[stuvoi]

Hiya

Mini garage are trying to sell me A-Glaze protection (inside and out) for £250

A couple of questions?

• Is it any good?
• Is it over priced?
• can anyone recommend suitable alternative?

Cheers

Stuart

[JG.26]

Quote: Originally Posted by stuvoi (original)

Hiya

Mini garage are trying to sell me A-Glaze protection (inside and out) for £250

A couple of questions?

• Is it any good?
• Is it over priced?
• can anyone recommend suitable alternative?

Cheers

Stuart

Hi Stuart,

Yes it's ok BUT the garage will be ripping you off at that price. It only costs around £30 and the dealer will be charging you over £200 for an hours work polishing your car. If your not keen on waxing your car a few times a year it might be worth it, personally I would rather buy a good tin of carnauba wax and do the car myself. There are equivalents to A-glaze such as Diamondbright. You can buy this off e-bay for around £25 to £30 and again apply it yourself. Save the & £200 treat your MINI to something else

[Scrogg]

Seconded!

All these products (Diamond Brite, Supagard, BMW's new 'Protect & Shine' etc) do what they promise to do, but have a massive mark-up for the dealer.

If you can't be bothered to clean your car, do it, If you intend to take some pride and spend time looking after it, don't.

But, as JG.26 says, and with everything in life, it pays to shop around...

[burns863]

I have to disagree Scrogg. Supaguard, lifeshine and the rest of the producyts offered by dealers are in my opinion no good. For starters, in the case of lifeshine, they claim it lasts 10 years. If you read the t&c's it actually states that lifeshine will not continue to act as a sealant for the stated time period if not regularly topped up etc.

Buy yourself a good sealant/glaze and wax and apply yourself.

A VERY strong/durable combination I would recommend would be"Chemical Guys M-Seal" and then some Collonite 476S Wax (2 layers if you can, using the spit shine method or applying them 24 hours apart). This combination will last about 6 months, meaning apart fromn topping it up every 6 months, all you need to do in the mean time is wash.

You will also get a great shine from the collonite on the top layer. I guarantee you will not be dissapointed

Some places to look:
www.cleanandshiny.co.uk
www.seriousperformance.co.uk
www.polishedbliss.co.uk
www.carwashnwax.com (official Chemical Guys stockists)
www.detailingworld.co.uk (VERY useful and helpful forum)

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by burns863 (original)

I have to disagree Scrogg...

I'm confused. How exactly are you disagreeing with me?

JG.26 made basically the same point as you, I agreed with him, then you said you disagree with me before going on to make basically the same point as JG.26 (anyone else dizzy yet?)

So what you are saying is that this 'Lifeshine' stuff (that I've never heard of) is no good because it doesn't last 10 years without doing anything at all to the car? Does any product last this long with no effort needed? I assume not, as the method you use/recommend needs redoing every six months?

The point I made is that all the paint & fabric protection products sold by every single car dealership in the land, in huge quantities, do the job they claim to (even if it is in the 'small print' ) and suit the needs of the vast majority that pay for them. I also said, however, that for the minority of people that take a pride in their car and are willing to put some effort into keeping it looking as good as possible there are better alternatives.

Or do you still disagree?

[Purple Dave]

I will be picking up my MCS on Saturday.

On Monday or Tuesday I will have it Permagard'ed.

I have my current R53 MCS treated and it is fantastic. Not quite as easy to clean as their blurb suggests, but most of that is because of the dirt magnet of a rear Mini's have.

I personally wash mine with a good shampoo, with a mit, etc. Then I rinse with the Flash Car Wash systems de-ionized water and leave it to dry.

No waxing, no swirl marks - very few stone chips!

I can't recommend it enough.

You can read about it here: Permagard - A Paint Protection System and* Durable Alternative to traditional Cleaning or Valet Services


Case Studies here: case studies


Super Car Mag Comment here: http://www.permagard.com.au/pdf/SuperCarJune06.pdf


Evo Mag Comment here: www.permagard.com.au/pdf/evo.pdf

[drbsheffield]

Hi, I have spent 3 hours today adding autoglym lifeshine to my new cooper s today. My advice would be to get a kit off ebay, I spent £10.30 for it, it seems really good, v v shiny, I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to looking after my car and although time consuming it looks good, certainly wont do any harm! I will post pictures soon.

[rec]

i specced it and paid for it as it included the interior protection as well. i primarily specced it for the supposed interior protection more so than the exterior. but due to the time of the year that i purchased the car, it helps protect against all the ***** on the roads.

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by rec (original)

i specced it and paid for it as it included the interior protection as well. i primarily specced it for the supposed interior protection more so than the exterior. but due to the time of the year that i purchased the car, it helps protect against all the ***** on the roads.

the auotglym kit that you can buy on ebay for anything from £10 -£30 also comes with the interior protection spray can

[wiggis]

I got LifeShine put on my car by the dealership because :

1) I'm not keen on washing cars - prefer driving them
2) A couple hundred quid is not that big a deal on a purchase of a new car
3) Having the dealer do it is the only way to get the LifeShine guarantee
4) I'd rather have the dealership breath in the fabric protection gunk than me when applying it
5) The dealers were able to apply it before the car had been anywhere near the road, and while the car was still spanking new and the paintwork completely clean and flawless - and a big part of getting one of these paint sealants right is to do it while the paint is totally clean.

Whatever might be said about it, I'm pleased with the results. By all means, go buy a kit off e-bay and do it yourself, but please don't try to make out that having the dealers do it is somehow a bad thing to do.

[campfreddie]

Quote: Originally Posted by Purple Dave (original)

I will be picking up my MCS on Saturday.

On Monday or Tuesday I will have it Permagard'ed.

I have my current R53 MCS treated and it is fantastic. Not quite as easy to clean as their blurb suggests, but most of that is because of the dirt magnet of a rear Mini's have.

I personally wash mine with a good shampoo, with a mit, etc. Then I rinse with the Flash Car Wash systems de-ionized water and leave it to dry.

No waxing, no swirl marks - very few stone chips!

I can't recommend it enough.

You can read about it here:

Case Studies here:


Super Car Mag Comment here:


Evo Mag Comment here:

Hello everyone, first post on Mini2, ish

I have my new R56 S company car delivered a week tomorrow and it will be getting the permagard treatment. The window treatment impressed me a lot. I have driven the M5 in the case study (its my boss's) in rain down the M40 and didnt need the wipers! water just ran off the screen. Wasnt even doing warp speed. Not sure how long the coating will last on the windscreen with wiper use though.

We have worked a bit of a deal for our fleet of company cars which is why i havent gone for the BMW treatment.

I see the M5 every day and it always looks shiny as the proverbial despite doing near enough the same London to Oxford commute that i do every day. After a week i need an angle grinder to clean the back of my 54 Mini One! (maybe an exageration).

in a week or so i will have first hand experience of service so will post if still relavent at the time.

Nice to meet you all.

[Purple Dave]

Quote: Originally Posted by wiggis (original)

I got LifeShine put on my car by the dealership because :

1) I'm not keen on washing cars - prefer driving them
2) A couple hundred quid is not that big a deal on a purchase of a new car
3) Having the dealer do it is the only way to get the LifeShine guarantee
4) I'd rather have the dealership breath in the fabric protection gunk than me when applying it
5) The dealers were able to apply it before the car had been anywhere near the road, and while the car was still spanking new and the paintwork completely clean and flawless - and a big part of getting one of these paint sealants right is to do it while the paint is totally clean.

Whatever might be said about it, I'm pleased with the results. By all means, go buy a kit off e-bay and do it yourself, but please don't try to make out that having the dealers do it is somehow a bad thing to do.

I don't think anyone actually has a problem with the dealer doing it ... it's just the cost.

I personally know a guy who used to apply Supaguard for BMW dealers and he thinks it's a rip off!

The product works fine, question marks over how long it lasts but thats not really the issue.

It takes about an hour for 2 guys to apply Supaguard inside and out. I was quoted £350 for this treatment. The product costs about £30 - For the treatment and for the fancy pack that the dealer gives you to maintain it. Thats not a bad mark up on the labour is it ?

Remember, the dealer doesn't do it. He subcontracts the work to a local valeting company.

IMO the treatment is only as good as the people who apply it. If the car is not PERFECTLY clean, the sealant seals the dirt in. The cowboys who done my mates new Golf GTI done a cr*p job on the interior - excess residue, etc. which left streaks on the trim.

I agree with you about the warranty though, if you want the warranty you have to pay the price.

[Purple Dave]

Quote: Originally Posted by campfreddie (original)

Hello everyone, first post on Mini2, ish

I have my new R56 S company car delivered a week tomorrow and it will be getting the permagard treatment. The window treatment impressed me a lot. I have driven the M5 in the case study (its my boss's) in rain down the M40 and didnt need the wipers! water just ran off the screen. Wasnt even doing warp speed. Not sure how long the coating will last on the windscreen with wiper use though.

We have worked a bit of a deal for our fleet of company cars which is why i havent gone for the BMW treatment.

I see the M5 every day and it always looks shiny as the proverbial despite doing near enough the same London to Oxford commute that i do every day. After a week i need an angle grinder to clean the back of my 54 Mini One! (maybe an exageration).

in a week or so i will have first hand experience of service so will post if still relavent at the time.

Nice to meet you all.

Welcome to MINI2 Campfreddie,

I think the Permagard treatment is the mutts nuts. The glass treatment is fantastic and works as you describe, BUT ... on the Mini it only really starts to streak off at 60-70 mph. I am fairly certain this is because of the steep angle of the mini's windscreen. Motorway driving it works brilliant, but around town you still need those wipers albiet a little less than usual.

It's still no cure for the dirty rear end on the mini though. You'll still need that angle grinder!

[Paul]

I've had my Cooper S A-Glazed, and I will report on how it goes. Even the guy (one of the top guys at the company) who applied the stuff said that the product isn't some sort of miracle gloss that means you never have to wash your car, but that it will save a LOT of time when washing, and that you only need to wash and dry the car well to get a very good finish. He also said that if you DO want to wax and care for your car as normal, you still can.

So far, as it's not been on that long, I can only say the first couple of washes have been impressive, and bird lime does come off easier.

See here: A-Glaze Paint Sealant Application

[popey]

I got my car Supaguard at a very good price

[Purple Dave]

Quote: Originally Posted by popey (original)

I got my car Supaguard at a very good price

£30 ???

Thats all it costs

[devaisl]

Got my car supagarded too, washed it for the first time the other day but as it was'nt very dirty anyway its hard to tell how much easier it makes washing. Very shiny tho'

[Paul]

You can buy the A-Glaze stuff for about £60 to DIY it, the only difference is you don't get a 5 year warranty if you do it yourself: U-Glaze Car Care Kit

[Paul]

So basically (after reading the first post again), if you think a 5 year warranty and maybe a couple of hours work by the dealer is work £190, then go for it.