Permagard - Any good..?

[PhilYerBoots]

Have done a search on this but can't find much on here about the Permagard exterior/interior/glass treatment...

Are there any owners out there that have tried this who can report their experiences, confirming basically whether it's worth the cash and what sort of prices are being charged, etc...

I've been quoted £225 for exterior/glass treatment for our Leon FR by the Wrexham branch - see http://www.permagard.info/

From some articles online it looks a good system but it would be good to hear some genuine feedback...

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Decided to take the plunge in the end and get the Permagard treatment done yesterday, essentially because I'm a lazy SOAB and the promise of using just h2O and a quick dry-off was too tempting, especially with a black car...

Have to say I'm mighty impressed with the job that Paul Roberts from Permagard did on the car, taking him a full 6 hours in total to treat the exterior, including glass and wheels...

I suppose time will tell whether the treatment lives up to the hype, but it was beading well after a quick spin in the wet today, so we'll see...

Anyway, here's a few photos, the first one before the treatment and the others after the Permagard. It was fairly clean before so was looking ok but the most noticable difference, which doesn't really show in the photos partly thanks to my crap camera, is the depth of shine thanks to the removal of the swirl marks, especially on the bonnet.
Also the true colour of the paint seems to come through, ranging from a dark charcoal when the light catches the mettalic flake, to a deep shiny ink-black when it catches reflections, again looking better in the 'flesh' than on camera...

 

[Willie]

What care instructions have you been given with this?
How long is it supposed to last before needing re applied?
Is this done for free or reduced rate?
How old was your car before it was applied?
Did you have a good look at the paint condition before this was applied?
What processes did the guy go through to get it to look like that?

Looks very good, hope you chuffed with it

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Hi Junior Senior.

Lots of questions but here goes...

1. Basically the instructions are simply to use h2o with a decent sponge and microfibre cloth to dry, or take the car for a spin to dry-off. I was also given a 'care pack' which includes 2 small bottles of a mild ph neutral shampoo (which the guy said was only necessary for stubborn dirt or if you prefer to use shampoo instead of just water). Also a small bottle of the liquid polymer used in the treatment to use as a 'top-up' for areas like bird droppings, which if not removed in time may affect the original polymer coating apparently.

2. 12 months, then a 'service' treatment to restore the finish and retain/extend the warranty for another 12 months.

3. Annual 'service' is half original cost - i.e. just over £100 in our case..

4. The car is 3 months old, 2.5k on clock.

5. The paint was pretty good beforehand but still had the usual swirl marks, probably thanks to the dealers valeters...

6. He washed the car with water and sponge, applied a cream to remove any previous waxes/treatments using a buffing machine, then applied the Permagard polymer coat using same machine, taking about 6 hours altogether. What the photos can't show is the finish feels like glass when you run your fingers over it...

Thanks, and yes we are really chuffed with the finished result. Lets hope it lasts the warranted 12 months, which should be helped by garaging at night...

 

[Willie]

Can you do me a favour, wash and dry your car then go into a petrol station at night and see how the paint finish looks, paying attention to swirls or the lack of them.

Cheers for the lengthy reply, I'm very interested in these products, their ability to cover up swirls and their longevity

 

[PhilYerBoots]

It's still pretty clean so I probably won't be washing it till the weekend but I will do as suggested at a petrol station (as will need to fill up as well..)
Meantime I need to buy a decent sponge and microfibre drying cloth...

 

[Willie]

Don't, I repeat don't buy a sponge, please!!

You want one of these to wash it with

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/meguiars-lambswool-wash-mitt-wash.html

using the two bucket method

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides_wash.html

Then dry it with this, patting it dry not wiping it.

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/poorboys-waffle-weave-towel-wash.html

There is lots of reading on that site, its is time well spent to allow you to keep that shine you have.

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Thanks for the advice, and those links made interesting reading (and killed some time - sloooooww day at work...)

I'll get myself one of those mitts and the drying towel...and looks like their prices are about right...

 

[Willie]

Yup, the guy who owns it is a friend. If you need any product advise drop him an email.

 

[Daffy]

Car looks good and I am sorry I missed this thread as it could have saved you a £200. I have yet to find a product where you can just wash the dirt off with water unless you are going to inflict some serious damage with a sponge and a jetwash. I have yet to find a product that lives up to those claims.
My 2 suggestions would have been a) Buy a bottle of JetSeal 109 for £20 and apply it yourself and pocket the £205. b) Have it fully machine polished for about the same money maybe a bit more or less with a durable wax or sealant such as 109, 16 or 476. If the paint isn't preped then the finish is no where near as good as it could be.
or thirdly as an after thought you can buy the permagaurd or equivalent kits on e-bay for about the same price as a decent wax.
If your happy with it then thats all that matters although next time try one of the above.

 

[PhilYerBoots]

I also have my reservations about how long the finish will last and extent of washing required but only time will tell there...

He definitely spent longer on the polish/prep work that you mention than he did actually applying the top Permagard coating, all using a machine polisher...

So I am still happy with the job he's done and the time he spent on it (around 6 hours start to finish..), and I don't have the patience or inclination to do that myself tbh, so money well spent as far as I'm concerned...

 

[Willie]

Been to a petrol station at night yet?

 

[FinerDetails]

if you are happy thats all that matters.

The application of the final stage would have been much quicker - he is just layering the polymer sealant over the paint, not having to work to cleanse or correct.

The 12 months service will be a new layer of the top coat. Think of it as a £100 wash and wax, or sealant in this case.

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Been to a petrol station at night yet?

Not yet...needs a fill-up today but Mrs Phil has the car so will probably do that at lunchtime...

Got a long trip at the weekend so will clean it after that then get down a station to refill again...

 

[PhilYerBoots]

if you are happy thats all that matters.

The application of the final stage would have been much quicker - he is just layering the polymer sealant over the paint, not having to work to cleanse or correct.

The 12 months service will be a new layer of the top coat. Think of it as a £100 wash and wax, or sealant in this case.

Exactly...

As I've said, we'll see how the finish wears over the coming months before we decide whether its worth a service treatment...as like you say its an expensive wash/sealant top-up at £100...

 

[Afection2Detail]

Can you do me a favour, wash and dry your car then go into a petrol station at night and see how the paint finish looks, paying attention to swirls or the lack of them.

Cheers for the lengthy reply, I'm very interested in these products, their ability to cover up swirls and their longevity

Just spoken to them, they fill the swirls in with their polymer product, which I would guess would reduce their visability but not remove them. How it would look against a vehicle that was corrected first I wouldnt like to hazard a guess.

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Can you do me a favour, wash and dry your car then go into a petrol station at night and see how the paint finish looks, paying attention to swirls or the lack of them.

Cheers for the lengthy reply, I'm very interested in these products, their ability to cover up swirls and their longevity

Finally got round to doing this Junior Senior...

After a thorough clean and dry off this afternoon I waited till dark and drove to the local Tesco petrol station for a quick photo - see below...

The photo is pretty poor tbh but the shine is still evident (the white marks on the bonnet are snow/hail that had just started when I took the car out - Doh!)

As far as swirl marks go, the station lights did show a few small ones on the bonnet and roof but I had to look hard to find them...otherwise still very pleased with the finish. Also v.pleased with the stuff I bought from Polished Bliss to clean/dry the car so thanks for the tips there JS...

Again, time will tell re-longevity of the treatment but so far so good...

 

[Willie]

Looking **** hot dude
Not such a bad buy after all.
Now you've found Polished Bliss you won't stick for any proper advise or good products
What you buying next

 

[Cupra Kid]

My cars been treated with a similar product when i worked for a franchise dealer, it definately isnt just a case of hosing the car off, especially at this time of the year! That said, it always comes up looking great after a good wash and the cordy has the best paint work out of all five of my VAG cars by a mile! I've found it needs topping up semi annually to keep it in full effect, however as i have a supply of the product and the knowledge to apply it its no cost to pay

 

[PhilYerBoots]

Looking **** hot dude
Not such a bad buy after all.
Now you've found Polished Bliss you won't stick for any proper advise or good products
What you buying next

Cheers JS...still money well spent imo...
After spending 2 hours cleaning it on Sunday, we decided to have a blast round the roads in Snowdonia yesterday, cracking driving and day out but makes me wish I'd left the cleaning now...doh!

Hmm...good question...maybe some Koni FSDs to improve the ride comfort...