[ALI]

I have been offered this protective sealant as an extra by my dealer (£250).I think it is applied by their own valeters.Anybody else get this or know if it is any good? I may consider this as I am buying a red s5 and have had previous experience of red cars paintwork fading.

 

[fraser]

I am not convinced by lifeshine; i had it applied free as i was reluctant to buy a black car again; if i was paying for it, i would be tempted to have a professional valet apply a top quality wax (zymol, swissvax), but neither will stop red paint fading. If you leave it parked in the sun it might be worth investing in a car cover (tyvec topcover from Halfords, for example).

Mine was applied to a demonstrator car and i have asked them to re-apply it as they failed to prepare the paintwork first by completely cleaning off the road tar that it had collected on the rear of the car. Perhaps you will get a better job applied to a brand new car. However i recall another member on here who thinks it is great and has had it applied to 2 cars. You do however get a nice selection of bonus car polishes etc in a pack with a price of around £40 if you purchased it.

 

[Ianhp1]

It's funny, I've never taken this option because my view is that if it really was any good, the manufacturer would apply it in the first place? No??

 

[fraser]

I agree, but i have no doubt that even a perfect new car paint finish is improved with a high quality well applied wax finish;see this article on a Ferrari http://autopia.org/forum/click-brag/101625-polished-bliss-week-prancing-horse.html?highlight=ferrari

 

[Bassbutton]

Hi Ali

I have had it done to the last two new cars, and generally is offered to premium car models. I would say it's must for this level of car. It makes washing the car easy as the water just rolls of and dirt and grim doesn't get ahold. It gradually reduces in effectiveness and I would plan to have it professionally re applied after say 2 years. If will protect your paint colour

Bassbutton

 

[scratch113]

ALI,
I had it put on my car, and £250 is cheap - my dealer charged me £349 for it, but I thought I'd give it a try. I had a similar product on my S4 when I bought that in 2003 from the same dealer - back then they used A-Glaze, and I can't speak highly enough of this. In 4+1/2 years and 55k miles, I never applied any polish to the car and never had it re-done with the A-Glaze, but it always came up with a beautiful, deep shine after just a quick wash, with water beading on the surface. I also left bird mess on the car for weeks at a time with no ill effect to the surface of the paint.

Unfortunately my dealer has now shifted to the Autoglym product, and I'm not convinced it's really the same. The A-Glaze was a polymer-based product that actually penetrated the top few microns on the paint (assuming it was properly applied). I can't find nearly so much info about the Autoglym, and I get the impression it's just a more advanced polish, so may well wear out faster. Seems good so far (after 2 weeks and 2 washes so far!)

Websites for both products here:

http://www.autoglym.co.uk/enGB/Lifeshine.asp
http://www.aglaze.com/professional-applications.asp

 

[chrisH]

All these products are much of a muchness. I used to sell a telfon-based product called TST 5000 (US produced) and it was very popular as it produced a very deep shine and lasts so much longer than the others. I had this applied to mine and I am convinced this is a better product than all the others and you can even wax over the top of it without changing the protection. The others are all wax based and will wash off in time.

If anyone is interested drop me a PM.

 

[SAJ_1982]

Red does fade due to the sun, however regular use of a good wax make a huge difference and will help stop this happening.

Also if its going to be sitting in the drivway for long periods of time (as fraser said) I would also invest in a car cover as this will help keep the newness of the paint work.

 

[DRARIG]

I picked up my car a couple of weeks ago and decided to go with the xzilon. They have paint and letter protection. It makes a big difference. The car does not get dirty as fast and it is really easy to clean. I have included below the website and a demo.

http://www.xzilon.com/

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z8N84CATpfo&feature=related

 

[AidenL]

No, no, a 1000 times no !!!!

Don't waste your money on it

Check these links for the reason why - its a total rip off !

http://www.a5oc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6403&postcount=13

http://www.a5oc.com/forums/showthread.php/phatom-black-color-659/index.html?t=659&highlight=autoglym

 

[Rab88]

It's not just the application your paying for, you also get the full autoglym package with sealant, polish, windscreen cleaner etc etc.

And it's not meant to be a permanent sealant. It's not exactly a special application, as it doesn't last long at all. It can't be compared to products like diamondbrite or supaguard, which are meant to be specialist applications which last X years.