[cptwei]

Happy owner of a Giulia Ti here! Not in the market for the Stelvio yet but I'm really intrigued by it's prospects. I did a special order for my Giulia earlier this year; would be glad to share my experience if anyone is planning to do something similar.

 

[Khan22]

Sweet ! Welcome to the forums. Would love to see some photos of the Giulia as I do really like them.

Plan on adding a Stelvio to the garage at any point at all?

 

[cptwei]

Pics here!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cpt/albums/72157678612686204

Spec of the car is Giulia Ti w/ 19" sport package
Ti Performance package
Harman Kardon Audio
Dark Gray wood trim

A garage with 2 Alfas? Don't tempt me! (might actually happen in a few years...)

 

[Khan22]

Holy moly that is one gorgeous Giulia!!

Did you apply any paint protection or sealant or anything?!

 

[cptwei]

Thanks for the kind words

I put on Xpel film on front bumper/hood/fenders/mirror caps. Apparently Alfa's paint is very soft, so some kind of protection at least on the front end is highly recommended. After that it will be DIY wax/seal every 3-6 months.

 

[Khan22]

Glad to see someone so meticulous about the exterior care of their car. For a sealant I typically go with something like the Sonax Polymer Net-Shield but I may start experimenting with some others.

If you don't mind me asking all these questions haha, what wax/sealant combo are you looking towards?

 

[cptwei]

I mostly used Meguiar's off the shelf stuff in the past, but recently started to experiment with Sonax products and I liked them a lot. Will likely give AMMO a try in the future.

 

[Finesse]

Always watch Larry when he posts something on Youtube and I've always wanted to take a swing at his products. I was listening to one of his interview things and he was talking about how the products came about being developed and that he actually had a lot to play in it and it wasn't just branding and endorsement. They sure sound like some real high quality products.

 

[Khan22]

Now that's something that's highly appreciated. When a professional detailer that has a great understanding of what's the best for what application gets directly involved into his products, it says a lot. Also heard that his wife is big into chemistry as well so that probably had a lot of play into it all. Would you mind posting the link to the interview if you could find it?

But, Meguiars off the shelf stuff is always great. My typical go-to along with some products from Autoglym

 

[poormansferrari]

I mostly used Meguiar's off the shelf stuff in the past, but recently started to experiment with Sonax products and I liked them a lot. Will likely give AMMO a try in the future.

I have been the same way because one simple truth is that as long as you do SOMETHING to protect your paint, you're already well ahead of most folks and already doing your car some real justice.

But given what we're paying for Stelvio's, it won't be hard to come across a lot of owners that go straight to a detailer.

 

[Khan22]

I'm definitely going to be one of those people to get the Xpel coverage to preserve that beautiful paint.

Main thing is, make sure you tell your dealer, upon delivery, leave all the plastics and everything on it, and don't touch the paint whatsoever. The worst thing to have happen is receiving your brand new cars with brand new dealer installed scratches.

 

[poormansferrari]

If that's your concern, maybe looking for a independent detail shop will be the better route to go. AR is still new so you might have some guy that details Chargers, and Compass' all day detailing your Stelvio

 

[Khan22]

Most definitely as it just makes the most sense. There's no point in me taking delivery of it and then washing it and compounding myself when they'll still end up doing some sort of polishing on it before applying the Xpel anyhow.

Having seen how many dealerships clean their cars, it's horrendous lol.

 

[poormansferrari]

Most definitely as it just makes the most sense. There's no point in me taking delivery of it and then washing it and compounding myself when they'll still end up doing some sort of polishing on it before applying the Xpel anyhow.

Having seen how many dealerships clean their cars, it's horrendous lol.

I have seen the sand filled mits and the poor usage of wash buckets, that alone scared me straight to finding my own detailer and touchless washes for my on-the-go clean up's.

Not all dealers are the same though, just have to ask around and find out their process.

 

[Khan22]

That is true, can't generalize them all right? But just due to the shear bad experiences I've had, instead of taking the chance and potentially getting a bad result, I'd rather go directly with a reputable detailer that cares a lot more about the quality of his/her work than the average hourly paid employee at a dealership. It's just worth the extra dollar and lick of time.

Why take a chance when you don't have to right?

 

[poormansferrari]

Unless they're contracting the job out to a detailer I know then I rather find my own.

Sometimes its not even a matter of paying more, the smaller guys that do a better job often need to build their client list. Dealers have the clients but lack quality, independent guys have the quality but not as many clients.