Paint Protection - is it worth it?

[corsic-ar07]

I have been offered this for my car when I pick it up, but is it worth it? I am only concerned about making it easier to maintain, as with my car being black, will need to wash it regularly. My current car is dark blue and I regularly wash it, but wondered whether or not this would be worth considering? It costs £200 though.

[Fraser.]

No mate.

Save yourself some money and buy some decent car detailing gear (assuming you dont already have any).

A decent wash mit (or grout sponges from B&Q are popular on the detailing world forums and are cheap), decent car shampoo and a decent wax or sealent will set you back alot less and will probably look better and be more durable.

Finish kare 1000p is a very durable sealant that car be used on car body and wheels.

I'll warn you though, once you get the detailing bug it gets slightly addictive, and you're always looking for new products to buy/try.

My car's basically the same as yours, I use Duragloss 901 shampoo, poorboys black hole glaze and fk1000p sealant. (I also have a selection on menzerna polishes but we'll leave them out for now. I think I read on your thread that your ZS was pre-owned? The poorboys black hole glaze is good as it will fill any minor swirls in the paint from the previous owner, you can then seal this in with a couple of layers of the fk1000p for a very durable and good looking finish that will last several months. All it will need is a weekly regular shampoo to keep it looking clean. Quick detailing sprays are good for keeping the protection topped up on a weekly basis, might be worth having a look at them.

There's a detailing thread on the forum, have a browse through that.

And a couple of websites for you to get you started...

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/index.php

www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

www.i4detailing.co.uk

[corsic-ar07]

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, I thought it would be a waste of money but there was a part of me wondering if it was actually any good. I already have some decent car cleaning products such as a wash mit, Autoglym shampoo, polish and Turtle Wax tyre and bumper dressing as I was pretty obsessed with my current car - have been known to wash my car 2 or 3 times a week before! Constantly trying to keep it clean, but haven't quite gone all the way and done a proper detail yet! Will have a look through some of the other detailing threads and probably take a trip to Halfords next week to stock up on more cleaning gear!

[thesilverfox]

Thanks for your reply. Yeah, I thought it would be a waste of money but there was a part of me wondering if it was actually any good. I already have some decent car cleaning products such as a wash mit, Autoglym shampoo, polish and Turtle Wax tyre and bumper dressing as I was pretty obsessed with my current car - have been known to wash my car 2 or 3 times a week before! Constantly trying to keep it clean, but haven't quite gone all the way and done a proper detail yet! Will have a look through some of the other detailing threads and probably take a trip to Halfords next week to stock up on more cleaning gear!

Ditch Halfords and look online at a detailing store.

To get going I would suggest the following items:

2x Buckets with grit guards (for the two bucket method)

2x wash mitts microfibre/lambswool (I converted to microfibre)

Shampoo; personal preference here really ... loads to try!

clay bar and detailing spray

Polishing compound (again, many to try; DoDo Juice and Poorboys are a safe bet)

microfibre cloths (to buff polish)

Waffle towels (to pat dry the car)

A decent wax with high carnauba content

(I could go on .. I have loads of stuff now)

detailing world has a wealth of knowledge, as does the Fiesta detailing thread on this very forum!

[zetecred89]

Not worth the money at all.

I had GardX put on my car then someone kindly dented my rear wing while it was parked up

Had the whole side repaired and painted but not GardX'd and its no different from the rest of the car when its cleaned.

Glad I got it for free from work or i would not be happy

Ant