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      09-13-2019, 01:40 AM   #1
MrMRJ
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Protect X

Hi,

Has anyone had this on their car? I have had this thrown in as part of the deal and was just wondering what to expect.

I understand this is not going to be as good as a ceramic coat however does it work and does it provide a better shine to the paintwork as BMW say it does?


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      09-13-2019, 02:45 AM   #2
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I had it thrown in and it seems ok. Shinier and when you wash it it seems easier to get a good finish with just wash and leather.

Only 3 months in for me but as it was free I am more than happy.
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      09-13-2019, 02:47 AM   #3
clivem2
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I'm letting them do it too. There is a lifetime warranty but I don't believe this relates to shine or beading, just whether on no bird poo damages the paint ot the colour fades.
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      09-13-2019, 02:49 AM   #4
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Did you get anything with it?

I have read that people recieve a care kit to keep it looking it's best.
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      09-13-2019, 03:40 AM   #5
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It is not a great product and is only as good as the person applying it at the dealership.

Would love to know how they can offer a lifetime warranty as well!
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      09-13-2019, 07:14 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BTS22 View Post
It is not a great product and is only as good as the person applying it at the dealership.

Would love to know how they can offer a lifetime warranty as well!
Not had it myself as I've spent way too much time and money detailing cars to know that Unicorn Tears really cannot protect your car for ever. Also that anything like this is all in the prep and this will just be thrown on the car with no care or consideration and take probably 20 minutes.

You can buy the equivalent set from Autoglym (usually charged £400 to apply by apparently trained staff) from ebay for £6.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AutoGlym-...gAAOSwP8Vc2~J~

When I worked for Renault we literally just chucked this on the car.

I've recently just ceramic coated my car and it took 2 days (about 20 hours in total) to prep and apply it. I'm hoping for 18 months out of it so for them to offer a lifetime guarantee they must be using some incredibly fancy stuff.

This is not aimed at anyone, but there is a lot to be said about snake oil messing with your mind. You know you've paid £400 to have it coated so it must be doing a good job and therefore must be lasting as they give a whopping guarantee. In fact it wore off after a few weeks and it's now just the paintwork doing it's job, but admitting it was £400 wasted is not easy.
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      09-13-2019, 07:26 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMRJ View Post
Did you get anything with it?

I have read that people recieve a care kit to keep it looking it's best.
You get a pack with it - shampoo, stuff like that in a bag.

TBH I think my dealer applied it quite throughly as the car seems to be as new and the inside had clearly been done as it smelt of the product, not leather.

I wouldn't pay for it but as it was free I am more than happy.
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      09-13-2019, 07:47 AM   #8
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Thanks for the replies everyone. Mine is not being done until October as they are really busy, but since it is free I guess it's better having it than not.
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      09-13-2019, 08:25 AM   #9
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My feeling is that given the product on the car will last at very best 18 months, probably half that...what's the lifetime guarantee worth?

I'd feel I have to invalidate the guarantee by taking off the old and applying something else within about a year. If not the car won't be protected.
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      09-13-2019, 08:33 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clivem2 View Post
My feeling is that given the product on the car will last at very best 18 months, probably half that...what's the lifetime guarantee worth?

I'd feel I have to invalidate the guarantee by taking off the old and applying something else within about a year. If not the car won't be protected.
Whilst these products that get applied to new cars are not a bad thing at all, the biggest issue is the application thereof. Too many times they don't/won't prepare the surface, and/or inflict marring and scratches.

I chose to get my car with all the transport film etc on, which is probably extreme for most, and then prepared and applied my own ceramic coating.

Others choose to drive their cars straight to a pro detailer to do it for them.
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      09-13-2019, 10:03 AM   #11
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I was asked if I wanted to buy the GardX treatment for my 18 month old X3 when I bought it from a main dealer recently. I declined and then, when I looked through the paperwork when I got home, I found a GardX certificate with the previous owner's details on it!

I haven't bothered to transfer the lifetime guarantee.
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      09-13-2019, 11:51 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by X3M40i_Nev View Post
Whilst these products that get applied to new cars are not a bad thing at all, the biggest issue is the application thereof. Too many times they don't/won't prepare the surface, and/or inflict marring and scratches.

I chose to get my car with all the transport film etc on, which is probably extreme for most, and then prepared and applied my own ceramic coating.

Others choose to drive their cars straight to a pro detailer to do it for them.

That looks good. How hard is it to apply yourself? I have read horror stories about applying this incorrectly and the need to sand it off. I assume you have detailing experience
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      09-13-2019, 12:02 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMRJ View Post
That looks good. How hard is it to apply yourself? I have read horror stories about applying this incorrectly and the need to sand it off. I assume you have detailing experience
Thanks. Not difficult at all, and no, very much an amateur. All I had done before Ceramic wise was my Q5 bonnet.

As long as you follow the instructions, don’t rush and do small areas at a time it is easy. Literally apply as per instructions and then wipe off with clean disposable microfibres cloths. Ahead of doing this a proper clean and single stage polish/correction. Again not difficult at all. As per earlier post it is all about the prep. Most of the dealer valets give a simple wash and then apply the product which is why it doesn’t last as long as it could.

But don’t want to bore you all with this, each to their own but having had many cars and the dealer applied GardX, Protect-X etc etc I will never go for it again, even if free, as I have seen how they wash the cars
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      09-13-2019, 12:12 PM   #14
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The list price is £399 for Protect X. I expect the person doing it gets £200 minus the product cost. It's not a lot of money so you'll get a job worth a few quid.
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      09-13-2019, 03:41 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Supa Koopa View Post
This is not aimed at anyone, but there is a lot to be said about snake oil messing with your mind. You know you've paid £400 to have it coated so it must be doing a good job and therefore must be lasting as they give a whopping guarantee. In fact it wore off after a few weeks and it's now just the paintwork doing it's job, but admitting it was £400 wasted is not easy.
Fair enough, but wouldn't the same argument then apply to paying £800-£1000
for a ceramic coating? If the paintwork can do its job why bother with any additional coating?
For me I was spending £40k plus on a new car and paying £400 for a guarantee covering the paintwork AND the interior leather wasn't a big deal. My previous used 5 series had a mark on the passenger seat that wouldn't come out an bugged me every time it caught my eye.
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      09-14-2019, 02:14 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by The.bands View Post
Fair enough, but wouldn't the same argument then apply to paying £800-£1000
for a ceramic coating? If the paintwork can do its job why bother with any additional coating?
For me I was spending £40k plus on a new car and paying £400 for a guarantee covering the paintwork AND the interior leather wasn't a big deal. My previous used 5 series had a mark on the passenger seat that wouldn't come out an bugged me every time it caught my eye.
The £800+ (assuming you paid someone to do it) is mostly the labour involved in prepping the car, and not the “chucking on some Protect-x after a quick wash by dealer valet”

Like SupaKoopa, I spent the best part of 2 days prepping, polishing and applying. Think of it like varnishing wood. If you don’t sand and prepare the wood properly, you won’t get a smooth finish and show off the grain.

People will do what they choose, the main thing being that they are happy with their choice. But trust me if you compare a car that has been properly detailed and coated vs. A dealer prep, it is chalk and cheese 😬
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      09-16-2019, 07:54 AM   #17
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Nev is a great example and we should listen to his experiences. He has mentioned that he's used protect-x, guard-x, whatever you want to call it, has had professionally applied ceramic coatings previously and now he does his own. Why do you think he's gone to applying his own, I'm sure this is not just a financial decision and it's certainly not for the fun of it as it takes a lot of hard work. When you see how these things are applied at a dealer and the prep they do, there is no way it's going to last. You then take the decision to ensure it is done correctly, either professionally or yourself.

For example I probably spend more time just washing the car before I start to do the proper decon than a dealer will take to wash dry and coat a car. The picture of the white Audi below was a brand new just delivered car. If you are not familiar with it the red colour is iron particles stuck to the paintwork and you can see it bleeding away with fallout remover. So this is a factory fresh car with 8 miles on the clock and as you can see even a new car is not clean.

So a £800 -1000 coating would include (the same as Nev's and my own process) a snow foam, pressure wash, hand wash, glue and tar remover, hand wash, fallout remover, hand wash, clay bar, hand wash, rinse, dry and then single stage polish. The car would then be wiped down with a panel wipe prior to applying a ceramic coating. I'm sure you can guess a dealer is not able to do this in the usual 30 minutes they have to clean and prep a new a car. So what chance has any coating got to stick if it's not on to bare paint (see the Audi).

Ceramic coatings really are very good but they are not the be all and end all some people think they are. At best they are 2-3 microns in thickness and a decent clear coat can be anywhere from 50 - 80 microns, so as you can see there really isn't much there to protect your car from the elements. Now protect-x or whatever product name you want to insert here is not ceramic and is simply some polymer that will at best last a few months and certainly will not be as thick as a ceramic. So you are simply paying the dealer to put some £20 products you can buy from Halfords straight on to your car, with no prep other than a quick wash which they then guarantee. The protection will wear off very quickly and they just wait for the 1 in 100 to come back with a complaint. The exterior is only protected against etching (bird poo etc) and interior from stains that won't come off. So they just pocket the money and sit back while raking it in. That's why they push it so hard and add it to quotes without asking

Now if you are happy to pay this for the peace of mind it brings then that is absolutely fine and I can completely understand it, but please do not be under any illusion that it will last forever. It will not and can not compete with a properly applied coating by a detailer. Even then you are paying £800 -1000 for a product costing between £50 - 100 to be applied. You're actually just paying for their time, which is why I do it myself as I simply cannot justify the cost. It's also the reason why they don't give lifetime guarantees as they are aware the coatings don't last but they have spent the time applying it.

As I've said previously, I've sold cars so I know the games that are played and profits involved. I know the products and how they are applied (I was a salesman but I've done this previously when the valeters weren't around in a very quick time). I'm also aware of the cars that have gone out the door without it even being applied (as someone forgot) but with the welcome pack on the seat and the guarantee still intact. I also saw the same guy 2 years later having it applied to his new car again as he swore that it kept his car looking cleaner.

As for my X3 do you think the shine and reflection here is the coating or the prep I did first?
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