is actually quite similar to UIGP (as Jim has previously mentioned). While neither is at all glossy or “slippery” and both add a touch of class to the leather I prefer the look of the Gtech L1 to that of the UIGP. The L1 is just slightly darker than the UIGP and that gives it an extra point in the looks dept. 19-50/50/50/50 20-50/50/50/50 21-50/50/50/50 22-50/50/50/50 23-50/50/50/50 24-50/50/50/50 25-50/50/50/50 When I came home from work Tuesday evening I filled a couple of spray bottles with water and moved back to the garage for further testing. After lowering the top and setting up the lighting once again I labeled each of the 4 sections on the passenger seat as follows. L1 / L1 and then wiped down with UISG twice UIGP / N/A (Bare) Next I took two videos while spraying water onto the 4 surfaces and then dabbing and wiping it back off. The purpose was to see how L1 reacts to liquid. 26A-Video: Reaction to water 1 YouTube - 26A-Reaction to water 1.AVI 26B-Video: Reaction to water 2 YouTube - 26B-Reaction to water 2.AVI I was initially very disappointed to find that the L1 did not force much beading. I had expected to see tight beads, which one would presume to be a sign of resistance to the water. The next observation however would tilt my experience in a positive direction. As I was drying the seat I discovered the section, which had been “stripped” with UISG was exhibiting the same signs as the L1 section, which had not. It had regained its dark shade as a side affect of the water appearing to absorb into it. This was very curious to me indeed! I was very happy to find the side that I feared had been stripped by 2 coats of UISG had not been stripped after all. The extent of the protection that remains is unknown. Later Jim would theorize that the protection itself was not compromised at all by the UISG, and that only the “extra” material surface of the coating was being removed after the needed amount of nano particles had bonded to the leather. I was looking forward to telling Jim some of my new findings and I knew he was curious of how things were going so I gave him a call. As we were discussing these things it crossed my mind that the reason the L1 had exhibited water absorption was due to its own physical structure. The water can’t absorb into the finished leather. Therefore the L1 must certainly have left a substantial coating. It must be this coating that appeared to temporarily absorb a little of the moisture. After I had this review written out I decided it was only fair if I tried a couple other application methods to see if the streaking could be avoided from the start. I taped off the seat back of the driver’s side. On the upper half I applied L1 using a similar method to what I use for UIGP. (Apply it light using a sponge type applicator) Granted it wasn’t applied as light as UIGP but light all the same. 27-Video And Audio: L1 Applied with Sponge YouTube - 27-L1 Applied with Sponge.AVI On the lower half I applied L1 by spraying directly onto the leather and wiping off immediately afterwards. 28- Video And Audio: L1 Spray on Wipe off Application YouTube - 28-L1 Spray on Wipe off.AVI I make a comment towards the end of the “Spray on Wipe off” video that I would like to retract. I mention that I prefer the original method of applying with foam and then wiping off later. After I remove the tape it was clear to me that the Spray on Wipe off method (Bottom Half) had left a nice dark coating of L1. The “Applied with sponge” method (Top Half) was not as dark as the bottom. Also the great news was within a short period of time there is no streaking whatsoever with either of these two methods. These 50-50 Pictures were taken within 2 minutes of application and tape removal. 28A-50-50 28B-50-50 28C-50-50 Setup for Future Durability Testing: I realized I should have left a strip of the drivers seat bare, as this would be the seat to get the most friction from my entrance and exits of the vehicle. The next best thing was to use some UISG on a strip of that seat. UISG was applied and removed to a taped off section in the center of the seat. 29-Video: Partially Removed L1 from center of drivers seat YouTube - 29-Partially Removed L1 from center of drivers seat.AVI 30-Partially Removed L1 from center of driver seat 31-Partially Removed L1 from center of driver seat 32-Partially Removed L1 from center of driver seat Moving forward I will monitor this strip and after a month hopefully take a few pictures and test with some water spray to compare. Pros: 1.- Appearance: Darkens black leather without adding gloss 2.- Tactile feel: Not slippery or greasy 3.- Durability (Further testing in progress) 4.- Price: At 50$ the initial price comes off as a little steep however for that price you receive 32oz. and it doesn’t take much to coat your leather. Also at this point it is fair to assume its going to last awhile. In my opinion the price is more than fair. It also appears you can purchase a 3.4 oz bottle for $8 but if you are in the US I don’t know if this size/price is available. Undecided: 1.- UV Protection (Testing in progress) 2.- Stain Resistant: (Testing in progress) 3.- **Prevents dye transfer onto pale leather (claim untested) Cons: 1.-Directions: There is a learning curve to avoiding streaks with this product and the directions provided by GTechniq only hurt things in my opinion. 2.- GTechniq claims water repellency: I can only report what I am seeing with my eyes and its not water repellency. While it may repel water from the leather beneath the coating it does not repel it from the L1 coating. Not sure this is a con or not but if applying traditional logic it doesn’t seem good to me. Regardless, this trait appears to contradict Gtechniq’s claim. Final Observations and Summary: I’m very happy with the looks of this product. I haven’t seen a product that appears as dark as this without any gloss added and for me that is a great trait. I am comfortable with the durability claim and I think that is another feather in the cap of a product that (applied to seats) will see constant flexing and friction. Application according to the directions leaves something to be desired and is less than ideal. However after allowing the product to cure a damp mf towel works great to remove streaking. The question is will you have the vehicle in your possession long enough to allow the proper cure time and take that final step. I am waiting on an answer from GTechniq regarding what the proper cure time is. Using the other 2 methods are a much easier application and if GTechniq confirms they do not compromise the protection then I would highly recommend the spray on and wipe off method. If this is acceptable practice then I will add “application” to my list of pros in a heartbeat. Unfortunately due to the directions it is unclear if this would compromise the full protection of the coating. I have emailed GTechniq with some questions and if they answer with this being a viable option, my opinion of L1 will be further improved. I am currently setting up a UV test, which will be conducted in full sun with the test material brought in at night and anytime rain is expected. Unfortunately the material used will be vinyl not that that should make a difference. As far as the prevention of dye transfer onto pale leather I apologize that I am unable to test this…
Questions For GTechniq: Below is the list of questions I emailed to GTechniq. Rob has replied to me and asked whether the product I am using is clear or milky white. Unfortunately I don’t think I answered him early enough for him to get back to me. I will post the answers as soon as I receive them. 1.-What is the cure time? A.-How long until the vehicle can be driven? B.-How long should the surface be left free of any contact to promote optimal curing? c.-How long should the surface be kept free of water or moisture, which might affect the curing? 2.-When using an interior cleaner (Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel) I found it to remove some of the darkness that the L1 had added to my leather. Upon spraying some water on the seat and blotting it off I found the L1 seemed to still be present. A.-Does the removal of that darkness mean some of the protection is compromised? B.-Is this normal? 3.-Your directions instruct the user to “spray on”. We have found this to cause an excess of product on the leather and this really doesn’t seem like the right way to apply it. I have tried spraying it on and spreading the product with a foam applicator. After leaving it alone for even 24 hours after application I still find there is some streaking if I look real close. After allowing the product to cure for a day I removed the streaks by wiping with a damp mf towel. The directions insinuate that it can be applied thick but after using the product I would think very thin is the key. Spraying onto a sponge applicator and then spreading the product should work much better. A.-What say you? B.-Should the excess product be removed with a towel immediately after applying or does it need to cure and then be wiped with a damp towel? C.-Would removing the excess product immediately after application have any negative effect on it? 4.-As far as UV protection goes are specific UV inhibitors added to this product or is the UV protection only a “side effect” of the applied coating? 5.-Are there any safety risks associated with getting L1 on your skin due to the nano technology or other ingredients?
insanely thorough review. Thanks for taking your time to provide such an in depth evaluation. besides the great review, I like those seats!
That is so far beyond any review I have ever read in terms of thoroughness. Seriously that was a few pages shy of a dissertation.:applause2: What product will you be reviewing next? Where did you get your temp/humidity device? Have been looking around at those on Amazon.
Wow Coreo!!! Another absolute barn burner my friend:applause: After our visit in the RR last night I knew I was going to have to makes some time for this one, sit back, get comfy and enjoyopcorn: Once again, just when I think you've taken the product review gig to the highest level possible; some how you manage to raise the bar even higher once again:gidiup: This is another review destined to be a classic in Corey's Corner... Thanks for taking so much of your valuable time (again):missy: to provide us with such a comprehensible and thorough review... I hear it again, (but it's much louder this time) …………If I listen closely, I can hear the tear of a Nick hit the ground:kiss: I am quite interested in the UV testing to come, and wonder if I could request another competitor to be included in this portion of the testing :beg: If so; I would like to see you include 303 AP into the mix. I heard a story a while back of a couple of guys who wanted to test it's UV shielding qualities. They treated 1/2 of a "orange type" life jacket w/ 303 and left the other 1/2 bare. They then tossed it up on the roof of their rafting business. There intent was to check it every so often. They checked it for a while, but then forgot about it:yikes: A couple of years later they were doing some work on the roof and came across the life jacket.:crasy: Rumor is, the side with 303 was still in pretty good shape, and would have even bee still usable. However the untreated side had almost completely deteriorated, and rotted away... I don't know if this is a true story and I can't remember where I heard it, but I have often thought about it and found it interesting... Any way thanks again for another great review buddy :worship2:
Geez, great review, I wonder why I didn't make the list of people using L1 though.:giggle: I sent Richy the old L1, I am awaiting the new stuff along with a bunch of other stuff from Rob. You need to do a review of I1 next.
Thank you so much rfinkle. I appreciate it. Skybaby appreciates the compliments on her seats as well. Thank you Rcrew! "... few pages shy of a dissertation" :giggle: I like that! Dodo Juice Sour Power Gloss Enhancing Shampoo is up next. I got the temp/humidity device at the local cigar shop down the street. It was in the 20$ range. Tad, thank you so much for your kind words! Its always a pleasure to hear from you. :thumb: Thats a cool story with the 303AP. You got it buddy! I will be sure to add 303 to the test as well. :mounty: Thank you Bryan! Sorry about that. :sorry: I was actually referring to the CQuartz and Opticoat. I have a bad memory and forget some times as well. There were a few other names as well but I can't get em all. Thank you kdude. I'm very happy you enjoyed it! :gidiup:
