Dura-seal paint coating

has anyone had this done!

It was the big thing to do in the 90's, personally I am not a fan and for what some used to charge it would go a long way to re-painting your bonnet.

You need to use a quality film as some are not U.V stable, can't really seeing it working on a Golf GTI anyway. With the curves etc on the front unless you are just doing the top of the bonnet and hoping the plastic is flexible enough not to chip.

Is that the clear polymer stuff! waste of time and money.
edit: Ah, I see from Jazz's post it's the stick on clear stuff. I have a Monaro coming in to have it removed and the black blotchy bits cut and polished out.
Wouldn't recommend it myself.

ok, i wasnt going to do it myself, It is guaranteed for 5 years so they say, sounds like they wipe it on then wipe off but sets in 24 hours, just want to keep it looking nice, they can do the interior too with another stuff and with hubby being a grease monkey I thought it might be best.

I am only guessing on it being the stick on clear rob_man I agree with what you are saying though.

Edit: seems I was wrong.
Sorry poster 1 I don't know much about that product at all.

rob man. not sure what do you think by the way I described it

http://tfgroup.co.nz/images/Uploaded/Files/Dura_Seal_brochure.pdf

Ok, the brand name threw me. It is the clear polymer coating, how much do they want for applying it!
I confess to being a bit prejudiced, having been in the repair industry for a few centuries now I'm naturally averse to any coating that makes life more difficult for painters and I've found that the interior coatings tend to attract dust which then sticks to them.

Seatcovers for the win.

I guess the question is poster one, do you mind maintaining the paint and interior on a regular basis!

Ultimately the advantage with those kind of products is the lack of ongoing maintenance. I think its fairly safe though to say that none of them compare in terms of looks though to a quality wax job and good leather conditioner.

I am happy to share my paint protection secrets with you if you want, you do need to be prepared to spend a little time on maintenance every 3 months though.

It's possibly a new technology as well, there's talk about a miracle compound based on silica dioxide which will do all of the things their site claims.
I'm not too familiar with it.

yea it is ceramic (gen 3 - which might be old) by what ive found on google. no bad or good feedback on there tho, they want 700 for inside and out

Ouch!
You could buy yourself a SERIOUS grooming setup for that including proper buff machine and the whole set of professional products. Up to you but it really comes down to whether you want to try and avoid regular maintenance of inside and out.

its not that I have a problem with maintaining I just want to protect it.I think I counted 12 airbags today, with half being in the seats nearly so how hard are good covers to find! Cant say ive seen many around but havent looked hard either.

Can you send me your grooming details please Jazz!I think ill go shopping instead, the good brands you suggest too would help

12 is good, that means it has the full amount.
The seats are leather arn't they!

Just working on your grooming stuff, it will be a long post so hang in there.

oh no leather sorry
Edit to say - Thanks jazz ill check back tomorrow, bit past my bed time now!

O.K in terms of product I always buy my stuff from an automotive paint wholesaler and NEVER from the likes of repco etc. The stuff you get at repco is not as good and several times the price.

You can find an automotive paint wholesaler in yellow pages etc or ask on here for one in your area.

My favorite products are from a German company called farecla and they are easily available from most paint wholsalers.

What you buy for the paint to begin with depends on what condition the pain is currently in. If there is no light scratching or swirl marks you will likely just need to use a "clay bar" and then farecla's hand glaze.

You can tell if you need to clay bar as after washing the car if you run your hand over it you will hear a gritty sound, I would almost guarntee your car will need a clar bar treatment at minimum. If there are no contaminants when you run your hand over you will hear nothing.

Probably the best thing for you to do is to have a good look at the paint tomorrow and come back to me with what it is like. You will likely need to wash the car first really well to see what its like. I am expecting the dealer will have done some grooming but how much and how well remains to be seen.

If you have swirl marks or light scratching you may need to machine polish. I use a knock off of the popular commercial machine which fits the proper farecla buffing pads. The machine only cost me $90 from supercheap but its not found with their polishing gear its found with their power tools and looks like a big grinder with a speed control. Definitely do not buy a cheesy polisher from the polishing section.

Machine polishing is easy so long as you follow the instructions that I can walk you through. You will be blown away with the results a little patience and the right tools and instructions can yeild. A buffer, pads and compound will set you back about $200 and you will have enough polish to last you decades for that!

A pack of two clay bars will cost about $45 and the finishing glaze in a huge bottle about $50, smaller bottles are sometimes available.

we do this stuff at work tried the duraseal on one front guard of a mates new ute ,he does not think it stays any cleaner or any easyer to clean of the dirt on that panel ,as for the leather protecter its not very good at all and seams to make it harder to get some marks of .we charge 600 for the full tretment ,and with some of the cars we have traded back in they are no better off than the ones who dont have it on . just get it groomed once a year and wash it with a good sponge not a brush ,make sure you hose all the dirt of first .

Cont. Once your paint is in good shape depending on how your car is stored you should really just need an ongoing 3 monthly routine of a thorough clean and hand glaze or clean, clay bar and hand glaze.

Both the clay bar and hand glaze require minimal elbow grease, just a bit of time.

This method/system is the proper way of looking after a cars finish, as recommended by paint manufacturers and utilized by people looking after Ferrari's etc. There is no reason why you can't do the same.

The only think you can really do wrong is to rush off and start with these products without the proper instructions. Once you have decided what it is you think your paint needs I can direct you to some videos made by farecla covering the appropriate product and how to use it. Even the clay bar requires some know how but its easy once you are shown what to do.

With regard to the seats, I would suggest searching online for Golf GTI specific seat covers if thats the way you want to go. Unfortunately with airbags in the seats you MUST use covers designed for airbags as if you cover them you could have a fire or at minimum reduced protection in a crash. Given the Golf has deep sports seats I suspect a lot of the universal ones may not fit well and be a more hindrance than help.

However, leather seats are very hardy and their longevity is traditionally their main appeal. If it were me personally I would simply use a good leather cleaning and conditioning system regually and leave the seats uncovered. Leather copes pretty well with the sort of grease most of us blokes track into a seats especially if the leather is black. If they are not black you just need to be more regular with the leather cleaner.

Its just a matter of keeping it "fed" so it remains nice and supple and giving it a clean with appropriate product now and then. Also, keep on top of sand/grit getting into the stitching by vacuuming along the seams as grit will wear away at the stitching and eventually break it.

I havn't bought leather cleaning products for some years but a trip to a saddlery store might be a good place to start, even the paint wholesalers might know a bit as they deal with car groomers etc. Again, I would be a bit wary of repco type products although I can't give you a definitive opinion on their leather stuff like I can with the paint care stuff.

Which reminds me, if you are unsure of exactly what you are seeing with your paint and therefore what you may need a good paint wholesaler should be happy to look at your paint and advise. That said I am sure you will be able to figure it out for yourself.

Thats it from me tonight, I hope that was of help, I will check back tomorrow when I get a moment. Have fun!

iv done paint an fabric protection on cars but i rekon its a waste of time really altho i must say i done a red car and some people thought it had just been repainted! ;-P must have done a good job a lol

Just remember to buy ones that are suitable for airbags in the seats!
(Nothing is ever simple in Jazz land!)