General Supaguard anyone?

[KJ16]

Hi there

I take delivery of bambino on Friday - beside myself with excitement! I was wondering whether any of you out there went for the Supaguard exterior/interior package. My dealer is offering this for £200 which seems a bit pricey unless it does a really fantastic job. Any feedback would be great.

Thanks,

KJ

Soon-to-be proud owner of 1.2 Sport, cha cha cha azure, chrome kit and mirrors

 

[RobW]

have a search in the car care section

 

[alainmengoli]

For 200 you can get a proper detail done instead of cheap product with high profit for dealer. check the one I had done on mine.

 

[Simmo1]

complete waste of money, either get a pro detailer to do it if you like burning cash as suggested above, or buy some decent products and do it yourself.

A detailer will do a much better job, I.e. clay the car first etc, where as a dealer will just wack it on anyold how.

 

[alainmengoli]

I must add that Bary from autodetox was great and highly recommended. Especially on a new car you want a protective detail.

 

[Bhindi]

I am not arguing against either option as I don't fully understand either.. so can anyone explain how a detail, can be as long lasting as these probably over promoted dealer protection offers, that claim to give guarantees the life of the car, (well in the Diamond brite option).

I hope to be enthusiastic enough to detail my car, but I can't see why that can't occur on top of theses paint protection 'things'

Apologies if this is all explained in the car care section, I will be wondering over there tomorrow.. just thought I would take advantage of this thread for now.

 

[Lloyd71]

I am not arguing against either option as I don't fully understand either.. so can anyone explain how a detail, can be as long lasting as these probably over promoted dealer protection offers, that claim to give guarantees the life of the car, (well in the Diamond brite option).

I hope to be enthusiastic enough to detail my car, but I can't see why that can't occur on top of theses paint protection 'things'

Apologies if this is all explained in the car care section, I will be wondering over there tomorrow.. just thought I would take advantage of this thread for now.

Most people who are really into car care (Me and Mark tend to be the main people in this section as far as I know) will apply waxes or sealants to the paint that will protect the paint from UV rays and dirt for up to 6 months (using a decent product) but before applying that product the paint will be properly prepared.

Preperation is the key, ask anyone over at Detailing World and they will tell you that you can use any wax you want but if the car isn't prepped well then it will be pointless! Dealers have a habit of washing the car badly, inflicting swirls and random scratches, and therefore when they seal it they seal in all of the mistakes and ruined paint.

A detailer will make sure the paint is completely flawless before sealing with a wax or sealant or similar. This means that not only do you get a better shine, but you get the protection of the product applied last of all too. Most detailers will also dress your tyres and all black plastics for you, aswell as caring for the paint.

No detailer will claim to use a last stage product that will protect the car for life, but with applications every 6 months or so you should be able to protect it well and still have the option of removing it if you really want to. Most of the paint protection offers that garages sell you are just sealants that are tarted up with fancy names and 'nano' technology.

I could protect my entire car to the same degree as Supaguard for around £45 by doing it myself, and it would give me the flexibility of being able to treat the car exactly how I want to.

 

[ianrm]

I would get the car detailed rather than the Supergaurd or similar.

I have a detailing friend with a rather famous Astra VXR who I will get to do mine when I take delivery.

 

[Bhindi]

Does the type of paint factor in any of this.. I am wanting the Pas. Red, which I have been told is a rather soft paint. So I feel I need a tough coating on the top. I have seen how my existing metalic paint has faired with stone chips and scratches, and that upsets me.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Dob't use Supaguard.

For under £200 I do a PROPER detail, using a good quality sealant (Zaino) & even minor paint correction.

 

[Bhindi]

For those of us who fear we are going to be to lazy to do proper detailing, could we get a one off professional job, and then have these coatings put on?

 

[alainmengoli]

did the dealer explain what supaguard is? My understanding is that it is a £15 product sold at £200 which needs redoing often (and they only give you a little bit to redo it). If you get a detail you don't need superguard as the detail will include a sealer or a wax finish which is better in my opinion.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Once the car has 3 coats of Zaino on you can wash, dry, then apply a top up spritx of Z6 or Z8 to keep the "as detailed" shine.

This will easily last 6-8months, with a shine far in excess of any dealer applied "wonder solution"

 

[Bhindi]

Mark I really like the sound of this, but I cant see how I could fork out approx £200 every 6 months. Its a luxury that will be beyond my buget. Yes I could do it in place of the dealer sealent, as a one off, but from there on the body will be vulnerable, unless I put in the elbow grease, and as my partner is reminding me, its not my strong point washing cars, let alone spending the best part of a day working on a shine.

 

[grimwau]

When I first got my 500 I did buy some superguard products from ebay and OK the paint protection was alright and cost me £2.50 + p&p (but no better than a bottle of turtle wax from Halfords) but is a total rip off price when done via a dealer. I imagine that they get a good commission from recommending/arranging for this to be done and as stated it cannot be compared to a proper detailing job.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Your best bet is a pro detail in the first instance, then every 6 months or so a top up with zaino Z-2 that you could easily do yourself.

 

[Bhindi]

Ok. that is within my grasp. Would you approve of my using Z ymol as the preceeding wash, I like it because its a natural potion, and I try not to taint my front garden soil with chemicals if I can avoid it.

I will have to get myself a kit of detailing bits together. I have tried to bookmark your previous recomendations to people but they seem to have vanished. I think by the time I have finally got my car the school summer term will be close to ending and I will be on holiday, so I possibly could put in a conserted effort of a major detail myself,(with guidance by your good self over FF forum) but I don't hold out with being so enthusiastic as soon as we hit inclement weathers, hence admitting to being lazy.

If I buy up all your recommended items Mark, do you think you could help me achieve a good level of detail for a beginner?

I do glance at detailing world, but there are so many products, and everyone has different opinions as to which to use, so as you know your way around a 500 inside out, I would be grateful for your opinions.

Thanks,

Claire

 

[Lloyd71]

Ok. that is within my grasp. Would you approve of my using Z ymol as the preceeding wash, I like it because its a natural potion, and I try not to taint my front garden soil with chemicals if I can avoid it.

I will have to get myself a kit of detailing bits together. I have tried to bookmark your previous recomendations to people but they seem to have vanished. I think by the time I have finally got my car the school summer term will be close to ending and I will be on holiday, so I possibly could put in a conserted effort of a major detail myself,(with guidance by your good self over FF forum) but I don't hold out with being so enthusiastic as soon as we hit inclement weathers, hence admitting to being lazy.

If I buy up all your recommended items Mark, do you think you could help me achieve a good level of detail for a beginner?

Zymol make some very good products, so you could stick with that as your wash, then you can pretty much use any clay, wax or sealant on the car after a professional correction has been done.

It's all very well people recommending products, but most of it is down to personal preference. A lot of people, for example, prefer the 'earthy' feel of waxes, but I prefer the chemical side of things and go for a sealant instead. If you're after protection then Zaino will be spot on, as will Finish Kare and Collinite, and looks wise 99% of products don't make a difference, it's the finish underneath that does most of the work.

You can't go wrong with anything from Zaino, a decent layer of Zaino topped up every wash with Zaino Z8 Grand Finale to bring the shine back up will work wonders on a car with good paint. Dodo Juice also do some brilliant waxes, and my personal choice is Finish Kare 1000P as it's cheap and easy to work with, but gives results comparable to more expensive products.

For sheer bling, I'm soon going to be purchasing some Zaino Z8 to go over the top of my FK1000, but if you can afford Zaino then go for that, it's well worth it.

 

[KJ16]

Many thanks everyone.

I think you've confirmed my suspicions that the dealer's Supaguard package is an over-priced and comission-driven offer. 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? Unfortunately it's not something I can see I'd do myself but think I should get sorted - living in the depths of the countryside our cars get very muddy :yuck:. It's not something that's bothered me before but I know it's going to be a different matter with my new bambino!

Best regards,

KJ (only 5 days to go!)

 

[Bhindi]

KJ you must be so excited. With the spec I'm ordering I think I have the maximum wait ahead of me.. gulp!

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