# LSP test - C1, Vintage, Lifeshine



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Hello everyone:wave:

So a bit of background info before commencing the test - 
At the start of the week we had a rep & technician down from Autoglym to get our feedback on the Lifeshine product. We're an honest bunch and tell it how it is so - "rubbish" was basically our polite response.

The tech suggested to try and change our opinion on their Lifeshine product we should apply the 'bodywork gloss shield' to the bonnet of our own cars as a test.

Now a test wouldn't be a test in my book with out some direct, side by side comparisons.

So the challengers:-










Lifeshine, G-Techniq C1 and Zymol Vintage.

So here's the bonnet taped up before a quick whizz over with a finishing pad and #205.










This was followed by a couple of wipe downs with IPA, then out with the masking tape to mark out the test areas.










Lifeshine applied, apologies it's difficult to make out on silver!










Vintage applied.










C1 applied.










Here's the bonnet after all the products had been removed.










Tape removed and off we go. I should mention that no quick detailing sprays or the like were used after LSP removal. The LSP's are left to fend for themselves.










So what have we learn't so far?..essentially nothing:lol: We know what to expect in terms of application & ease of use.
Visually the panel looks the same all over as you'd expect. 
Running the back of your hand across the panel reveals that C1 feels marginally more slippery/slick but that's about it.

The car lives outside so I'll try and make the next update a beading shot when it next rains.

Subsequent updates will follow as and when I wash the car, again I'll try and get shots of water behaviour and of course report back as to how they're all performing regarding durability.

Thanks for looking and I for one am looking forward to seeing how each of these LSP's fare, especially Vintage the lone wax warrior sandwiched in the middle.

Update 9th Sept :-

Quick pic of the bonnet first thing this morning, complete with over night moisture.










One thing which soon became apparent when I got on a dual carriageway after a couple of minutes driving was that the air passing over the bonnet soon pushed the moisture into beads on both the Lifeshine and C1 areas, the Vintage area clung onto the moisture for dear life in comparison.

Bring on some rain...

---------------------------------------

Update 30th Sept :-

Car has just had it's first wash since initial application.










All LSP's still present and correct.
Notes - Lifeshine seems to hold more water on the panel when rinsing compared to the other two.
C1 leaves very little water, in the form of small beads.
Vintage leaves water but in the form of bigger beads which seem to run into each other down the panel and has a streaming effect.

C1









Vintage









Lifeshine









-------------------------------------------------

Update from todays wash(27/10/12)

All 3 LSP's still going strong, one thing which I did notice today is that when rinsing the car down after washing is the differing amounts of water left on each section of the bonnet, definately not something which was obvious at the start of the test.

So although the Lifeshine sheets water slowly in comparison to both C1 and Vintage it actually left far less water on the panel. Hopefully the following pics will show this :-

C1









Vintage









Lifeshine









----------------------------------

Update (24/11/12)

So after over 600 miles of motorway driving, many of it in the rain there wasn't much in the way of beading on any part of the bonnet.
A quick wash today and beading/sheeting is restored...to varying degrees.

Apologies for the poor pics but they should show both C1 and Lifeshine leaving a few beads of water after rinsing, Vintage however has held onto lots of water in comparison.
Now this isn't necessarily a negative as it sheets water as well as C1 & Lifeshine but if you were washing a Vintage'd car outside in the summer you'd have to be quick with a QD and drying towel to avoid water spotting.

C1










Vintage










Lifeshine










So in summary, all LSP's still doing their thing, as well they should be given their billing for longevity!
Let's see how they cope in the coming weeks & months. I'm sure a few frosts and prolonged low temps may well shake things up a bit...

Update - 10/12/12

A quick video showing water behaviour on the test panel after a wash this weekend...


----------



## rs_si (Apr 20, 2010)

Will be interested to watch this!


----------



## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

Nice one Chris, will suscribe to this ..


----------



## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

Thanks for setting up the test - should be an interesting experiment to see how they compare. A family member has just bought a used Honda and had the AG Lifeshine fitted - thrown in for free as part of the deal. So I'm really curious as to how it performs in this test and of course seeing its durability on the Honda :thumb:


----------



## slineclean (Dec 23, 2011)

Will interested to see the results :thumb:


----------



## Tips (Mar 27, 2011)

Insert [popcorn.gif]


----------



## JasonPD (Jan 8, 2010)

Also interested to see how the lifeshine gets on on your test


----------



## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Chris, is this the original C1? I found the paint to feel more 'grabby' than expected after C1 was applied. Interesting test


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

SimonBash said:


> Chris, is this the original C1?


Sorry, yes this is the original C1.


----------



## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Will be interesting, the life shine side doesn't look to bad tbh.


----------



## RDB85 (Dec 28, 2011)

C1 Looks nice and wet, but as Lee said AG LS does not look too bad either


----------



## evotuning (Oct 16, 2009)

Seriously ? Judging LSP looks from one photo on silver bonnet ?


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

evotuning said:


> Seriously ? Judging LSP looks from one photo on silver bonnet ?


Absolutely nothing to do with looks, otherwise I would have used a solid black car at work. Besides they all look the same

More a durability test, specifically to judge a dealer applied product against a couple of highly regarded LSP's.:thumb:


----------



## evotuning (Oct 16, 2009)

I know, I was reffering to other user's post about looks  Looking forward to see results


----------



## ph0 (Aug 16, 2012)

Ty for your effort but we all know c1 will outlast them all.


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Quick update:thumb:


----------



## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Interesting test and I was impressed by C1 for sometime, have to say that I've gone back to the trusty FK1000P.....


----------



## horned yo (Feb 10, 2009)

what would you expect on durability from Vintage?


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

horned yo said:


> what would you expect on durability from Vintage?


From previous experience it's not as long as people make out
We'll see for sure in the coming weeks and months


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

OP updated


----------



## Renegade (Nov 8, 2010)

Any further up dates on this test??


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Renegade said:


> Any further up dates on this test??


No further updates as the car hasn't been washed since the last update
Beading still present across the whole of the bonnet all be it not great as it's got a layer of traffic film on it.

Next wash Saturday...:thumb:


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

OP updated


----------



## SystemClenz (Oct 31, 2008)

Had a call from Gary from AG and he mentioned this, good test, how's the test going?


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

MattWSM said:


> Had a call from Gary from AG and he mentioned this, good test, how's the test going?


Did he indeed:thumb: 
Hoping to get the car washed on Saturday so will update the thread over the weekend as to how the products are standing up thus far.
Car currently has c.600miles of motorway filth on it so beading/sheeting isn't great:lol:


----------



## SystemClenz (Oct 31, 2008)

Chris_Z4 said:


> Did he indeed:thumb:
> Hoping to get the car washed on Saturday so will update the thread over the weekend as to how the products are standing up thus far.
> Car currently has c.600miles of motorway filth on it so beading/sheeting isn't great:lol:


Which product would you say was winning so far?


----------



## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

Nice test!

One thing that's a variable often overlooked is the likelihood of each system/coating is applied properly, _if_ lifeshine application is given to the apprentice/valeter/someone who will not he taken to task, or even see the customer or hear a complaint even if there is one.......or if his journyman, or workshop manager or dealership manager see it as easy cash, non core business, slap on and buff in a hurry the danger is it will not be applied properly or thoroughly.

If you used a detailer, they're generally a small business, the guy you speak to on the phone is the same guy who does the work and hands you the keys after, he also directly benefits from customer satisfaction as he owns the company, not only his core business but only source of revenue for his house/food/wife etc the time taken. So having lifeshine applied under the same conditions is good but (in some cases) possibly not representative of what customers receive getting it applied at the dealership.

My OH has some paint protection sticker on her brand new car, I asked about it and she said it was thrown in free.........well I can confidently say that car has never ever had ANY hydrophobic coating applied to it....


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

MattWSM said:


> Which product would you say was winning so far?


On the basis that the LSP is applied to offer protection, and all three are still showing visible signs of protection I'd say they are all equal currently.

The Vintage doesn't have the uniform, tight, small beads that you get after initial application but still sheets very well.

Lifeshine still beading but the sheeting has slowed down as mentioned in the OP but in doing so leaves less water on the panel than the other two.

C1 has lost the slick, water running off the panel when driving down the road 'feature' however still beading & sheets well when rinsing after a wash.


----------



## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

Bero said:


> Nice test!
> 
> One thing that's a variable often overlooked is the likelihood of each system/coating is applied properly, _if_ lifeshine application is given to the apprentice/valeter/someone who will not he taken to task, or even see the customer or hear a complaint even if there is one.......or if his journyman, or workshop manager or dealership manager see it as easy cash, non core business, slap on and buff in a hurry the danger is it will not be applied properly or thoroughly.
> 
> ...


This was my very thought when i first started reading the thread.

A friend had it applied to his car, and admittedly for the first couple of months it did resist dirt quite well but soon faded. After that it required the usual tar and iron removers and claying.


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

OP updated...:wave:


----------



## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

vintage looking good  be interesting to see how much longer it lasts, ive always said 3-4 months easily. and its in that bracket now


----------



## jebus (Jun 2, 2009)

Think this looks a brilliant test and surprised this hasn't been done before, lifeshine has a very bad rep on here be good to see it holding its own against C1 that is so well respected on here.
It might help to show just how important the application/prep stage is, rather than just the product itself, which seems to be getting lost these days.
Will be watching this closely.


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

OP updated with a short video...:wave:


----------



## SystemClenz (Oct 31, 2008)

Chris_Z4 said:


> OP updated with a short video...:wave:


Am I seeing C1 in first place? If so I could have placed money on it


----------



## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

:thumb:..


----------



## TopSport+ (Jul 22, 2012)

C1 looks awesome


----------



## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

3 months in Lifeshine still doing well, on par with Vintage for sheeting which is interesting but perhaps not surprising considering Vintage was developed 65 years ago! 

Updated beading picture on the way?


----------



## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

A friend had lifeshine applied and in fairness water behaviour was pretty good for the first few months and washes, then dropped dramatically. Lets hope proper prep gives it the boost it needs to meet its claims

You just need to go round training all the approved traders and show them how to make a proper job of it


----------



## SystemClenz (Oct 31, 2008)

I'd love an update on this please :thumb:


----------



## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

^^^^ Agreed, 5 Months on, there can only be one winner by now  C1 i hope.. as its my next purchase


----------



## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

SystemClenz said:


> I'd love an update on this please :thumb:





20vKarlos said:


> ^^^^ Agreed, 5 Months on, there can only be one winner by now  C1 i hope.. as its my next purchase


Ok, so the last update I can give was from 4-5weeks ago as I've since sold the car
Unsurprisingly C1 was still going strong - beading & sheeting well.
Vintage & Lifeshine were pretty much identical in terms of you could tell both those sections had some protection on but the Vintage had lost the Zymol uniform, tight beading and both still sheeted water all be it pretty slowly.

Just goes to show that all 3 offer decent LSP performance on correctly prepared paint.

My next test will involve 2 high end waxes from the same brand, next to each other, looking for any difference in 'look' as well as water behaviour & durability:thumb:...just need to buy a car first!


----------

