gazwareing Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Hi Guys and Girls Has Anyone used Diamond Brite on their cars? One of the lads i work with has recommended that i use it on my new Audi A4, i've never used it before so i thought i'd ask the experts advice before i go shelling money out on this, from what i've read on it, it seems like it'd be an easy job to apply it and it would protect my paintwork from everyday stains Any advice would be greatly appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOSE Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Yep have it on the Monaro and so far so good, but I just need to wash it more often and then I would probably reap the benefits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazwareing Posted September 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 cheers for the quick reply MOSE, did you have it applied professionally or did you do it yourself? I read somewhere that it needs to be done by a registered dealership or valeting service for the 6-year guarantee to take effect Don't suppose that would put me off doing it myself though i could always reapply it if it needed to be done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Hi This and the Autoglym one look about the same, the Autoglym one lasts longer and can be topped up with over the counter products. DiamondBrite has a special soap, i belive spray and top-up sealant that are avalible from DiamondBrite and dealers that apply the product. Prep for self application is as i put in another post for the Autoglym one. But you should be fine doing it yourself, take your time and remeber, if the bodywork isnt free of contamination then you will end up with a reduce life of the product and reduced looks. Good Luck!! Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOSE Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] cheers for the quick reply MOSE, did you have it applied professionally or did you do it yourself? I read somewhere that it needs to be done by a registered dealership or valeting service for the 6-year guarantee to take effect. Had it done by the dealer, twice actually!! First attempt left a lot of bubbling in various places, so went back after two days of delivery and on the 2nd attempt I had no reason to complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliAUDI Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 we use Superguard-the difference in makes (just see a 5 year old car come back) is fantastic. I think you'd be mad not to apply something along the lines of this on a new car!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilScarrott Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 My advice would be to buy a durable wax instead. I bet the dealer is wanting something like £150 upwards to apply this stuff, get some Collinite 476 wax from SeriousPerformance.co.uk This wax is seriously durable and only costs about £15. You'll probably need to put a new coat of wax on every 3 - 6 months depending on mileage, but this will save you a chunk of cash. Remember, if you ever need to polish the car at all, the superguard will be removed. The autoglym system as stated recommends you top up with autoglym products anyway, so why not just go and buy a durable wax in the first place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drpellypo Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 Agree about putting it on a new car. I don't see the point! Your paint will be protected if you keep a decent wax on it, and will cost you a fraction of the price! Incidently, DB is very very cheap to buy wholesale. The dealers rip you off like you wouldn't believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 IMO he will want to lay down a good sealant even before using Collinite. Collinite is a polymer-nuba mix but it isnt a wonder product and will be more effected by bad weather then something like shine which overs a very dense polymer make up. The regular top ups of the Autoglym system are to make it look better and last longer, not to replace missing product. However you would have to top up C915 or C845 every three month with out fail or you will be unprotect. The dealer costs are expensive, but you are paying for a guarantee rather the application itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilScarrott Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 Most sealants, apart from maybe Klasse SG and Zaino will probably undermine the durability of Collinite, as the Collinite will bond more to the paint itself than it would a sealant base. It may not be as durable as say the Autoglym system (although I have never seen any side by side tests or anybody ever test the durability of these 'lifeshine' systems), it costs probably 1/15th of the price and even then you have to top it up with the Autoglym products anyway! If you have to top up the system for it to work, then why not just go straight for a durable wax or sealant option in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilScarrott Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 Most sealants, apart from maybe Klasse SG and Zaino will probably undermine the durability of Collinite. It may not be as durable as say the Autoglym system (although I have never seen any side by side tests or anybody ever test the durability of these 'lifeshine' systems), it costs probably 1/15th of the price and even then you have to top it up with the Autoglym products anyway! If you have to top up the system for it to work, then why not just go straight for a durable wax or sealant option in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 The advantage of a system like Diamond Brite is once its on it takes just a few 20 mins every 3 months to maintain with a top up product. While when your Collinite is wearing down you need to remove all the Collinite before starting again. This requires going around the car once with a paint cleaner and once with Collinite and probably with collinite again to ensure a 100% coverage. When Collinite wears out or comes towards the end of its cycle piling more on top isnt a good idea as the stuff below is already weakened and tarnished. I dont think the Collitites that are for cars that i have seen in the UK are cleaner waxes. So by just "topping up" with collinite every three months 4 times a year will give a reduced look if you dont use a paint cleaner. Also, polymer based long term protectants repel rain, salt and contaminents better then then a short-term (even if it is 2-3 months) nuba-polymer LSP like Collinite. How long things will last depends on where you live, the sea, acid rain, tree sap. industrial fall out etc. Will all effect these things as will sun and how much road grime you get on the car. If you have the extra time there is no doubt that a full 5 stage prep can look better and last a long time. But for a casual user the Lifeshine etc offer a good answer but they can be expensive if applied by a dealer. SG is very similar to a AG EG. Also SG can give a reduced effect to the looks of a car when layered to deep. I think Mike at Meguiars Online did a very good example of this and compared it to layering on that white school glue. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazwareing Posted September 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 Cheers for the advice guys, it's definately something for me to think about but i'm leaning more towards getting the DiamondBrite done, the short term cost doesn't really bother me if the car's going to benefit from it in the long term, just need to find a dealer or valeting service in the area who'll apply the DiamondBrite for me as i don't want to go cocking it up applying it meself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilScarrott Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 [ QUOTE ] The advantage of a system like Diamond Brite is once its on it takes just a few 20 mins every 3 months to maintain with a top up product. [/ QUOTE ] Interesting post Geoff, my main issue here is the whole cost of application versus a durable LSP. The people I have spoken to, who have had these products applied, see them as some sort of wonder sealant which requires no maintenance. If you need to maintain it every 3 months or so, then it is no different to any other durable LSP. In regards to topping up Collinite, I have done this and have had no issue with durability. Eventually all cars are going to pick up contaminents that will require clay/polish/cleaner to keep the paint looking good, this will be the same for somebody that has had a lifeshine treatment. As soon as a lifeshine user does this, they have lost that initial investment as the sealant will be removed. If I do this with a durable LSP such as Collinite, I am not bothered at all because it costs far far less and I can put a layer of LSP down when I am finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesR Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 Ye know too much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 Hi, I understand your position and there is alwaus the arugument that dealers strip "lifeshine etc" when they wash your car for you. They use a strong TFR wich washes most lsps off including diamondbrite etc!! Diamond Brite maintence is easy though, once after you wash every 3 months you simply take a clean bucket of water and add a capful or "preserve" wash it over the car like you would a car wash. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richy Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 steelwind101. Do you know how DiamondBrite compares to LifeShine in terms of application and maintenance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 Hi Richy i have had a first hand play with lots of the car cleaning products on the market, esp. those for shows or to do with dealers. I own an IT company by trade but used to work for Toyota R&D, now i free lance R&D testing. Diamond Brite is a 2 stage application, product one cleanes the the paintwork (though i recommened a good wash and even a clay bar if the car is over a year old or done lots of miles). It also has fillers so small swirls will seem to decrease. The second stage is the "hard" polymer shell. Diamond Brite is acutally a tight bond and very hard, even if you were to use a harsh car wash soap like the automatic petrol station ones, you should be ok as long as its not every week over six years!! It is extremely repellent, the only up keep of this product is with something called "conserver". It is a top up for the second coat and needs to be applied every month. You just mix it in a bucket after washing and then wash it over your car, rinse and dry. I think some people even put it in with there soap when the car isnt very dirty. I would advise using there soap too. In the test i had access too we went to applying the conserver every 3 months for 18 months on one car and by the book use (once per month) on another car. We couldent tell any difference in deterioration. Lifeshine for the paintwork is a one step product that goes on easy and comes off easy. I would prep. first with a paint cleaner atleast. Both apply easy enough and buff off clean, i would use an MF applicator to get a good even coat. Lifeshine has a different approach to maintence, you can leave it at just Lifeshine, but applying AG extra gloss protection makes the car look better and protects the lifeshine and thus it last longer. Or as we concluded, it is effective for longer. Lifeshine looks better from the start, but only a bit. It also can be improved with EGP. The more hassel free option is DiamondBrite. Lifeshine will look better if you can go with the EGP. Though again, we got 18 months no hassel from Lifeshine alone. from both we got: water beading, an easy to wash surface which road grime etc jsut washed off of. Bugs came of easy too using. I hope that helps!! Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 Excellent summary Steelwind Very useful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richy Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 Nice sumary. Very useful. I think I will be sticking with the LifeShine option Thanks very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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