Body protection

[Jeff15]

What are your views on body protection on new cars ?

[Lord Voltermore]

Do you mean paint polishes and sealants  or plastic  trim?         I can see the benefits of door trim  if it protects from door strikes in a car park.  I'm not sure all styles are fully effective.

A decent protective polish or sealant  probably worthwhile.   Paying a fortune for  it to be done by the dealer
 is a waste of money IMHO  . 

[Jeff15]

The dealer wants £299 which I think is too much, your opinions please?

[Lord Voltermore]

The dealer wants £299 which I think is too much, your opinions please?

As far as I know they only use the same high tech products that are readily available for  DIY use at a fraction of the cost.  The cynic in me says they have use £20 of product, paid a minimum wage  valetter to apply it, and made themselves another £200 on the deal,    I cant recommend any particular  product , and I could be wrong.   

When i bought a new Toyota 14 years ago the dealer tried to imply that having the 'official' treatment added to the value of the car at resale.   I'm very dubious about that.  I suppose if I had traded the car in at 3 years old  a Toyota dealer might have  added a few quid  to the price, in the hope you will have the treatment  done on your new car.   But no one else would care. I  didnt have it  done.  The paintwork was perfect 14 years later  , although I had( infrequently) applied  some sort of protective polish/sealer  myself.

[Jeff15]

My problem is due to ill health I am not able to do it myself..

[Nicksey]

I have had this offer on the last 4 cars I have owned, the 3 previous to my Jazz were with Renaults. The 1st one we had came with the Autoglym protection. It was pretty good, and I only needed to clean the car with clean water. The beading of the coating was amazing, and water seemed to slide off the paintwork effortlessly. I was also given an Autoglym care pack with this vehicle. One of the products was Autoglym Aqua wax. After about 6 months, I noticed the beading wasn't as effective, so I waxed the car myself with the Aqua wax (after first giving it a shampoo wash with the Autoglym shampoo suppiled in the pack) Hey presto, back to a really good finish, that repelled dirt and water brilliantly.
I never bothered with the dealer offered protection again, I just waxed it myself and saved myself £300+ each time. Incidentally, I also sprayed my seats with a £10 aerosol of Scotchguard, and that has worked perfectly too. You can get Valetters/Detailers to do this for you, and probably for around the £50 mark.

[Lord Voltermore]

I wouldnt be surprised if some dealerships themselves call in a mobile valet/detailer to do the job.

A mobile service may offer a good deal in the hope of continued business as many of their regulars will be having to count their pennies at the moment.

[Jazzik]

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This was for sure not too long winded... 

[Lord Voltermore]

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This was for sure not too long winded... 

I know  , so I have now amended it   to something more my style. 

[Jeff15]

Thanks for your ideas...

[Jeff15]

Has anyone any experience with Supagard..>

[olduser1]

Ask around on your local Trade estate, maybe a independent place able to give you a better price. The Autoglym kits are often on eBay at 1/10th if the quoted price. The job requires much effort and I take your point about protecting new Jazz. Good luck finding a local place.

[stiggysawdust]

I have used 2 or 3 different kits that I have bought over the years on Fleebay. These are the kits that the valeters use. They are really easy to use and come with alloy wheel sealer and interior carpet and upholstery aerosols and they all work perfectly.
My favourite is the Autoglym lifeshine kit with "carbon shield", marked as professional use only. Usually for sale around £20. They are not the valeting, wash and polish kits on general sale.
 

[Jeff15]

I have had some pretty wild prices quoted to me. Some are as high as £1000 and one as low as £85 for a ceramic coating which sounds a little too cheap. Which makes the dealer's quote of £295 not as unreasonable as I first thought.

[Jazzik]

Oddly enough, our cars always stood the test of time without Autoglym, Superguard, Meguiar's or any other "miracle cure".
About six or seven times a year they visited the car wash where they were washed by hand (2 bucket method) and after 4, 5, 6 years, when they were replaced, they still looked like new.
So why bother (and pay)..