CUPRA Born Forum

My born had the paint protection applied to it, not by choice as it was a canceled order, but would it be of benefit to coat it with something like this too or not really worth while?

Looks absolutely awesome! I ordered a V2 Vapor Grey Born yesterday and am even more excited after seeing your great photos!

Stuffygibbon wrote: ↑Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:07 pm My born had the paint protection applied to it, not by choice as it was a canceled order, but would it be of benefit to coat it with something like this too or not really worth while?

Depends whether you're willing and able to apply something yourself. That lifeshine's water repellency will fade off after about a year.

I use G-Techniq C2V3 because it's easy to apply and requires no special curing conditions like keeping the car out of the rain for 2 or 3 days.

Always love those detailer videos where they claim a car is a virtual wreck because its got a few swirls and holograms that they just polish out after a decontamination, before applying their ceramic coat of choice in order to attain a level of perfection that'll be compromised 10 minutes after you drive away in it.

If I can get 95% perfection for 10% of the cost of a detailer, I'll go that route.

monkeyhanger wrote: ↑Wed Jul 13, 2022 5:27 am

Stuffygibbon wrote: ↑Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:07 pm My born had the paint protection applied to it, not by choice as it was a canceled order, but would it be of benefit to coat it with something like this too or not really worth while?

Depends whether you're willing and able to apply something yourself. That lifeshine's water repellency will fade off after about a year.

I use G-Techniq C2V3 because it's easy to apply and requires no special curing conditions like keeping the car out of the rain for 2 or 3 days.

Always love those detailer videos where they claim a car is a virtual wreck because its got a few swirls and holograms that they just polish out after a decontamination, before applying their ceramic coat of choice in order to attain a level of perfection that'll be compromised 10 minutes after you drive away in it.

If I can get 95% perfection for 10% of the cost of a detailer, I'll go that route.

Hi Monkeyhanger
Is G-Techniq C2V3 any good for older paint?
I use Autoglym resin polish on my Z4 but that's 10 years old now and would like a better coating if it lasts longer.

I've been doing my own detailing, polishing and ceramic coating for about the last 6 years on Lapiz Blue Golf R's using Gyeon Synchro coatings. The results are fantastic and it's so much easier to wash the car as water just runs off. However, it does take about 4 days with the car under cover to do a proper job, and to maintain it you should follow a 2-bucket hand was process to avoid swirls. With the Gyeon coating it will last at least two years. I normally do a full detail and polish every year but having moved house last year, the coating is now over two years old and still looks great and works perfectly.

I will be giving the Born the full treatment after it arrives, but that will depend on time of year and ambient temperature so may have to wait until spring next year.

I have always left the paint on a new car to harden for a few months (Lapiz Blue is notoriously "soft") before doing the polishing with Rupes dual action (DA) polishers. A new car only needs minimal polishing but older paint will need a full decontamination and paint correction. You would get good results applying a ceramic coating to properly cleaned old paint but you really won't get the best results.

For the few who want to get a brilliant full description of how to go about doing this themselves, I have attached a link to a thread in the VWROC forum written by a very knowledgeable lady who is a past master of the process: (I hope this works as I have never posted a URL link on this forum)

https://www.vwroc.com/forums/topic/1287 ... /#comments

^ that's heading towards fanaticism. When you start getting into specified brands of edge less microfiber towels, that's when I start to think that life's too short. Reminds me of Evilderboy on the Scirocco forums who was so obsessed with his orbital polisher that he'd removed the lacquer layer from his black Scirocco in about a year of ownership.

2 bucket method of washing with a half decent shampoo and apply 2 coats of sealant like C2V3 twice a year is good enough for me.

Didn't Booth used to crash her car on a regular basis too (generally booting her R on toundabouts and taking normal cars by surprise) - that won't polish out!

Yup, you're absolutely right in that some people get far too fanatical about tiny details (see what I did there?) And yes, Becs does seem to have a habit of getting her car damaged.

But, once you have the full picture, you can pick out the bits that work for you and stick with that, which is what I do. I can't say I really enjoy doing the work but if I'm going to do it I like to have the best tools for the job and I get some satisfaction from finishing it. And it's only once a year or two. Once it's finished, it's so much easier to wash and then you see the car in sunlight and the Lapiz Blue just sparkles......well, it works for me. The Cupra salesman that checked my current car, couldn't get over how shiny it was, so it can't be too bad.

Anyway, I'm happy with the results I get and you're happy with yours so all's well with the world.

Daveion wrote: ↑Wed Jul 13, 2022 5:52 am

monkeyhanger wrote: ↑Wed Jul 13, 2022 5:27 am

Stuffygibbon wrote: ↑Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:07 pm My born had the paint protection applied to it, not by choice as it was a canceled order, but would it be of benefit to coat it with something like this too or not really worth while?

Depends whether you're willing and able to apply something yourself. That lifeshine's water repellency will fade off after about a year.

I use G-Techniq C2V3 because it's easy to apply and requires no special curing conditions like keeping the car out of the rain for 2 or 3 days.

Always love those detailer videos where they claim a car is a virtual wreck because its got a few swirls and holograms that they just polish out after a decontamination, before applying their ceramic coat of choice in order to attain a level of perfection that'll be compromised 10 minutes after you drive away in it.

If I can get 95% perfection for 10% of the cost of a detailer, I'll go that route.

Hi Monkeyhanger
Is G-Techniq C2V3 any good for older paint?
I use Autoglym resin polish on my Z4 but that's 10 years old now and would like a better coating if it lasts longer.

As long as the older paint is in good condition with no embedded fallout, it'll be fine. I use C2V3 for ease - you can use it on all trim, it's easy to apply, and lasts a long time. It's not particularly wet ir glossy looking like Gyeon, unless you layer it up, but it lasts a lot longer before needing a top up.