New Boxster - Keep it clean

[Sparkyhd]

My new Boxster is scheduled for September. I noticed on another thread that some of the lucky ones are due to get their Boxsters now and mentioned about getting G-Techniq detailing.

I was buying a Cayman from Bournemouth OPC a year ago and they wouldn't sell it without a paint treatment. I thought it was just a way of them adding extra margin so bought one from Hatfield OPC instead.

Is a paint treatment a;

1. worthwhile extra
2. comfort blanket
3. dealer margin enhancer

[mogli882]

I think it depends on who does it, if you get a well respected detailer to do it I think its a good idea, especially the GTechniq (sp?) one which is very well regarded.

I personally wouldnt let a dealer do it for me, unless they were sub contracting it out to a reputable detailing co.

I'm not sure if there could be any warranty issues if its not done by a OPC.

[Andrew911]

Agree. Wouldn't let an OPC detail the car. Bad enough them even cleaning it for you pre-collection.

I can definitely recommend Gtechniq. I had it done on my previous car - 997 Gen 2 & when I collected my new Boxster Spyder four weeks ago I had Gtechniq applied. I had their Crystal Serum Black (CS + Exo) applied to the paint, C5 to the wheels, glass, fabric roof & interior all treated. Cost was approx £800-900 & comes with a seven year guarantee. The treatment seems to prevent swirl & spidering marks when cleaning & water beads off very well. it's also very easy to clean & maintain once Gtechniq is applied.

[finestjammy]

I was such a sceptic about paint treatments, having now had a ceramic covering on for 9 months I'm a convert. Water still beads off, it's a doddle to keep clean and looks as good as the day it was done. I hate faffing with pastes/waxes/clays etc, just a quick snow foam, and a very light mitt wash if it's very dirty, and I'm ready to go

[woodysnr]

Swiss Vax is the preferred treatment by OPC and for that they charge approx. £500.
Gtehnq Crystal Serum can only be applied and bought by a handful of authorised detailers but Gtehnq Light can be purchased and applied by anyone even yourself can buy it direct .
I have it applied to my Spyder water does bead off well and easy to clean .The G5 wheel treatment not sure it works as well .It will not prevent brake dust building up maybe not as bad but wheels still look dirty even with having been done.
Only PCCB will stop this but at £5K will put up with it.

Edited by woodysnr on Wednesday 15th June 18:21

[Sparkyhd]

Thanks for all the feedback. Looks like I should be doing something.

[Sam All]

Andrew911 said:

I can definitely recommend Gtechniq. I had it done on my previous car - 997 Gen 2 & when I collected my new Boxster Spyder four weeks ago I had Gtechniq applied. I had their Crystal Serum Black (CS + Exo) applied to the paint, C5 to the wheels, glass, fabric roof & interior all treated. Cost was approx £800-900 & comes with a seven year guarantee. The treatment seems to prevent swirl & spidering marks when cleaning & water beads off very well. it's also very easy to clean & maintain once Gtechniq is applied.

7 year guarantee is impressive, how long has the product been around?

[stebbo]

Sparkyhd said:

My new Boxster is scheduled for September. I noticed on another thread that some of the lucky ones are due to get their Boxsters now and mentioned about getting G-Techniq detailing.

I was buying a Cayman from Bournemouth OPC a year ago and they wouldn't sell it without a paint treatment. I thought it was just a way of them adding extra margin so bought one from Hatfield OPC instead.

Is a paint treatment a;

1. worthwhile extra
2. comfort blanket
3. dealer margin enhancer

A good treatment applied by a competent detailer is excellent. As others have said I would never let the OPC do it.
I have done my Boxster myself as it was 16 months old when I bought it. I spent about 30 hours wet sanding, machine polishing and generally prepping the car before I used Carpro Essence and CQUK as the coating.

[wdpor]

The OPC applied Swissvax and I must say I was disappointed with the way the car was presented to me when I picked it up from the OPC. I complained and two of their valet staff spent another twenty minutes on the car before I left the showroom. I have however applied another couple of coats of the Swissvax product since and I must say I do like the product. Plenty of beading when wet or after washing water seems to just bounce off it.
In summary I would consider Swissvax again but will not get the OPC to complete the process. I don't know how it compares to Gtechniq but it is as good as any other paint protection I have used with other cars in the past and I would consider using it again.

[stebbo]

wdpor said:

The OPC applied Swissvax and I must say I was disappointed with the way the car was presented to me when I picked it up from the OPC. I complained and two of their valet staff spent another twenty minutes on the car before I left the showroom. I have however applied another couple of coats of the Swissvax product since and I must say I do like the product. Plenty of beading when wet or after washing water seems to just bounce off it.
In summary I would consider Swissvax again but will not get the OPC to complete the process. I don't know how it compares to Gtechniq but it is as good as any other paint protection I have used with other cars in the past and I would consider using it again.

It's not the Swissvax or GTechiq product, but the quality of the preparation. If the paint is defect free and properly cleaned with an IPa type product before the final product then it will look fabulous. That takes time and patience, the two things the OPC valeters don't have.

[woodysnr]

stebbo said:

wdpor said:

The OPC applied Swissvax and I must say I was disappointed with the way the car was presented to me when I picked it up from the OPC. I complained and two of their valet staff spent another twenty minutes on the car before I left the showroom. I have however applied another couple of coats of the Swissvax product since and I must say I do like the product. Plenty of beading when wet or after washing water seems to just bounce off it.
In summary I would consider Swissvax again but will not get the OPC to complete the process. I don't know how it compares to Gtechniq but it is as good as any other paint protection I have used with other cars in the past and I would consider using it again.

It's not the Swissvax or GTechiq product, but the quality of the preparation. If the paint is defect free and properly cleaned with an IPa type product before the final product then it will look fabulous. That takes time and patience, the two things the OPC valeters don't have.

As you say all down to the detailer .Swissvax will give you a deeper shine but has to be topped up from time to time whereas Gtechiq is apply and forget I got it done

[action09]

I went in to OPC Aberdeen to sort the paperwork for my new car and was introduced to their detailer.

He has been employed specifically to detail and not as a valet.

He was prepping a used Macan and then has 4hrs on my car tomorrow.

Collecting the car this evening, its raining all day :-( so should get to see the G-Techniq beading qualities!

[Andrew911]

action09 said:

I went in to OPC Aberdeen to sort the paperwork for my new car and was introduced to their detailer.

He has been employed specifically to detail and not as a valet.

He was prepping a used Macan and then has 4hrs on my car tomorrow.

Collecting the car this evening, its raining all day :-( so should get to see the G-Techniq beading qualities!

Four hours is not long enough to detail a car. The Gtechniq detailer spent two full days on my Boxster Spyder. i suppose it depends what he is doing. It takes me 1.5 hrs just to clean the car.

Edited by Andrew911 on Friday 17th June 16:17

[Andrew911]

Swissvax vrs Gtechniq. Some will prefer one to the other. I am def a Gtechniq fan. I haven't used Swissvax but have used other premium carnauba wax's such as Zymol. I think if you want longer/better maintenance I would say a ceramic coating such as Gtechniq would work better; whereas I think using Swissvax or similar wax you would probably need to apply every six months.

[JasonSteel]

woodysnr said:

As you say all down to the detailer .Swissvax will give you a deeper shine but has to be topped up from time to time whereas Gtechiq is apply and forget I got it done

how often do you need to top up the Swissvax?

i'm considering a paint protector and wondering which one to go for. are there any other treatments i should consider?

[Porsche911R]

Sparkyhd said:

I was buying a Cayman from Bournemouth OPC a year ago and they wouldn't sell it without a paint treatment.

so they refused to sell you a Cayman because you did not want a paint treatment, come on serious !!!!

[stebbo]

JasonSteel said:

how often do you need to top up the Swissvax?

i'm considering a paint protector and wondering which one to go for. are there any other treatments i should consider?

Swissvax is a wax product so most likely every 4-6 months. Gtechniq or similar... CQUK, GYEON NANOLEX are a lot more durable but require more attention to apply. Once done properly they are fantastic.

4 Hours to prepare a car is not enough to apply Gtech or any other quartz based coating

[JasonSteel]

stebbo said:

Swissvax is a wax product so most likely every 4-6 months. Gtechniq or similar... CQUK, GYEON NANOLEX are a lot more durable but require more attention to apply. Once done properly they are fantastic.

4 Hours to prepare a car is not enough to apply Gtech or any other quartz based coating

i'm new to all this so the thanks for the useful info.

so with the Gtechniq or similar treatments, the advantage is purely the durability, or is the paint protection superior? i'm thinking paint chips and the like - no treatment is going to stop those is it?

on the Gtechniq website it says:

Gtechniq said:

Ultimate in gloss enhancement, swirl and chemical resistance

so is the Swissvax similar but needs a bit more maintenance?

does everyone use this kind of additional protection?

[JasonSteel]

stebbo said:

I spent about 30 hours wet sanding, machine polishing and generally prepping the car before I used Carpro Essence and CQUK as the coating.

wet sanding?

the paintwork?

[Andrew911]

JasonSteel said:

stebbo said:

Swissvax is a wax product so most likely every 4-6 months. Gtechniq or similar... CQUK, GYEON NANOLEX are a lot more durable but require more attention to apply. Once done properly they are fantastic.

4 Hours to prepare a car is not enough to apply Gtech or any other quartz based coating

i'm new to all this so the thanks for the useful info.

so with the Gtechniq or similar treatments, the advantage is purely the durability, or is the paint protection superior? i'm thinking paint chips and the like - no treatment is going to stop those is it?

on the Gtechniq website it says:

Gtechniq said:

Ultimate in gloss enhancement, swirl and chemical resistance

so is the Swissvax similar but needs a bit more maintenance?

does everyone use this kind of additional protection?

Yep Jasonsteel - that is pretty much it. Gtechniq is highly durable & gives great gloss enhancement & swirl resistance. I am a big fan of their protection. But paint protection (I think you mean film or PPF) is different & is literally a wrap or film applied to the paint that is meant to protect against stone chips. Quite costly. Seems to be almost as expensive as a respray Swissvax will give a different kind of shine & will bead water similar to gtechniq. I'am not sure how good it is in the swirl resistance department. It will definitely require much more maintenance (every 4-6 months). Once you get Gtechniq professionally applied it is very easy to maintain (snow foam, wash, dry & good to go).