wizzy said:
I considered Supaguard, but discounted it on the basis of cost and effectiveness. I found a company called Polished Bliss which specialises in car body detailing. http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/
I emailed them for advice and received this.
Stage 1 - Wash (to remove loose dirt and grime - aim to do this every 1-2 weeks)
Wash the exterior routinely in line with the advice provided in this online guide - http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/safe-washing-and-drying.html
Stage 2 - Decontaminate (to remove bonded contamination - aim to do this 1-2 times a year, first time next spring assuming that the dealer hands the car over perfectly clean)
Decontaminate the bodywork, wheels and glass in line with the advice provided in this online guide - http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/decontaminating-paint.html - using the following products...
( I left this stage out as I only got the car at the beginning of Dec, decontaminating outside in the cold and wet wasn't my idea of fun)
Stage 3 - Paint Preparation & Protection (to enhance the gloss and lock in the shine; see below for frequency comments)
Given the colour of the car, I would personally choose a synthetic sealant as opposed to a wax, simply because the finish will be sharper and more reflective, and more durable too. Right now, the product of choice for cars with dark metallic paint is the Blackfire Wet Diamond Kit; this has really moved the game on in terms of durability (4-6 months per full system application), is ridiculously easy to apply and buff off, and leaves a truly stunning high gloss finish that looks amazing on dark metallics...
1 x http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/blackfire-wet-diamond-kit-cat1.html
Note that the idea with this system is to do perform a full application at the outset (glaze > sealant > quick detailer), and then simply use the quick detailer after each wash to top up and maintain the finish. You can also add extra coats of the sealant as and when you like after washing and drying first.
The finish is great.
But have a look at this to see how to do it properly
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=188897
ps Apart from a satisfied customer, I have no connection with the company.
It warms ny detailing heart to se someone going the "right" way.
In my experience, you will in 95% of all cases get a better result, and a much higher quality job by going for a treatment from a professional and traditional car detailer, than what you could get from one of those unlikely "amazing, 5 year warranty" treatments. It seems that Polished Bliss, is what i would call a traditional detailer.
Or you could do it yourself! All the equipment you can dream of is available from webshops. ( One example: http://www.shinearama.co.uk/ )
I've unfortunately seen a few paint protection programmes, similar to the ones mentioned in the first posts here, gone really bad. With results looking good to a amateur for a few weeks, but soon enough starting to fade, and reveal the ridiculously bad base job done.
I did a traditional detail on a car a few monts ago that had gotten the DITEC treatment. (very popular here in Norway)
It didn't look good. The top coat was uneven, and had allmost completely lost it's shine after only 6 months. The water laid flat on the panels, and allthough there must be some protection in the treatment, it didn't really look like it.
The customer was told by his Ditec dealer that the job would easily last 24 months, probably 36 before needing a touch up.
The worst part was to see how much scratches and swirls that was left on the paint before covering it in the Ditec chemichals.
It's just not OK.
I spent around 30 hrs on that car removing the "goo" Ditec put on it, and correcting all the swirls and scratches that was there allready before Ditec got their filthy hands on it.
It turned out nice, but my customer surely is never letting anything Ditec close to his cars again. (2010 MB E-Class with 32.000km)
I am an amateur. A motivated and with above average knowledge amateur. But my experience is obviously limited. I've learned from training programmes put together by the finest detailers here in Norway, and have quite a few years of experience of detailing my own and my few customers cars, but still, I obviously don't know everything.
Anyway, I strongly recommend anyone to stick to traditional ways of protecting and keeping your cars looking good.
You can be lucky, and get an excellent result, a good, long lasting protection, and be a happy camper with taking an offer from one of those "amazing 5 years guaranteed" programmes.
But listen to anyone who has ever worked with paint correction. I believe that anyone of those will tell you that those programmes just dont deliver..
With traditional detailing, you get a 100% result. A treatment that 100% surely is only good for your car, and a shine that no long lasting sealer will ever be able to produce, and certainly not maintain for 5 years!
It's a little bit more work. Including a serious wash and claying, and applying a good wax, a paint correction takes a pro anywhere from 5-50hrs depending of the severity of scratches, and type of paint he's working with. And theres no 5 year warranty..
But with a quality wax (like Swissvax Shield, Auto Glym HD wax or Collinite 915), and a washing routine that is gentle and healthy for your paint, you can realistically expect 6-12 months of good paint protection and shine. And here I'm talking about a shine and look of the car that is close to or maybe even better than new.
After that time i'm sure you feel the need to fiddle with your car again anyways. So realistically, the life span of a layer of good wax is barely a problem if you are in any way the type that likes to maintain your car regularly
If you have any interest of fiddling with your car by yourself, i strongly recommend taking a look at the bigger detailing websites and forums like http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/
Happy detailing!
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