Pre Delivery Detailing/Winter Wheels

[N13LXC]

Yo!

Getting close to build week now (week 4) so starting to think about Pre-delivery detail and protection, and my options around winter wheels...

Anyone got any opinions on Gtechniq? is it worth it? will it last well? what other options have others tried? looked on detailing world there's so many options...

Winter wheels wise, I was looking at these... http://www.wheelbasealloys.com/alloy-wh ... te/19-inch

Think they'll look sweet against the Sepang Blue!

Thoughts?

[Graeme4130]

Had you considered the standard 19's as winter wheels ?

[N13LXC]

Thought about them, or some 19" rotors...prices seemed to rocket on them. No decision made yet as theres a lot out there.

Standard 19s wojld remove any insurance issues tho. So thats always a bonus...

[matthew.lewis2]

I had Gtechniq applied before I took delivery of my Sepang Blue RS4. I had the full treatment to paint, glass, trim pieces, tyres, and leather. See here: http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=106632

I am extremely impressed with the results. The shine is amazing, washing and drying takes a fraction of time compared to normal, and the car appears to be allergic to water it sheds so well. One day my car was parked at work and I hadn’t washed it for a few days, it was really very dusty. We had a rain shower and the car was actually cleaner driving home than it was when I arrived at work because the Gtechniq coating allowed the rain to rinse the car clean (this never happened on my previous RS4 despite it having regular ‘traditional’ wax treatments).

Two months in and the paint and glass is still showing amazing water repellant properties, the tyre product definitely lasts much longer than traditional tyre shine, I think I have only reapplied once in 8 weeks, and there is no greasiness associated with ‘traditional’ tyre products.

Over here, due to the very aggressive and dusty environment, it is possible to have swirl marks within days of collecting a new car. I have religiously hand washed my car, using the ‘two bucket method’ and these products…

This wash mitt: http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/micr ... imitt.aspx

This drying cloth: http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/gtec ... towel.aspx

This shampoo: http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/gtec ... -wash.aspx

The shampoo takes only two tiny cap fulls per bucket to generate a mountain of suds.

I am pleased to report that the car is still without any swirl marks, and I am sure this is a combination of the coatings as well as the equipment I am using.

I would highly recommend Gtechniq.

[andre3k]

The interior I concede could do with some stuff to stop staining etc but on fairly fresh paint I very much doubt gtechniq or any other sealant is worthwhile; it's trickery IMO. What you do want to do while the front end is stone chip & blemish free is get a paint film wrap over it. The good self-healing stuff I mean not the cheapo film like ventureshield. And if your money stretches get them to cover the whole front end so there're no seams across the bonnet and wings. All the detailing stuff won't matter after that

[matthew.lewis2]

I very much doubt gtechniq or any other sealant is worthwhile; it's trickery IMO.

But is your opinion from an informed point of view? I am in no way connected to Gtechniq, but I am a very satisfied customer. I have never experienced beading and dirt repellency like it, the depth of black to the tyres (without greasiness) and how long it lasts is the best I have ever known by a massive margin, wheels are a simple wipe down without any brake dust bonding to the wheel itself.

Gtechniq for me is very different compared to dealer applied 'paint protection' coatings I have had in the past and also better than details I have had in the past using traditional waxes. It is so far adlhead of other products you really do have to see it to believe it.

[andre3k]

I very much doubt gtechniq or any other sealant is worthwhile; it's trickery IMO.

But is your opinion from an informed point of view? I am in no way connected to Gtechniq, but I am a very satisfied customer. I have never experienced beading and dirt repellency like it, the depth of black to the tyres (without greasiness) and how long it lasts is the best I have ever known by a massive margin, wheels are a simple wipe down without any brake dust bonding to the wheel itself.

Gtechniq for me is very different compared to dealer applied 'paint protection' coatings I have had in the past and also better than details I have had in the past using traditional waxes. It is so far adlhead of other products you really do have to see it to believe it.

For what its worth there's another fella on here that had gtechniq put on his RS3 I think and swears its crap.

My only point (which you can't even answer yourself by the way) is would you really have noticed a difference if your car wasn't gtechniq'd? The paint is brand new and not weathered; it's as smooth as a baby's backside so what exactly is this dirt clinging to? I'd wager if you had two cars, one gtechniq'd and the other left bare, and a half decent wash regime applied to both there would be no tangible difference in condition after a year. That is to say lightly swirled, stone chipped front end and the same beading.

The OP is wiser to make hey of the brand new paint and go for a clear paint film. I don't buy that you're getting any benefit with any selant, the science doesn't stack up; seems counterintuitive IMO

[andre3k]

Oh and to repeat, I have no issue with gtechniq or any other sealant per se; they have their uses. It's simply the application of a coating expecting it to 'protect' the paint when it's factory fresh.

[P_G]

The interior I concede could do with some stuff to stop staining etc but on fairly fresh paint I very much doubt gtechniq or any other sealant is worthwhile; it's trickery IMO. What you do want to do while the front end is stone chip & blemish free is get a paint film wrap over it. The good self-healing stuff I mean not the cheapo film like ventureshield. And if your money stretches get them to cover the whole front end so there're no seams across the bonnet and wings. All the detailing stuff won't matter after that

Ventureshield is self healing, just not advertised to the extent Paintshield do with their product. And G-Techniq does work if applied correctly, even on top of Ventureshield and helps retain the shine and water repelling abilities of the Ventureshield and clear coat / lacquer albeit it doesn't offer the stone chip protection of the films but does reduce swirling and holograming from washing, especially in winter. Better than Lifeshine for sure.

What Andre3000 has said about getting the full front done including bonnet and wings is true however, if you are OCD you'll notice a part covering.

[lofty]

I had Gtechniq applied to my car when it was new in May, it was great when first applied but it's pretty much disappeared now, I'd expected it too last more than 6 months.Getting a detailer to prep it rather than the dealer is definitely something I'd do again but I'd probably just get a good wax or Zaino applied.

[the cueball]

I would rather have Zaino or a nice wax on my car rather than Gtechniq...

Not really a fan of all these long term sealants... used a lot of them, and the only one I half got on with was called Ceramishield...

lasted for about a year on my S8, and used it to coat a lot of other cars...

As I said, I've came full circle and back to a nice wax now... or at a push Zaino...

[andre3k]

The interior I concede could do with some stuff to stop staining etc but on fairly fresh paint I very much doubt gtechniq or any other sealant is worthwhile; it's trickery IMO. What you do want to do while the front end is stone chip & blemish free is get a paint film wrap over it. The good self-healing stuff I mean not the cheapo film like ventureshield. And if your money stretches get them to cover the whole front end so there're no seams across the bonnet and wings. All the detailing stuff won't matter after that

Ventureshield is self healing, just not advertised to the extent Paintshield do with their product. And G-Techniq does work if applied correctly, even on top of Ventureshield and helps retain the shine and water repelling abilities of the Ventureshield and clear coat / lacquer albeit it doesn't offer the stone chip protection of the films but does reduce swirling and holograming from washing, especially in winter. Better than Lifeshine for sure.

What Andre3000 has said about getting the full front done including bonnet and wings is true however, if you are OCD you'll notice a part covering.

P_G ventureshield is definitely not self-healing which is why you won't find any literature saying so. We're getting our new car in a few months & I've been doing a whole bunch of research into it. You may be referring to some other property of the film probably the elasticity but not self-healing as per this vid: http://youtu.be/OC0OZm1aFWY

Last time I was down there they demo'd both films and even cut me an iPhone screen protector front and back for me to test myself. The suntek side is like new but the ventureshield side has some small scratches.

[P_G]

I have 3M Ventureshield on the entire front end of my car and have done since new at the end of 2012. Small amount of heat either from boiled kettle steam or a paint stripper gun to the affected area where it is scratched and the film reforms. It also reforms itself under normal environmental conditions over time but not as rapidly as applying heat to it. They don't advertise it as a key property to avoid further historic warranty claims where people come in and the film is ripped and say they should have a refund because it should 'self heal'.

Admittedly it will only do this a certain number of times but the car has been detailed 3 times since its application and its come up new every time and has a 4 year warranty. Only once has the film been damaged beyond repair and that was by a piece of brick that fell off the back of a skip lorry at speed on dual carriageway and considering what hit the bonnet, there is minimal marking and no dent.

The installer even did the Paintshield 'scratch the film with a wire brush' demo, used a heat gun on it and the film reformed.

[N13LXC]

Thanks for all the feedback on this.

Really interesting to hear the different opinions of Paint Protection vs Film Protection vs proper wash/detail regimen.

My brother has been preaching to me about detailing and good wax as protection for the past few years, he sent me this pic of his S4. He considers his car dirty in this pic, he's demonstrating the beading he achieves through good washing and waxing...

think this answers my question re G Techniq...

Interested in the protection the self healing film offers - may look into it.

[P_G]

Ultimately sealants and waxes offer great beading, easy cleaning and in the case of G-Techniq / Ceramashield some chemical layered protection against UV fade, swirling, holograming and scratches but none protect against stone chips, that's where protective films come in