Aussie S650 Paint protection and detailing thread

[Deano1978]

Looks good mate and good to know how your guy did it.

The quote from the guy I'm going with included screen shots of the film templates so I'm pretty sure he's laser cutting them as well.

I've seen his work 18months after initial filming on my neighbours cars and it still looks good. Film is folded over edges where possible, badges and door handles removed before filming and its get a 3 bucket wash, clay bar etc.. as part of the prep.

My neighbour did a previous M3 in matt film by a different detailer, he cut insitu and didn't wrap over the edges, you could easily see dirt collecting under the edges and it lifting in some places after 12 months.

So from this perspective I'm glad my neighbour went through a bit of pain cause it helped me see what a good vs dodgy job looks like in person.

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[N1T3MRE]

This also arrived this week.....searched dark horse car covers and found a site on etsy.....premiumcover do custom covers, got the indoor, even though it's in a car port, can confirm it stayed on the car in the weather we experienced over the last couple of days.....it is still raining up north so no drive day today.

Missed the sales last year, but these guys still have 40% off till end of Feb, and free postage.

 

[bfets]

For those that are interested, this is a video of my actual car getting its PPF.

 

[VB50GT]

Wow, it is a very intense process - you can see why it isn't cheap to do.
Beautiful end product.

 

[bfets]

Wow, it is a very intense process - you can see why it isn't cheap to do.
Beautiful end product.

Yeah, that's also why pricing varies between installers. Not every company does those small details. The installer is even more important than the type of film used.

 

[N1T3MRE]

I think I was fortunate to have the time for them to do the work, then let sit....any issues, they sorted before I picked up - but that is the installer you go with I guess.....did another 700km Fri/Sat in pretty crappy weather and flood way crossing (water was only ankle deep) note.....the GM fan was the one freaking out when I did...not me (today is the first day of sunshine in over a week)....won't clean till tomorrow morning with the super bowl on the big screen - but the grime just softly rubs away (thanks to the advice from @DFB5.0 cleaning products and what not---no, my wife will not allow a garage full of such)

 

[prestj1]

Random Q what do people use for an air freshener spray when detailing their cars. Brand and scent?

 

[DFB5.0]

Finally, some good news regarding Koch Chemie in Australia...................

"Waxit is now the new home for Koch Chemie in Australia!

Buying direct from Germany, you can now browse the world renown range with no “middle-man markups” - saving up to 40% in Australia!

New products, fresh stock & the full range - come check it out!"

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections/koch-chemie

I have complained quite a lot about the excessive markups with Koch Chemie products, in particular the in-demand products. For example, a 1lt bottle of GSF shampoo was a $54.95 proposition. Just not worth it when the same size bottle of Reset was $20.00 cheaper. Well, that bottle of GSF is now $34.95!!!

https://www.waxit.com.au/collections...-cleaning-foam

Now, the brand is accessible! When I was at Waxit last year, this subject came up many times. I was the only hobbyist in the group, the rest were professionals using products to help them make money. All present said they just couldn't justify paying the price premium to use KCx products, even if they were class leaders. Hopefully, this announcement will benefit all users.

 

[DFB5.0]

Random Q what do people use for an air freshener spray when detailing their cars. Brand and scent?

This sector is highly subjective, so what I might love, you might hate. Also, most of them don't last long, so just know that any of these products are a nice interior pick me up, but will fade within a few hours.

My two favorites are Angelwax Bliss and Angelwax Bliss. There are more concentrated on the market, but they can be too strong and become sickly.

Angelwax Bliss Air Freshener - 250ml – The Detail Store
Angelwax Eden Air Freshener - 250ml – The Detail Store

At the moment, I prefer Bliss.

 

[prestj1]

This sector is highly subjective, so what I might love, you might hate. Also, most of them don't last long, so just know that any of these products are a nice interior pick me up, but will fade within a few hours.

My two favorites are Angelwax Bliss and Angelwax Bliss. There are more concentrated on the market, but they can be too strong and become sickly.

Angelwax Bliss Air Freshener - 250ml – The Detail Store
Angelwax Eden Air Freshener - 250ml – The Detail Store

At the moment, I prefer Bliss.

Ta, was just trying to get a feel of what works and what doesn't, with my rust coating still burning off the interior needs a bit of freshening

 

[5.0ALM]

Ta, was just trying to get a feel of what works and what doesn't, with my rust coating still burning off the interior needs a bit of freshening

I found a (long forgotten) air freshener, the cardboard type, dangling behind the center console of my RAV4. The things you find when doing a proper and thorough vacuum!

I was thinking of spraying (and saturating) it with P&S Express, which I quite like the scent of after an interior clean.

 

[DFB5.0]

I found a (long forgotten) air freshener, the cardboard type, dangling behind the center console of my RAV4. The things you find when doing a proper and thorough vacuum!

I was thinking of spraying (and saturating) it with P&S Express, which I quite like the scent of after an interior clean.

Carpro have swing type air fresheners, a little weak but then I tend to get scent blind after a while.
CarPro Air Freshener | Waxit – Waxit Car Care

The other one you could try is the Carpro SkysBlu, which is the same scent they use in their wonderful smelling Eraser prep spray. I found this quite a bit stronger and considerably longer lasting.
CarPro SkysBlu Car Perfume Online | Waxit – Waxit Car Care

Speaking of favorite scents being put into air fresheners, don't bother with the P&S offerings. I was so excited when they released Mango Fresh and Coconut-lime, which are the scents from Bead Maker and Absolute respectively.

I mixed them up as directed, both smelling absolutely lovely. But the scent disappears within an hour. I then tried using them undiluted by putting some on a small a small foam applicator and placed it under the seat......................nothing, all gone within the hour. Super disappointed because I love the scent of both of those products.

 

[xrs]

I brought KC AS off car care products but GsF was all out last week. so now I can order it from WaxIt nice

 

[DFB5.0]

Ok, so I love a good spreadsheet! I run my garden business from one, I also have a spreadsheet for machine maintenance and repair, which lists common part numbers and repair manuals. For detailing, I have a MEGA spreadsheet set up with every single product I have or have used in the past, which includes chemicals, towels, pads and tools. It also contains a data base of Postimage links to provide quick photo responses to questions. Yes, I'm a nerd.

So with that, I created the following comparison of Koch Chemie Pricing.

Please Note - I do not work for Waxit. I am also not having a go at the various retailers who were selling Koch Chemie prior to Waxit taking over distribution of the brand. Those retailers were pricing the products as directed by the importer.

From what I have come across, the previous distributor was out of their depth and was setting prices well beyond a fair markup to account for the Germany to Australia shipping costs. I think the following shows how much fat was built into these prices, especially the in demand/popular products.

I've highlighted the ones I think stand out the most in yellow. The biggest price differences are for the bulk 5- and 10-liter sizes, which is clearly to bring the brand back to the professional market.

Also, some products are new or in new sizes. These products had been left off the table for the Australian market for up to 18 months now. I'm told there are more to come as well.



















They way this brand was handled in Australia was criminally bad. In its native German market, the KCx brand is aimed at professional users. However, as the brand came to notoriety outside of the European market via the Rag Company and other influential US detailers, it's become more and more in demand. But with how the previous distributor priced the products, it took the brand away from the professional user, which is counterproductive.

The pro-sumer market tolerated the price premiums to an extent, but quite often various products would be out of stock for months instead of being replenished in a timely manner. So even if you could justify the price, you couldn't always get them when wanted or needed.

I do hope this move by Waxit allows both the pro and hobbyist market to be served properly going forward.

 

[DFB5.0]

I brought KC AS off car care products but GsF was all out last week. so now I can order it from WaxIt nice

Have you used AS yet?

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