New car - Paintwork protection options

Headzup

Headzup

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Having been lurking in the shadows for a week or so, loving the pics, advice and feedback on the cars, I've now got a question l'd like to throw out there...

I'm waiting delivery of S4, hopefully later this month, and am pondering is the paintwork protection (and interior protection of course) worth it?

The Dealer IIRC is quoting almost £500 for the protection which I think was GuardX, but am aware other dealers do other options such as Auto Glym Lifeshine etc...
So looking to get thoughts and experiences of others before decising which route to take.
Plus I'm guessing you can get it done independantly..?
 
In my opinion there're all a total waste of money as you can a proper detail done on a new car for £450 that will give a better results and last for years if you keep to a wash regime.
My car after its detail:
 

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Agree with cuke, avoid the dealer treatment like the plague: overpriced, usually applied by someone in a hurry without any specific training and therefore doesn't last very long. I got an independent detailer to do mine with a ceramic coating, well worth it. If you're going down that route I'd also ask the dealer not to prep the car beyond the minimum required for the pre-delivery inspection to avoid them swirling the paint by washing it incompetently. That has the downside that they/you may not notice any small flaws in the paint before handover so they won't then warranty them, but if you're getting the car professionally detailed then they should sort out any minor marring as part of that. I just inspected mine very thoroughly at handover to make sure there were no scratches/chips that would be a problem then got it detailed ASAP afterwards: to be fair the detailer didn't find any issues either, so all was good!
 
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I'm getting my S4 done with Simirak SC15 by a detailer - will be 2 months old but the do full decontamination wash first.
Lasts 2 years - is a ceramic coating .
£500 .. not cheap, but the lifeshine and autoglym from dealers is just rubbish .. had it for free twice. Didn't even ask for it this time
 
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Personally i think these are all a waste of money.
A good regime i use is Bilt hamber products.Weekly wash, a wax evey 3/4 months.Clay bar once a year. Polish after 18 months approx.
Usual wheel cleaner etc. That in my opinion keeps my car as good as any thats had ££££££ thrown at it with these "paint systems".
They all get dirty just the same ,and you still need to wash them.
 
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That assumes you have the time to do all that... weekly wash is 1 hour a week, 50 hrs a year...
wax every month - another 2 hrs, 25 per month.
Your up to 100 hrs a year nearly.

Get it ceramic coated and washes take half the time (once every few weeks), no wax, no clay , even run through local car wash for speed....

Time vs money - waste for some , invaluable for others....
 
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Nham68 said:
That assumes you have the time to do all that... weekly wash is 1 hour a week, 50 hrs a year...
wax every month - another 2 hrs, 25 per month.
Your up to 100 hrs a year nearly.

Get it ceramic coated and washes take half the time (once every few weeks), no wax, no clay , even run through local car wash for speed....

Time vs money - waste for some , invaluable for others....
Click to expand...
I wouldn't go anywhere near a local car wash in a million years, besides since I had mine ceramic coated even a rain shower seems to wash off the dirt...
 
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I remember when I had cars without paint protection or what the dealer provided, I used to spend most of the day washing and then polishing with carnauba wax. I can't believe the difference with my S5's ceramic coat. Just a foam wash, rinse and dry makes it look better than any of my previous cars, but I give it a 15 minute polish with quick detailer and it looks showroom condition again. My wife's getting a new Qashqai soon and I'll be paying my detailer for full protection on that too, just to make my life easier washing it!

But I also will NEVER put my S5 through a car wash, or for that matter allow anyone else to hand wash it.
 
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I'd definitely go down the ceramic coating via a professional car detailer.

I've had mine done and the car stays cleaner and when dirty, a quick snow foam and rinse gets it 90% clean. If I wash it then the whole process is quicker as the paint is slicker and the dirt isn't as bonded.
 
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cuke2u said:
In my opinion there're all a total waste of money as you can a proper detail done on a new car for £450 that will give a better results and last for years if you keep to a wash regime.
My car after its detail:
Click to expand...
Summed up perfectly! OP: Also seriously think about getting a ceramic coating.
 
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SPIKE_S1 said:
Summed up perfectly! OP: Also seriously think about getting a ceramic coating.
Click to expand...
Definitely looking to go down this route...
Next question is does/can anyone recommend somewhere/someone based in or around Reading/Bracknell area.??
 
I've had mine coated professionally best thing ever.... stays clean and looks superb.best money you could spend ,no more polishing etc should last 2 years then just a top up ,also stops a lot of Swirls.
IMG 1992
 
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audi upgrades
The best ceramic coatings are from Carpro and Gtechniq.

I've got Carpro Cquartz on mine and it really helps maintain the car from scratches, swirl marks etc. A year after applying and the water still beads on it nicely and slides of when driving. Also makes the car so much easier to clean.

I've protected the wheels with Carpro Dlux as well and applied Gtechniq treatments to the windows and upholstery.

It's a lot of effort to apply these yourself and you really need to know what your doing with the prep and application.

A reputable detailer will charge you £600-700 for full protection on an A4 sized car.

As has already been stated, AVOID the Autoglym and GuardX treatments as they don't last and are nearly always applied poorly. I was even offered them free by Audi on my new car and I turned them down!
 
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.....but they still get dirty like all the rest.I enjoy my time cleaning my car rather than "saving time". I think it gives a more enjoyable ownership experience.
However ask me that again in later years when i may switch to a Q model and i may feel different then !
 
holly35 said:
.....but they still get dirty like all the rest.I enjoy my time cleaning my car rather than "saving time". I think it gives a more enjoyable ownership experience.
However ask me that again in later years when i may switch to a Q model and i may feel different then !
Click to expand...

You probably will feel different then, my SQ5 takes ages to clean, thinking of getting one of these coatings put on it.
 
Headzup said:
Definitely looking to go down this route...
Next question is does/can anyone recommend somewhere/someone based in or around Reading/Bracknell area.??
Click to expand...
I live near Reading. I used Auto Curators who are just north of Hook. Certainly not the cheapest but quality of work was excellent, and they keep the car overnight in their workshop to ensure that the protection is properly cured. They did GTechniq on my car but are now recommending Williams Ceramic instead. That's what I'll have on my wife's car so I'll be able to compare it to mine. Supposedly it needs to be redone every 2-3 years, but I think mine will last longer since I do low mileage.
 
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I'm looking at getting my S4 avant protected (due next month) so had a look for local dealers and was quoted £1200 for the paintwork, wheels and interior. This was Gtechniq.

I was expecting around £500, are my expectations wildly off or is that what it costs to get a new car properly coated? Not sure I fancy spending 1200 to be honest, is it THAT good?
 
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Most good "coaters' would polish the car first to remove any marks or swirls before coating some don't that's why t £1200 cost as this could be 2-3 days work with drying times of the coatings
If you are going to get it done ,do it before you even pick the car up .
I waited 12months nearly any I could not believe how bad my paint was and I thought I looked after it.
 
audi upgrades
As I stated my detail included a full machine correction as well and also took two whole days then collected it on the morning of the third day. Unless this is done I can't see the point of ceramic coat as any swirls or marks would still be visible. Here are some before and after pictures:
FB IMG 1501585753274 20170713 152210 20170802 093528 1024x768 FB IMG 1501573170697
 
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Voronus said:
I'm looking at getting my S4 avant protected (due next month) so had a look for local dealers and was quoted £1200 for the paintwork, wheels and interior. This was Gtechniq.

I was expecting around £500, are my expectations wildly off or is that what it costs to get a new car properly coated? Not sure I fancy spending 1200 to be honest, is it THAT good?
Click to expand...

I've been quoted £500 plus wheels (80) for Simirak SC15 for my S4 avant.. Detailer needs it for 3 days - includes decontamination was, machine polish, and then coating . I think £1200 is a lot.. maybe if it was a super car ..
 
I would recommend IGL or Williams for ceramic coatings Marells Detailing are in Sussex if you can get to us.
 
I have been quoted £500 for my S4 which includes full decontamination and correction prior to the ceramic coat. This is 3 days of work.
 
Is this place crazy expensive then??

http://www.bellissimoto.co.uk/car-detailing-services-london/new-car-protection/


£425 for the below (plus £400 for 3 stage machine polishing)

  • 15 stage wash using 2 bucket method
  • Wheel arches cleaned
  • Wheels cleaned using alloy wheel cleaner
  • Extra fine clay bar used to remove bonded contaminates
  • Vehicle re-washed and dried
  • Single stage paint correction
  • Vehicle wiped down with panel wipe/pre-wax cleanser
  • Swissvax Shield or Gtechniq C1 applied to bodywork
  • Wheel faces protected (full wheel protection upgrade available)
  • Interior cleaned and vacuumed
  • Interior trim treated
  • Door seals and rubbers cleaned and protected
  • Interior and exterior glass cleaned
  • Tyres cleaned and treated
  • Exterior plastics treated
  • Stainless steel/chrome cleaned and polished
 
For £25 mine included leather protection as well so not such a bad price for all that...
 
I had my new to me 2 year old car detailed and protected with Gtechniq products. I'm over the moon with the results and would recommend it especially on a new car. The car was in for 4 days and for the full works (inside, outside, glass and wheels) I was charged just over £1000- which appears to be about the average cost for a standard size car
 
I'd say £500 is a fair price for an exterior new car protection detail. Interior, glass and wheel protection are all extras.

A new car should not need a 3 stage polish. That's the kind of thing that's done to fix heavily swirled paintwork.
 
Voronus said:
I'm looking at getting my S4 avant protected (due next month) so had a look for local dealers and was quoted £1200 for the paintwork, wheels and interior. This was Gtechniq.

I was expecting around £500, are my expectations wildly off or is that what it costs to get a new car properly coated? Not sure I fancy spending 1200 to be honest, is it THAT good?
Click to expand...
Hi mate thats way too much contact Marells Detailing we are a sponsor on here.
 
If its a new car then make sure that it's the dealer's new car protection package otherwise you'll be paying for stages that you don't need and are not done.
 
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