Delivery News

[Dohnut]

Congrats TJB and I echo your sentiments on everything, except Polestar - I too am jealous like Ian and it’s on my to do list. Might have to wait a few months for that though.

My detailer also mentioned the dealer prep was good with only a single light pass with the polisher to remove fairly insignificant defects. Ceramic coating has already proved worthwhile - I awoke this morning to find the seagulls had been busy!

So far I’m super happy!

[scotdoc72]

Originally Posted by Dohnut

Congrats TJB and I echo your sentiments on everything, except Polestar - I too am jealous like Ian and it’s on my to do list. Might have to wait a few months for that though.

My detailer also mentioned the dealer prep was good with only a single light pass with the polisher to remove fairly insignificant defects. Ceramic coating has already proved worthwhile - I awoke this morning to find the seagulls had been busy!

So far I’m super happy!

My new car arrives next month. I’ve never had ceramic coating applied to my previous cars. Is it really worth the hundreds of ££? Or is it more akin to a longer lasting wax/polish? It’s difficult to find an balanced view on this online - and so I’m interested/curious in what the general view is on ceramic coating - thanks.

[S60Chris]

Originally Posted by scotdoc72

My new car arrives next month. I’ve never had ceramic coating applied to my previous cars. Is it really worth the hundreds of ££? Or is it more akin to a longer lasting wax/polish? It’s difficult to find an balanced view on this online - and so I’m interested/curious in what the general view is on ceramic coating - thanks.

100% worth it, if you go for a good one. We had our XC90 coated with GTechnic Crystal Serum Pro (since replaced by 'Ultra')

The paintwork when we sold it was still better than factory new and it was a dream to clean even 4.5 years later.

Our detailer vlogged some of the process. the finished result is about 8ish minutes in - https://youtu.be/AX7slTAwzro

We had our Touareg coated in Crystal Serum Light which was about half the price of Pro/Ultra. It is noticeably not as good, and when new car time comes along we'll be using Ultra. Light is disappointing. You get what you pay for I guess, and the top stuff can only be applied by accredited detailers due to the risk to paintwork if applied incorrectly.

We had the mother in law's e-208 done in Ultra recently and it's a beautiful finish. https://www.cambridgeautogleam.com/peugeot-e208

In short, undoubtedly worth it if budget allows, but don't skimp on the product or else you'll wish you saved your cash.

[Dohnut]

Originally Posted by scotdoc72

My new car arrives next month. I’ve never had ceramic coating applied to my previous cars. Is it really worth the hundreds of ££? Or is it more akin to a longer lasting wax/polish? It’s difficult to find an balanced view on this online - and so I’m interested/curious in what the general view is on ceramic coating - thanks.

Whether it’s worth it is only a question you can answer really and depends on whether you value a swirl free finish to your paintwork.

Ceramic coatings not only provide gloss but also form a very tough hydrophobic layer. This makes cleaning easier, helps prevent marring from bird crap and as long as you follow a decent wash routine, will help prevent swirls. Generally the last anywhere between 3-5 years.

For me it’s a no brainier as I take pleasure in having a shiny clean car but I get that others aren’t so bothered.

Whatever you do, don’t go for the overpriced dealer sold products and use a professional detailer.

[Ian0803]

Bit of a sceptic here. Its a pretty simple chemistry, sold at what's not a simple price. The benefits are pushed by the manufacturers and detailers, I have never seen a paint company praising its benefits or suggesting one needs to use it.

If you are someone who takes care of your vehicle, regularly washes the car and are happy to apply a good wax 2 or 3 times a year, then save your money.


However, if you have money to spare, don't want to spend a few hours a year waxing, then its a good way to keep the paintwork glossy for an extended period.

I don't think I am willing to pay for what is called "paint correction" on a brand new car.

I have always used Meguiars Ultimate liquid wax and it so easy to apply compared to other waxes, especially when buffing.

But that's just me, others will have different opinions.

[TaffyJerseyBean]

Hey thanks Dohnut and Ian0803. A few days in and still loving it.

I’d say the Polestar upgrade is worth it, but whether you would agree once fitted is entirely down to personal taste. I’ve come from an X3 MSport with the standard 2.0 diesel MHEV engine. While fun, it wasn’t a riot. If you are used to M40i performance then the Polestar may not quite scratch the itch.

It doesn’t suddenly transform the car into hot hatch territory. The upgrade is subtle. In normal comfort mode you’ll ask yourself “so what”? However, I’ve found that it makes a huge difference in gear shifting and mid-range pull when you really need it and eliminates the hesitance the box otherwise has in these situations as its normally trying to deliver a smooth, luxurious ride.

It’s a completely different beast in Polestar Engineered mode. It feels slightly more “theatric” and its pleasantly surprising as to how much fun you can get out of a 4-pot 235hp diesel engine in such a heavy car. Then again, I’m not coming into the XC90 from a performance car so perhaps I’m easily pleased! 😊

Onto the subject of ceramic.

Its a personal choice but I would recommend it. In my experience I’d steer well clear of any dealer packages. I once paid a VW dealer £399 for what amounted to a bag of crap left in the boot. I became suspicious when I collected the car and it failed to bead rain so asked my valet guy for a second opinion only to be told there’d been nothing applied to the paintwork whatsoever and whoever prepped the car had used a substance tantamount to washing up liquid!!!

Getting ceramic applied is also subject to 101 pitfalls. There are a lot of detailers out there who are expensive, opinionated or downright cowboys. Thankfully I’ve built up a relationship with a good valeter for 20-odd years and I trust him 100%. He’s “ceramic’d” every new car in the family since I first took the plunge.

On this occasion he applied CQUARTZ and a layer of Carpro Gliss. He complimented both the quality of the build and preparation by the dealer as one of the best he’d seen in years, not typical of the care he normally sees from other dealers. It required very little preparation and surface correction this time and looked fantastic when he’d finished.

In my opinion if you want your car to look its best and be protected its worth it. It not only adds an effective barrier to protect against bird droppings and fall out, it makes the paintwork “pop” and beads water even when moderately dirty. However, it’s the washing of the car where is makes a huge difference. The process is so much easier and a little care with microfibre cloths and a detail spray post wash the car looks like a professional has just valeted it every time.

Each to their own but it gets a thumbs up from me. Find a good, honest valeter who knows what they are doing and knows their products though.

[TaffyJerseyBean]

One minor gripe with the Sensus system and that is playing music from a USB stick.

I've noticed in Album view that Albums are listed alphabetically by title, then "Song Artist" instead of "Album Artist".

This is fine if you have an album where the song artist is the same all the way through. However, if you have a compilation album where the "Album Artist" is "Various Artists", the system instead files multiple version of the album with each filed according to each different song artist. For example, a compilation album with 20 songs by 20 different artists will show up as being 20 albums with the same title, all having one song each.

How do I get around this without changing all my individual song artists?

Seems a silly logical oversight.

[RoryMc]

XC90 B5 Plus Dark ordered early March, latest update I have from the dealer is that it is due 30th sept. Still haven't decided to go for the petrol or diesel model but told I don't need to decide until they are given a build date which could be another couple of months away.

[DoaM]

Diesel is £1.80 a litre around here now. (Petrol is about £1.60)

The difference is getting so big these days that the diesel/petrol choice is getting more difficult to make ... will the (usually) better MPG of a diesel still lead to fuel cost savings?

[TaffyJerseyBean]

Originally Posted by DoaM

Diesel is £1.80 a litre around here now. (Petrol is about £1.60)

The difference is getting so big these days that the diesel/petrol choice is getting more difficult to make ... will the (usually) better MPG of a diesel still lead to fuel cost savings?

This is so true. There's going to be barely anything in it before long.

When I bought my XC90 from stock a couple of weeks ago the dealer had two identical cars except for colour and engine (they had a blue petrol and a grey diesel). With the same deposit the payments on the petrol came out around £28pm more than the diesel due to the difference in list price and residuals. I plumped for the diesel in the end merely because I've driven diesels for 20+ years, this will probably be my last and I'll miss them when they are gone.

Whether that proves to be a good financial decision the way things are going is anyone's guess. In my case the decision was simply personal preference and downright nostalgia!