New Guy Looking For Someone Who knows What They're Doing Near RI

D

Dutch

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Hey Folks,

I'm a member over on golfmk7.com and will be taking delivery of a 2017 GTI any day now. I'll quote my initial post over there that lead to my being referred here for the expert advice:

"The thought of hand-washing my own car is not one that excites me. When previous cars got dirty, my method was:

1. Notice it was dirty.
2. Forget about it.
3. Notice it looked better the next time it rained.
4. Repeat for the life of the car.

I'm inclined to treat the GTI better but realistically, I'm not going to spend an hour or two every week detailing the car. I live in New England, have two kids, and drive 20k miles per year. I've been known to visit an automatic car wash on occasion, even.
eek.gif


What would you recommend to initially protect the car upon delivery, and then as simply as possible, keep it looking good without making it a horrible chore that I just forgo completely?"


Ceramic or other coatings were brought up and I've been looking into them. The names I recognize are Ceramic Pro, Opti-Coat, and Modesta. I was quoted $1,500 for Ceramic Pro over the phone which would include a loaner while they're working on my new car. Frankly, my knowledge on any of them is just shy of nil and Billy Baldone very kindly pointed me this way.

What say you? Is a coating overkill? If not, is there someone around Rhode Island who would be willing to talk me through the process?
 
Coatings aren't really the "set it and forget it" miracle products that some people make them out to be. Yes, they help keep the car cleaner by helping to prevent dirt and other junk from sticking to the paint, and the hydrophobic qualities are generally better than a wax or a sealant. However, they still require regular maintanence. The car needs to be washed regularly to keep the pores of the coating from becoming clogged and to wash away contaminants before they have a chance to bond to the surface.

I've never been able to understand how Ceramic Pro gets away with charging that kind of money for their coating packages when there are so many others in the market.

Unfortunately, no matter what you do, if you want the car to be in pristine condition at all times, it's going to need to be washed regularly, whether it's done by you or someone you trust to do it right.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I would strongly suggest talking to Justin as Ronkh suggested and linked above. He's in southeastern Mass.

I have been very happy with my coating as compared to previous waxes and sealants i'e used. I have found it keeps my black car looking better between washes. I am using the new McKee's 37 coating which is one of the most inexpensive coatings.

Whatever you decide to do there is still the recommended practice of frequent washings to keep it looking good. For me, that's about an hour every single weekend. I don't "detail" my car once a week...it's a simple wash to keep it clean and keep the crud from building up. A thorough wash of the wheels, wheel wells, paint, glass etc then a gentle dry off takes me about an hour, hour and 15. Maybe your life allows a wash every second or third week but wash it as frequently as you can. And you're here now so you can research the different washing and drying techniques that are GENTLE.

My bottom line opinion, I like my coating very much for how it maintains the shine between washes and gently wash it as frequently as you can. You new GTI will look awesome and better than all the others. Congratulations on the impending delivery.
 
Congrats on the gti! I bought the first mk7 delivered in R.I. way back in 2014 lol. If you have any questions let me know. I know the VW local scene well.
 
Guys, thanks for the recommendation.

Justin, thanks again for taking the time tonight to talk me through the process and set some expectations. I'm feeling pretty good and looking forward to meeting you.
 
Justin@FinalInspection said:
Thanks guys for the referral. Spoke with Sean and I will be getting his GTI squared away next month.
Click to expand...



Dutch said:
Guys, thanks for the recommendation.

Justin, thanks again for taking the time tonight to talk me through the process and set some expectations. I'm feeling pretty good and looking forward to meeting you.
Click to expand...



Just to note...

Having someone that actually knows what they are doing is going to be a true blessing.


There are hundreds of threads on this forum and I'm sure the FB world is full of similar horror stories where someone buys a new car and gets a hack detailer to detail it and then what should be a great experience, (a new car), turns into a nightmare.


Justin is good. His work is shared everyone on this forum. He knows his stuff and will do you right.


See this article...


Detailers that hang out on discussion forums know more than detailers that don't...


:)
 
So true, Mike, and one of the huge reasons I'm here!
 
Wow. Thanks Mike for the vote of confidence! Always enjoyed the little lessons you would give at cars and coffee. Your an honest person and have done great things for the detailing industry.

On another note. The knowledge that I have gained from these forums has been a huge asset to my business. My schedule is booked over a month out with correction/coating jobs. If this keeps up I will need help! Haha!

Thanks again everyone! Pics to follow!!
 
Well, picked her up today so here's a before shot, anyways.

IMAG1139.jpg
 
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