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Car detailing/paint protection - worth the cash?

34K views 50 replies 20 participants last post by  Mbadger77 
#1 ·
Just placed a deposit on dark sapphire blue portfolio which should (incredibly) be with me in 2 months in time for the new plate and before the government whacks an extra £310 of road tax on for 5 years. My dealer is trying to up-sell the usual tyre and alloy protection, stone chip insurance, gap insurance blah blah etc. Not interested.

My interest was piqued though by their offer to protect the car with Gard-X for £425. I'd never heard of Gard-X but its like Supa-guard and many of the other polymer resin based systems that should help keep the paintwork fresh/protect against cleaning swirls etc. Looks like decent stuff but I have no experience with it. And then my googling led me to find out about all manner of protective ceramic based coatings (Gtechniq, Gyeon and a bunch of other names I'd never heard of) available through professional detailing specialists. Their coatings last twice as long as the Supaguards/Gard-X of the world. The products themselves are more expensive but when applied through an independent (rather than my jaguar dealer) don't end up costing more. It seems like a very deep niche market and from what I can glean the key is all about preparation... in which case having a specialist do it in their dedicated premises over 12 hours sounds more promising than a Jaguar dealer sub contractor applying it in a bay at the back of the dealership! But at the same time, having the assurance of my Jaguar dealer stand behind a service does give me some confidence.

So I'd be interested in anyone's experience with either dealer supplied Gard-X or the application of one of the more exotic detailing compounds through an independent detailers. Was it worth worth spending £4-500 on? Is the Gard-X warranty worth anything?

Many thanks
 
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#3 ·
A good protection is well worth it. But do not buy from the dealer, you are paying them a markup so wasting your cash.

Try Here :- http://gtechniq.com/service/ (F-pace is "Large") You can custom your options and get a real time price quote depending on what you go for.

If you have applied wax before to a car and your are confident, then you can buy all but the 7 year protection of amazon and apply yourself.
 
#4 ·
Gdank - thanks. Have you used Gtechniq (or anything else)? If so what was your experience?
 
#5 ·
Having had the waste of time that is 'Supaguard' I sceptically went for the GTechnic 2 coat system and so far I am very pleased ( 2 months in)

Very easy to keep clean, bird poo is almost self cleaning - most of the time is washed off by moderate rain...

Definitely an option I would have again, and considering having my XKR coated in the spring after it's winter hibernation..
 
#6 ·
tonythehoolet said:
Gdank - thanks. Have you used Gtechniq (or anything else)? If so what was your experience?
Yes I had the 7 year applied ... only had it a few days but the rain is almost cleaning a very dirty white car from muddy puddles by itself, plus the shine in daylight is amazing.

I had the full package witch was £880+vat for reference, but maybe overkill for some.
 
#7 ·
If you want an honest answer car detailing and paint protection is not worth the cash.
It seems to be a new fad which dealers can make a killing out of and there is no documented proof that any shine or paint protection will last 3months let alone 3 or more years claimed by some. Yes call me cinical if you wish but how do you measure performance on these treatments as any good wax polish will cause water clean or dirty to bead off. The kings new clothes comes to mind!
 
#8 ·
I'll let the pics do the talking

Driven straight from the dealer to the detailer on delivery, minimal dealer prep. The car still had paint imperfections and swirls to be ironed out.
Sky Atmosphere Rectangle Cloud Wood

Fixture Wood Window Vehicle door Automotive exterior

3 days later defects sorted and ceramic coated
http://www.perfectpolish.co.uk
Automotive lighting Rectangle Amber Wood Floor

Hood Automotive lighting Vehicle Vehicle door Automotive tire

Car Wheel Tire Land vehicle Vehicle

View attachment 2761
Car Wheel Tire Land vehicle Vehicle

Wheel Car Vehicle Tire Automotive tail & brake light


+2 months. Products bought from the detailer.
Tire Wheel Car Vehicle Land vehicle


+ 4 months
Automotive parking light Grille Car Automotive lighting Vehicle
 

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#9 ·
Paul, thanks for sharing. It looks stunning. Glad I chose the dark sapphire blue.. based on comments so far I think the dealer Gard-X is out but the ceramic finished detailing could be in. Did you let the dealer wash it before delivery? The detailing guy I spoke to was keen to have the car completely unwashed (and preferably with the transit coverings still in place!) so the dealer didnt damage it before he got to it!
 
#10 ·
I declined 'the reveal' (how much grit do you think is trapped in the fibres being pulled across your new paintwork) then asked my dealer not to prep the car. They still did which ultimately may have caused more work for the detailer or it could well have been damage done in build or transit.

My dealer is a good one but they sell and service cars. They are not specialist detailers. That's why my detailer requested the car was left and ideally off-loaded from the transporter to them. Mine even came to the handover to check the car over before the dealer dropped it to them.
 
#11 ·
Pics of mine after a full G-techniq treatment on this thread:-

http://www.fpaceforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1742

I paid £700 in total.
The work included

Full wash and surface preparation
Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light paint coating
Gtechniq Exo paint coating
Gtechniq C5 alloy wheel coating
Gtechniq G1 glass sealant
Gtechniq i1 fabric protection
Dr Leather dye block leather protection

As you can see in the additional pics half way down the thread, the detailer picked up and corrected a number of flaws / minor swirls in the paintwork. You can be pretty certain that a dealer wouldn't do this, and instead would seal the swirls underneath their polymer treatment.

Have never had this done to a car before, but I am now a convert. It really is so much quicker to keep the car looking great after having it done.
 
#12 ·
Looks great Growler. I think I am sold! Re-assuring also to see that the standard portfolio wheels look really good on the car too
 
#13 ·
I am not a professional detailer but this is my side line, over the years have detailed many a new vehicle and the advice I always give is " instruct the dealer not to touch the paint work and trim at all. If possible leave the protection film on the panels". This saves me hours in the paint correction stage.

As for the paint protection offered by the dealers.

1- if your the person I see down the local hand wash site and the dealer offers the protection for free, go for it. Your paint and trim is going to look like s##t in a few months anyway.

2- If you enjoy washing your car yourself (in the correct method using the correct materials and products) and don't mind applying a layer of wax or sealant a few times a year. Don't even take up the dealers free offer.

3- if you care for your car but don't have the time or facilities to wash the car yourself, pay a local detailer to correctly apply a high quality paint protection system. These guys usually offer a mobile wash service as well.

What product do I use: I regularly use Gtechinq as they outlast any other brand on the market. It's not cheap, the materials to carry out a full protection inside and out cost me (with discounts) £150 - £200 so you can see why members on here have paid over £700. By the way the stuff used by dealers, I can buy these kits for £40.
 
#14 ·
Doug - A question if I may. Once the Gtechinq product is applied, or some other type of acrylic or ceramic sealant - what would be the washing procedures for the car from this point on -what do you recommend??
Is it just a case of soapy water wash, rinse and dry, with there no longer being any need for anything else?
 
#17 ·
#19 ·
corriescar66 said:
Gdank said:
2 buckets ... one with soap and the ther to clean the mit before getting fresh soap on it.
When you say 'soap' what are you using?

So far I have only used snow foam and rinse, which gets rid of 95% but next time I'm going to be a bit more thorough.... Got a lovely new mit, but was told not to use wax infused 'car shampoo' by detailer......
Gtechniq G wash specially formulated for ceramic
 
#20 ·
Onionrage said:
Doug - A question if I may. Once the Gtechinq product is applied, or some other type of acrylic or ceramic sealant - what would be the washing procedures for the car from this point on -what do you recommend??
Is it just a case of soapy water wash, rinse and dry, with there no longer being any need for anything else?
For the weekly clean.

Pre wash the vehicle first. Using a snow gun or pump sprayer, when rice off with a pressure washer. This alone is all that is needed for Light dirt removal. At the very least hose off as much dirt before touching the paint.

Next clean the wheels. Just use the normal shampoo for this. Don't use these nylon wheel brushs. Set of long reach wool brushs will save you so much time. Or you can use a old Micro fibre cloth. These of you with the gloss black wheels need to take extra care as every little mark will show more than on silver wheels (same as on the black car in direct sun).
Never use these acid based cleans, they damage the lacquered surface removing the shine.

Body work.**NEVER USE A SPONGE **this is what creates swirl marks. Use a wax friendly shampoo (pH neutral). Ever wondered why the cars leaving the local hand wash centre look so clean ,they use truck wash. This removes everything from the paint surface including any wax you have added and shortening the lifespan of the sealant.
Use a wash mit and two buckets. One with the shampoo (wash) and one with just water (rinse). A grit guard seating at the bottom of each bucket allows any dirt to sink to the bottom and not get picked up by then mit.

Rinse off the shampoo before it can dry. A open hose allows the water to run off the panels a lot better, leaving less surface water to remove.

Drying. Use a large drying towel (deep pile Micro fibre). Even with the best paint protection if you don't remove the surface water before it drys it will leave water spots. Any one with a dog dryer (this is what I use) can remove the water without additional touching of the surface and there great for blowing out water from all those crevices.
 
#22 ·
corriescar66 said:
Very comprehensive, many thanks.... Do you finish off with a wash coat sealant, or is that a bit OTT?
You can use a quick detail spray for extra shine or as I'm a great beleaver in touching the surface at least as possible Getechinq make C2 which is a spray on wipe off sealant, its great as a stand along product plus with the benefits of being able to spray on wet panels, this can be used at the same time as the drying stage.
 
#23 ·
There have been a few threads on this and there are two things.
Firstly I'd say look at ceramic coats not polymer. Also people will say they are a waste of time and not worth it but as somebody who has a ceramic coat I would say it's amazing and well worth the money all day long given how much your spending.
What I love is how easy and quick it is to bring back to a full gleam with so much less effort. I can see and feel the coating still and they have guarantees etc
If you have a local enough detailer who does a good ceramic job and can afford the cost then certainly look into it.

One of the best things I did
 
#24 ·
What I did, following advice, and apologies if this has been covered but in summary:

1. Make sure the dealer does not touch the car other than remove the plastic protection strips, not even a rinse
2. Book with a specialist detailer, ask questions about approach. How they inspect first and what prep they do before applying coating
3. Go for ceramic coating- GTechniq_ crystal serum Light
4. consider glass, leather and wheel treatment, this may give you a better all in one deal
5. the detail work should take a minimum of 2 days. After coating the car should be left to cure for 24 hours in an enclosed space, reject if they say they can do in a day
6. Buy the correct washing kit, don't stint on this. pre-wash snow foam with nozzle for a pressure wash , pressure wash off, wash with gentle soap (see Ultimate finish or polished bliss sites), use a lambswool mit, two-bucket method, pressure wash off, dry with mega drying cloth, don't wipe just pat dry. you can also use a detailing spray when wet to add a bit of gloss G-techniq C2.
 
#25 ·
I've commented on this before but highly recommend a proper professional coating. As others have said before, the allure of a 'freebie' sealant from the dealer is misconceived. This is just another money making exercise for them if they charge you and the appearance of a good deal if they 'throw it in'. As above, the materials they use are poor quality and applied by a monkey out the back. When your car arrives at the dealer, it has likely sat outside variously for a couple of weeks, maybe near trees dripping sap and been on a transporter with brake dust and filings being thrown up. Both stick to the paintwork and together with any existing swirl marks to the clear top coat will neatly sealed by the dealers under the coating.

Get it done professionally and they will do proper prep work and it will last. As ever, you get what you pay for.
 
#26 ·
Evening all!

After reading this section I have decided to go with Gtechniq Paint Protection which I will book in next week. I know some of you above have already used them.

I will go with:
CS Black - Crystal Serum topped with EXO with a 7 year guarantee offering 5 star protection from swirls, dirt, chemicals, UV etc whilst giving better slickness and gloss.
I understand thought it can only be applied by a professional and Gtechniq say their approved business is Mayfair Motor Solutions.
Has anyone had CS Black applied and what's your verdict since the time it was a applied a few months later?
Anyone used Mayfair Motor solutions?
Finally I'm going to have the glass protection and wheel armour.
All in all it comes to £745 + VAT and takes 13 hrs. Anyone received a discount on this and is the car definitely Large and not X Large from the Gtechniq configurator?

My old Evoque that I bought 3.5 yrs ago and had dealer paint protection always looked clean even if I didn't wash it for months.
My F Pace with no protection looks filthy after 3 weeks.

Thanks for your help!
 
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