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Today I paid the deposit on a new SEAT Alhambra 2.0 TDi Stylance, after getting what I thought was a good deal. £19,000, gross. £16,321.74 net. I paid cash, no trade in. I couldn't buy over the internet, as I need to have a wheelchair ramp fitted before the car is registered, so I qualify for Zero VAT, Zero tax and Zero new car registration fee plus zero VAT on all servicing, repairs and parts (tyres etc) during the lifetime of the vehicle. None of the Internet brokers I approached were interested. Too complicated for them, I think. Anyway, the SEAT salesman offered me a product called LifeShine, by a company called AutoGlym. It seems to be some kind of polymer coating applied to the paintwork and the interior upholstery. It comes with a ten-year guarantee and costs £299. Please could you let me now what your opinion is of this product? I'm intrigued, I've heard of Scotchguard for carpets, but this is a new one on me. He also offered it to me for £150, but with no guarantee or maintenance kit, using LifeShine left over from doing smaller cars.

Asked on 8 August 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
I do this myself with Autoglym Super Resin Polish and Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection from Halfords for about £20. But it needs 3 - 4 coats of Extra Gloss to give the same protection as Lifeshine and each coat takes an hour to cure. So it's a long dry day's work, and if there are constraints that prevent you from doing it yourself then the garage product and maintenance kit are probably worth having.
Dear Honest John,

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