Pls Help Issue About Superguard

[kc104]

Just went to the dealership to pick up my new car. Rav4 Xt-r. They gave me 1/2 price on the superguard so i took it.

I got there and saw that there were some of those marks on the car, left over by to cleanfilm or cover that is put over the car - i dont know what it is, does anyone know what im talking about.

So, I said, hold on, the car has been washed and superguarded ! how can this be if there are still these marks on it !

They said, it had been superguarded, but it went over the top ! I find this hard to believe. They said they are going to do the super guard again, and drive it round to my place this afternoon.

Can someone give me some information on this super guard.

If my car already has it, do they have to take it off again, or just wash it and go over it again.

How can I know for sure that it has actually been done, as my thought was, hmm, so these PROFESSIONAL guys that do the superguard did not spot these marks and just did it, it think not, maybe it has not been done in the first place.

The guy is coming back late this afternoon, someone pls give me some amo to shoot at him as to get a further discount or something off ...

[Dippy]

Don't know, but take photos.

[kc104]

Ohh, i did not do that and the car is with them

[skye blue verso]

The supaguard is just a paint sealant, so in effect it is an expensive polish. If the paint has already been exposed to the elements then it's not particularly effective. There is a massive profit margin on it so that's why it's pushed.

[hertsnminds]

Had a similar issue with a used MX-5. Dealer said they would superguard the soft top but the car had a harp top fitted. When we got the car home took the hard top off and there were dead leaves sitting in the soft top (and marks on it) had to take the car back to get it done properly.

If the car has been done you should have a signed piece of paper, this acts as your superguard warranty. In the end all that superguard does is stop you having to wax the car for three years, well that's the theory, not sure how it fits the facts.

[anchorman]

I had mine done and it had definitely gone by 3 months during which it was a complete pain on the windscreen as all it did was smear. It is applied at the dealer (sometimes by their own cleaners and sometimes by 3rd party valeters). They use a sponge applicator and it goes on like water and is then buffed.

there is no doubt that they could have applied it without any pre-cleaning and they will have sealed the stains in.

The only way now is to remove it and the underlying stains which would probably mean some form of mild paint restoring polish.

If they just go over it again expect it to be the same. It will show most in the early morning when condensation forms on the body at different rates and you can clearly see the areas that had the protective plastic.

The whole process is a waste of money or at least the amount they charge and you would do just as well with a good quality polish.

[kc104]

Thank you all for all that information.

I can see now that they have taken money off me for nothing, however, I have paid for it so might as well make sure it is done right.

We told the dealer to give us the car tomorrow and do the job properly, they phoned back and said they will get it to us today.

Can someone tell me how long it should take for them to take off the superguard they put on (supposedly) and apply another coat!

What im afraid of is they will seek out the bad spots, buff them and re apply so it will not be one whole layer, but in bits - am i likely to encounter any problems if they do this, as i do not think they are going to spend the time taking the existing layer off and a new one on.

[petee99d]

I used to be a salesman for a Land Rover dealership and I can say categorically that Supaguard, Diamondbrite, pureguard, etc are all a waste of time and money. The cost to the dealer is about £30, yet the retail is anything from £300! It's pushed because of this huge margin (the same as payment protection, GAP and dealer fit accessories). I used to get £50 for selling a pureguard, often more than I'd get for selling a car! THAT is why they want to sell it to you and often try to include it in the deal without asking you if you want it.

The main problem is in the way it's applied. Usually, it's done by some poor valeter, earning £5 an hour, who makes no extra for doing it, so why should he care? It's a two stage process and takes ages to do properly. Once it IS applied to the car, the owner has to use car shampoo and car shampoo only to wash the car (ie, no wash & wax, etc), or the coating will be ruined. The same also applies if you polish the car, the coating is removed by the abrasive qualities of the polish.

My advice to anyone considering a dealer offered "paint protection" is to just say "No!" and then go spend a third of the cost of paint protection on good quality car care products, which will last much longer and do a much better kob of protecting the car as well..

[Davrav]

I used to be a salesman for a Land Rover dealership and I can say categorically that Supaguard, Diamondbrite, pureguard, etc are all a waste of time and money. The cost to the dealer is about £30, yet the retail is anything from £300! It's pushed because of this huge margin (the same as payment protection, GAP and dealer fit accessories). I used to get £50 for selling a pureguard, often more than I'd get for selling a car! THAT is why they want to sell it to you and often try to include it in the deal without asking you if you want it.

The main problem is in the way it's applied. Usually, it's done by some poor valeter, earning £5 an hour, who makes no extra for doing it, so why should he care? It's a two stage process and takes ages to do properly. Once it IS applied to the car, the owner has to use car shampoo and car shampoo only to wash the car (ie, no wash & wax, etc), or the coating will be ruined. The same also applies if you polish the car, the coating is removed by the abrasive qualities of the polish.

My advice to anyone considering a dealer offered "paint protection" is to just say "No!" and then go spend a third of the cost of paint protection on good quality car care products, which will last much longer and do a much better kob of protecting the car as well..

Ditto all of the above.

Get some carnauba wax [not polish as that may leave swirrls] on while the paint is still fresh and repeat every few months. Autoglym carnuaba goes on and buffs up really easily and leaves a stunning finish.

[vivianM]

I used to be a salesman for a Land Rover dealership and I can say categorically that Supaguard, Diamondbrite, pureguard, etc are all a waste of time and money. The cost to the dealer is about £30, yet the retail is anything from £300! It's pushed because of this huge margin (the same as payment protection, GAP and dealer fit accessories). I used to get £50 for selling a pureguard, often more than I'd get for selling a car! THAT is why they want to sell it to you and often try to include it in the deal without asking you if you want it.

The main problem is in the way it's applied. Usually, it's done by some poor valeter, earning £5 an hour, who makes no extra for doing it, so why should he care? It's a two stage process and takes ages to do properly. Once it IS applied to the car, the owner has to use car shampoo and car shampoo only to wash the car (ie, no wash & wax, etc), or the coating will be ruined. The same also applies if you polish the car, the coating is removed by the abrasive qualities of the polish.

My advice to anyone considering a dealer offered "paint protection" is to just say "No!" and then go spend a third of the cost of paint protection on good quality car care products, which will last much longer and do a much better kob of protecting the car as well..

Ditto all of the above.

Get some carnauba wax [not polish as that may leave swirrls] on while the paint is still fresh and repeat every few months. Autoglym carnauba goes on and buffs up really easily and leaves a stunning finish.

I had my previous RAV done, some 5/6 years ago and did not have it on my new T180 - never noticed anything special about it - found a good polish like MER has been very good.

Back to my Dunlop days and we used carnuba wax in rubber (and made our own polish!) it is one of the hardest natural waxes and should be very good - I did not know it was available now as a car polish so might try some.

They might just remove the superguard with a mild solvent like white spirit or perhaps a strong detergent like Teepol.

As Anchorman says closely check that all the old marks have been removed and not sealed in before you accept it back - might be of interest to members which dealer did this work.

Guy

Guy

[mick1020]

Just went to the dealership to pick up my new car. Rav4 Xt-r. They gave me 1/2 price on the superguard so i took it.

I got there and saw that there were some of those marks on the car, left over by to cleanfilm or cover that is put over the car - i dont know what it is, does anyone know what im talking about.

So, I said, hold on, the car has been washed and superguarded ! how can this be if there are still these marks on it !

They said, it had been superguarded, but it went over the top ! I find this hard to believe. They said they are going to do the super guard again, and drive it round to my place this afternoon.

Can someone give me some information on this super guard.

If my car already has it, do they have to take it off again, or just wash it and go over it again.

How can I know for sure that it has actually been done, as my thought was, hmm, so these PROFESSIONAL guys that do the superguard did not spot these marks and just did it, it think not, maybe it has not been done in the first place.

The guy is coming back late this afternoon, someone pls give me some amo to shoot at him as to get a further discount or something off ...

They should apply a paint cleaner or a clay bar to remove all the supagard first to do it properly then apply it on the cleaned paintwork .

It is a good product , but not worth the money they charge . Like ANCHORMAN said it only lasts a couple or so months .

Its ok to buy from eBay for £4 and do it yourself .

Good luck and i hope they do the job right this time

[anchorman]

TBH I would never normally fall for such a thing but I did it as a kind of favour to the salesman who said he would get an extra £50 for selling it and was allegedly going to help me with some bits and bobs (mats, mudflaps and 90 deg check strap) but in the event never kept his promise (@rsehole). I got them in the end but it had to get nasty which soured the new car thing. The star of that dealership was the Dealer Manager who eventually sorted it all out and in the event the salesman was kicked out for a separate misdemeanor!

The Supaguard gives a kind of resinous coating and was noticeable at first but soon wore off, even after only using the shampoo supplied with a posh bag of bits. The trouble is that when used as directed the shampoo didn't seem to do anything either and it just looked like a bucket of warm water!!!

There have been owners who swear by it so maybe it depends how well it is applied. The problem is that it is virtually impossible to know unless you have stood and watched them do it. After I saw the mess they made of fitting the parking sensors my trust evaporated immediately and other than warranty work I do everything myself.

[chatman]

My car before the RAV had this but I did not pay for it...Knew someone who knew someone else etc.. but I watched them do it on my car and it does take ages to do... Looks good afterwards , but as mentioned above will eventually wear off.. You can tell cars that have had suparguard treatment and kept up the polish... as they have a better paint fininsh... But honestly.. the whole process is a waste of money.. your better off spending time in Halfrauds and getting some good quality polish and spending a sunny afternoon doing it yourself...

I still have the shampoo and polish bottles and use the polish occasionally to keep up the shine on the RAV B) B) the shampoo is rubbish though as I like a good bubble and lather but that stuff makes the water look like weak tea.....

Paint protection from the dealers is a rip off and not worth it... IMHO

[Rav City]

I had my RAV done two years ago for the reason was where I park my car at work we have a problem with Seagulls. When I get home I spray with the stuff that was supplied and it comes off easy and no mark. With previous cars it used to damage the wax.

But its expensive and would only have it done on a dark colour which would show.

[anchorman]

I made a mess with the bird poo foam once when in using it I created an abrasive paste! I then had to get the autoglym paint restorer on the job.

Do you think your Supaguard is still there?

[local hero]

A coleague of mines son is working as a valeter at a local Toyota dealer better not mention which one as he has given me 2 bottles of gardex which is a 2 stage paint sealer + polish, For the dealer to treat your car with this is about £250 there are no special techniques involved + you can get it on eBay

here is a LINK anyway not wanting to try it on my car i did one wing of my cab with it and it has not made one scrap of difference although the initial shine was very glossy, In a previous reply someone mentioned caneuba wax, you can buy tubs of this from Autosmart for about £6 which will last you for years..

[jedi134]

Its probably a lot cheaper just to buy this: http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/Store/P...x?ProductId=878 and do it yourself

[valeite]

Its probably a lot cheaper just to buy this: http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/Store/P...x?ProductId=878 and do it yourself

Yes Meguiars Products are excellent take it from me who hates car cleaning with a vengeance. :D

[Rav City]

I am not sure, the birds mess always comes off with no stain on the paintwork and the car still looks good after all this time.

I made a mess with the bird poo foam once when in using it I created an abrasive paste! I then had to get the autoglym paint restorer on the job.

Do you think your Supaguard is still there?

[T V O R]

The cost to the dealer is about £30, yet the retail is anything from £300!

For that kind of money you can get the whole car protected with VentureShield a paint protection film...

Here

This is something I will invest in when I buy another new car, cheaper than having a couple of stone chips/scratches repaired

[balli hi]

Just went to the dealership to pick up my new car. Rav4 Xt-r. They gave me 1/2 price on the superguard so i took it.

I got there and saw that there were some of those marks on the car, left over by to cleanfilm or cover that is put over the car - i dont know what it is, does anyone know what im talking about.

So, I said, hold on, the car has been washed and superguarded ! how can this be if there are still these marks on it !

They said, it had been superguarded, but it went over the top ! I find this hard to believe. They said they are going to do the super guard again, and drive it round to my place this afternoon.

Can someone give me some information on this super guard.

If my car already has it, do they have to take it off again, or just wash it and go over it again.

How can I know for sure that it has actually been done, as my thought was, hmm, so these PROFESSIONAL guys that do the superguard did not spot these marks and just did it, it think not, maybe it has not been done in the first place.

The guy is coming back late this afternoon, someone pls give me some amo to shoot at him as to get a further discount or something off ...

I have only just found this thread so sorry for coming in at this late stage .

I can totally relate to some of the above as i had issue's with my dealer , like a mug i too purchased supaguard , they sopposedly sold me this at cost , £150 , which i now know from reading some of the posts on this subject to be a lie .

I too questioned wether or not the supaguard had been applied or not , or at least applied correctly , when i collected my car , i could see some white polish residue in places which should have been cleaned off , but there was no evidence that the roof was done at all , it turns out that they get their in house valeters to do the job ,

The supaguard is supposed to be applied to the interior cloth as well in order to seal the material against stains and spills , however i did a simple test in front of them , by pouring a small amount of water on the seats to see if it runs off , it barely did , and on the head rests and seat backs the water just sank straight in , yet on the information supplied the whole interior should have been treated , not forgetting carpets of course . the head valeter explained that the kit supplied to treat the car was insufficient and so they just concentrated on treating the seats & carpets .

However another tin of interior treatment ( Spray ) was swiftly produced and the guy applied it in front of me , it took about 2 minutes .

You live and learn , and i will never entertain such a rip off of this kind again , i'm certain that the exterior of the car was not treated at all and only had some sort of normall polish applied , badly i might add , and there was also black scuff marks on the door seals from peoples shoes and white residue from , as i have said already what looked like ordinary polish residue , which was on top of the scuff marks .

I had many issues with my dealers over the purchase of my car , with this in comparison , a minor issue . But to get back to the point , i fully concur with others that my money would have been better spent on products available over the counter , and had i done this i would have had a wadge of cash left over .

Incidentally the valeters were all of african descent , and i 'm not sure how to explain this without coming across racist , which i am not , but i don't suppose that they get paid very much and their grasp of english was not the best , they all just seemed to shuffle around with a look on their faces that told me all i needed to know .

[Davrav]

Just went to the dealership to pick up my new car. Rav4 Xt-r. They gave me 1/2 price on the superguard so i took it.

I got there and saw that there were some of those marks on the car, left over by to cleanfilm or cover that is put over the car - i dont know what it is, does anyone know what im talking about.

So, I said, hold on, the car has been washed and superguarded ! how can this be if there are still these marks on it !

They said, it had been superguarded, but it went over the top ! I find this hard to believe. They said they are going to do the super guard again, and drive it round to my place this afternoon.

Can someone give me some information on this super guard.

If my car already has it, do they have to take it off again, or just wash it and go over it again.

How can I know for sure that it has actually been done, as my thought was, hmm, so these PROFESSIONAL guys that do the superguard did not spot these marks and just did it, it think not, maybe it has not been done in the first place.

The guy is coming back late this afternoon, someone pls give me some amo to shoot at him as to get a further discount or something off ...

I have only just found this thread so sorry for coming in at this late stage .

I can totally relate to some of the above as i had issue's with my dealer , like a mug i too purchased supaguard , they sopposedly sold me this at cost , £150 , which i now know from reading some of the posts on this subject to be a lie .

I too questioned wether or not the supaguard had been applied or not , or at least applied correctly , when i collected my car , i could see some white polish residue in places which should have been cleaned off , but there was no evidence that the roof was done at all , it turns out that they get their in house valeters to do the job ,

The supaguard is supposed to be applied to the interior cloth as well in order to seal the material against stains and spills , however i did a simple test in front of them , by pouring a small amount of water on the seats to see if it runs off , it barely did , and on the head rests and seat backs the water just sank straight in , yet on the information supplied the whole interior should have been treated , not forgetting carpets of course . the head valeter explained that the kit supplied to treat the car was insufficient and so they just concentrated on treating the seats & carpets .

However another tin of interior treatment ( Spray ) was swiftly produced and the guy applied it in front of me , it took about 2 minutes .

You live and learn , and i will never entertain such a rip off of this kind again , i'm certain that the exterior of the car was not treated at all and only had some sort of normall polish applied , badly i might add , and there was also black scuff marks on the door seals from peoples shoes and white residue from , as i have said already what looked like ordinary polish residue , which was on top of the scuff marks .

I had many issues with my dealers over the purchase of my car , with this in comparison , a minor issue . But to get back to the point , i fully concur with others that my money would have been better spent on products available over the counter , and had i done this i would have had a wadge of cash left over .

Incidentally the valeters were all of african descent , and i 'm not sure how to explain this without coming across racist , which i am not , but i don't suppose that they get paid very much and their grasp of english was not the best , they all just seemed to shuffle around with a look on their faces that told me all i needed to know .

Chose not to take up dealer offer of 'Supaguard' on the body or interior when I bought my RAV last year. Did however buy a couple of cans of their Alloy Wheel treatment off e-bay, along with some Scotchguard for the carpets [About £20 all in if I remember correctly]

Have to say that the wheel treatment is very effective at preventing brake dust sticking, thereby making cleaning easier - just jet wash and wipe over. Scotchguard has an excellent reputation and is very effective [just a bit of a nasty odour when first sprayed on but that soon wears off if the car is left to air for a while.

[balli hi]

Just went to the dealership to pick up my new car. Rav4 Xt-r. They gave me 1/2 price on the superguard so i took it.

I got there and saw that there were some of those marks on the car, left over by to cleanfilm or cover that is put over the car - i dont know what it is, does anyone know what im talking about.

So, I said, hold on, the car has been washed and superguarded ! how can this be if there are still these marks on it !

They said, it had been superguarded, but it went over the top ! I find this hard to believe. They said they are going to do the super guard again, and drive it round to my place this afternoon.

Can someone give me some information on this super guard.

If my car already has it, do they have to take it off again, or just wash it and go over it again.

How can I know for sure that it has actually been done, as my thought was, hmm, so these PROFESSIONAL guys that do the superguard did not spot these marks and just did it, it think not, maybe it has not been done in the first place.

The guy is coming back late this afternoon, someone pls give me some amo to shoot at him as to get a further discount or something off ...

I have only just found this thread so sorry for coming in at this late stage .

I can totally relate to some of the above as i had issue's with my dealer , like a mug i too purchased supaguard , they sopposedly sold me this at cost , £150 , which i now know from reading some of the posts on this subject to be a lie .

I too questioned wether or not the supaguard had been applied or not , or at least applied correctly , when i collected my car , i could see some white polish residue in places which should have been cleaned off , but there was no evidence that the roof was done at all , it turns out that they get their in house valeters to do the job ,

The supaguard is supposed to be applied to the interior cloth as well in order to seal the material against stains and spills , however i did a simple test in front of them , by pouring a small amount of water on the seats to see if it runs off , it barely did , and on the head rests and seat backs the water just sank straight in , yet on the information supplied the whole interior should have been treated , not forgetting carpets of course . the head valeter explained that the kit supplied to treat the car was insufficient and so they just concentrated on treating the seats & carpets .

However another tin of interior treatment ( Spray ) was swiftly produced and the guy applied it in front of me , it took about 2 minutes .

You live and learn , and i will never entertain such a rip off of this kind again , i'm certain that the exterior of the car was not treated at all and only had some sort of normall polish applied , badly i might add , and there was also black scuff marks on the door seals from peoples shoes and white residue from , as i have said already what looked like ordinary polish residue , which was on top of the scuff marks .

I had many issues with my dealers over the purchase of my car , with this in comparison , a minor issue . But to get back to the point , i fully concur with others that my money would have been better spent on products available over the counter , and had i done this i would have had a wadge of cash left over .

Incidentally the valeters were all of african descent , and i 'm not sure how to explain this without coming across racist , which i am not , but i don't suppose that they get paid very much and their grasp of english was not the best , they all just seemed to shuffle around with a look on their faces that told me all i needed to know .

Chose not to take up dealer offer of 'Supaguard' on the body or interior when I bought my RAV last year. Did however buy a couple of cans of their Alloy Wheel treatment off e-bay, along with some Scotchguard for the carpets [About £20 all in if I remember correctly]

Have to say that the wheel treatment is very effective at preventing brake dust sticking, thereby making cleaning easier - just jet wash and wipe over. Scotchguard has an excellent reputation and is very effective [just a bit of a nasty odour when first sprayed on but that soon wears off if the car is left to air for a while.

Spot on , thats all i should have done , spent a fraction of the price on products that do the same job , the interior treatment they use is no different to scotch guard , and it soon wears off anyway .

As said , you live and learn.