Just bought a new-er car which will probably be the last 'decent' one we buy. I rather like the idea of having it deep cleaned and detailed inside and out followed by a durable, hopefully long lasting paintwork coating of some kind As there are a few petrol-heads on here, I'm hoping for recommendations.
There is a local 'prestige car' business that specialises in detailing and they use a product called Gtechniq. I've seen some of their work and it looks good and they've been in business a good while. The complete job takes 3-4 days, guaranteed for 5 years (annual checks required) and costs £700 or without the coating but six-monthly waxing £350.
Anyone got any alternatives or experience care to comment please?
Last edited by Harry Smith; 16th May 2023 at 10:52.
I have a 14 year old Volvo (owned from new) which I treat to car shampoo (cheap stuff from Tesco) 4 times per year and Turtle wax (£5 a bottle stuff) twice per year.
Paint is in fantastic condition.
I am sure I am the minority and there will be a long list of petrol heads along soon to turn washing your car into an expensive cottage industry.
Life’s too short!
Last edited by noTAGlove; 16th May 2023 at 10:46.
I wouldn’t bother without paint correction, but that will be more than £700Originally Posted by Harry Smith
Their detailer has already looked at the car and said the paintwork isn't too bad and has probably been treated before. Their quote includes paint correction and interior detail.
I have a car with ceramic treatment and it’s filthy. Seems to attract the dirt. Complete waste of time and money.
Did a similar thing when I bought my last car and at the time it felt a really expensive purchase so felt like it deserved some protection and also to look good as often as possible.
I was collecting the car from an AD in Newcastle and located a nearby detailing specialist called DDB Detailing and after much thought chose the GTechniq Crystal Serum (Light Black) full car cover which comes with a 5 year guarantee including wheels, windscreen and interior.
They collected the car from the AD and then delivered it back in super quick time (but enough time to include proper curing) and I'm really pleased with the results.
I was initially worried about the expense (about £750+VAT) but after 15 months of ownership the car still looks great and genuinely just seems to need a good downpour to hose off the dirt before looking shiny again.
If we have a dry period and no rain then I still get to enjoy washing the car but it really makes the process easy with just a bit of warm water and car wash solution to keep it looking sharp again.
Only 'issue' I have had is some initial squeaking on the windscreen as the rubber wipers grabbed the coating but it settled down quickly. Also if you wash your car and don't dry it then it can leave water spots on the surface which I'd not noticed on previous untreated cars. Easily solved with a quick rub down with a big shammy!
They are not all the same, as eluded earlier, not a wormhole you would want to descend into..........
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Then I would say it’s too cheap, get some other quotes (I’m assuming it’s not a really small car)
The guy who does my cars is BR car detailing, he uses Titan coatings https://www.titan-coatings.com/
http://www.brcardetailing.co.uk/
Last edited by adrianw; 16th May 2023 at 12:08.
Ok, I shall avoid discussion.
Sounds about right price wise.
Check on the Gtechniq site to find other accredited installers in your area. Worth shopping around.
I'd go in eyes wide open, you need to ensure you have a good solid approach to any occasions that you wash the car, aim to do it fairly frequently and invest in some decent basics like buckets with grit guards, decent wash mit, decent shampoo, top up for the ceramic etc.
It'll then ensure that you maximise the longevity of the coating and your investment
If you take it to the Turks for a £5 wash every week, don't expect it to last very long at all
Sent from my SM-S908B using Tapatalk
A good detailer will be expensive for a ceramic coat and will have your car a few days, also check the aftercare requirements.
I do mine myself, not a ceramic though.
Once a year I will:
De-tar - Auto Tardis
De-Iron - Any brand
Clay bar - using a clay mitt - so much faster than a bar
Machine polish - light polish just to remove swirls
2 coats of hybrid wax - been using the meguiars hybrid wax and its been good.
Then everyone month I will top up with meguiars hybrid wax spray.
Takes about half a day in total, but I enjoy it, if you removed the machine polish it would only take a few hours.
Not as good as a ceramic finish, but lasts a year, over winter I will just snow foam and then power wash and most dirt comes off, its not perfect but takes hardly any time at all. I actually missed last year and the car still looks good.
There are unknowns from your post HS, such as what brand car, what paint type, how old car is, mileage…. Sounds as though it has had some tlc before (condition of interior will also give a steer as to how well it has been looked after).
Ceramics are chosen for two reasons - harder finish than wax, hydrophobic, easier to ‘clean’.
Ceramics stop performing because the micropore surface clogs up and needs a deep clean to reset the surface (similar to goretex fabrics?)
My preference is still wax - now that is a rabbit hole.
Will you be using a forecourt car wash machine?
Last edited by Suds; 16th May 2023 at 12:44.
Mercedes, Jupiter Red (not the best colour I know and why it was a bit cheaper but I love red cars) low miles. The paint looks good now especially against the black bits and the full leather interior is virtually unmarked apart from the Alcantara(?) sections on the sterring wheel which have smoothed due to greasy hands, which they said they will bring up like new. The dealer has a good reputation, their showroom has a selection of higher end vehicles £20-100K. I always wash by hand and only use a low power battery powerwasher.
If you are washing the car yourself (weekly/fortnightly) using a safe wash technique then it probs comes down to
High miles / motorway driving (dirty driving) the ceramic properties will please
Moderate or low local mileage - wax will suffice imo
But I am an old skool wax fan (the wax I use costs more than my old car was worth), that said most of the market (even hobbyist valeter/detailer) have moved to ceramic but it all comes down to personal preference.
Either way you can’t go wrong tbh
Although, if you want ease of upkeep - ceramic with annual inspections (but watch out for potential ‘clogging’)
As an aside - I saw a most beautiful merc hyacinth red a couple of years ago on my other anorak forum, and red on a merc is a lot better looking than mundane silver
Last edited by Suds; 16th May 2023 at 13:21. Reason: Update
Also a 0ppm filter for final rinse. Then you are not dragging an MF cloth over the paint, the car just dries spotlessly.
2 bucket wash method after a snow foam and the finish will last for ages.
Mine had Gtechniq ceramic on it from new by the original owner. There are the odd swirls here and there but certainly helped.
When I can get access to a garage I will give it a 2 stage polish and then likely add ceramic again. But I do miss the pleasure of waxing a car, ever so therapeutic.
A 14 year old Volvo, no doubt washed with a sponge and chamois? There is a snowballs chance in hell your paintwork will be in fantastic condition.
Have ceramic coating on all three of our cars, professionally applied. It makes washing the cars much simpler, but it's not a magic bullet, road grime will still build up and you need a "top up" every couple of years, depending on use, etc. It's excellent for protecting from bird poo and other acidic contaminants which would damage paint otherwise.
Gtechniq is a very good brand, but they all offer different products aimed at either home or professional users. The difference is that the home stuff is easy to apply, but doesn't last as long or perform as well. The pro stuff requires skill and time as it's applied very slowly in small patches as if it drips it solidifies with streaks. They sell the pro stuff only to accredited shops, so the £700 sounds about right as it's usually a day's work. It comes in tiny bottles and you get a warranty package. Usually the mobile detailers who offer it for £200 use the lesser stuff, which I think is also fair, but you can do it yourself and it needs to be topped up more frequently, so it seems like false economy to me.
Anyhow, yes, regular washing, polishing and waxing will provide similar protection, but when I did the maths, good quality waxes and my time would cost me far more over two years.
Friends car: 7 years old, 89,000 miles and Qtechniq'd from new.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Just a sponge.
15 years old next January. It hasn’t been washed in about one month. Car shampoo and the odd Turtle wax is all it has had in those nearly 15 years.
The only ceramic it has had near it is from the bezel of one of my watches. Keep feeding the snake oil salesmen.
Last edited by noTAGlove; 16th May 2023 at 15:26.
This was done four years ago, paint correction and ceramic coated by someone who knows what they are doing, in the event that dirt does stick to it, it just hoses off, worth every penny.[IMG]
Last edited by adrianw; 16th May 2023 at 15:55.
All very nice. I'm convinced. Booked in to be done while we're on our hols in a few weeks.
Thanks guys
I'll do some before and afters
These photos of the Volvo show that we all have different standards and expectations and all that matters is that we're happy with our choices. A closeup of the paintwork on a sunny day would be more relevant to this discussion, but even at this distance you can tell the difference in the crispness of the paint surfaces between the Volvo and the RR. If that doesn't matter to you, great, but it's an odd thing to criticise on a forum dedicated to collecting overpriced jewellery.
I find it incredible that anyone gets pleasure out of washing/waxing cars etc. I like them to look clean but don't enjoy cleaning them. I won't pay money to car washes so mine stays dirty and gets cleaned once every few weeks. My quality of life isn't enhanced by having a car that's spotlessly clean, I could never make a hobby out of it.
I keep my MG clean but that's easy, it doesn`t go out in wet weather and it's a small car, doesn`t take long to go over it quickly.
The ceramic coating thing seems expensive for what it is, if I was that bothered I`d wax the car more frequently and keep the surface hydrophobic, which is what the ceramic coating does.
If I ever start treating a car with a clay bar it's time to cart me off to the madhouse.
Is your number plate H8 and then your initials??This was done four years ago, paint correction and ceramic coated by someone who knows what they are doing, in the event that dirt does stick to it, it just hoses off, worth every penny.
Some colours still look bright when they've got a coating of dirt, others never look clean unless they are (literally) spotless. In my experience (and I`ve owned a few since 1975) black and white cars are the worst to keep clean, and bright red is the best. I`ve had several red cars and they always seemed to look clean even when they weren't!
What I can`t understand is the current fashion for drab shitty pale grey, why spend loads of money on a car and choose a crappy colour? Might be trendy now but it won't be in 5 years time!
No one cares what it looks like in 5 years it will
90% likely be a lease and not their problem
A friend has access to get me the pro stuff but it scares me based on what can go wrong. I’d love a go on a panel first to decide.
Ye cannot change the laws of physics.Just a sponge.
15 years old next January. It hasn’t been washed in about one month. Car shampoo and the odd Turtle wax is all it has had in those nearly 15 years.
The only ceramic it has had near it is from the bezel of one of my watches. Keep feeding the snake oil salesmen.
It will be scratched to buggery, especially after only washing every 3 months and dragging the dirt about with a sponge.
Show us a high def proper reflection.
This is what shiny looks like.
I don't wash my cars very often.
I also prefer Metallic dark grey/gunmetal colour cars.
We all have our different quirks, be that expensive hifi or watches, repairing & refinishing watches or car detailing.
It’s not that surprising that someone who like ‘nice’ things wants to take care of them.
For me it was the technical details & learning a new set of skills including learning to use a rotary polishing machine.
It can be taken to extremes as can most hobbies.
He is the Boss - but don’t be naughty
The fact that you find those colours crappy will validate folks(including me) choice of going with them.
Promise? You know what the youngsters say - “pics, or it didn’t happen”.
A rotary and not a DA, respect!
There does seem a few threads on specific / more attentive requirements that see the same members posting!
I have lost the pm on DIY BGE temp controller, and cannot find it for the life of me - wasn't you was it?
I had my 3 month old car done two years ago and next Monday having it topped up again. All I can say is it never seems to get dirty, dirt just does not stick to it. When I do wash it all I do is spray on Snow Foam leave it 10 minutes and everything drops off the car, I then dry off with micro cloth hey presto it looks fantastic. To the poster who said it’s a waste of money in my mind ain’t had the proper stuff.
All my cars are something ALW
I'd always been put off by the price of detailing/ceramic coating as I change my car reasonably often so it never seemed worth the cost. When I bought my 981 Cayman GTS, from Adigra's favourite OPC, it had been prepped with some sort of coating and I was quite impressed with it over the time I owned the car. I managed to find a guy locally who does it for a more reasonable cost, but no doubt it won't be best available either, so I've had my last two cars done by him. Picture he took when he just completed my current car.
I found with my Kombi van I had done a couple of years ago that washing was so much easier and quicker as well as retaining a lovely finish all year round. X5 is going in tomorrow to same detailer so fingers crossed hoping to have similar results
Won't be for a while as it's not being done till end of June. It's my birthday present.
For a nice new / nearly new car I’d invest in paint correction (if genuinely required) then PPF, then ceramic.
That’s what I did with the Exige.
Subsequent ceramic, I do myself.
About once a year is use GTechniq on the wheels. I bring them inside to do this and let it cure for 24 hours.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Yep
And
Yep
I’ll pm ya
I’d love to get it done but it would just be a waste of money for me as I take my cars to the local hand car wash, so I know their chemicals would strip it pretty quickly.
I’ve never enjoyed washing cars, however I do love to see a nice clean car that’s been looked after
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Never heard of this paint correction phrase. As an occasional visitor to the jetwash, can I ask if t-cut is still a thing and worth a bash on my 8 year old motor? Maybe remove the tar spots with wd40 first and a good coat of turtle wax after?
Yes, why isn’t it done correctly out of the factory?
Chemicals! Most use truckwash or brick acid
I have a new (700 miles) Honda CR-V that I just put a ceramic coat on. I'd say the finish feels like glass, but glass is not nearly as 'sleek' as my car's finish! Did the same with my previous car - - a Hyundai Kona Turbo with the same results. I've been waxing my 40+ new cars for more than 50 years and this is the best (and EASIEST) product I've ever tried. I haven't tried Graphene yet, but I will once I deplete The Last Coat.
My first new car was this 1969 VW I bought from Chick Iverson Porsche/VW in Newport Beach, CA in 1968. I had all kinds of modifications done to it brand new. I LOVED that car! The smog was pretty bad back then, so I washed it every day, and waxed it every Saturday. It was gleaming all the time. My first wife crashed it so it was never the same after that...had to sell it, but not before I won a gymkhana/auto cross competition with it in 1969.
I seriously doubt they use brick acid. My Mercedes I just sold had 156K on the clock and was cleaned by the hand car cleaning places once a week (sometimes twice a week in the winter) I’m pretty sure it would have destroyed the paint on my car if it was brick acid.
The disreputable ones do
Absolutely, WD40 not required.
If your into detailing you probably know
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...=white+details
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