Paint Protection. I’ve got it but is it worth it?

[ACertainAge]

Ok, XC40 lovers. I’ve cancelled my GardX application.
I will get it Ceramic Coated early doors (arrives on the 27th of September). Thanks for all your comments. I wasn’t truly happy we took it in the first place but all’s well that ends well. I opted for the service package instead. Please, please don’t tell if I’ve done wrong again!!!

Wise move on the service package.

[Dermottdog]

The 'new Car Detail' which I was recommended to go for, included full exterior prep and sealant/coating, alloy wheel sealant, interior trim plastics, carpets and mats, seat leather (bolsters) and alcantara facings etc, came in at a very acceptable £250.00 and takes a full day to complete. I was also advised to take advantage of one his, once-a year, 'maintenance cleans' for the princely sum of £35.00 (This would be entirely optional, but I think worth it)

So as all parties are sufficiently impressed, I have been 'persuaded' to book in my wife's 2018 Suzuki SZ-T (its been standing outside, in all weathers for about 12 months now) for a similar session in October as a bit of a treat!

Yep. Sounds good. I’ve made enquires locally and received the email below.



Hi Robert

Thanks for your enquiry and apologies on the slow reply, it’s been a bit of a busy day

There are a few options on the level of ceramic coating you require and we would really need to see the car before I can give you a price as every car is different

A rough guide on a single stage machine polish would be £295 then from £260 for a ceramic coating

We are accredited and authorised by Ceramic pro and Gtechniq and they both do different levels of coatings, the guide price above is for there light version which give a 3-5 year protection but they also do another version which can give 9-10 years protection

If you let me know a convenient day and time to call I can then explain options and also arrange a visit to inspect your car

Many thanks
Paul

Dermottdog, am I reading your detailers email quote correctly or am I missing something? Machine polish @ £295* plus THEN a ceramic coating applied for £260+ making an est. price of £555+ and no mention of alloy wheel and interior treatments?.....wow! Do they know its a brand-new car?As my detailer said to me, WHY would you need to machine polish a 'brand new' vehicle? (unless it has an obvious defect, which would be a DEALER issue anyway) This is why my guy has a dedicated menu price for a "NEW CAR Preparation Detail" for which he was quite adamant, is all my car would need and subsequently got! His ethos is to be honest and upfront and advise the customer what, in his professional opinion, the vehicle 'actually needs' and not add ££££ worth of unnecessary 'works'...........Just be SURE what you will be getting for your hard-earned!
BTW, in your last post you said, tongue-in-cheek.........."I order GardX and it`s wrong".......not a bit of it! What was wrong, in my book, was you about to pay an extortionate price, at a dealer, with no dedicated prep area, by lacklustre, time constrained and indifferent operatives.

Hi all

Just emailed the detail people again explaining that it’s a brand new vehicle and asking why it would need a machine polish. Got an email back saying they would like to explain in a phone call. Does anyone else know why they would want to machine polish a new car?

[Dermottdog]

UPDATE

The car is now sitting outside our house (minus the GardX paint protection). So, we’ve had it for a week and not yet driven since we collected it from the dealers due to work and the wife not being fully set up to drive it yet.
Today, it got its first wash and coating. I have to say, washing it was not a pleasant experience. The sheer size of the mother makes it very hard work. Even standing on a ladder, I still really found it difficult to reach the centre of the roof. Ronnie Corbett would have needed scaffolding!!

So, having jet washed with clean water, I washed the body with G Wash and jet rinsed. Before the Quartz coat can be applied, the paint has to be de-greased. Q2 Prep was used before applying Can Coat. The Can Coat is very easy to apply and remove. It can be applied to any and all surfaces except the Windscreen. The car looks great and the Quartz Coating is meant to be very hydrophobic. The coating requires 24 hours to fully cure and can last up to a year. I suspect this is optimistic.

[Goldfish]

Had this Gtechniq ceramic paint protection applied by professional detailer and been washing the car myself regularly by the Gwash. I am satisfied with the result.