When Tovino's car got a facelift

It was a dream come true for Tovino Thomas. The young actor happily steered his new Audi Q7 from one film set to another. Then he was in for a rude shock. His favourite toy was losing its sheen as some swirls and scratches started appearing on the body.

That was when he realised that car maintenance was more than just routine washing and there are better ways to protect your investment. The Q7 suffered from frequent travels and careless treatment at the automatic car washing centres. Car detailing was the way out.

Tovino took his Q7 to GreenZ Car Care, a company that boasts of the country's first premium car care online store, greenzcarcare.com. GreenZ also owns product manufacturing units in Germany, Japan and Taiwan. It is the Indian distributor of Gyeon Quartz, Angelwax, Collinite and Kamikaze.

The company's detailing process has four phases that starts with an interaction with the owner. This session also helps the owner to avoid situations which could lead to scratches and defects on the car in future.

Next is the inspection stage where the car’s interior and exterior will subjected to physical inspection. Many car owners are unaware that they are doing their cars more harm by opting for unscientific polishing methods. GreenZ professionals use a paint thickness gauge to determine the thickness. This helps them to identify the level of polishing required for each car. The coating may not be uniform across the car if it has been repainted. Haphazard polishing done earlier could also lead to variations in thickness.

Doing the same level of polishing on every car, without measuring the paint thickness, increases the chances of tampering with the clear coat, which is applied on top of the paint to protect it. Any scratches on this coat means that the panel has to be repainted.

There were overspray – fallout from a paint job on a vehicle stationed nearby - on Tovino’s car. Such overspray marks, dents and swirl marks can be identified by the naked eye under a bright sun, especially when the paint is black.

The actual work starts now. The customers always opt for detailing without tinkering with the original paint and interior design. Audi usually comes with water-based paint and clear coat made by German company Glassurit and are comparatively harder compared to other OEM paints.

The polishing on Tovino's Audi was done using GreenZ’s own branded polishes and other imported materials for a fine finishing.

Paint correction process, which removes all paint defects, is a complex procedure that goes on for two or three days. The car is then given a final ceramic coating.

Key points

Detailing packages vary from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh, depending on the type of package and model of the car. Some of the leading companies ensure guarantee period of up to seven years.

Make sure that you go to a quality & credibility service provider. You can ask for references of vehicle owners who had availed of the firm's services.

Check the history of the detailing provider. Long years of experience almost always indicates quality.

Make sure that the firm is using materials with international quality standards. Beware of cheaper Chinese products that may compromise on quality.

Ask in detail about the products that the firm uses and the process it follows. Make sure that the firm abides by the norms.

Products used in ceramic coating needs good maintenance. So settle for an offer that involves maintenance service. Form an idea about the maintenance cost.

Some companies offer online bookings. Avail of them. Online bookings generally includes a discount

Car detailing is not the end of your car care worries. Some products such as ceramic coating needs good maintenance to last for years.

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