Exterior and interior protection on new A6 Avant

[loz65]

I've been offered the inevitable LifeShine by Audi for £299.

Having reviewed this on various forums, it appears that I can do much better with a dedicated detailer. Apart from the issues raised regarding how this is sometimes applied, I believe it is polymer based, rather than silicon based, so is not particularly protective?

I've been to see a local detailer today and asked what the best protection he would be able to apply and he has recommended CarPro Finest ceramic coating. The total cost to prepare the car and then apply everything to both exterior and interior including all plastic trim and wheels is around £700 - not cheap, but I'm prepared to pay if it does the job! I'm particularly interested in protecting the interior, since I've specified the alcantara seats, which I'm assuming are more vulnerable to stains and his quote includes the Cquartz protection on these.

Has anyone else had this product applied to their car and have any feedback on how well it protects interior/exterior and how long it lasts?

He asked what type of alcantara the seats were? I thought there was only one type of alcantara - am I wrong? I'm assuming the Nappa leather bolsters on these seats are genuine leather - I believe most Mercedes 'leather' seats are no longer genuine?!

He has also encouraged me to tell the dealer not to wash the car when it arrives and if possible to leave the plastic protection on - I'll no doubt get some odd comments about this....

Any information/advice very welcome!

[Pikey Narna]

Hi Loz65
Don't let the dealer do it. They will not detail it correctly. All you will end up with is a bill for £300 for the car to be polished.
If you are the sort of person that is going to look after your car get it professionally detailed first and he will advice you how to look after your car in the years to come.
Regards
Andy

[Mark 2805]

I had Gtechniq C1 + EXO package on my Allroad. Has lasted well and has been easier to keep clean. If you are planning to keep the car and aren't going to use the local car wash see what a Gtechniq CS Black detail will cost. You only really need the outside doing by a pro, the inside stuff is a doddle. Carpets and fabrics is just a case of soaking with I1 smart fabric, leather and dash products are a wipe on buff off. Glass is also doable yourself.

[Fatbadger]

I totally agree with the Gtechniq treatment. Check out my thread from a few months back.

Pictures 2 months in and nearly 3000 miles



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[A6S]

I got a protection detail done on the outside by a detailer on my first c7 and the 18 months I had it, it looked great.
The finish on it made it easy to wash. Make sure your detailer does the wheels as well. I found most of the time the wheels just needed a blast from the pressure washer and they looked clean.
Interior I wouldn't worry too much about, got the alcantara seats in my new FL and 6 months on they still look good, nothing a damp cloth wouldn't clean up. I got a 2 year old and none of his mess has managed to stain or mark the seats.

[ali00]

£700 sounds a bit steep!

I get my detailing work done from Midlands Car Care (you can check out their work on their facebook page - www.facebook.com/MidlandsCarCare ) and they charge me around £300 for a new car detail with CQuartz finest, never had a problem with the company. Always go one step further for the customer.

But it depends on location of course

[loz65]

£700 sounds a bit steep!

I get my detailing work done from Midlands Car Care (you can check out their work on their facebook page - www.facebook.com/MidlandsCarCare ) and they charge me around £300 for a new car detail with CQuartz finest, never had a problem with the company. Always go one step further for the customer.

But it depends on location of course

Thanks Ali. I'm going for Misano red with the black styling package, whch has a mixture of high gloss and mat black on different trim. When yours was treated with the CQuartz finest, did it alter the colour of any of the exterior at all?

Also, do you find that you have to top up the treatment in any way or do you just give it a blast with shampoo and water to get it looking shiny again?!

[ali00]

I had my Glacier White A6 done over a year ago and it still looks pretty glossy. In terms of altering the colour, it just really makes the colour pop, gives it a kind of 'wet-look just washed it' kind of look and really increases the gloss levels.

With regards to aftercare, to keep it looking as fresh as the day you get the detail done, I always use the two bucket method and use a good wash mitten. You can just wash and dry. But I always dry it and then give it a quick once over with some quick detailer spray. I typically use Auto Finesse QD spray, not too costly and it smells great - it enhances the gloss slightly so you don't get that fade with time as you're replenishing it. Although, recently I've bought CarPro reload spray sealant which is supposed to work wonders after a wash but I'm yet to try that.

Ive also got a Misano Red black edition A6 which is due to picked up either this coming week or the week after which will be treated with CQuartz finest so I'll post some pictures up once it's had its new car detail.

[berlintaxi]

£700 sounds far too much, I had mine detailed with G3 Glasscoat from new, dealer didn't even wash it, 10,000 miles and 7 months later still comes up like new after a quick wash.

[loz65]

I had my Glacier White A6 done over a year ago and it still looks pretty glossy. In terms of altering the colour, it just really makes the colour pop, gives it a kind of 'wet-look just washed it' kind of look and really increases the gloss levels.

With regards to aftercare, to keep it looking as fresh as the day you get the detail done, I always use the two bucket method and use a good wash mitten. You can just wash and dry. But I always dry it and then give it a quick once over with some quick detailer spray. I typically use Auto Finesse QD spray, not too costly and it smells great - it enhances the gloss slightly so you don't get that fade with time as you're replenishing it. Although, recently I've bought CarPro reload spray sealant which is supposed to work wonders after a wash but I'm yet to try that.

Ive also got a Misano Red black edition A6 which is due to picked up either this coming week or the week after which will be treated with CQuartz finest so I'll post some pictures up once it's had its new car detail.

Thanks, that's really useful. Will be good to see the pictures.