Audi Dealer - Auto Glym Life shine service ...worth it?

[murkins]

Okay, I'm due to get my new A3 delivered next week and I'm looking forward to it. I haven't the first clue about detailing a car (I'll read the Polished Bliss guides soon) but I have a question.

The Audi dealer is promoting the Auto-Glym Lifeshine service, where the dealer will cover the car in Auto-Glym products. the cost will be ~250 quid.
As I'll never be valeting/detailing my car myself, is the Auto-Glym service any good? Are the advertised paint and interior protection actually any good?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[rickparmar]

NOPE

Rip off, you can buy the kit of ebay for around £30

 

[murkins]

I know I could get it cheaper on eBay but who's going to apply it? I certainly won't...I'm a bit of a Frank Spencer when it comes to taking on jobs like this...

Can anyone recommend someone in the Cambridge/Bury St Edmunds area?

OR

Can anyone provide more opinion on whether it's worth having the dealer do it?

 

[S3 Big Andy]

You are far better of getting a professional detailer to do it, after I had mine done by Gleamimg Kleen I really noticed the difference, I had Life shine from my Audi dealer and it was not worth it.

 

[Booster]

If you are in or near Cambridge you could use Nathan from Cambridge Autogleam. He regularly posts his work on Detailing World and Tyresmoke and the results are amazing!!

http://www.cambridgeautogleam.com/

 

[murkins]

If you are in or near Cambridge you could use Nathan from Cambridge Autogleam. He regularly posts his work on Detailing World and Tyresmoke and the results are amazing!!

http://www.cambridgeautogleam.com/

Cheers Booster, I was on his website but he only gives a mobile number, no address or postcode. Also, according to his website the price of paint protection alone is a shocking £280!! my dealer is charging £250 for the entire lifeshine treatment. I'll try giving him a call today to see how much he'd charge for the lifeshine treatment, but given that I think £250 is too much, I doubt he'd be interested in providing me with the service

So is it actually worth getting done then? Does it make a big difference?

 

[Booster]

I have bought a Lifeshine kit from ebay and am doing my car myself (but then again I like cleaning cars!!). No way would I pay or trust a dealer to do it. If you are prepared to pay £250 then I'd go the extra £30 and get Nathan to do it. He will spend hours on it and do a proper job. A dealer will get some 17 year old with a gritty cloth to give it the once over.

 

[WX51TXR]

As above really; it's an average product that lasts for around 6-9 months (on the paint anyway), and most of the £250 is charged as labour, although this is also the case with professional detailers as well - the difference is that the dealer will do the application in a few hours or less without a huge amount of care or attention, while a decent detailer will do a much more thorough job, making the final hourly rate seem more reasonable. If you really aren't going to look after the car yourself, then getting a pro detailer in twice a year will maintain a reasonable level of protection and makes more sense than the so-called lifetime package.

 

[murkins]

I've given Nathan a call and left a message...
I'd like to try it myself but to be honest, this car is the first I've had that wasn't a used car and even at that the used cars I've had were never looked after by previous owners so I'd like to get this right from the start. I'm only now becoming familiar with the "two-bucket" method of washing a car and am practicing on my Fiat Stilo before I get the Audi... As for the cloths I use, well I'll have to buy proper equipment before I start washing the Audi.

So you can see from that, that perhaps doing it myself is not the best idea. Especially when you consider that my wife sometimes refers to me as Frank Spencer, when I undertake a new task...

 

[icenutter]

I'd just go for it and do it your self mate.

Get a Jeffs Werkstat Acrylic kit, and a gentle clay kit (something like a Meguiars Quik Clay), and you are in business.

If you ask for help here or maybe on detailingworld.co.uk I'm sure you'd get lots of help.

Although if you scratch your car don't blame me!

 

[jr001]

It would be well worth employing Nathan. But I'd ask him to make it at a time when he may be able to do it a little slower and get you involved in the process. That way, you will be getting a superb detailer and superb tuition. Can't lose.

Once you see what's involved, you will be itching to give the car a proper clay, cleanse and protection detail yourself in about 6-9 months time. You will be amazed at the finish you can create with proper surface preparation and you WILL be able to do it yourself. Not only that you will WANT to do it yourself. You simply won't want to go back on the superior finish and you will want to maintain it yourself.

I've done several tuition sessions with people (male and female) who didn't want to do it themselves at first. Part-way into the session and I had to stand back and pack all my gear away!! It's straightforward really, just be gentle and thoughtful. Speaking of which, make sure your wife disappears for a few hours - suggest to her that she should be visiting someone, or even better, staying overnight.

Make sure Nathan uses a wax or sealant that you can buy yourself for topping up over the autumn.

Read the Polished Bliss Guides (we all start there) and get onto Detailing World also.

You just need to get some confidence in working on your car's clearcoat safely. By working with Nathan, that's what you will get.

Hope this helps,

JOHN:icon_thumright: