Just got it back from the detailers on this lovely day - very pleased with the results. Gtechniq CSL & EXO applied, C5 wheel armour, plus full interior & glass treatment, etc. Glad I decided not to do the Gardx treatment at the dealers!
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back from the detailers...
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Very nice and at your angles the Red looks very deep and totally different to other images, I am sure your pleased.
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Hi bucks jag, lovely job. Can I ask who did the detailing and cost?bucksjag said:Just got it back from the detailers on this lovely day - very pleased with the results. Gtechniq CSL & EXO applied, C5 wheel armour, plus full interior & glass treatment, etc. Glad I decided not to do the Gardx treatment at the dealers!
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Hi Bonkers,
It was done by Refined Details near Aylesbury (link below), the cost was £730 all in. It took all day Friday for the paint prep (including one step machine polish) & then the coatings (paint, interior, wheels, glass) were applied on Saturday, then left to dry overnight and collected this morning.
I booked it in about 6 weeks ago as soon as I had confirmation of September delivery, that's his typical lead-time (which I guess is a good sign!)
It was done by Refined Details near Aylesbury (link below), the cost was £730 all in. It took all day Friday for the paint prep (including one step machine polish) & then the coatings (paint, interior, wheels, glass) were applied on Saturday, then left to dry overnight and collected this morning.
I booked it in about 6 weeks ago as soon as I had confirmation of September delivery, that's his typical lead-time (which I guess is a good sign!)
Many of us have spent good money with our nano technology coatings. Excellent stuff, nice shiny cars to keep that nasty weather off our treasured possession.
BUT, has anyone ever considered underneath the car, lots of aluminium, the coatings on it will chip away with normal road use. Then once poor weather sets in salted roads, and corrosion starts. Do any of you do anything with the underside, I don't, the only thing I could do personally is attach a spray nozzle to my garden hose and give it a blast.
It was just a thought, is it out of sight out of mind, or does anyone have any tips or routines for underneath.
BUT, has anyone ever considered underneath the car, lots of aluminium, the coatings on it will chip away with normal road use. Then once poor weather sets in salted roads, and corrosion starts. Do any of you do anything with the underside, I don't, the only thing I could do personally is attach a spray nozzle to my garden hose and give it a blast.
It was just a thought, is it out of sight out of mind, or does anyone have any tips or routines for underneath.
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There is a lot of not so positive feedback on dealer applied preparations - as opposed to the GTech and similar products. What are the main differences? Both claim to seal surface, provide a better finish and so on. Is the 2-2.5x difference in price worth it?
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I think the difference is in the time the detailed spends on correcting and getting the paintwork perfect before they apply the protective coating. It stands to reason that if someone spends 2-3 days overall on the job that you are going to get a better result than someone visiting the dealer for 2-3 hours. Hence you have to pay a bit more
Car coatings, a subject that could be discussed until this time next year.
Nano technology is nothing new, it dates back almost 1000 years, obviously not known as nano then. The coatings are all polymer based, some have ceramic particles, but the difference is minimal.
The dealer offered coatings are absolutely fine, come with a 3 year warranty, but whatever coating you use there are conditions attached.
I think it's fair to say the end result may vary a little depending on preparation before application.
One things for sure, the only thing they will protect against is the most superficial of scratches, which still means the treatment needs treatment, all will be worthless against a supermarket trolley, or a zip on a jacket, handbag buckles etc.
As for cost, what's a few hundred quid when you've spent 40 to 60k. As for value, like all extras, it will add minimal value to your car.
I've had mine done, silky smooth surface, dirt doesn't stick to the wheels much, two grandchildren in the back, I'm sincerely hoping the leather treatment is as good as the brochure says.
The bit that annoys me is that you pay for preparation twice, you pay the dealer as part of the delivery/dpi fee. Then you pay to have it removed, prepared and reapplied.
Oh well, I suppose I had a choice.
Nano technology is nothing new, it dates back almost 1000 years, obviously not known as nano then. The coatings are all polymer based, some have ceramic particles, but the difference is minimal.
The dealer offered coatings are absolutely fine, come with a 3 year warranty, but whatever coating you use there are conditions attached.
I think it's fair to say the end result may vary a little depending on preparation before application.
One things for sure, the only thing they will protect against is the most superficial of scratches, which still means the treatment needs treatment, all will be worthless against a supermarket trolley, or a zip on a jacket, handbag buckles etc.
As for cost, what's a few hundred quid when you've spent 40 to 60k. As for value, like all extras, it will add minimal value to your car.
I've had mine done, silky smooth surface, dirt doesn't stick to the wheels much, two grandchildren in the back, I'm sincerely hoping the leather treatment is as good as the brochure says.
The bit that annoys me is that you pay for preparation twice, you pay the dealer as part of the delivery/dpi fee. Then you pay to have it removed, prepared and reapplied.
Oh well, I suppose I had a choice.
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It's certainty a topic that splits opinion - from a "total rip off you gullible fools" to "wouldn't have a car without a 64 process bulletproof ceramic ballistic mega coating".
Dealer is basically offering to throw in their protection package with all the hassle I have had - do I take it or do I go with the other market options and pay extra?
Dealer is basically offering to throw in their protection package with all the hassle I have had - do I take it or do I go with the other market options and pay extra?
jonty1625,
Bonkers is spot on, a lot of it is down to prep time. As part of the prep the machine polish removes any swirls or paint blemishes prior to the coatings being applied and this is a labour intensive job. The products themselves are also time-consuming to apply properly and not cheap - a combined kit of Gtechniq CSL & EXO is £125 for 50ml.
There are a lot of different products about, but having done my own research to get a (very) short list of products, I then found a local detailer who strongly recommended GTechniq, although he would use other treatments if a customer had strong preferences. His website shows some seriously expensive machinery having been treated with it, so at that point I'm happy to take his professional advise on products & treatment for a new car. Having seen the final results it's worth every penny - the paint finish has a silky, gliding feel with deep gloss (as hopefully you can see from the photos that started this thread). My understanding (as a non-expert) is that the CSL provides the deep gloss shine and the EXO provides the hard-as-nails finish while still being slick & shiny. There's an interesting link to the benefits of EXO here:
http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-exo-paint-coating.html
My detailers view is that the EXO will last at least 5 years and from what I've seen and read elsewhere I have no reason to doubt that.
In comparison, the dealer finishes that I have experienced (such as Gardx) are typically applied very quickly after just a paint wash with little or zero preparation, and in my experience lose the best of their water repellency after 6 months (although I'm sure they have some longer lasting effects). The price quoted from the Jaguar dealer was £499 for GardX, so in my mind there is no comparison. I had GardX on my last new car in 2014 and after 6 months had a sneaky feeling that I had been mugged...
As ever, I've found that getting what you want is about doing the research so you have a reasonable understanding (given that most of us are not experts), asking opinions on forum such as these and then validating and taking further recommendations with the professionals.
I'm very happy with the results doing it this way but others may prefer the simpler option of dealer-applied GardX or similar - it is certainly quicker and less effort to have the dealer do it for you than making your own arrangements with a specialist, but I don't think the outcomes are remotely comparable. Ultimately you pay your money and make your choice
.
Bonkers is spot on, a lot of it is down to prep time. As part of the prep the machine polish removes any swirls or paint blemishes prior to the coatings being applied and this is a labour intensive job. The products themselves are also time-consuming to apply properly and not cheap - a combined kit of Gtechniq CSL & EXO is £125 for 50ml.
There are a lot of different products about, but having done my own research to get a (very) short list of products, I then found a local detailer who strongly recommended GTechniq, although he would use other treatments if a customer had strong preferences. His website shows some seriously expensive machinery having been treated with it, so at that point I'm happy to take his professional advise on products & treatment for a new car. Having seen the final results it's worth every penny - the paint finish has a silky, gliding feel with deep gloss (as hopefully you can see from the photos that started this thread). My understanding (as a non-expert) is that the CSL provides the deep gloss shine and the EXO provides the hard-as-nails finish while still being slick & shiny. There's an interesting link to the benefits of EXO here:
http://www.autogeek.net/gtechniq-exo-paint-coating.html
My detailers view is that the EXO will last at least 5 years and from what I've seen and read elsewhere I have no reason to doubt that.
In comparison, the dealer finishes that I have experienced (such as Gardx) are typically applied very quickly after just a paint wash with little or zero preparation, and in my experience lose the best of their water repellency after 6 months (although I'm sure they have some longer lasting effects). The price quoted from the Jaguar dealer was £499 for GardX, so in my mind there is no comparison. I had GardX on my last new car in 2014 and after 6 months had a sneaky feeling that I had been mugged...
As ever, I've found that getting what you want is about doing the research so you have a reasonable understanding (given that most of us are not experts), asking opinions on forum such as these and then validating and taking further recommendations with the professionals.
I'm very happy with the results doing it this way but others may prefer the simpler option of dealer-applied GardX or similar - it is certainly quicker and less effort to have the dealer do it for you than making your own arrangements with a specialist, but I don't think the outcomes are remotely comparable. Ultimately you pay your money and make your choice
.
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They are saying its a two step process after clean and prep, first layer put on and left for 16 hours to harden, then buffed off and the second layer done... But if it's free then surely in 12 months I could opt for a different treatment of desired? Or is it a case of once the base layer is on that's your choice and lump it?
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