Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth it?

[stephen]

The main dealer in Norwich ( Robinson's) has started their spill about Autogym life shine car care treatment. And they say that they have a discounted price of £349 plus VAT, instead of the usual recommended retail price of a stratospheric £399 plus VAT! For March only.... :rofl

what do you guys think? considering anyone can buy the exact same products on 'eBay' for £10 plus £6.50 for delivery + a pack of ordinary retail cleaners that anyone can buy from Halfords, or am I missing something that alludes me at the moment,
or is this a con, or are we paying over £300 plus VAT for Labour...
I would be interested to hear your comments on the matter as we are picking up our new California next week. and feel that perhaps we've spent enough already, or should I simply go on eBay and buy that instead, for peace of mind. :?:


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Auto-Glym-Lif ... 671wt_1413

 

[Freeley]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

What a joke. We had it offered to us when we bought our cali in 2009, there was absolutely no chance of me going for that!
It still gets dirty. Can't believe anyone would have it done at that price - but i'm sure some do.

 

[CannellWalker]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

I was going to ask the exact same question. If you do it yourself how long would it take and is it a relatively easy job?

 

[BMVS-Camper-Hire]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

No. It's a rip off. You can buy the kit yourself on eBay for £25. Don't bother, just buy a quality wax and do it once a month.

 

[KernowLad]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Did a better job myself with a few products and a bit of elbow grease!

 

[stephen]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

I was more thinking of the upholstery, as unfortunately we didn't really do our homework to any great degree, and ordered leather seats over cloth, for durability reasons, but basically got suede! With a bit of leather on the sides, when we finally saw the Van acouple of days ago, which I feel can't be as durable surely? But on the other hand, most probably more comfortable.

But perhaps in retrospect we should have ordered the standard ones and just fitted covers for them like everyone else, anyway I suppose we can still buy covers for them, but I thought if this treatment by Autogym was guaranteed for 10 years, then perhaps we wouldn't worry to any great degree, over the inevitable mishaps! that WILL occur.

And also to a lesser degree the external paint finish for us, would be a added bonus perhaps. but at the price Volkswagen's are charging for this treatment, you would either have to be a bankster or insane, As bevs mini has been splattered with bird poo on numerous occasions, and etched great discolouration patches everywhere, on the other hand perhaps BMW (Mini) has rather inferior paint, compared to the more durable VW
Obviously if we buy the eBay stuff we won't get a 10 year guarantee, but on the other hand, most likely it isn't worth the paper it's written on anyway? has anyone on here made a claim to' Autogym' on unremovable stains:?:

 

[KernowLad]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Pretty sure the suede is actually alcantara - which is pretty durable.

For the leather, just use Autoglym leather cleaner if it gets dirty and treat it with their conditioner (which smells amazing!) every year or so - it's kept our 5 year old BMW leather looking like new.

For the bodywork, I use Zaino Z5 Pro - it's a polish and sealant and absolutely brilliant. Apply, leave for 15 mins, buff off. Did the van recently and it took a little while but looks great now and water just beads off very nicely.

I'm very nerdy about keeping our cars clean and if I thought the AG treatment was worth it, I'd do it but to proper "detailers" these £300 treatments are seen as a bit of a joke.

Should if you need product advise/pointers.

 

[stephen]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Thanks Kernowlad,
Thanks for the information concerning the middle part (alcantara)?of our leather seats, I didn't know what that was when we ordered, I assumed it was some fancy name for the finish of the leather :doh
I think I will give Zaino Z5 Pro a go, when we get our van, thanks for the heads up on that one.
I don't tend to use car polishes on any of their cars apart from' zip wax' every week, and pressure wash at home, but we don't tend to have very expensive cars,(think Eco) ;golf blue motion, Mini D, and have not really had any problems, apart from Bevs brown mini Mayfair, (bird poo) which has leather seats as standard. and have used Autogym leather seat dressing, which I must agree smells wonderful, (leathery). after listening to ALL your suggestions I think I will give the Autogym treatment a mis for now, unless I feel brave enough to give the eBay version a go.

 

[barry]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

I'm a reluctant detailer ...

I fully detail my wife's BM about every 4 months.
It's parked under lime trees and gets quite a lot of pigeon, magpie and aphid tish.
With the detailing it's easily swished off with a hose every couple of days.
Using Halfrauds anywaxbased product at a couple of bucks isn't as effective (but it gets close-ish, frankly).
But she IS my wife ...

The BM takes a day to detail properly (half that time is the MV2 alloys - pretty but a total pain).
I've detailed the Cali only once in the 18 months I've had it (it's also not garaged overnight).
It took a VERY long day (but the alloy wheels are easy and quick) and I was exhausted at the end.
I did it before a month trip to dusty France last year where it got lost of abuse.
Whenever it rained in France it washed the mud and gunge off and looked absolutely brilliant (off road grey).
I've waxed it a couple of times over winter and the effect of the wax lasts about 3-4 weeks max.
The effect of the detailing lasted about 3-4 months so I'm convinced detailing is worth it.
I just never get round to doing it for the Cali these days.

Of the 5 different products I use for detailing I use about £8s worth for the BM and about £12s worth for the Cali.
Local ish detailers have quoted £350 and £400 respectively.
But that's nearly a dozen bottles of Ardbeg Uigeadail.
You have to keep things in perspective.
They're only vehicles ...

I had a new Honda 'paint protected' by the selling garage a few years ago.
It was a couple of hundred quid and the effect lasted only a few months as measured by its turning water.
The garage claimed there was hidden value and there was more to it than just turning water.
But the lime trees and their fellow travellers ruined the paint in 6 months.
So I'd not be convinced by these 'paint protectors' on new cars - although the blurb is persuasive they didn't protect the Honda's paint.

 

[stephen]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Please excuse me for my ignorance Barry
But I haven't heard the name "detailing" before, and had no idea how much all this sort of stuff cost? (perhaps it's just my age group; 45) :grin:
Anyway my only concern personally, is to look after my Cali, so that it doesn't deteriorate to such a point that when one goes to exchange it, we don't have any nasty surprises, if/when the dealer says 'the car is worth less because we haven't looked after it '
Up until now, that's never happened, I tend to wash our cars every week if I can, with a wash and wax product like zip wax, which we tend to buy from; as you say" Halfrauds", when they have discounts on, it's not that we can't afford it, but I don't like wasting money.

With our land Rover defender we were constantly waxoyling it, underneath. To try to abate the inevitable corrosion and rust, which may be an idea for the Cali? When we first take her home,

I have absolutely no interest in posing, or indeed drawing attention to my vehicle. In fact considering the vehicle is rather vulnerable, in the sort of places we may tend to leave her, I simply have no interest in drawing attention, simply concerned about longevity and depreciation, through deterioration over time'

In fact one of the reasons we chose Volkswagen's California, was not only the perceived quality of the general build, but VW's reputation for making vehicles that last, unlike land Rovers unfortunate reputation of; nothing but trouble! And also beings the Cali is based on a normal Van, it was very much understated as a vehicle, which I find reassuring and desirable in a camper van, ( As not to attract the wrong attention, from brain dead hoodies trying to steal its electrical internal components (radio etc), as well as vandalising the outside of the vehicle, which in our experience they tend to do if they think you have any pride in it whatsoever, and make it stand out beyond the norm). sorry for being rather bleak concerning our youth out there, I'm sure it's not quite as bad ,outside cities that is, where by every Friday and Saturday night they seem to go on a selfish rampage?

 

[CannellWalker]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

With Zaino Z5 Pro do you have to use the whole "finishing kit" or can you just apply the Z5 pro after a good wash with normal shampoo? Also who are good stockists for Zaino Z5 Pro?

 

[barry]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Hi Stephen,
Detailing is a process that uses a compound to dissolve off any lingering wax,
another one to remove any paint oxidation products or anything else that has adhered to the paint during the previous few months and might not be visible
(this might also involve a very timeconsuming process called 'claying' which REALLY removes foreign paint adherents and involves rubbing th surface of the paint in 6" square patches with a product that looks like blue tack and makes the fingers ache - I'm more than 20 years older than you and they ache a lot) the goal of ths stage is to get rid of anything that might attack the paint surface,
another product to apply a bonding surface to the paint surface and then a polishing product
and finally a wax product to seal and keep out water.
Incidently, only one cleaning with an aggressive degreaser like household washing up liquid will completely remove all of these things.

Detailing should do 2 things, clean, purify and protect the paint surface for a while (months) and make it look pretty (shiny wet etc). The second is a byproduct of the first but is the prime goal of those wanting to show off their machines but like you my prime goal is the first.
Apart from the curved bit of roof at the front, the VW paint job is good and thick and I'm sure that detailing or any other 'paint protector' will add little to the paint's looks and longevity. Fixing scratches, chips and gouges will do the most there. Especially when they go through the layers to the metal. The underside of most modern vehicles is rust protected and VWs have a good reputation here. I'm not sure wether waxoils would increase protection - perhaps more important would be to get the underside checked at service time for anything that might have penetrated the rust proofing. The Defender was notorious for underside rust but maybe not as bad as the succession of ID19s, DS23s I had in the 60s and 70s whose box chassis I had to protect by spraying the old engine oil into their insides through holes to protect them from the dreaded and hidden rust.

I agree that keeping the residual high is one of our goals but I'm not sure that the salesman's claim that paint protectors will help do this is a defensible one. But you can't blame them for trying I guess.
Happy polishing, anyway

 

[stephen]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Thanks Barry for your 'in depth' explanation of detailing.
I suppose looking after, cleaning and polishing these vehicles, is all part of the joys of ownership, much like the motorcycles I've owned in the past, my last one being a BMW GS1150, which I spent more time polishing then riding, it felt sometimes.

I derived great satisfaction from, keeping it pristine Condition, it was mainly used for touring and we went abroad on it on numerous occasions with Bev my partner.
She wasn't too enthralled, being on the back in the rain. nor was I for that matter on the front come to think of it,
Once we travelled to Spain in one day! Because we missed the ferry from Plymouth to Santander,(a long story) so we had to go overland, all the way, in one day, so the people that we rented a villa from wouldn't be worried if we turned up too late. We've always like travelling, so our California will be put to good use when we finally get it.

By the way; I also filled the chassis up with used engine oil, on my series IIA ,many moons ago, to the day one of the rubber bungs softened and come out, leaving a trail of oil everywhere, which was extremely unfortunate. Especially for any unsuspecting cyclist or motorcyclist coming up behind. So I never attempted that again. We live and learn don't we.....

 

[KernowLad]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Just bought some Z5 Pro from Cleanyourcar.co.uk. It can be used on its own - make sure it's clean and dry, apply, have a well protected car for 6 months!

There are definitely a number of stages of OCDness with detailing - there is almost no limit but I try and stay sensible. I snow foam, clean with car shampoo, dry with microfibre towel. I'll polish every 3-6 month's and clay once a year. I also seal the alloys making them much easier to clean. Planet Polish Wheel Seal and Shine is brilliant and cheap too. No need to take it too far - you're just setting yourself up to never be happy otherwise! Just a few steps to make life easier and protect the car.

 

[Cali4nia]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

In my experience anything like this the dealer offers is only as good as the person applying it.
You can achieve the same results yourself if not sometimes better.
I'm a little OCD when it comes to detailing my cars.
Whenever I have a new car or take it in for a service, specify under no circumstance please don't valet my car.

 

[Larkrise]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

We just declined the Lifeshine offer, and having read through this thread I am pleased that we did. Would anyone recommend treating a brand new Cali with anything before it gets dirty...or would the general advice be to wait until it needs cleaning..then just clean it?

 

[KernowLad]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Good choice - with a bit of know how, you can do a MUCH better job yourself!

I recently bought a new car and fully polished and sealed the paintwork, sealed the wheels and protected the carpets.



A bit mad on a new car? Well the dealer's prep is usually fairly low level and doing it yourself means a couple of hours work makes the van much easier to clean afterwards and protects it from stuff like tree sap and bird muck.

If your van may have been hanging around before you bought it, it might be worth claying it - Bilt Hamber clay is good as it only needs water to lubricate it - it removes any deposits of tar, iron oxide and so on. If you bought it to order, don't bother.

Just thoroughly clean and dry it then give it a polish - I use Dodo Supernatural Hybrid (I used to use Zaino Z5 Pro which is a bit cheaper) - about £25 and it both polishes and seals the paint - water and dirt pretty much falls off it for about three months!

For the wheels, again just clean properly and dry then use Planet Polish Wheel seal and shine (£15 I think) - again it makes the wheels much easier to clean afterwards!\

I bought some BMW Mini carpet protector (about £6 off Amazon) and sprayed that on - it protects then carpet from spills and marks.

So for about £45 you have kit that's better than a dealer's £300 effort and can be used time and time again.

Oh and use a wash mitt (NOT a sponge!) to clean it and use two buckets - one with a grit guard and just water in it (regularly wipe the mitt over it - it takes all the dirt out), the other with soapy warm water. Wash an area of the van, rinse the mitt, dip in the soapy water, carry on. Almost eliminates any chance of "swirling" you get from using a grit filled sponge!

 

[Larkrise]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

Fantastic, great post...love this forum!

 

[Cali4nia]

Re: Autogym Lifeshine from Volkswagen dealers; is it worth i

It's only as good as the person applying it.
You can buy all the products and do it yourself for about £100 or less


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