General Supaguard anyone?

[grimwau]

Many thanks everyone.

I'll look around to see if I can find anyone offering detailing in my area - Norwich. Are there any particular company names/franchises I should look out for?

From what I can tell most of the detailers tend to be professional one man bands that way they are 100% involved in every job. Try googling for detailers in your area. I tried here and loads came up.

Good luck and I'm sure you will not regret it.

ps. Check out any testimonials or customer feedback if available and hopefully there will be photo details as well.

 

[Andy Monty]

So... Lloyd are you saying you use sealant instead of wax?. Is is easier and quicker to apply?

as he said its down to personal preference a sealent should have better durability than most wax's carnubra wax is a natural product as such degraded by nature

the problem lies in that most products use a blend of synthetic and natural products so they become a hybrid both sealent and wax (collinite 915 is a good example)

Some sealants need to be left an hour to cure after application before they are buffed off but this is obviously dependent on the product and the weather...

 

[wreckmaster]

I used turtle wax nano polish a couple of months ago and the car became absolutely great shining. Before I polished it I used a spray on car shampoo, waited a couple of minutes, high preassured it off and then used some degreasing spray on the lower parts of the car and the rear end to get asphalt and polution off. Then the car became very smooth after the degreasing threatment and I polished it with the turtle nano. I think it became great.

Since we still got half a meter of snow here I dont get the oppertunity to wash the car at home for the time beeing, this results in not washing the car very often. Actually just once since I polished it before I washed it again yesterday. I sprayed on car soap, highpreassured it off and the car became just like newly polished againWith water pearling and falling easily off the car. Since this was at work I also applayed some hydro wax and highpreassured it off( we use hydro wax on our ambulances). I parked the car outside last night and when I drove home from work this morning it was snowing, zero degrees and really slushy on the roads. When I came home the car was still absolutly clean.

I think this shows that cheap products also can be good and keep a car looking shiny. Maybe not as good as these other products that are more expensive, but still good. I have been looking around for these more expensive products but cant find them anywhere. Maybe they dont sell them in Norway. Hope you all understood what I meant

 

[Lloyd71]

I used turtle wax nano polish a couple of months ago and the car became absolutely great shining.
I think this shows that cheap products also can be good and keep a car looking shiny. Maybe not as good as these other products that are more expensive, but still good.t

Cheap polish can be good, but it won't offer any protection. Hence the need for the wax you used.

As for cheap products, my tub of FK1000P cost me £15 and the tub will last me my entire life, protecting the car for about 6 months at a time and also improving the looks of the paintwork. Can't get much better than that!

So... Lloyd are you saying you use sealant instead of wax?. Is is easier and quicker to apply?

I use a sealant instead of a wax because the sealant I use has the following benefits;
-Cheap to buy
-Lasts at least 4 months
-Beads well
-Sheets water off the paint very well
-Can be layered instantly
-Is very easy to apply and remove
-Improves the look of the paint with an extra glossiness

To get a wax that lasts over 4 months, is easy to work with, and improves the look of the car, you'd be looking at a lot more than £15!
But like I said, some people prefer the feel of a wax (I've got wax sample pots to layer on top of my sealant just because I enjoy using them) and when it comes to sealants, Zaino is the top dog. You only have to look at the results to see that. But then you could buy a cheap sealant and a bottle of Zaino Z8 spray to protect it and bring out the shine all in one! That's what I'm doing

 

[lloydyboy]

I used to work for Ford and used to sell Supagard (and I was very good at it! )

What is it all about?

Supagard put simply is a Paint Sealant and a Fabric Protection System. It is not a wax or a posh polish, it is a Sealant.

A paint cross section looks like this:

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When it is supagarded, it places a microscopic layer which protects the paint. The same principle applies with fabric. It looks like this.
_________________________
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It is Guaranteed for 3 years against any paint defects (whatever that is) and fabric stains.

My Honest Opinion. £200.00 is quite cheap. We used to sell it for £399. it costs the dealer about £75-£100. I got £50 as commission. (that is more than what you would get for some cars you sell!)

Great if you have Kids or eat in the car yourself.

If you haven’t been shown it, then look at the presentation of the dip card, where one side is treated and the otherside isn’t. That’s a good demonstration of what it does.

DONT be fooled by the half supagarded bonnet. The truth is that yes one half is supagarded but the other half has had the normal wax stripped off to enhance the difference between the two sides.

Supagard does make the car a bit easier to keep clean outside, and makes a much larger difference inside. The guarantee is good, so you know you won’t have any nasty stains on the interior for at least 3 years.

I say if you are spending at least £8100 on a new car, then what is another £200? Really not much is it?

It is a nice thing to have if you can afford it. Especially if you have kids. If you don’t have kids, it may not be worth it in all honesty.

 

[Lloyd71]

If you have kids and want the interior doing, buy some G Techniq i1 and apply it yourself for £25.

Then spend the remaining £175 on some more things to keep the kids happy in the first place!

There's no way the exterior is worth having done unless they remove all contamination from the paint before sealing it. That means washing, claying, machine polishing and then an IPA wipedown. I can't see them doing that myself!

 

[punto_matt]

Dodo Juice also do some brilliant waxes,

I personally hate Dodo Juice wax and think vics concourse is alot better.

 

[Lloyd71]

I personally hate Dodo Juice wax and think vics concourse is alot better.

How come? I've never used Vics Concourse myself but have found the Dodo waxes to be fairly decent. They're not up to the standards of Finish Kare which I love to bits now, but they still do a fairly decent job.

The only problem I've had is that the softer waxes can't be applied using an applicator, they have to be applied by hand.

 

[punto_matt]

I prefer applying by hand as i do this with the vics. I just didnt think it lasted very long, beaded nicely or gave good reflections etc. I used it a couple of times then switched to jetseal and then bought some more vics red wax which i really like.

 

[Mark Elvin]

No amount of sales bull will convince me Supaguard is any good. My father in law has it on his Toyota and the paint looks flat and dull. A good quality sealant will do a far superior job and cost much less.


M

 

[Lloyd71]

I prefer applying by hand as i do this with the vics. I just didnt think it lasted very long, beaded nicely or gave good reflections etc. I used it a couple of times then switched to jetseal and then bought some more vics red wax which i really like.

Ah, I've no experience of the beading or durability since I used it over the top of FK1000, but it did give the paint a slightly glossier finish on my car. But then white does bring up the glossy finish better than most colours which suit reflections and depth a lot more.

 

[Simmo1]

I used to work for Ford and used to sell Supagard (and I was very good at it! )

What is it all about?

Supagard put simply is a Paint Sealant and a Fabric Protection System. It is not a wax or a posh polish, it is a Sealant.

A paint cross section looks like this:

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When it is supagarded, it places a microscopic layer which protects the paint. The same principle applies with fabric. It looks like this.
_________________________
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It is Guaranteed for 3 years against any paint defects (whatever that is) and fabric stains.

My Honest Opinion. £200.00 is quite cheap. We used to sell it for £399. it costs the dealer about £75-£100. I got £50 as commission. (that is more than what you would get for some cars you sell!)
.

nice diagram.

trouble with it is between the factory and the dealer your car has sat next to nice factories etc on industrial land, then on a train, a boat, another train, more sitting near factories etc, a trip on a transporter, now its here.

then you have little contaminents on the paint that the supaguard seals in...not good.

I would go somewhere between the two... I.e. buy some kit and do it yourself, but you dont need to go as far as a 'detail' if you dont want to.

Remember supaguard or a detail will be pointless if the next week you take it to a nasty jetwash that is using traffic film remover, bye bye supaguard/Dodo.

 

[Bhindi]

trouble with it is between the factory and the dealer your car has sat next to nice factories etc on industrial land, then on a train, a boat, another train, more sitting near factories etc, a trip on a transporter, now its here.

then you have little contaminents on the paint that the supaguard seals in...not good.

This is what concerned me the most over these products, Even if there is a possibility the dealer is giving the car a quick wash first, I just do not believe the car is 'clean' before these dealer sold sealants are applied, and I'm not even a detailer.

 

[grimwau]

This is what concerned me the most over these products, Even if there is a possibility the dealer is giving the car a quick wash first, I just do not believe the car is 'clean' before these dealer sold sealants are applied, and I'm not even a detailer.

Bhindi, I'm sure that every dealership will wash and valet the cars before a customer collects them, even if they are not receiving any after treatment and even though we have been quite derogatory about the merits of Supaguard I am sure that it is better than nothing at all.

As I said in a previous post I have purchased their products, and was generally pleased with the results but am now aware of it's limitations.

At the prices you can buy the stuff for on ebay it is a cheap way to "protect" your car if you do want to do it yourself and don't want to get into the whole detailing scene.

 

[Mark Elvin]

When I collected my car I asked them not to wash it at all, just let them steam clean it off.

I carried out a full Zaino Z-2 application on it, nearly 4months later it's still holding strong. What was evident is the amount of rail dust that was stuck to the paint work when I clayed the car after washing for the first time. This needs to be removed ASAp from any paint finish, something the dealers almost certainly do not do.

Before the Bristol Italian car day I shall carry out a full correction detail on my car, machine polishing the paint to as close to perfection as possible, this time I'll use a high quality wax as they give a slightly 'warmer' finish & the high levels of paint protection are not required during the summer months.

 

[grimwau]

Talking about rail dust I found that when I removed the back lights to check on the pin types for the new bulbs there was a lot behind the clusters. Didn't clay behind there but managed to polish out with AG.

 

[Lloyd71]

Mark, do you know if there are any places available this late for the day in Bristol? I have emailed the organisers and am waiting to hear back, I'm worried they will all have gone

If it turns out I can go, I'll have to cling film the car before the drive down or something and then give it a quick rinse followed by a fresh layer of Z8 once I'm there.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Mark, do you know if there are any places available this late for the day in Bristol? I have emailed the organisers and am waiting to hear back, I'm worried they will all have gone

If it turns out I can go, I'll have to cling film the car before the drive down or something and then give it a quick rinse followed by a fresh layer of Z8 once I'm there.

No idea, try [email protected]

 

[Lloyd71]

No, it's full, apparently. Looks like I'll be sticking to the meets up here, it seems that the Bristol meet lacks information online. At no point did I see information regarding the location or opening times for registration and when to apply by. There isn't even an official site as far as I can see?

Even the Midlands Breakfast Club has an official site, all that appeared for this was an email address.

 

[RobW]

No, it's full, apparently. Looks like I'll be sticking to the meets up here, where I won't have to reserve spaces like it's a high class restaurant.

sure you will appreciate space is limited in this type of event, i have been booked in since january and am marshalling on the day

it is really cool and a very different ambiance to something like AutoItalia Gaydon

high class restaurant is in fact a good analogy