I just posted this in the Golf R forum but thought this would be the better place to get my questions answered... 3 week owner of new 2012 Golf R Black 4 Dr Sunroof/Nav I've read so much about the Opti-Coat/Guard as well as the Clear Bra and am still up in the air about it. The local known detailer, Rick at Unique Car Care seems like a very nice, well educated guy. He said he uses a product called Xpel Ultimate as he has gone through his years with Clearbra and Venture Shield and wasn't as impressed as he is with Xpel and its self healing properties. He also uses Wolf Chemical products Hard Body as he likes it better. Full Clean Remove any grease/bug spots Claybar Fully custom partial coverage Expel Ultimate install Wolf Chemical Nano Rim Sealant (inside and outside) Wolf Chemical Nano Glass Sealant Wolf Hard Body The Xpel comes with a 10 year warranty covering discoloration, any bug/others leaving outlines, etc. but "not huge rocks". Does anyone have experience with these products properly applied? Is it worth the cost? Does this eliminate the need for waxing the car in the future? Thanks guys, hopefully you have some good reviews! Pictures speak a thousand words...
Hi, and welcome! First off, congrats on the car! I am unsure on your market or the EXACT work being done, but I have seen Clear Bras, especially using a quality film like XPel cost VERY MUCH! All I can tell you is find somebody that does QUALITY work and the price is affordable and comfortable to you, make sure that before they apply a clear bra or sealant like Hard Body that your car is polished to PERFECTION, and the person is willing to show you their previous work and stands behind it. Xpel AND Hard Body are both worth the price, yes! They are both AMAZING products! Hard Body is a "2-year" product that offers excellent protection, and to my knowledge, you would NOT wax over it, but apply more Hard Body or Body Wrap as necessary. Xpel on the other hand you should apply wax to it. How much film is he installing? You said a "fully custom partial" but is it a 6", 12", what? What exactly will he be wrapping for you? Bumper, hood, mirrors, wheel wells, door cups? There is a lot more info we need to really help you fully.
Thanks for the response. I have read a few reviews of this guy online from doing very nice cars so I do trust him. It would be full bumper, full lights, partial hood, partial fenders, partial mirrors. I'm not sure on the exact dimensions. After the 2 years is up for the Hard Body, would it require a full redo (wash, claybar, hard body?) It seems like 600$ every 2 years would be a bit excessive for me...
It is up to you, Hard Body is a sealant, think of it as doing the same job as a wax, just typically man-made, and lasts longer. Obviously you should still be washing your car at least every week or two, even with Hard Body and the films, they will protect your paint but will not keep it clean. A claybar job typically is done, depending on the contamination level of the car, once or twice every year to remove embedded contaminants from the paint like iron deposits. However, claying the car will remove anything on it such as wax or sealant. Basically, to answer your question, yes. After the product has run its course and is no longer effective, you would need to fully strip and decontaminate the car and reapply to have continued coverage. The alternative I could offer you is to learn to care for your own car and apply these products yourself. However, I would highly recommend this first time, allowing the professional to polish and protect your baby, but you can purchase Hard Body from DetailersDomain.com for about $60. However it is not a product for an amateur to apply, as you can easily mess it up [not hurting the car, but requiring it to be polished off] There are PLENTY of alternatives to Hard Body I could suggest, but none will be as good of value based on Hard Bodies performance, looks, protection and durability. But if you want to look into working on your car yourself, we are always here to help you out!
At first I just assumed I'd do it myself as I do every mechanical job myself, but since I don't know much about detailing I figured I'd get a quote. In order to purchase all of the products I need, I'd spend about 200$ so I could save about $250 to do it myself. But, I would definitely not do the clear bra install myself so that's why I'm contemplating having him do it all. I know I have the capability to do them both, but just like anything you get much better with practice and your first time isn't perfect. I just don't want to practice on my new car... But, the main reason I want to get the Hard Body is because I don't have the luxury I used to have of parking in a garage and being able to wash my car in a driveway every week. I live in Boston and park on the street because $300 a month is out of my price range for a parking garage spot... So, I just want to keep my car cleaner without feeling so bad about only washing it once a month or every other when I drive up to VT for a weekend and have my parents' driveway/garage to work with. So, I guess I just have to answer my own question of whether it;s worth paying someone $250 to get it done professionally. I NEVER pay people to do work on my belongings, so this is a very tough decision for me... Thanks for the guidance
Rick is a member on this forum as well You can look for his work under his username He has posted some correction jobs as well as clear bra jobs as well http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/pro-studio/34414-porsche-911-turbo-paint-correction-xpel.htm Go to his username and click On "find all started posts" and you see the other work He does good work, you can't go wrong Post some pics when your vehicle is done.
Well first off, Rick isn't just some amateur detailer. He's been rated as one of the top 10 detailers in the U.S. The price is pretty good, honestly I was expecting it to be higher. I would pay it. I've done a good amount of Golf-R's and have seen the clear bra jobs they got from local detailers, and they are laughably terrible, bubbles, creases, and worst of all they are pre-cut kits and have visible edges right before the end of the body panels. I know Rick wraps his around instead of using these kits. Also, as far as Hard Body, there is a recommended shampoo for washing the car, but besides that it does not require any maintenance.
I just saw a Golf R Rick did and am VERY impressed. I am completely sold on the Xpel just have to think about the cost. I also do a ton of mountain biking requiring dirt/rock roads so I am thinking full coverage and maybe A Pillar and roof coverage for protection from my bikes on the roof, etc. I am just not sold on the Hard Body yet. I don't want to have to get this done every 2 years, for the price it is I feel like it should last a while or at least not require a full redo every 2 years. I do plan to wash my car whenever I can but unfortunately I can't do it close to as much as I'd like. When I had a driveway I used to wash my S4 allll the time but in the city I have no choice... Can anyone sell me on the Hard Body? Does is resist dirt better? If my car is semi-dirty from normal driving and then it rains hard does it clean it at all/better than normal? How well does it resist scratches? Parking on the street in Boston, this could be a huge reason for me to get it. I'm just looking for as many benefits as I can find... Thanks!
Does anyone have experience with the Xpel clearbra on the rear bumper and how it holds up to bumper dings. I feel like I would be dropping a lot of money to protect the car but I'd get pissed when something happens to an unprotected spot. I want to cover the whole thing! But does it make sense to get the rear bumper covered?
The only thing that makes sense is to get what you feel you need and can afford. If you think there is a chance of scratching your car from the bikes and want to get it covered, I would just go ahead and get it covered now. Although, you could always come back and if your car is getting scratched, have Rick fix the scratches and cover that area with XPel as well, it is just easier to cover anything you want now. After that, I personally would recommend Hard Body very much! It is a very good product that will add extra protection to your car, especially in the areas that do not get XPel. But that is up to you, and depends on how much money or time you want to spend on your car. If you are going to take care of it, you have to spend at least one of the two. Either enlist Ricks services to maintain it for you, or spend the time to learn to do it yourself. You can get waterless washes to wash your car from just a bucket or spray bottle on the weekends. Learn how to properly apply a good wax or sealant, and you will be basically good to go. Talk to Rick about what he recommends, he may even be able to send you home with a customized care kit for a little extra. Let us know your decision and if you need any help with anything else!
Also, I understand you may not want to get Hard Body reapplied every two years, but consider it is basically one of the best protecting chemicals around. Compare it to a wax that lasts 1-4 months, or other sealants that mostly last 3-6 months. Ask Rick what it may cost to keep your car constantly protected with a fresh coat of wax or sealant for that same 2 years. it will likely cost a LOT more that $400. But it is up to you, if you don't want to spend the money, but want the same results, you have to be willing to spend the time.
If you intend on keeping the car for awhile (5+ years) I would say go for it! Get some pics when you are done
Hard body is incredible! I absolutely love it. You can't go wrong with it or Opti-Guard, but Hard Body is sick.
You may not like my reply but here it is - why in the world would you get a black car in your situation? It is a part time job to keep it clean, even if you have a garage. Oh well. As far as Rick, you should feel really fortunate that he is close to you. Save up some money (stop drinking and smoking ) and have the whole car wrapped in Xpel. That is the only sane way to deal with black.
Thanks for the advice, all. This is such a hard decision for me, usually buying stuff for my car is easy! I am hesitant for the following reasons: I'm not positive how long I'll keep the car, hopefully a few years but I'll probably want something new after that (S3, please come to the states!). Living in the city it is going to get a few dings anyway (this is also on my list of pros because it will greatly reduce them). I could get about 50 more horses for the same price. Not having the whole car protected in Xpel, I will be so pissed when I get a scratch somewhere unprotected and may regret spending so much. I just need to think about it a few more days, I have never gone back and forth so definitively on anything before. Feel free to keep trying to convince me though, unfortunately it's mostly the cost holding me back... Thanks!
I can guarantee if you bring your car to Unique, you will be very happy when its done. Hard Body is awesome stuff. XPEL is the best thing on the market right now as far as film is concerned. We have tried them all. Im very picky and I went right for the xpel for my wifes truck and I have access to pretty much every film out there. ~Bryan
if youre not sure youre going to keep the car then thats more of a reason to take care of it. The Xpel Ultimate film is pretty good stuff too. Im a certified installer and applied it to my truck. Some guy scraped my bumper and the film got smudged and when i removed it the paint was in perfect condition. So it does what its suppsed to. The last customer of mine that took their time deciding on a clear bra, they took too long and got chips all on the hood while waiting. So im sure the shop you want t do the work will do fine.
I registered solely to chime in here. Rick and the guys at Unique Car Care are absolutely top notch. My car (brand new 2012 maxima) is at the shop today getting clear bra, and the works with the hardbody stuff. I've been taking my 2003 maxima there for quite some time. To give you a little extra assurance....i honestly felt bad bringing my 2003 maxima to the shop. I'd be pulling in next to porches, ferarris, bentleys, vettes, etc.. I literally have to grab my jaw off the floor and put it back on my face, and mop up my drool off the floor as I am leaving the shop. These guys truly are top notch and really care about what they are doing. Rick has always been able to work with whatever price range I wanted to stay within, so feel free to get his suggestions for a lower cost option if you arent comfortable spending that much.....he really is a super nice guy. Good luck with whatever you decide!
