Diamond brite

I'm about to pick up me new Grand California 600 next Tuesday. Is it worth getting the "Diamond brite, Exterior Paintwork and interior protection"?

Thanks

Tony

Tony L said:

I'm about to pick up me new Grand California 600 next Tuesday. Is it worth getting the "Diamond brite, Exterior Paintwork and interior protection"?

Thanks

Tony

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No is the simple answer.
Far better off getting it detailed properly if you wish.

Google diamond brite and ceramic coatings. For a detailer to do a proper job, they would polish all the imperfections out of the paintwork. The sooner they can do this the less imperfections and contamination they will have remove. It will take somebody probably a day or two to do this. I assume its going to be £500 - £1000.

I should think car dealers just assume the paint is new, therfore in good condition and coat them. The inside stiff is a scotch guard type spray.

You will get about 3 years out of a ceramic coating. You can do it yourself after a YouTube do it yourself video. They will basically say if there are imperfections, you end up sealing them in. I did my sons new polo with a ceramic kit from Sonax. I think it was relatively easy but it's small enough to go in my garage. Yours is a bit bigger!

Tony L said:

I'm about to pick up me new Grand California 600 next Tuesday. Is it worth getting the "Diamond brite, Exterior Paintwork and interior protection"?

Thanks

Tony

Click to expand...

No.
I had it done. Waste of money.

Tony L said:

I'm about to pick up me new Grand California 600 next Tuesday. Is it worth getting the "Diamond brite, Exterior Paintwork and interior protection"?

Thanks

Tony

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No.

The other thing they often try to sell you is Gap Insurance.
Check your insurance policy - mine provided new-for-old replacement so for me there was zero value in having GAP cover.

GrumpyGranddad said:

The other thing they often try to sell you is Gap Insurance.
Check your insurance policy - mine provided new-for-old replacement so for me there was zero value in having GAP cover.

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When we picked up our current van (main dealer, December) they specifically advised that their gap insurance provider didn't cover camper vans, so that option was helpfully crossed out already!

Re the diamond brite, we opted to get ours done locally (a different brand) by a detailer. As it happens I wasn't altogether happy with the local chap, whereas when I turned up to collect the van the prep staff in the dealership looked very professional and seemed to have done an excellent job on everything they did. Which made me think that using the dealer for Diamond brite / SupaGuard or whatever might not always be a bad idea afterall. When buying previous cars I have managed to negotiate a discount on paint protection, so if you can get it as part of the negotion statge it might be worth it, especially if it includes fabric protection/insurance.

Tony L said:

I'm about to pick up me new Grand California 600 next Tuesday. Is it worth getting the "Diamond brite, Exterior Paintwork and interior protection"?

Thanks

Tony

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We scotch guarded our seats with a can which we really glad we did following a prawn incident!
The paint finish is good not sure i would bother with the dealers coating especially if it’s added onto the finance.

I wouldn't bother. I had mine done. Not worth it. Do it yourself.

No. Had it done on our Volvo from new, it’s was poorly applied, and apart from the imperfections still being visible, it had no benefit after about 18 months. We even bought the special Diamonbright car wash and rinse additive. Rubbish - waste of £500.

Always lots of questions on these coatings. The short answer is no but most that have done it will always say yes to their type of coating, be it the cheapo dealer one (which you should NEVER get) and a more expensive day in the detailers one.

Having worked in a car plant and seen the paint shop and how they apply paint, the technical answer from them was always you don't need it. If you wash and wax your car/van properly the paint they apply is more than enough - hence the warranty on paint.

I personally would also worry about aftermarket coatings appied and if there were any paint issues in the future how the OEM warranty would deal with that/use it.

We have washed ours when dirty, use a wax spray afterwards, and it's always been spot on.

Tony L said:

I'm about to pick up me new Grand California 600 next Tuesday. Is it worth getting the "Diamond brite, Exterior Paintwork and interior protection"?

Thanks

Tony

Click to expand...

If ordering through your dealer they get a payment from the Detailer company.
Shop around for quotes or if you have the time and energy DIY is cheaper.

I’ve been thinking about paint protection because a) our van is red* and b) it’ll be full time in Portugal for three years. Does ‘wash and wax’ apply the same here, or would some kind of coating be beneficial?

(*I have read that some say newer generations of red paint doesn’t suffer like older types of red paints did, but I don’t have any evidence to back that up. Hence asking.)

royalv2 said:

I’ve been thinking about paint protection because a) our van is red* and b) it’ll be full time in Portugal for three years. Does ‘wash and wax’ apply the same here, or would some kind of coating be beneficial?

(*I have read that some say newer generations of red paint doesn’t suffer like older types of red paints did, but I don’t have any evidence to back that up. Hence asking.)

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I know what you mean about red hues. When I had opportunity I charged my company logo‘s red element to a mid orange as red didn’t last well on signage and started to tatty after about a year, the red lettering fading badly. The quality of materials and pigment matters, as well as surface finish. I also had red cars in our household that suffered, but the fading was most pronounced when the surface shine was lost. Nothing like a Matt finish to absorb light and accelerate ageing.

Well polished red can look amazing - thinking of all those Ferrari racing cars. So I guess the trick is to maintain a constant high polish, without abrading the surface. Back in the day the wisdom was to use products like T-Cut to brighten the colour. But it’s like using Cif on your car, gradually removing layers of paint.

Currently I prefer to apply a rapid ceramic spray to give a smooth finish so dirt and harmful deposits can‘t easily get the upper hand, and I do this roughly 4 times a year. After each wash I use Aqua Wax to add a bit more protection. If i could get the van in a garage or a car port I’d certainly do that also. I’ve steered clear of dealer applied products for the van and most of our cars - weakening on a new Volvo a few years ago and then deeply regretting this.

dspuk said:

Tips To Protect Your Car Paint From Sun Damage - Brighton Panel Works

Sun damage can be a major problem but, if you follow these top tips to protect car paint, you can guard against patchy and heat blistered paintwork.

brightonpanelworks.com.au

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I won’t bother, if you love your Cali like i do, cleaning it & waxing any opportunity I get , once you got a good coating ( I use car gods products) it doesn’t take long for it to shine

Prez said:

I won’t bother, if you love your Cali like i do, cleaning it & waxing any opportunity I get , once you got a good coating ( I use car gods products) it doesn’t take long for it to shine

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I agree. You likely wanted to reply to the OP, not me.

Proper professionally applied ceramic coatings are effective and long-lasting, BUT they are very expensive - for a vehicle the size of a Cali it's probably going to be circa £2k and will take multiple days to apply. Is it worth it? Depends I suppose. If you're diligent enough to keep the van clean and waxed then probably not (and when I say waxed, using a high quality wax like Collinite not Halfrauds stuff).

There’s loads of back street cowboys.
Go to a reputable detailer and you will see a difference.

Have a search on the forum, there’s loads of info