Ceramic coating

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Sanpe11egino+
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Ceramic coating

Post by Sanpe11egino+ »

Hi everyone my son picks his long awaited Polo gti+ reef blue next week he has the opportunity to drive from dealership to detailers for a stage 1 polish and ceramic coating been quoted £650 he’s a little unsure but wether he decides to or not the dealership has been told to leave all protective packages on ,what do you guys think
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OomStu_ZA
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by OomStu_ZA »

imho its just a car and spending that kind of cash on paint... it would burn my ... :P If it was a Ferrari things would be different.
lancslad1985
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by lancslad1985 »

Personally I would ask the dealer to not even clean the car as every car I’ve had they just swirl the paint. If it’s dirty it needs a clean but then no swirl correction in my experience. I’d even suggest ceramic coating yourself, it’s pretty easy if you follow the videos and make sure you’ve cleaned, clayed and swirl corrected prior. I’ll certainly be doing it myself when I order my gti later this year.
roywolfey
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by roywolfey »

You can pay as much as you want for paint protection, and detailing. Personally I had a local mobile valet chap apply ceramic protection for a fraction of that cost and was more than happy with the result.
SRGTD
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by SRGTD »

Although paying a professional detailer £650 to do a proper job in decontaminating, polishing and applying a ceramic coating is better value than paying the VW dealer £350-£400 for a half hearted attempt to apply Lifeshine paint protection, I’d still not pay it, as I’d do my own paintwork protection.

I’m a bit of a hobbyist detainer (I only do my own car) and have a DA polishing machine and quite a large selection of polishes, waxes and sealants and other detailing equipment. I’m also retired so I’ve got time on my side to do the job myself. I’d use a wax or sealant rather than a ceramic coating, which admittedly won’t provide the longevity of a ceramic coating, but a good quality wax / sealant with good durability should give 6+ months of protection, if a safe washing technique is used, along with a good quality ph neutral shampoo. For me, applying a couple of coats of wax or sealant every 6 months or so isn’t a hardship (and I enjoy doing it! 🙂), and it’s significantly cheaper than paying someone else to apply a ceramic coating.
lancslad1985
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by lancslad1985 »

SRGTD wrote: Thu Mar 19, 2020 4:25 pm Although paying a professional detailer £650 to do a proper job in decontaminating, polishing and applying a ceramic coating is better value than paying the VW dealer £350-£400 for a half hearted attempt to apply Lifeshine paint protection, I’d still not pay it, as I’d do my own paintwork protection.

I’m a bit of a hobbyist detainer (I only do my own car) and have a DA polishing machine and quite a large selection of polishes, waxes and sealants and other detailing equipment. I’m also retired so I’ve got time on my side to do the job myself. I’d use a wax or sealant rather than a ceramic coating, which admittedly won’t provide the longevity of a ceramic coating, but a good quality wax / sealant with good durability should give 6+ months of protection, if a safe washing technique is used, along with a good quality ph neutral shampoo. For me, applying a couple of coats of wax or sealant every 6 months or so isn’t a hardship (and I enjoy doing it! 🙂), and it’s significantly cheaper than paying someone else to apply a ceramic coating.
I’m with you SRGTD; as someone that works for a company that produces car care products (not detailer products) I enjoy cleaning the car and the satisfaction gained from waxing it. Sure ceramics are tougher but I prefer the deep gloss of a wax. Having said that, the new meguiars hybrid ceramic and the turtle wax ceramic sprays are also quick and easy for a novice to use.
mjsaville
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by mjsaville »

fazzy
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by fazzy »

Personally, I regard it as a total waste of money. This is yet another product/service which was created for people with excess money in order to get it out of them. You still have to wash your car every now and again, wether it is one a week, once a fortnight or once a month depending on your climate.
And for that kind on money that's a lot of car washes and a lot of tubes with wax :)
Unless you intent to keep your car for 30 years, keeping it for 3,4 or 5 years the factory paint will be just as good when you get rid of the car as it is today, unless you use Sunlight dish washing liquid or fine sandpaper to wash it.
Even still... my 1992 190E never had ceramic coating and wherever I go with it, people ask me if I had it resprayed recently, because a good car shampoo and a wax every few months does such a good job at a fraction of a price.
If you do ceramic coating on your car, why not do it for example also on your house? You tend to keep it much longer than a car and you usually don't wash it as often... :) Or maybe shoes, pants and jacket...?
I say spend your money elsewhere...
Trantor
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by Trantor »

Previous two cars I took the dealers Lifeshine treatment but was never happy with the results as it never lasted very long. Turned out to be a waste of money in my view. So this time, with my GTI+, I decided to ring round some local detainers to see what they did. Long story short I decided to go with one chap and been more than happy with the results. I told the dealer not to even clean the car as I was having a proper detailing job done. So within 3 days of me taking delivery it was with the detailer for 2 days. The car was completely decontaminated, washed, machine polished and then AutoTriz applied to body, wheels and lights, then left to cure overnight. The inside of the car was also fully cleaned and protected. Comes with a 3 yr guarantee. As for cost, most quotes I received were around the £450-500 mark, so £650 seems a bit high; at least around were I live. I’ve had the car for 8 months now and water is still beading up extremely well.
SRGTD
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by SRGTD »

Trantor wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:01 am Previous two cars I took the dealers Lifeshine treatment but was never happy with the results as it never lasted very long. Turned out to be a waste of money in my view. So this time, with my GTI+, I decided to ring round some local detainers to see what they did. Long story short I decided to go with one chap and been more than happy with the results. I told the dealer not to even clean the car as I was having a proper detailing job done. So within 3 days of me taking delivery it was with the detailer for 2 days. The car was completely decontaminated, washed, machine polished and then AutoTriz applied to body, wheels and lights, then left to cure overnight. The inside of the car was also fully cleaned and protected. Comes with a 3 yr guarantee. As for cost, most quotes I received were around the £450-500 mark, so £650 seems a bit high; at least around were I live. I’ve had the car for 8 months now and water is still beading up extremely well.
I agree on the Lifeshine - total waste of money as the dealer has neither the time nor the expertise to do the job properly; they’ll just slap it on to the car without doing any of the necessary preparation, so it won’t bond to the paintwork as it needs to if it’s going to provide any form protection beyond short term. The dealer will always push Lifeshine though as it’s a big money maker for them.

When I last made enquires at my local Vw dealer about a new car, they offered Lifeshine as part of the deal - at the usual charge (I think is was something like £400). I told them - in the nicest possible way - I wouldn’t have it even if they offered it for free. I’d accept the products for free though so I could apply them myself. The Lifeshine products are OK in themselves, but they need to be applied correctly onto a correctly prepared car if they’re going to provide anything like the manufacturers claimed level of protection.
PeteJ-
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by PeteJ- »

When I eventually get my car I have my son on standby for a full detail and ceramic coating. He used to be a painter for a Mercedes Benz body shop and a detailer so has all the gear and a professional eye. We are going to try the Mad Cow ceramic coating and wax as we find their other products are excellent.


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Aube
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by Aube »

Hi,

Totally agree, Lifeshine is an absolute waste of money. I remember my local dealer was offering this at a super never to be repeated price of £499! If I wanted the other extras, Smart Repair, wheels and tyres, gap, the total was £1995! I was polite and refused, well I did say a few works like, oh gosh that’s expensive and dearly me that’s a lot!

Agree looking after the car yourself is a lot cheaper and under the current circumstances, spending a few days cleaning and polishing the car will keep your mind off the situation we are in. And the end result will give you great pleasure and satisfaction.

Look at a few sites like slims, or ultimatefinish who both have a great range of product from a few pounds to hundreds. I like the Swissvax range as they are easy to use and provide long lasting results. The Autoglym waxes are also hard to beat, especially the latest range launched late last year.
SRGTD
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by SRGTD »

Aube wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:26 pm Hi,

Totally agree, Lifeshine is an absolute waste of money. I remember my local dealer was offering this at a super never to be repeated price of £499! If I wanted the other extras, Smart Repair, wheels and tyres, gap, the total was £1995! I was polite and refused, well I did say a few works like, oh gosh that’s expensive and dearly me that’s a lot!

Agree looking after the car yourself is a lot cheaper and under the current circumstances, spending a few days cleaning and polishing the car will keep your mind off the situation we are in. And the end result will give you great pleasure and satisfaction.

Look at a few sites like slims, or ultimatefinish who both have a great range of product from a few pounds to hundreds. I like the Swissvax range as they are easy to use and provide long lasting results. The Autoglym waxes are also hard to beat, especially the latest range launched late last year.
Yes, my local dealer has a similar package of ‘extras’ that are offered to customers buying a new car; if you were to take all these extras, the cost is eyewateringly high (includes a large dealer profit margin). My response is always ‘no thank you’. Some customers will fall for the sales patter though.

I regularly use https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/ for much of my detailing supplies. Discount code DW05 will give you a 5% discount, and periodically, they have other offers with larger discounts. Some other sites will give an intro discount for new customer first orders of 10% or more.

You don’t need to spend a fortune for a wax or sealant with good durability - a couple of my favourites for overall performance and value;
  • Collinite 845 Insulator Wax, is a very good, no frills wax and is the liquid version of the Collinite 476S paste wax. It goes on and buffs off easily, and gives a good six months plus of protection. Good value IMO at around £19 and a bottle lasts ages too.
  • I’m also a fan of Soft 99 products. I’ve used their Fusso Dark Coat 12 Months Wax. In spite of the name, it’s a synthetic wax - so really a sealant. I’ve not managed 12 months protection without reapplying, but I’ve found it’ll give a good 6-8 months protection. It’s extremely hydrophobic and durable - I last used it on my car last October, and water still just beads up and rolls off the paintwork. Cost is around £30 and a tin lasts a long while.
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fran_92
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by fran_92 »

I have a ceramic coating on my Polo GTI and it's the best thing that I could do. Now the car is always clean, and when it's a bit dirty, I clean it with only 2€, and the ceramic coating protects your car from the bird droppings.

I have used CarPro Cquartz Profesional.
silverhairs
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Re: Ceramic coating

Post by silverhairs »

Look on ebay, you can purchase the "Lifeshine" kits in there, they range from £9.00 up.

Try this one for size, it's the same as VW use.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Autoglym-Lif ... SwBiNeXm8W
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