Autoglym Lifeshine

[2014GTi]

Dealerships sell and service cars - paint treatment application is a specialist role which the majority do not have staff with the appropriate skills (ie detailers) and the time allowance to carry out correctly - its as simple as that!

I disagree with you when it concerns LifeShine, the dealership would have participated in AutoGlym training to ensure it's applied to a certain standard - AutoGlym is no joe blogs outfit.
You have to remember that LifeShine is NOT detailing, it's applied to protect 3 key area's..... Bodywork, glass and the interior. It helps retain a nice glossy shine and creates a added layer of protection for elements.
Plenty of videos on YouTube show you it's functions.

As long as the car as been pre-prepped correctly, LifeShine works.
So I guess it comes down to your dealers ability to perform the work correctly.

Any problems with the treatment, just get in touch with AutoGlym UK.

[Mark V GTD]

Points well stated... but I would personally not let a dealer touch my paintwork for any reason - so to some extent we will have to agree to disagree 

[Gnasher]

Dealerships sell and service cars - paint treatment application is a specialist role which the majority do not have staff with the appropriate skills (ie detailers) and the time allowance to carry out correctly - its as simple as that!

I disagree with you when it concerns LifeShine, the dealership would have participated in AutoGlym training to ensure it's applied to a certain standard - AutoGlym is no joe blogs outfit.
You have to remember that LifeShine is NOT detailing, it's applied to protect 3 key area's..... Bodywork, glass and the interior. It helps retain a nice glossy shine and creates a added layer of protection for elements.
Plenty of videos on YouTube show you it's functions.

As long as the car as been pre-prepped correctly, LifeShine works.
So I guess it comes down to your dealers ability to perform the work correctly.

Any problems with the treatment, just get in touch with AutoGlym UK.

You are 100% correct until you get to the point that virtually no dealer has the margins/time to actually do the job properly. You're better off applying it yourself.

[dubber36]

You have to remember that LifeShine is NOT detailing, it's applied to protect 3 key area's..... Bodywork, glass and the interior.

Which generally means sealant smeared over poorly prepared paintwork on the day the car is been collected. A similar product applied to the glass with Rainx on the windscreen, they a can of Scotch Guard sprayed around the interior.

What you really have to remember is what it really is, is an add on for the dealer to make a bit more on his finance commission. Many people these days buy their cars with some sort of finance package. When going through the figures, the dealer will say "You may as well take this, this and this product as well. They only add £15 a month to your monthly payment" There are customers that only consider the monthly payments without looking at the overall picture, so if it a small amount more they will generally get talked into it. Meanwhile the dealer has got them to borrow an extra £540 that they didn't need to. Granted, he's not going to earn much from that, but do it on most deals and it'll all mount up.

[Phil 117]

Just to add a bit of light into this from first hand experience.

Our valeters have a lot of cars to get through, both sales & service. They do a very good job (well sales cleaners at least) at clean the car and making it shine for a handover. But they key word there is clean.

I've napped one of the kits, although we use Supaguard. The kits actually costs us £20, as the stuff on ebay are just all spares, or diluted stuff with water. I think it's good, but as you guys have all said, it needs to applied properly, and allowed to dry.

It's not detailing, so doesn't require a great amount of skill, but still, with a lot of cars to get through it won't be done to they way we want it do be done, despite people paying anywhere between £200-£700 at some dealers.

I got paid 20% off Supaguard commission. If I could sell it at £700, we would make about £500 after warranty, the kit, and paying for it to be applied (yes, it still costs for all that stuff). So £500 profit all adds up. Our penetration on new cars is 90%, so if you're dealers doing 50 odd new cars a month, soon adds up.

The only reason which would make me go to a dealer is the warranty. Never had anyone need to claim, but I've heard it hard to do, and they never sort it.

[karlak]

I was in my Local VW dealer on Friday picking up some bits for  my wifes car.

The "valet" guy walks in to talk to a service chap.  He had a Chamois leather hanging from his back pocket which looked liked it had dragged through the dirt and then stood on for good measure.  Watched him walk out side and use the same chamois leather to finish drying off a customers car.  Absolutely shocking 

When our car goes in, I will be insisting they don't go anywhere near it with a wash bucket.



Back to Autoglym.  The car we picked up 3 weeks ago from the VW dealer was covered in swirls before we drove it from the showroom.  I did mention it to the sales guy who was rather embarrassed.  I will just seal the car now, until the weather gets better and then remove the swirls myself.  My point is this.  If we had paid for Autoglym to be applied, they would simply have put it on top of the swirls.

Great Product potentially, but the fact is a car will probably need 4-5 hours work even before applying it, to get all of the paintwork pristine.  Dealers just don't have the time (or expertise) to do this. 

[mjh_056]

Washed mine with Autolglym using 2 bucket and wool mitten, gave it a quick and light polish with Autoglym and then sealed it with Collinite which was products already had and took about 90 minutes. .

After a couple of long journeys gave it a foam lance and wash off today and beaded lovely.

No detailer, will be lancing throughout winter when getting really dirty and only giving it the above treatment once a year of a good wash, polish and Collinite seal

Even if buying products from new still a lot cheaper and it is not that much time out of your day and you have the satisfaction of doing and knowledge that you not abusing the paint in anyway.

[GrahamS]

Hi mjh.
Loads of Collinite products out there.
Which did you use?

[mjh_056]

Hi mjh.
Loads of Collinite products out there.
Which did you use?

Given an irregular washer and particularly in winter used '476' Super Double Coat Wax to give it good protection throughout and for easy jet washing.

Was going to give the GTechniq a go as many here really liked but went to my tried and trusted - There is a detailers forum here too and lots of good tips for basics and if want to take further, but my way is the low maintenance one 

[johanr77]

I would also chuck into the mix that people asking you to go and hunt out a local detailer aren't highlighting that this may well cost you more than the £200 odd  that you've been quoted for the lifeshine. It's fair to say that the majority of professional detailers will do a better job but they'll also charge you for that standard of work.

Personally speaking it's not that difficult to get a car nice and shiny through your own efforts, I wouldn't go spending hundreds on someone else doing it unless you feel you can't do a half decent job. There isn't any trick to get the car shiny, it's common sense and not being heavy handed.