deanos3 Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 I have been given a lifeshine PDI kit by my Dad, which is nice. However I'm a little aprehensive to use it due to the "FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY" written all over the box and the fact that, I quite simply have no idea what the hell it does.. See pics... Now I understand what all the products do other than item "A" Gloss protectant. I have a Silver MK1 TT, now the paint would appear to be in really good condition, very very few swirl marks indeed. But, it does need a good polish and a wax etc etc. Here's what I would normally do. <ul type="square"> Wash with Megs NXT and mitt Dry with the megs drying thingy ma bobby Clay Megs Paint polish NXT wax All the other bits and bobs Will this Gloss protectant, item A be of any use to me? Will it give a Shine for Life as the name suggests, or is what im doing ok? If this is the case then somebody can take this off my hands and put it to good use!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 I've now used two of these kits (generally go for around £20 on ebay). Seriously, you can't go wrong applying it and I've been really pleased with the results. Technically, Autoglym only provide lifeshine to the trade (so they can then apply it as a so called specialist treatment at rip off prices). As far as the gloss protectant goes, you just apply it to the paint (almost evaporates as you put it on) and allow it to dry to a haze (about an hour), then buff off just like any other polish (very easy to buff off - just use a soft microfibre cloth). Just make sure your car is very well polished before you apply. Probably worth checking out the Autoglym website for more info or look at the various threads on here. I'm taking delivery of another new car next week and already have a kit the same as yours to apply to the paintwork as soon as I get home. The dealers charge £300 for applying it and it's about 1 hour 30 minutes work for me to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanos3 Posted October 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 [ QUOTE ] The dealers charge £300 for applying it and it's about 1 hour 30 minutes work for me to do [/ QUOTE ] That is quite simply ridiculous! Thanks for the info!! So clean,clay,polish,lifeshine,wax?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 Thanks for the info!! So clean,clay,polish,lifeshine,wax?? [/ QUOTE ] That sounds fine to me although instead of waxing I apply another coat of sealent (Autoglym High Gloss Protection). After 4.5 months, the water runs off the paintwork almost as well as it does the glass which is treated with Rain-X! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 I've just used the item "A" Gloss protectant on my car. I clayed it first to remove any crap (it was only 3 weeks old and the second time I had clayed it so it didn't do much ). After that I wiped the car down with a microfibre cloth to remove all traces of the clay thus leaving the paintwork as stripped back as I needed it. I then applied the sealant following the instructions - I used about 3/4 of the little bottle on an A4 avant. After polishing it off it was like glass (probably more due to the clay prep). I left it (indoors) for 3 hours or so before completing my normal waxing routine. It looked very shiny is about all I can say! After a few days it looked as dirty as it ever would and any rain beaded just as you would expect with waxing. I'll tell you what it feels like when I wash it tomorrow I wouldn't be afraid to use it despite the "professional use only" tag. All I would say is prep the car as best you can before hand and don't put any sort of polish on that will leave a residue. That way the sealant will bond to the paint, not the polish which will come off quite easily And thanks again to JimS4 for the sealant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jims4 Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 [ QUOTE ] And thanks again to JimS4 for the sealant [/ QUOTE ] No problem, looking forward to seeing it at the NE meet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarskeBear Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 jim, how much is the pack? i have used Smart Sealent but may be interested in the AG pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jims4 Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 [ QUOTE ] jim, how much is the pack? i have used Smart Sealent but may be interested in the AG pack. [/ QUOTE ] I got one off a mate who does Chipsaway type repairs around the local dealers. Apparently they can do 3 cars with 2 kits, leaving a spare kit for the techies to keep or to pass on to people, hence my mate got one. I gave the sealent to Milo as I'm using the Poorboys EXP, and am quite happy with that. Keep an eye on ebay they usually go for £15-£20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarskeBear Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 cheers is exp better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 take a look at the other diamond brite post as i put alot of info there might help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdiesel Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 Anyone know if these kits have a shelf life? I have enough left over to do my Z4 from my A6, but the kit is 2 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 I suspect not, the gloss protector is actually something called Extra Gloss Protection that can be purchased from Halfords for about £7, it is a synthetic sealant and should actually go over the SRP that Autoglym make. I have used both on my wifes car following a good PC and it has lasted well. Regarding the dealer ''fitting'' the products.... oh deary me, if people are that stupid then good luck to the dealers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 [ QUOTE ] I suspect not, the gloss protector is actually something called Extra Gloss Protection that can be purchased from Halfords for about £7, it is a synthetic sealant and should actually go over the SRP that Autoglym make. I have used both on my wifes car following a good PC and it has lasted well. Regarding the dealer ''fitting'' the products.... oh deary me, if people are that stupid then good luck to the dealers. [/ QUOTE ] The Lifeshine Gloss Protector is not the same as Autoglym Extra Gloss Protector. The lifeshine vesrion is designed to be more permanent and even polishing over it again and again will not remove it. I understand that it somehow kind of 'seals the pores' in the paintwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johna1 Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 I havnt been that impressed with lifshine. my cars had two coats and water did bead great but if it goes for two weeks with out ultra deep on top off it the water sort of runs flat but still flows off quickly. i Presume its still there etc but needs a lot of on going care. I thought the stuff i had might not be genuine but if its its got a smell similar to extra gloss but a tad stonger and has a tad of yellow in colour its the real stuff. wish i had just stuck to the megs range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McGee Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 [ QUOTE ] I suspect not, the gloss protector is actually something called Extra Gloss Protection that can be purchased from Halfords for about £7, it is a synthetic sealant and should actually go over the SRP that Autoglym make. I have used both on my wifes car following a good PC and it has lasted well. Regarding the dealer ''fitting'' the products.... oh deary me, if people are that stupid then good luck to the dealers. [/ QUOTE ] Why did you use SRP after pc'ing after all it is a polish for use by hand and so is more likely to induce swirls on paintwork that has already been preped. Pointless exercise unless you were using it's very mild filling properties to fill swirls but as you say it had been pc'd EGP DOES NOT go over a LSP wax is the last thing to be applied. Process should be polish to remove swirls etc, glaze to bring out the depth and clarity of the paintwork, sealant to seal in the shine of the glaze and wax to protect it. If you do it this way your results will be much improved and last a lot longer as EGP will just wash off when it rains without the wax to protect it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelwind101 Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 Life shine is not EGP, not by a long shot in any way shape or form. I have wrote about it a few times on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 Regarding the srp after PC'ing, i did add it to fill in minor swirls that were not taken out, and i thought that srp was actually a cleaner/polish/ and a sealant all in one, and that Autoglym recommend both as a package. If the lifeshine is not actually EGP then why can it be bought from Ebay as a kit (incls of other items) for £20 ? And would Autoglym go to the trouble of producting two differnent products that do a very similar job ? I have also heard of a number of dealers ''lifeshinning'' a car without actually removing the swirls via either PC or rotary, ie sealing in all the poor paintwork, whats all that about. I see lifshine as an income earner for the dealer with very little in the way of outlay for their service dept, it will come off during a good PC or rotary session (which most cars could do with once a year) and appears to be a marketing managers dream. Best practice would be to have the car pc'd and then invest in two good buckets, a good lambswool wash mitt, and some quality pure glaze and a wax.... done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golfer Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 I was given this system on the QT when I got my new car, went sraight home cleaned and applied it no probs, autogleem polished after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryD Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I am an approved AutoGlym Lifeshine valeter, so if any one what any further info on this product, fire away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johna1 Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Hi Bryd i have a few questions 1) is it normal for lifeshine not to bead as well after a few weeks. Water still flows off but runs sort of flat. 2) is it ok to plaster coats of ultra deep shine and extra gloss protetion all over it.? 3) is it as tough as dimondbrite or is it somthing that needs conserving/regualr waxing ontop of? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BryD Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Beading or not beading rather isnt a sign that your sealant is no longer working. AutoGlym, as part of the guarantee, actually state that regular use of SRP or EGP is a requirement. Hence the reason when you buy your lifeshine kit through an approved dealer you get an aftercare kit, that comprises of, depending whether you have had full lifeshine or just the exterior treatment, shampoo, SRP, Fast Glass etc. Between the 2 i would say DiamondBrite is probably the better value, especially if you dont have the time to clean your car thoroughly. However no matter how great these products are claimed to be, nothing beats regular cleaning, claying, and sealing your paint with a good quality 6 month sealant such Klasse. Followed by, if feeling in the mood, a good top coat of wax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Can i just ask on regarding the above comments, i agree that nothing beats a good cleaning cycle and that good cleaning with a quality mitt and claying say once a year etc is a very good idea. But if you clay the car then all the ''lifeshine'' ''diamondbrite'' treatments will be stripped away !! Therefore going straight back to where you started from (except the monies paid to the dealer. Would it not be better to just spend the monies on a couple of good buckets with grit guards, some Megs Gold class shampoo and all the other various bits and bobs and just do it yourself ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johna1 Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Thanks for that info Bryd on top of lifshine i normally use a few coats ultra deep shine on top of followed by two coats egp. i presume this is ok to do so. then if i only have time for 1 quick coat of wax its just ultra deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac_Terrorist Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I also add EGP on top of Lifeshine and works very well. I sometimes also use Ultra Deep Shine too if I see any swirls. EGP is really easy to apply and remove and I reckon is really worth doing 3 monthly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbutler Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 I had my S4 lifeshined by the stealers - they make it sound sooo worthwhile. Car has lots fine scratches on the wings from parking next to bushes at work, which may just be in the lifeshine/egp layers. Tried some AG paint improver polish on some, but was knackered after 20 mins, and the scratches looked the same. Going to have to get it properly polished anyway, hopefully removing all the stuff I've put on top will remove the scratches. so MAYBE that's the point of the lifeshine??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now