dealer prep

[DougL]

I was a bit open-mouthed to be honest, but actually pleased at the same time. They said that they'd never had such a request before! Anyway, Saturday looks as if it might be dry and have reasonable temperatures, so I'll be attempting to work a bit of magic on the car with some potions then...

[neilgcal]

After giving this a great deal of thought I ended up deciding to go down the professional detailer route. I was scared I might make a complete mess of things and I wanted to be 100% confident that the car was getting the best treatment possible.

So I contacted a detailer which another forum member had suggested and got a couple of quotes from him for two different treatments. The first quote was for a polymer based sealant which I was told would protect the car for about 6 months. The second was more expensive using a ceramic sealant but had been tested up to 18months.

I decided to go for the more expensive treatment as I thought that I had spent £28k + so far so what was another few hundred for peace of mind.

I handed the car over to Richard last Wednesday and it took two days to go through the entire process which was:

Wash using two bucket method
Remove any remaining residue on car
Correct any defects through machine polish
Clay the car removing any contaminants from transportation
Use sealant on paintwork and wheels
Apply further layer of polish for protection

I have to say Richard did a fantastic job and the car was sparkling when I collected it 

Anyway here is a link to Richard's page to see pics of the full process

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206724579491641.1073741848.137800909717342&type=1

And here are a few pics of earlier this week showing the beading on the car after some rain

Hey Craig,

My car is hopefully going to be ready to pick up next weekend and I was considering going down the same detailing route. What's your views on the treatment 3 months in? How much washing do you need to do to keep the car clean? Is it worth it? Your pictures look impressive so maybe I should try RGK Detailing?

Also I'm due to pick up from the same dealer as you, what stickers etc with Arnold Clark did they add to your car?

Cheers
Neil

[CraigW]

Hi Neil,

I can't recommend a proper detail highly enough mate. The c-quartz sealant used on the car is really impressive stuff. The overall protection it has given the car is excellent and the beading is amazing. The detailer reckons it will last for about 18 months. It's so easy to keep the car clean, it only requires a normal wash. I was told there was no need for any further applications which is great as on my previous car I used to apply Autoglym SRP and then high protection gloss every quarter which was a bugger of a job.

I can recommend Richard from RGK, he really know his stuff 

As for the stickers pal as far as i can remember there was just the one dealer sticker on the rear window. I had asked them not to put any stickers on the car but of course they ignored me. There would also have been the dealers name on the reg plates but i ended up just providing my own plates.

I had also asked the dealer not to clean the car and just to remove the protective sheets and to be fair thats what they did. In fact, Richard had noted that the car was in pretty good condition because the dealer hadn't touched it.

If you need any more info mate just PM me. Good luck with the car, you will love it 

 

[neilgcal]

Cheers for the info Craig.

Yeah I think I will go with this options then and speak to Richard once I have a confirmed collection date. How long did he need your car for to do all the work? Think I will need to go to Aberdeen for the week as soon as I collect so may need to give it to him when I am back.

What sort of price did you get all the work done for? PM me that if you would prefer.

I will maybe get some plates done this weekend as I have my retention document for the plate anyway.

Cheers
Neil

[CraigW]

Cheers for the info Craig.

Yeah I think I will go with this options then and speak to Richard once I have a confirmed collection date. How long did he need your car for to do all the work? Think I will need to go to Aberdeen for the week as soon as I collect so may need to give it to him when I am back.

What sort of price did you get all the work done for? PM me that if you would prefer.

I will maybe get some plates done this weekend as I have my retention document for the plate anyway.

Cheers
Neil

Just required 2 days Neil so not too bad. It cost £350 but well worth the money 

[neilgcal]

Craig, just spoken to Richard and all looks good for getting the C Quartz protection applied . Had you tried to get the detailing done at the dealer prior to pick up or did you decide to have it done afterwards? Richard said some dealers will allow it, others won't. Haven't got a hold of mine yet.

[CraigW]

Craig, just spoken to Richard and all looks good for getting the C Quartz protection applied . Had you tried to get the detailing done at the dealer prior to pick up or did you decide to have it done afterwards? Richard said some dealers will allow it, others won't. Haven't got a hold of mine yet.

I didn't ask to be honest about the possibility of doing it at the dealership as i wasn't sure how agreeable they would be to it. The other issue is that the c-quartz needs time to cure overnight and so the car would have to be kept indoors. In the end i thought it would be easier just to take it to Richard.

I was lucky in that he had a cancellation just at the time i was looking for it to be done. So basically picked the car up on a Monday evening and dropped it off on the Wednesday. I had the car back by 5pm on the Friday just in time for a wee play at the weekend 

Who have you been dealing with at the dealership Neil and when do you collect?

[neilgcal]

Hoping to pick it up next weekend. It is arriving into Port of Tyne tonight and hopefully on a transporter to Glasgow for the weekend or Monday at latest. It's Jonathan Hope I have been dealing with.

[CraigW]

Hoping to pick it up next weekend. It is arriving into Port of Tyne tonight and hopefully on a transporter to Glasgow for the weekend or Monday at latest. It's Jonathan Hope I have been dealing with.

Excellent mate. I dealt with Jonathan as well, top bloke.