Car Detailing : 3M Car Care (UB City, Bangalore) I have been wanting to head to 3M from the time I took delivery of my car. It is absolutely essential that you protect the paint at the very beginning. The dust levels and pollution are so high in our country. There is dust in the air even in your house. No way you can get rid of it. Karthikk from team Bhp, another Linea owner had advised me that I get some 3M magic done on the car. Images of Karthikk's car were enough to justify the quality of work. The only problem was the location of 3M. The most talked about HSR layout was too far and so was Dollars collony. When I read that 3M had opened up in UB City, I was thrilled. It is a 20 minute ride from home and I knew exactly where UB city is located. Finding your way around Bangalore, atleast for me is still a nightmare even after 6 long years of living here. I found Bombay a lot easier after spending just a year there. So yeah, it was just a mention on Team bhp that 3M had opened in UB City. I called 3M helpline and got the number of the person who runs the 3M car care facility in UB City. A Mr. Vinod. I fixed an apointment for 9am today (Saturday, 28th, 2012). I was there on the dot but it took a good 45 minutes before they started the work. Finding 3M in UB City was a small task. It is at the last basement parking that is closest to the Exit gate for UB City. When I spoke to Mr. Vinod, I was recommended a package that would set me back by around Rs. 4500. Upon reaching 3M, Mr. Vinod's assistant took a close look at my car and said I need do only the 3M Paint Sealant-Essential as the car was a little over a month hold and damage was minimal with all the guard's washing. This will cost Rs. 3000 for a Linea. The cost varies depending on the size of the car. I had a Hyundai i20 for company and a while later, an Audi A8L. My car looked like a toy next to the Audi. I got chatting with the owner of the Hyundai. The A8L had come from the showroom. The Hyundai owner, a reitred gentlman had recently acquired a Verna petrol too and was very impressed with what 3M had done for this car when he first visited. He brought the i20 for the same job being carried out on my car plus windscreen sun film.
The 3M facilty in UB City is not fully speced as the other 3M outlets. No basic car wash, under body treatments or foam wash. Sun film, paint protection and interior/exterior cleaning/detailing is about all they can do. This is no drainage provided and hence, they can't really do a water wash for anything. They have steam wash which turned out very effective. It got me wondering at the beginning as to how they intend to work on my car as it needed a wash due to the dust settled on the surface.
The process started with steam washing, which was pretty awesome. A jet of water, combined with steam and compressed air. My car was already shining. After this, they rubbed some clay compound on the metal parts of the car. Once clay rubbing was done, they masked all chrome strips, windows, windshield; applied liquid wax and polished the car. The entire process took a good 3.5 hours. The results are just amazing. The paint surface on my car feels like silk. The Linea, by design is a beautiful car. The work done by 3M car care made it look even better. The Sun Beam beige color on my car looked fantastic. My car looked so much better than the day I took delivery.
The chaps working on my car were very professional. Each of them have been trained at the 3M facility in Electronic City, Bangalore. I had nearly 4 people work on the car at one go. Each one going about their job. The job cost me Rs. 3303. My only complaint is time management. I had an appointment at 9am and to me, you need to start your job at 9. It took a good 45 minutes before they actually started to work on my car. Besides; the chaps working on my car were constantly distracted by the Audi that had come in for complete exterior, interior and engine bay detailing.
The package includes alloy wheel cleaning, tire cleaning, basic interior cleaning, cleaning windows and windshield.
On the overall, it was a pleasant experience. They were nice enough to refund the cost for parking too. Some photographs from 3M car care, UB City.
Last edited by sandeepmohan : 29th January 2012 at 00:50.
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