DiamondBrite

[ayster]

HI,
I'm just wondering what people thought of Diamondbrite or Autoglym lifeshine, if they were worth having done? The dealer has offered Diamondbrite for £245 to be applied before collection of my new car, also several dealers seem to offer Autoglym Lifeshine for £300 and odd (can't remember the exact price now) they seem expensive, is it worth getting the dealer to do it or is it cheaper to go elsewhere, and does anyone know of somewhere reputable that would do it in the Manchester area? Thanks.

 

[pvm1234567890]

Good timing on that question - my new FR lands in the dealer in 5 days, and I've asked that it undergo a Lifeshine treatment (299 in Ireland).

If people think it's not worth it, I'd be interested to hear why - I didn't opt for leather seats and have a lot of tall plants in the garden, so it seemed like a good idea to me.

 

[StylancePaul]

I'm a big advocate of LifeShine, I've used it as a final bargaining chip when I've been ordering previously, so haven't had to pay for it. It really makes the car a lot easier to clean, and gives it a great shine, even when my car is dirty, the shine beams through in the sunlight.

People will tell you that you can get better from a professional detailer, but I've never had a problem with the application from a SEAT dealer.

 

[JF77]

TBH I thought it was awaste of money when you can use Arma ALL Shield for a lot less
but
my car got done by accident and I have to say it still looks good and the water still beads after six months. Not sure I'd pay 200+ for it.

 

[thefunkygibbon]

its clearly a cash addon for the dealers. I got the Williams one done when i picked mine up a few weeks back. not cleaned car since yet but from what it says, it should be pretty good (lifetime guarantee) for £250 which if you're getting on finance means its hardly anything in the grand scheme of things.

yes it might work out a bit cheaper if you were to get it done by a proper detailer but guessing the cost to buy the stuff is about 50quid (came with a fancy case with loads of sprays and stuff in it) and another 100quid to get someone to apply.

 

[JMAC]

Any of these products are only as good as the process and person used to apply them….

Not worth it IME (Diamond Brite and Lifeshine).

 

[dw911]

Good timing on that question - my new FR lands in the dealer in 5 days, and I've asked that it undergo a Lifeshine treatment (299 in Ireland).

If people think it's not worth it, I'd be interested to hear why - I didn't opt for leather seats and have a lot of tall plants in the garden, so it seemed like a good idea to me.

It's all about preparation, speed is the order of the day in a dealership,by the car washer who is probably pretty bored cleaning cars all day, yes it will be ok, it will probably look nice and shiny, but a couple of hours on a new car with even the cheapest wax will make a new car look amazing.
I'd say it's better to spend that money on getting a detailer to do, someone who loves what they are doing and cares how good a job he does, not least because he has a reputation to think of, and for that money will probably spend a couple of days on your car, not two hours.

So for my money I'd take the professional detailer, remember he's not selling it at a huge markup.

Although if you can get the dealer to do it for free, then go for it, it's probably then worth what it cost you

 

[chrishale]

There are far better products out there than what the dealer offers. But they are a lot more expensive.

In my experience, the AutoGlym I had on my old Ibiza was useless. I've had Gtechniq C1 + EXOv2 on my 280 and it's a lot better; deeper shine, hardwearing and hydrophobic.

I think it does just depend on who is applying the product, if they get the work experience kid to slap it on - it will last more than a couple of washes. If someone takes the time to apply it, I'm sure it will last a lot longer.

I'm pretty sure I read the Autoglym kit to do it costs about £40. The rest is dealer markup.

 

[robin cur]

All a total waist money Autoglym Lifeshine is old hat buy it of eBay so cheep, OK so you don't get that nice green bag full of goodies.
It is so easy to do and remember using a clay bar anything like bug tar remover washing up liquid will remove it anyway.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/autoglym-...977?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ae8470389

This give you some idea of how much profit is in it.

 

[ayster]

Thanks for the opinions guys, sadly the dealer won't throw it in free, already got a great deal on the price of the car as I got it through a car broker. I've seen the autoglym stuff on ebay before but not sure if I'd do any better job than the work experience kid! Just had a thought, my cousin runs a body shop, wonder if he does it or knows somebody that does? Whats a clay bar Robin? Seen other people mention them before but no idea what it is!
Cheers

 

[Rob66]

IMO the £300 is better spent elsewhere. I am sure the product is good if applied correctly as Autoglmn products normally are but..

I really wouldn’t bother to be honest unless you are the sort of person that will never wash their car, it really isn’t worth it. By your 2nd or 3rd wash IMO the protection will be on its way out, unless you are very lucky – I would avoid giving the dealers ‘car wash team’ any excuse to touch the paint as all costs.

If they say it is guaranteed for ‘x’ years this is normally only if you use the supplied maintenance kit, but no sure how they would know. The only dealer applied product I would have. if it existed is one that gave a cast iron guarantee it would prevent bird lime etching your paint and none currently do that I know of.

I would recommend giving it a very gentle wash with something like Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and an equally gently polish with Autoglymn Super Resin Polish (SRP) (which cleans, removes fine marks, protects and beads well for a few weeks). This will also give you a good chance to inspect every panel. There are 100s of products out there and everyone has their favourites I have about a dozen different waxes/sealants but for ease of use and the one most people come back to is SRP. You can buy about 27 bottles of SRP for £300 or 25 bottles of Shampoo!

PS. Clay Bar
A Clay Bar is a soft putty like material (like firmer Playdoh) used for decontaminating paint used with a lubricant or (sometimes water) it is moved slowly back and form across the paint to remove surface contaminants (and wax) that washing has failed to remove and if used correctly makes the paint feel glassy smooth and ready for a Wax or Sealant. There are lots of different types available including Wash Mits with the ‘Clay’ on one side.
Although not always the case you shouldn’t expect to need to use one on a New Car. My car is 7 years + old and I use clay only once a year if that – but I do wash each week so nothing gets much chance to bond to paint.

 

[ayster]

Thanks Rob66, for the very comprehensive reply For my current car which is 10 years old and scratched to f***! I tend to take it to the hand car wash every month or so if it needs it or if the wife is nagging me to get it done! But I will probably do the new car by hand to avoid damaging the paint as they use power washers at the car wash.

 

[dw911]

Thanks Rob66, for the very comprehensive reply For my current car which is 10 years old and scratched to f***! I tend to take it to the hand car wash every month or so if it needs it or if the wife is nagging me to get it done! But I will probably do the new car by hand to avoid damaging the paint as they use power washers at the car wash.

It's not so much the power washers they use, they are relatively safe for the paint, it's the manky old cloth they use in their bucket with not even a grit guard in the bottom,often they use the same water on several cars,they just refill it when it's empty, even seen them drop their cloth on the ground then pick it up and whipe it across the paintwork cringe

 

[concerned cat]

It's outragiously expensive. Buy this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Permaseal-P-T-F-E-Polish-Sealant-Protector/dp/B0033KDUAQ
and do it yourself.

 

[DanGarner]

I was an estimator and bodywork warranty assessor in a BMW dealer bodyshop up until January this year and came across hard wax / diamond bright a lot.

You can buy the diamond bright bottle over the parts counter for around £20. The applied product cost the customer around £300 and was applied by the outside valeting contractors in 20 minutes. The product is supposed to be left 3 days before buffing off.

I can't see any benefits over a normal high quality wax. Diamond bright or similar offers no further paint protection (including bird poo or harsh environments... read the terms and conditions in the kit . ) over a wax and needs reapplying every 6 months.

I dealt with more customers expecting paint warranty for scratches, stone chips, bird poo burns and fall out because they had hard wax applied when they bought there car

 

[Rayman]

Hi,

My experience I was offered the dealers coating but the price I was being charged seemed to be a bit pricey. I ended up going to a professional detailer who was only 100 euro more and really enjoyed doing it.

The dealer looked like they had used a yard brush to clean the car prior to my collection which gave it loads of swirl marks in the paint. The detailer polished all of these out and then coated it with Kamikaze.

I imagine if the dealer had done it, they would have coated the swirls leaving them under the coating.

The coating is good for 3 years and went over the calipers as well. It really is easy to clean and almost cleans itself in the rain. It adds resistance to bird crap, tar and scratches.

Worth every penny/cent!

Rayman

 

[nsheridan]

Good timing on that question - my new FR lands in the dealer in 5 days, and I've asked that it undergo a Lifeshine treatment (299 in Ireland).

If people think it's not worth it, I'd be interested to hear why - I didn't opt for leather seats and have a lot of tall plants in the garden, so it seemed like a good idea to me.

Quite simply I don't trust dealers to wash my car. They just don't care.
I bought a black 280 in February from a dealer in Dublin (ex-demo, 6 weeks old) and they had the car cleaned before handing it over. I haven't washed it since and in the recent sunshine the swirls are horrendous. I can only imagine the guy who washed used a sponge which he throw onto the ground regularly.

They offered me lifeshine but I turned them down - the car is going into Spirit Detailing soon for 2 days of correction and sealing with glasscoat. It's expensive, but I know the paint will be properly corrected prior to the sealant going on.

Black is probably the worst colour for showing up defects.

 

[Rayman]

Brian in Spirit Detailing did a great job on my car and couldn't fault his attention and love of detailing!

I've posted this link before but it shows how a detailer puts more care into it

http://s176.photobucket.com/user/BrianXCars/library/Cupra?sort=4&page=1

Rayman

 

[nsheridan]

Brian in Spirit Detailing did a great job on my car and couldn't fault his attention and love of detailing!

I was wondering if the owner of that one was on here
Stunning car, I was gawping over those exact photos last night. Sadly Brian is booked up for the next month so it'll be a while before he gets to mine.

 

[Rayman]

I was wondering if the owner of that one was on here
Stunning car, I was gawping over those exact photos last night. Sadly Brian is booked up for the next month so it'll be a while before he gets to mine.

Thanks nsheridan! I managed to get the car to him almost immediately so got lucky there.

I was just thinking of suggesting that if the two top posters decide to get a detailer to apply protection, make sure the dealer doesn't apply any wax as this has to be removed by the detailer before starting any work, ultimately adding to the bill a couple of hours labour.

Ayster, speak to your cousin to get his opinion as the sooner you protect the paint the better.

There is no doubt that the products used are relatively inexpensive, it is the time and skill it takes to apply the products and being able to do it in a controlled environment. If I had all this I would have done it myself!

Anyway, that's my opinion


Rayman