Detailing from Porsche dealer prior to collection

Cleaning and detailing your Macan.
Col Lamb
Posts: 9323
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:38 pm
Location: Lancashire

Post by Col Lamb »

If you found this thread

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=5106&hilit=Detailing

In my thread I explain about system and equipment.

Also there are details on a 10 minute wash which I use weekly or thereabouts with a full wash every month.

Yes, a detailed car is far easier to wash than one that is just waxed, follow the procedures and a quick wash will suffice.

If you have a Pro Detailer handy then they may well offer a valet service on a fixed price basis, mine certainly offer said service.

As I said prior having your car Pro Detailed is dependent upon how OCDyou are and on the length of time you intend to own the car.

It may well be that just leave the car as is, let the elements take their toll and have it given a quick clay and buff when you come to sell.

Local car wash, especially the hand wash guys will ruin your paintwork, a DIY jetwash will probably do least damage.
Last edited by Col Lamb on Tue Jan 16, 2018 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags

User avatar
Hawkeye
Posts: 1811
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2016 10:20 am

Post by Hawkeye »

To provide some balance, I had my car professionally detailed and ceramic coated post collection and it did look amazing. I live in London and have to park on the road, so wash my car pretty infrequently ...... Maximum of 5-6 times a year ... I think I last washed it when I came home from holiday in August! I’m not sure if detailing was worth it for me and I probably wouldn’t bother next time.

My previous Porsche was not detailed and not even treated to a two bucket wash and looked great after 3 years. I got a strong trade in price for it and no comment on its paintwork.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
No longer part of the Porsche Family. Now enjoying a Giulia Quadrifoglio.
Macan S Diesel delivered Oct 6th 2016. http://www.porsche-code.com/PHI3WP95. Sold March 2018.
User avatar
Paul
Posts: 8603
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:19 pm
Location: Bristol
Contact:

Post by Paul »

I think Col meant this post....


viewtopic.php?f=30&t=5106&hilit=Detailing
1st Sapphire SD
2nd Sapphire GTS
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4296
Current 992 S Cab
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=9845&p=196465#p196465
User avatar
Paul
Posts: 8603
Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2014 6:19 pm
Location: Bristol
Contact:

Post by Paul »

Col Lamb wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:32 pm If you found this thread

https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD-Elements-De ... FN0TGDZ46W

In my thread I explain about system and equipment.

Also there are details on a 10 minute wash which I use weekly or thereabouts with a full wash every month.

Yes, a detailed car is far easier to wash than one that is just waxed, follow the procedures and a quick wash will suffice.

If you have a Pro Detailer handy then they may well offer a valet service on a fixed price basis, mine certainly offer said service.

As I said prior having your car Pro Detailed is dependent upon how OCDyou are and on the length of time you intend to own the car.

It may well be that just leave the car as is, let the elements take their toll and have it given a quick clay and buff when you come to sell.

Local car wash, especially the hand wash guys will ruin your paintwork, a DIY jetwash will probably do least damage.
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=5106&hilit=Detailing
1st Sapphire SD
2nd Sapphire GTS
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=4296
Current 992 S Cab
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=9845&p=196465#p196465
alxgb
Posts: 389
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:41 pm

Post by alxgb »

I echo the comments made by others in that you will be better off getting a professional detailer. I know that Lancaster/Jardine group have started partnering with Topaz Detailing and Stuart at F1 Wax leaving their in house valet guys to swirl paint on their daily quota of 50 cars. Not sure what Guildford do but they may be partnering up as well.

The other problem with a dealership is space - it's at a premium and the vehicle might not be in an optimal environment to avoid airborne contaminants once it has been cleaned. Those large automatic doors all the dealerships have - if the car is in a mechanics bay, it won't be warm, dry or dust proof so it makes the detailer's job harder and you're not likely to get the same quality result if the vehicle was shipped to a detailer's studio for example. You need a warm environment to encourage the sealants to dry once all the work is done anyway.

I don't know what Gtechniq product you're considering but if you go for something like Crystal Serum Ultra - it's certified installer application only. If the detailer gets it wrong, it is such a hard finish that it requires 1500 grit sand paper to get it off. You don't want someone who isn't qualified or experienced working with ceramic coatings like that. It's a false economy. It should only be sold to qualified detailers but ebay and unscrupulous online retailers exist and you will have no recourse if it goes wrong. I also doubt that the paint would ever be the same again.

Remember that a new car will arrive with sanding marks, traffic film from the transporter and all manner of contamination. It takes time to clean and inspect. If you have your own detailer remove all the transit seals, they will give you an assessment of the paint condition and any damage. A dealership might touch something up viewing it as 'good as new'. A friend had a car delivered and the dealer didn't declare that the front skirt had been damaged unloading and taken off to be resprayed. Detailer caught it with a paint depth gauge when he was inspecting the paint and noticed it was much thicker.

Detailers like work for their portfolio and good ones take lots of before and after pictures - gives you confidence that they've done a good job and gives you an idea of the condition of the paint to start with.

Whether you go for the dealer detail package or get a detailer in, I'd suggest:

- Find out what products they are going to use - they should be able to tell you how they treat every surface, what surfaces they touch, what product they use and how long they will leave it to cure. They should be able to talk you through the process of washing too. I'd expect sealants on every single surface of the car and a three stage two bucket wash with wheels off.
- Find out where the vehicle will be prepared or if you're getting a detailer in, have him work with the OPC to find a space he is happy to work in. The other option is to have them trailer it to their studio and return it to the dealership. I've done this and the OPC is usually happy about this as you're not negotiating a service bay or handover bay which they need.
- I would ask the dealer to not PDI the car until it has been detailed. Going out on the road introduces the risk of damage.
- Get a summary of all products used on the car from the detailer - lets you keep the maintenance regime going if you're doing any of the maintenance yourself. Things like mat sealants or finishing on alcantara needs cleaning and refreshing - it's a pointless cost to get a detailer to do that sort of thing in my view.

Hope this helps.


Alex
Col Lamb
Posts: 9323
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:38 pm
Location: Lancashire

Post by Col Lamb »

Paul wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:40 pm I think Col meant this post....


viewtopic.php?f=30&t=5106&hilit=Detailing
Cheers Paul, giving advice on another forum prior resulted in incorrect link, now corrected.
Col
Macan Turbo
Air, 20” wheels, ACC, Pano, SurCam, 14w, LEDs, PS+, Int Light Pack, Heated seats and Steering, spare wheel, SC, Privacy glass, PDK gear, SD mirrors, Met Black, rear airbags
User avatar
Wing Commander
Posts: 19871
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:43 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Post by Wing Commander »

alxgb wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 12:13 am I echo the comments made by others in that you will be better off getting a professional detailer. I know that Lancaster/Jardine group have started partnering with Topaz Detailing and Stuart at F1 Wax leaving their in house valet guys to swirl paint on their daily quota of 50 cars. Not sure what Guildford do but they may be partnering up as well.

The other problem with a dealership is space - it's at a premium and the vehicle might not be in an optimal environment to avoid airborne contaminants once it has been cleaned. Those large automatic doors all the dealerships have - if the car is in a mechanics bay, it won't be warm, dry or dust proof so it makes the detailer's job harder and you're not likely to get the same quality result if the vehicle was shipped to a detailer's studio for example. You need a warm environment to encourage the sealants to dry once all the work is done anyway.

I don't know what Gtechniq product you're considering but if you go for something like Crystal Serum Ultra - it's certified installer application only. If the detailer gets it wrong, it is such a hard finish that it requires 1500 grit sand paper to get it off. You don't want someone who isn't qualified or experienced working with ceramic coatings like that. It's a false economy. It should only be sold to qualified detailers but ebay and unscrupulous online retailers exist and you will have no recourse if it goes wrong. I also doubt that the paint would ever be the same again.

Remember that a new car will arrive with sanding marks, traffic film from the transporter and all manner of contamination. It takes time to clean and inspect. If you have your own detailer remove all the transit seals, they will give you an assessment of the paint condition and any damage. A dealership might touch something up viewing it as 'good as new'. A friend had a car delivered and the dealer didn't declare that the front skirt had been damaged unloading and taken off to be resprayed. Detailer caught it with a paint depth gauge when he was inspecting the paint and noticed it was much thicker.

Detailers like work for their portfolio and good ones take lots of before and after pictures - gives you confidence that they've done a good job and gives you an idea of the condition of the paint to start with.

Whether you go for the dealer detail package or get a detailer in, I'd suggest:

- Find out what products they are going to use - they should be able to tell you how they treat every surface, what surfaces they touch, what product they use and how long they will leave it to cure. They should be able to talk you through the process of washing too. I'd expect sealants on every single surface of the car and a three stage two bucket wash with wheels off.
- Find out where the vehicle will be prepared or if you're getting a detailer in, have him work with the OPC to find a space he is happy to work in. The other option is to have them trailer it to their studio and return it to the dealership. I've done this and the OPC is usually happy about this as you're not negotiating a service bay or handover bay which they need.
- I would ask the dealer to not PDI the car until it has been detailed. Going out on the road introduces the risk of damage.
- Get a summary of all products used on the car from the detailer - lets you keep the maintenance regime going if you're doing any of the maintenance yourself. Things like mat sealants or finishing on alcantara needs cleaning and refreshing - it's a pointless cost to get a detailer to do that sort of thing in my view.

Hope this helps.


Alex

Great post, Alex, and a useful addition to our detailing & cleaning 'library' :)
Simon

Sold: 2016 Rhodium Silver Macan 2.0
Sold: 2013 Platinum Silver 911 (991.1) C2
Sold: 2017 Carmine Red Panamera 4
Mine: 991.2 Carrera T Racing Yellow 06/04/2018
alxgb
Posts: 389
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:41 pm

Post by alxgb »

"Great post, Alex, and a useful addition to our detailing & cleaning 'library' :)"

Thanks. Forums keep the dealers honest. I'm amazed at the condition that some cars are in at handover though and this is across all marques. Sometimes people don't know enough to know what bad looks like and not everyone is OCD or interested enough to learn. It's ridiculous that dealers are creating their own secondary market through supply of cars in substandard condition.

The problem with the detailing community is that they're always after the new new thing so it's quite bewildering to know what you're getting. There was a time when Turtle Wax, chamois leather and a few other bits was all you needed. Now, words like serum are common place. I'm waiting for elixir and potion to debut in 2018!
spook
Posts: 924
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2014 3:18 pm

Post by spook »

I have found having my Macan Gtecniq CS blacked it took less than and hour to clean it ( lance prewash & two buckets, drying towel etc) to bring it back to looking like new. It took longer to get everything out and put back than the task.

Our last RRE and previous Audis without any ceramic coating and having autoglym Super Resin Polish and various waxs took at least 4 to 5 hours and sometimes longer, and if its cold, thats a long time outside !!!!

Each to their own but I know it saves me a lot of time and effort ( and looks the Dogs Bo**ocks) and when I sold it ( back to OPC) I got £4K short of what they put it on the forecourt for due to its condition I.e not the usual £7K shortfall.
911 C2 Pickup 14th April 2018 :D :D
http://www.porsche-code.com/PJN1HBF2
Pensioner Petrol S - http://www.porsche-code.com/PHMKHZF4 - Deposit place 11/11/14 - Pick up 09/05/16 - SOLD 30/08/17 :-(
Deleted User 1895

Post by Deleted User 1895 »

A week after I picked up my Macan (October 2017), I took it to Auto Protek in Ascot which is pretty close to Guildford/Surrey. They put a paint protection film on the entire front end, on the lower part of the doors and on the rear bumper. On everything else, they used GTechniq. The finish is awesome and, 3 months later, after a wash, it still looks awesome. Auto Protek do all the work for the local McLaren dealership where the cars cost anything up to ten times the cost of my Macan. I take that as a pretty impressive recommendation which has been borne out by my own experience.

As for washing, there is not a snowball's chance in hell of me using an auto car wash. If time allows, which is almost always the case, I also steer clear of the hand car wash guys. I reckon the products they use could be very caustic or acidic so I'd rather not chance it. I've stocked up on some of the basic GTechniq DIY car wash stuff. I can honestly say I have never seen more suds from a car shampoo! It's amazing stuff. If I get my head down, I can clean the car in an hour and I reckon it's worth it.
Post Reply

  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post