GTechniq Platinum - advice please

[Exystenshalist]

Hello All,

Just bought a 1-year old Taycan - Crayon. OPC is offering me Gtechniq Platinum for (I think) £899.

Should I go for it? I'm happy to invest to keep the car in as good a condition as possible.

Also, reading the forums I hear about PPF and Ceramic - is this what this is? What are PPF and Ceramic? Should you go for them? If so, should you use the OPC or should you avoid them like the plague and go to a local detailer?

Any advice much appreciated. As the eagle eyed among you have probably worked out, I don't know much about this...

[Redline88]

I would definitely go to a local detailer for PPF and ceramic coatings. In most, possibly all, instances, the dealer will use a local detailer to at least apply the PPF so you’re paying the OPC commission on that. The job that I had done at a national chain via an OPC had so many issues post installation at which point it came down to me to take the car back and forth to get it reapplied. Going direct for a front end “track pack” coverage would have been about £500 cheaper. Better yet, spend the same amount and get a great job first time! If you state where you are then I’m sure somebody can give you some good recommendations.

[Redline88]

Sorry should have added that PPF is paint protection film - a film applied to the car to protect it from chips and minor scuffs. G-techniq is a ceramic coating - think of that more to protect the shine and ease of cleaning of the car assuming that it’s applied correctly!

[Discombobulate]

Exystenshalist said:

Hello All,

Just bought a 1-year old Taycan - Crayon. OPC is offering me Gtechniq Platinum for (I think) £899.

Should I go for it? I'm happy to invest to keep the car in as good a condition as possible.

Also, reading the forums I hear about PPF and Ceramic - is this what this is? What are PPF and Ceramic? Should you go for them? If so, should you use the OPC or should you avoid them like the plague and go to a local detailer?

Any advice much appreciated. As the eagle eyed among you have probably worked out, I don't know much about this...

No. By all means go for ceramic coating (very good) but get a proper detailer to do it (probably for less)

[Exystenshalist]

Thanks both!

I'm in Chalfont St Peter which is NW of London just outside M25. Can anyone recommend for this area?

Should I get both PPF and Ceramic? I wasn't sure if they could be applied to the assembled car - whether any trim needs to be taken off for the job.

Will the car look different or will it just protect the paintwork? Are there any downsides to doing it?

What should I expect to pay for each? Does 1 need to be done before another?

Thanks again

[cseven]

I have used MaxProtect, it will be a lot more then 900 but the Porsche dealer option is rubbish as they don't correct the paint before protecting so what's the point?

[SV_WDC]

Exystenshalist said:

Thanks both!

I'm in Chalfont St Peter which is NW of London just outside M25. Can anyone recommend for this area?

Should I get both PPF and Ceramic? I wasn't sure if they could be applied to the assembled car - whether any trim needs to be taken off for the job.

Will the car look different or will it just protect the paintwork? Are there any downsides to doing it?

What should I expect to pay for each? Does 1 need to be done before another?

Thanks again

Someone very local to you for ceramic/wax is Richard @ Perfection Detailing, based in Chalfont SG: https://www.perfectiondetailing.co.uk/

Max Protect in Kings Langley can do PPF or Ceramic. Not used but have had several recommendations from various people on forums or Porsche Club.

Would only consider OPC if done as part of the deal.

Price aside, separate outfits may do more of the prep work like fully claying the car or paint correction - the car may well need these at >1 yr old

[AAAndy]

Exystenshalist said:

Thanks both!

I'm in Chalfont St Peter which is NW of London just outside M25. Can anyone recommend for this area?

Should I get both PPF and Ceramic? I wasn't sure if they could be applied to the assembled car - whether any trim needs to be taken off for the job.

Will the car look different or will it just protect the paintwork? Are there any downsides to doing it?

What should I expect to pay for each? Does 1 need to be done before another?

Thanks again

If you are looking for prep. coatings, ceramic etc, given where you are located the best option would be Richard Tipper, aka. Perfection Valet. https://www.perfectiondetailing.co.uk

Richard is one of the best in the business, arguably the best. And a genuinely nice chap and enthusiast. More importantly for you, he is based in the Chalfonts area and not too far from where you are. He does a mobile service but depending on what you need it may be best to take the car to him.

[Freakuk]

Exystenshalist said:

Hello All,

Just bought a 1-year old Taycan - Crayon. OPC is offering me Gtechniq Platinum for (I think) £899.

Should I go for it? I'm happy to invest to keep the car in as good a condition as possible.

Also, reading the forums I hear about PPF and Ceramic - is this what this is? What are PPF and Ceramic? Should you go for them? If so, should you use the OPC or should you avoid them like the plague and go to a local detailer?

Any advice much appreciated. As the eagle eyed among you have probably worked out, I don't know much about this...

Does the OPC outsource this work to a detailing company?

Ceramic coat should involve a full detail before the coating is applied, i.e. full decontamination and then a machine polish to get the panels as clean as possible before applying the coating. The ceramic coating will help to retain it's shine and ease of cleaning, it may also help with small/minor scratches but you will still get stone chips etc.

This is where PPF comes in, paint protect film is a plastic film that is cut to a template of each body panel it is applied to, think of it like a screen protector for your phone. Some noe have claimed self healing properties when exposed to direct sunlight/heat can repair minor scratches. PPF will prevent all but the largest of stone chips. You can opt for where you have the PPF applied, frontal area only, wheen arches etc or a full car.

You probably wouldn't apply PPF unless you had done a full detail/ceramic coating also.

It's worth noting that having a ceramic coating would also require a maintenance routine, this all depends upon where the car is stored, how many miles you do, driving conditions etc etc, and to retain the coating you would need to invest in some ceramic friendly products and certainly not take it through a hand car wash.

[HoHoHo]

Don't forget to inform your insurance company know you've had PPF fitted otherwise your policy will almost certainly be invalid!

[gred]

Freakuk said:

You probably wouldn't apply PPF unless you had done a full detail/ceramic coating also.

I think you'll find most detailers will only apply ceramic coatings on top of PPF, not underneath. There are special coatings such as GTechniq HALOv designed for that purpose. Agree that a full detail first is the best option whichever route the OP chooses to go.

[Redline88]

When I have PPF fitted they charged to remove the ceramic on that panel before installing so you wouldn’t have both unless you used the type that goes on top of the PPF as linked above or only put coating on the non PPF panels.

I did use Max Protect for a single panel (roof) which was not covered with the rest of the car under the track pack. I guess the roof is one of the easier panels but the job they did was night and day compared to the other PPF that had been applied via the OPC. I would definitely go back there if getting PPF again. Based in Kings Langley so not too far from you.

[Exystenshalist]

Thanks everyone for the advice and recommendations. I'll start getting in touch with one or more of the companies tomorrow. I'll ask their advice as to what they would recommend.

I have just arranged the insurance for the car. Potentially invalidating the insurance sounds worrying. Does PPF count as a modification? Is it likely to lead to a higher cost of insurance?

Thanks again!

[HoHoHo]

Exystenshalist said:

Thanks everyone for the advice and recommendations. I'll start getting in touch with one or more of the companies tomorrow. I'll ask their advice as to what they would recommend.

I have just arranged the insurance for the car. Potentially invalidating the insurance sounds worrying. Does PPF count as a modification? Is it likely to lead to a higher cost of insurance?

Thanks again!

Yes, PPF does count as a modification if not factory ordered and installed.

I read a thread on PH on exactly this subject so I called my broker who confirmed if you have PPF, declare it or risk the consequenses.

[Freakuk]

gred said:

Freakuk said:

You probably wouldn't apply PPF unless you had done a full detail/ceramic coating also.

I think you'll find most detailers will only apply ceramic coatings on top of PPF, not underneath. There are special coatings such as GTechniq HALOv designed for that purpose. Agree that a full detail first is the best option whichever route the OP chooses to go.

Apologies, I should have made that clearer.

[cammy71]

Just called my insurers, Admiral. Noted as an 'Exterior Change' and no premium uplift.

[HoHoHo]

cammy71 said:

Just called my insurers, Admiral. Noted as an 'Exterior Change' and no premium uplift.

Perfect, sounds better than sorry you didn't mention that and your policy is therefore invalid!

[Exystenshalist]

Thank you for the info re insurance. I'm also with Admiral so that's great to hear. I'll call them and check now...

[Cheib]

HoHoHo said:

Don't forget to inform your insurance company know you've had PPF fitted otherwise your policy will almost certainly be invalid!

I think that depends on the insurance company….granted the only way you can find out is by checking but the one I use doesn’t need to know.

[Porker 997C2S]

SV_WDC said:

Someone very local to you for ceramic/wax is Richard @ Perfection Detailing, based in Chalfont SG: https://www.perfectiondetailing.co.uk/

Max Protect in Kings Langley can do PPF or Ceramic. Not used but have had several recommendations from various people on forums or Porsche Club.

Would only consider OPC if done as part of the deal.

Price aside, separate outfits may do more of the prep work like fully claying the car or paint correction - the car may well need these at >1 yr old

Watched plenty of new car prep detailing videos and the state of new car paint let alone 1 year can be pretty shocking. Whether PPF or Ceramic (both if you have deep enough pockets) the paint still needs to be prepped and in as good condition as possible by decontamination then machine polishing out any defects and swirls as both treatments will be ‘locking in’ the finish. Personally, I’d go PPF as it offers genuine protection, ceramic as said before aids cleaning but still needs to be looked after for it work as intended.