Hello all,

Well, I've finally taken the plunge and bought a 2.0 TDI 4x4 Octy Estate, so fingers crossed the turbo doesn't blow and the price of diesel doesn't double, eh... (sad to see the back of the MX-5, but after nearly 4.5 years it's time to move on :( )

I'm pondering whether to get Supagard applied, need to tell the dealer today. From what I read, it's pretty good but tends to be expensive through dealers due to commission. Should I tell them no and then look into getting it applied independently? Or should I just forget about it? Or give them the go-ahead to apply it?

Also, I chose to take GAP insurance. A couple of hundred quid (approx) for 3 years "back to original price" cover sounds pretty good, as far as insurance deals go? What does everyone think?

Cheers,

R.

Supaguard is a complete waste of time.

To maintain the 'warranty' you have to wash the car and apply this once a month.

So basically like any wax if you do it once a month it will protect your car.

Trust me I detail cars and get asked this all the time.

RE: Gap insurance. I've just been looking into this on behalf of a relative. Consider that companies like www.car2cover.co.uk will offer you 3 years cover, up to a maximum claim of £15,000 for £159, or £25,000 for £199. I can't speak for the reliability of this company, but it may well be cheaper than your dealer...

Supaguard is a complete waste of time.

To maintain the 'warranty' you have to wash the car and apply this once a month.

So basically like any wax if you do it once a month it will protect your car.

Trust me I detail cars and get asked this all the time.

Ok, I'll leave it then. I don't mind giving the car a polish now and again, so it's probably not going to be worth my while.

Thanks!

RE: Gap insurance. I've just been looking into this on behalf of a relative. Consider that companies like www.car2cover.co.uk will offer you 3 years cover, up to a maximum claim of £15,000 for £159, or £25,000 for £199. I can't speak for the reliability of this company, but it may well be cheaper than your dealer...

Hmm, this is cheaper than my dealer (£249, just checked). But still, the value of my actual GAP aside, I think the principle of what I'm paying for seems reasonable? 3 years is a long time on the road each day!

Yes, I was initially very sceptical about GAP insurance but I've started to hear more and more good things about it over the last few years, topped off by my brother-in-law writing off a nearly new (financed) Clio and losing nearly 3k "overnight". For the sake of £100ish when he bought the car, he's gutted he didn't take it.

Good choice in cars - MX5 and then an Octy 4x4 - although you could have kept both!!!

Don't bother with the paint protection, waste of money; I bought some Car Plan Protect and Seal from motor world for about £7, does the same thing for a fraction of the cost, needs to be applied after waxing and lasts around 6 months it says. It helps keep dirt from sticking and helps keep it looking shiney. As for GAP I've bought insurance for my last two cars from www.click4gap.com and have found the service quick and easy. Never had to make a cliam though thankfully but it's half the price of the dealer.

Good choice in cars - MX5 and then an Octy 4x4 - although you could have kept both!!!

I know you're right about the MX-5... I HOPE you're right about the Octy 4x4 :rubchin:

Keeping both, hmm, not got enough space even if I wanted to run two cars!

I got my 4x4 with Auto Glym, which looks far superior to the finish that Supaguard put on the wife's car, although that could be because Skoda paintwork is better than Fiat!! Mind you, I didn't pay for it. The dealer was so anxious for me to have it, I got HIM to pay for it!

As regards GAP, I thought it very sensible and, as has been said, it's a small price to pay to save a lot of possible expense later. I also got the Skoda fixed price maintenance, which seemed reasonable.

I just polished it myself when it was new and very clean. I used a whole bottle of autoglym super resin polish.

As for GAP I got it off the net for half the price of the dealer's one.

I took out GAP on my Octy vRS.

It is "back to invoice" cover - so should I do anything silly and get it written off within 3 years I know that the GAP will give me the difference between my insurance offer and what I paid for the car.

Like all insurance it is a gamble - but it isn't that expensive especially if you consider the "monthly charge" over the 3yrs they typically run for.

I didnt know about GAP insurance until my dealer saleman mentioned it but sort of hinted that I should look around. I ended up taking out back to invoice cover from a 3rd party insurer as it was a lot cheaper (www.car-finance.net Hitachi Capital Insurance Europe Ltd - cost was £199 for a £19K car for 3 years cover)

WHATEVER YOU DO DONT BUY SUPAGUARD FROM THE DEALER - ITS EXPENSIVE

Just type supaguard into ebay to see why. I managed to get the full dealer kit and owner ultrapro aftercare kit in a case for £45.

Generally I found the scotchguard type spray and the paintseal were worthwhile but the rest I'd question.

Cheers

D

I paid £250 for my GAP insurance from the dealer, bit pricey but not too crazy. Don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

I didn't go with the Supagard. I don't see what the paint protection can do that an occasional polish/wax can't. I use Armorall on my interior plastics so I'll continue to do that with the Octy.

The only bit of Supagard I'm curious about is the fabric protector. This did sound very good actually. Can I buy that on it's own? Or are there other similar products I should consider?

GAP Insurance, Back to Invoice, Payment Protection, Vehicle Replacement Gap Insurance, Commercial Gap Insurance and Early Termination Insurances for GAP cover, many different types, i got Return to Invoice cover (10k cover) on my Fabia for £89

Anybody buying a car on finance or indeed cash these days must be nuts if they don't take out GAP with car prices falling like they are! Many larger cars are losing anything from £1500 to £3500 a month at the mo, bet the monthly payment's are no where near that sort of amount, so unless you have just bought a diesel supermini that hits the free tax bracket next year brace yourselves if anything happens to it, it's going to hit your pocket hard without GAP!

Anybody buying a car on finance or indeed cash these days must be nuts if they don't take out GAP with car prices falling like they are! Many larger cars are losing anything from £1500 to £3500 a month at the mo, bet the monthly payment's are no where near that sort of amount, so unless you have just bought a diesel supermini that hits the free tax bracket next year brace yourselves if anything happens to it, it's going to hit your pocket hard without GAP!

Pretty much what I thought. Even for £250, If I wrote the Octy off in 2-3 years, GAP would recover £1000's that I'd have lost otherwise. And the odds of a major collision over 3 years are not as small as I'd like them to be, 3 years is quite a long time on the road!