Reply With QuoteI think you are better off buying paint protector and doing it yourself with the prices most dealers charge.
Hello
We're getting a brand new car soon. It's a white Kia Picanto. I know lots of you guys have exotic stuff but it'll be fine for what we need ;-)
The dealer has mentioned this GARDX paint & fabric protection stuff they can apply.
Is this stuff any good & is it worth bothering with?
Any input gratefully received !
Cheers
Dave
I think you are better off buying paint protector and doing it yourself with the prices most dealers charge.
To be honest, it's not so much the cost (I'm no millionaire btw) I'm more concerned it'll be utter crap or prove to be problematic.
Cheers
Dave
We had a similar thing done on our last 2 cars, and most dealers offer similar deals. How much is the cost? It can seem cheap when in with the cost of the car but if someone offered to apply paintwork and seat protection to a car you already owned would you pay the price?
Tbh it's probably not a lacquer type coating but something using polymers or something similar, which can be bought in some polishes. As for seat cloth or leather protection how likely are you to spill your drink/dinner on the seats?
Ian
Last edited by oldoakknives; 5th August 2017 at 16:55.
I've been dead against these things for a number of years as I've always assumed that cleaning the car with a polish and a clay bar will remove them.
However I've had the latest car treated with Lifeshine. I wash the car weekly and dry off using microfiber and a wet-wax. So far I have to say the finish is looking good.
The real test will be when it needs it's first proper polish if indeed it does.
I'm not going to get into the technicalities of all in one polish v wax v polymer finishes or clay bars but there is a ton of info about detailing on the interweb.
I have worked in the motor trade for 20 years and have sold thousands of these to customers, giving speeches about all the benefits of several different products.
The truth is they are all crap! We buy the whole kit for about £60 and I have charged up to £700 over the years. I know that make me a bad person but I'm paid on commission and I need to fund my hobby.
My advice would be buy a Autoglym lifeshine kit of the web for £50-£100 and apply yourself after watching a video on you tube. It's simple and of all the many companies making these products this one actually does work! And of that I am sure as I have it applied to my partners car.
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If you are a car fanatic it may be worth it but remember any professionally applied coating will need to be reapplied if the car suffers any damage. I went to a detailer with my last new car to have something applied which did keep it from gathering too much dirt but didn't bother with it for my latest car.
Call me a cynic
But surely if these sort of treatments were that good, then why don't the car makers just do it when they are being built?!
I realise it's cynical of me , I know nothing about it, when ive been offered it on cars in the past, the salesmen have told me, using this means your car will look like new for years!!
They couldn't tell me why though!?
Over priced rubbish there to extract more profit out of you IMHO
If you are completely anal - don't even think about getting your dealer to even touch your car prior to delivery- get a pro outfit t come in and do it. Probably the only system worth doing is GTechniq. Otherwise do it yourself!
Had this on a car years ago and I never noticed any benefit. As others have said, if it was any good or would it would be applied during manufacture. Snake oil imho!
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I'm sceptical about all of these products but my Lotus had a full GTechnique treatment and it still beads 18 months on. As I understand it's the only one worth buying but it's not cheap.Originally Posted by CriticalMass
My Son in Law was a Director of Toyota he told me it costs the garage £30 and they would charge £300 to the customer for this 'special' coating. So recently I politely declined this for my Honda purchase.
My experience is unless the dealer throws in the paint protection for free, then don't bother paying for it. Either find a professional detailer (starting prices £300 depending on what you want) or DIY (either buy a kit or just wax and seal 2-3 times a year). All depends on how much you want to spend and how much time do you have for your car.
Also some people misunderstand paint protection. IMO they don't protect the paintwork at all, i.e. from scratches etc. They just make the car easier to clean. Washing your car regularly (1-2 times a week) and a quick detailer wax spray every so often is good enough.
AS per others - snake oil! Buy a decent wax for £50 and repeat once a year.
This level of honesty is appreciated and refreshing!Thanks for the info.
My wife's Kia Ceed had it a few years back, paint not seats. It was good. Easier to clean, paint looked great.
However, I wouldn't buy it again. Two reasons. Exactly like Franco81 said, my brother-in-law worked at BMW and said exactly the same. £40-60 and the guy who washes the cars bangs it on. Incredible mark-up!
I bought a £30 tub of Meguiar’s paste wax for my audi. Need to do the car approx 4 times a year, and it offers great protection. There are no doubt other better products, but it's one area where synthetic is better than natural for protection.
I've had my V70 since new, and it is 9 years old and the paint job is still as good as the day it left the factory.
All I do is use some Tesco car shampoo and Turtlewax it twice a year.
Less is more.
No need for all these expensive products and treatments IMO
Best investment I've made was a small bottle of GTechniq Wheel Armour- applied to the car when brand new. A year later on the wheels hose clean with no staining and no need for a wheel cleaner.
That and a pot of good carnuba wax (Angelwax is great) and it's job done.
I've never bothered either.
I wash our cars about every 10 days, or when they look dirty, and wax them with Turtle Hard Shell wax about four times a year.
Big fan of Autoglym products which I use for cleaning, both inside and out, but cannot bring myself to spend c. £50 on a tub of their wax. I've used Turtle wax for very many years and I'm quite happy with it.
Excellent range of products.
Excellent, thank you all for the input. Looks like i'll pass on getting this car paint protection stuff & just buy some decent wax instead !
Thanks again
Dave
Landrover tried to sell their version to me for £400 odd i declined and just gave the car a coat of wax like i always do,glad i took out the cosmetic & alloy wheel insurance though as its going in at end of month for 2 scratches that happened in supermarket carparks few weeks ago
Funny that.
I have always thought of car paint itself as protection against corrosion of the bodywork. Much like nickel and chromium were.
But then I am not worried about the odd scratch-n-dent. Just keep the steel covered with rust inhibiter/converter.
The resale value ... well. Not sure if you add up the cost of the repairs of the minor damage, the protective products et all, whether that is less than a possible premium at sale.
Sorry this will not work.
The very best wax will last a couple of months at most.
Polymer finishes will last a little longer.
The problem with all of these things is that they allow contamination to bond to the bodywork. That is why people use a clay bar.
You know if you need to clay a car if, after washing, you run your finger tips over the lower surfaces of the side panels and you detect any hint of roughness. Nothing at all to do with how shiny the car looks.
There are alternative methods to clay. A good rub over with tar remover followed by a good polish and then a coat of wax or polymer sealant is almost as good but much harder work.
Here is what I do.
Wash car using a good quality car shampoo.
Use a clay bar with the recommended lubricant. Do not use clay dry ever.
Rinse car with water.
Dry off
Polish with a decent polish e.g. Autoglym Super Resin polish
Finish with a detailing wax e.g Autoglym
Now do all the black plastic trim with something suitable. Then clean the wheels with a suitable cleaner and apply a wheel sealant polymer. To finish Clean the windows and light lenses.
I find a wash wax and something like Aqua Wax will maintain a decent shine for a good few months before it all needs doing again.
Quality wax lasts A LOT longer than a couple of months - unless you're a moron cleaning the car and use Fairy Liquid or somesuch. The real quality products - costing upwards of £200 wouldn't sell if they lasted a few weeks.
AG Aquawax is good for a year, even Turtle/Simoniz etc will last 3 months if looked after.
Well, swiss mechanical watches sell for thousands too yet do the same job as a 50 Euro Vostok, so price is not the thing to go by I´d say.
AG stuff is very average and full of fillers and silicone . You would be better going on detailing world and getting some pointers .
All depends on how much you like cleaning cars and getting the right product and not going to the supermarket to get it done as they basically put acid on your car to clean it. If you want to do it and have it done right go to a proper detailer and get a quartz coat put on. To do this properly the car needs to be super clean. Gretchin do great stuff. If your not into all this stuff get someone pro to do it.
Alternatively buy a good sealant not wax. Like jet seal. With stuff like this though as soon as you take it to your local guys they will use tfr to clean your car that will take it straight. Off.
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All depends on how much you like cleaning cars and getting the right product and not going to the supermarket to get it done as they basically put acid on your car to clean it. If you want to do it and have it done right go to a proper detailer and get a quartz coat put on. To do this properly the car needs to be super clean. Gretchin do great stuff. If your not into all this stuff get someone pro to do it.
Alternatively buy a good sealant not wax. Like jet seal. With stuff like this though as soon as you take it to your local guys they will use tfr to clean your car that will take it straight. Off.
I do quite like Dodo Juice Sour Power or Supernatural for washing between seal/wax. Doesn't strip any paint protection, and whilst it seems expensive compared to regularly available car wash you can buy in supermarkets, it's actually as good value due to the dilution ratios.
Do it yourself with some decent products. Take a look at Chemical Guys stuff (great products for the price) and pop over to detailing world for some hints and tips.
Their black hole and white diamond are very good and very cheap easy on easy off products that fill and shine well
Try cleanyourcar.Com
There very helpful.
John Cadogan will put you straight, after that all you will ever need is Showroom Shine.
https://youtu.be/uw3eO1rI6Eo
https://youtu.be/RiW9y77ZpF8
Didn't say that a better job was not possible. The regime I outlined works for ordinary people with limited time and the products are idiot proof (Well except the clay).
There are far better and more expensive products available but to be honest for most folks you'd be better off employing a professional detailer if the level of finish you desire needs to be better.
BTW fillers are not always a bad thing - a car with swirlies will look much better if you use AG ultra deep shine (full of filler, silicones and brighteners). Now we all know that's not the right answer but for most people it's good enough most of the time.
I bought a new (red) Audi A4 in 2007 and managed to persuade the dealer to include an Autoglym Lifeshine as part of the deal. This car passed from me to my wife and was then bought by a friend. It's now 10 years old, has about 185k miles, was never garaged and never polished, yet still looks like it was polished a couple of weeks ago. The Autoglym treatment included a green holdall of 'stuff' and I must confess that it's still in my garage and I have never unzipped it, simply because the car never needed polishing.
I don't know if this testament to Autoglym, or the Audi paint job, but suspect it's a combination of both.
The simple answer is no don't get the paint protection. Its a rip off.
With regard to the other comments the answers and products suggested come down to how fussy you are. Some people state their paintwork on an x year old car is fine, whilst someone into detailing would point out all the "defects". Both of them are correct because if you are satisfied then that's all that matters.
What I can advise to prolong your finish is never ever go to a cheap hand car wash. I've watched some of these in operation and seen them drop the sponge on the floor and then carry on - your lovely paint has just had an impromptu sand papering. Additionally they use chemicals that clean quickly e.g. strong traffic film remover which will dull plastic " chrome" but by the time you've realised its too late. Strong acid will clean your wheels up really quickly but can also eat through the lacquer and cause premature bubbling and generally look a real mess.
If you were prepared to spend the money my vote is go to a professional detailer and have them apply a ceramic coating. If you want to save the money then apply a decent sealant or wax yourself.
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well put....most dont spot the stuff wrong with paintwork that detailers or concourse freaks doYou can put your own coating on for quite a lot less than you think but its all down to prep and having the inclination to do it . We get AG goody bags at car shows as prizes and generally give em away
Top advice! Never take your car to any machine or hand car wash. Not even dealerships when you drop off for a service. This might sound very extreme but this will save you getting scratches and swirls.
The other basic tip I can offer even if you dont get into "detailing" (extreme car cleaning) is to buy a wash mitt not a sponge and also another bucket to use to rinse your mitt. Its common sense really if you only use one bucket as soon as you rinse out your mitt, you've made that water dirty and are putting it back over the car
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the old two bucket method with grit guards in the bottom , first time you do it you will be stunned at the stuff in the bottom when you clean it out .
Ive not used the 2BM for ages since i went over to snow foaming and re foaming and that seems to eliminate most marring for me but everyone is different when it comes to dettailing
Does the foam provide a "buffer" way above a decent shampoo? I'm currently using 2 buckets, a grit guard in the main one, and a mitt. I think my issue comes from drying the car, which I have no choice with it being blacm
The foam clings to the car and is then rinsed off, it should pull some dirt of with it hopefully leaving less particles to be rubbed over the paintwork.
I don't know if you will find this easier but I wash with the snow foam , leave to dwell and rinse off . Apply the snow foam again and apply bilberry to the wheels ( still rate it ) and if needs be use a mitt to wash the snow foam about ( not often ) then rinse off . I dry the vehicle using several micro fibre cloths and spraying the cloth or panel with detailling spray stops any smearing or any marks . Does not take too long either and it's what I prefer to do for speed
The first hit of foam gets rid of grit and bits and bobs when washed off , you need a good foam again personal choice
Thanks.
I use microfibres now, as chamois caused a few marks. Looks like detailing spray is next on my list. Maybe a snow foam kit.
Last edited by mikiejack; 10th August 2017 at 11:32.
i will add that i do one massive hit on the paintwork and either put on a ceramic coating or add a robust layer of wax then its easy to maintain . I was not convinced about spraying the detailler on the cloth etc but it works well and i have a bulk pack of cheap cloths ( think it was 40 ) and i just wash them after .
My Son in Law ex director of Toyota, Vauxhall chains of dealerships says it's a con They make a massive mark up on it and is no better than something like Auto Glym.
I asked him before Mrs Rod bought her Toyota and he said a definite 'No'.
Auto glym resin polish twice a year,job done.
I have GTechniq on my car which is the dealer applied version, I can't remember what it's called and have been reasonably impressed. I then rinse, snowfoam, wash, dry the car and then use a quick detail spray to top up the shine. The Gtechniq wheel stuff is definitely recommended.
If you're investing in an expensive car, I would say getting your car professionally detailed and then sealing with something like Gtechniq, Feynlab or Gyeon Quartz is worth doing but for a daily runaround, I would do it yourself. Some Bilt Hamber wax for 15 quid a tin is more than enough but utimately it depends on how much time you want to spend on washing or detailing your car.
For the ultimate protection, you're looking at one of the ceramic sealant products mentioned above and then PPF but you're talking a lot of money.
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