Totally agree Ben. Having seen (admittedly VW) dealers car valeters at work, I wouldn’t want a dealer doing any form of paint protection to my car, even if it was offered for free. I don’t let them wash my car when it goes in for servicing or warranty work either!
Lifeshine products themselves aren’t that bad; it’s the way they’re applied by the dealer that leaves a lot to be desired. To do the job properly, it takes considerably more time than a dealer is likely to allocate per car to apply a lifeshine treatment. As with all paint protection treatments, preparation is absolutely key, including decontamination and correction of the paintwork to remove any imperfections by someone who is skilled at doing this. The dealer will probably not bother with the decontamination or correction stages, but just apply the lifeshine to the car after it’s been washed with single bucket and sponge, and dried with a wash leather - so applied over any embedded contaminants, and the swirls the dealer’s car cleaners have inflicted on the paintwork through a poor washing technique.
A professional detailer would probably need a car for a minimum of two days to apply a paint protection treatment. Like Andy665, I also do my own protection and it takes me 2-3 days to wash, decontaminate, machine polish, apply two coats of sealant or wax, seal the wheels, dress the trim and clean the windows on my car. The dealer is likely to spend no more than 2-3 hours tops applying a lifeshine treatment.
If I was going to pay £300+ on paint protection to either the dealer or a professional detailer, I know who’d be getting my money, and it wouldn’t be the dealer!