[3rdAttempt]

Hi Guys! So just a follow up to my earlier post.
I finally got the car today, after about a week's delay because of the alloy wheels fiasco.
After a lot of calls, and involving competitor dealerships and with the help of Skoda India, Mody Skoda agreed to swap out the alloys that had come with my car for the ones that they'd originally shown me (and that continue to be shown in every ad for the Kushaq Matte Edition). I'm so glad this happened and it was totally worth the phone calls, effort and extra days it took.

Delivery

I used the PDI checklist from the forum - thank you for making it!
During the PDI I noticed a few things:
1. The rear windscreen did not have the same serial number as the ones on the windows - is this a cause of concern?
2. The SA mentioned that the battery and tyres don't have a warranty certificate and that the battery infact doesn't get warranty. He then mentioned that incase there is an issue with the battery, EXIDE would however replace it given it's a new car. Is this normal?

Everything went smooth post that and after a PDI (split 50% with my wife) we picked up the car this afternoon and brought it home. The delivery experience was very good at Mody Skoda with the SAs doing a detailed handover, placing all the accessories as we wanted them, giving a small box of chocolates and cookies and also offering to do a Puja if we wanted to.

We'd planned the delivery in the afternoon when it isn't too busy for them, and yet they had 2 other deliveries happening around the same time - a Kushaq Monte Carlo and a Kodiaq.

Thanks to this forum I remembered to carry some presents for both the SA and his manager who had worked on our deal.

First Impressions

I'll be honest - I'm totally in LOVE with the color! The finish is deep and true. Its looks greysh-blue in the sunlight and a dark deep grey in the night. With rain drops on it, the car looks even better! (haha I feel like a child with a new toy!) I've attached some pictures.
The car feels Skoda-ish ie. Solidly built! They've given ample storage and have been generous with their accessory kit, even throwing in a car vacuum cleaner complimentary. The dashboard is neat and feels premium. There is a lot of hard plastic compared its competitors like Astor, but it's not too bad and the car looks good on the inside too.

Niggles

First day of driving around I noticed that the driving position is good, the car is easy to manoeuvre in the city and the front seats feel comfortable with sufficient support and thigh rest.

The AC keeps letting out some sound when it's on - I am not even sure how to describe it - I would say it sounds like a gust of additional wind thats blowing through every few seconds. It's not disturbing but I am certainly wondering what that is.

The wireless charging seems to be a concern - not only does it take a lot of fiddling to find the position in which the system recognizes that a phone is there, but also the wireless charging isn't continuous and stops after a few minutes. Im wondering if anyone else has had this experience? I plan to take it up with the SA.

I spent over a few minutes trying to connect to wireless car play, but I couldn't figure it out. I'll try it later when I have more time - It should've been striaghtforward but apparently it isn't. I am hoping it's nothing complex.


Conclusion

The Kushaq's biggest draw was that it's solidly built, feels refined and has a 5 star NCAP rating for adults and children. Given this car would mostly ferry my wife and son, the safety rating was a super important consideration for us.
The car will do less than 10,000 kms every year and does well as an everyday car given its size and ground clearance.
The car feels refined and non gimmicky and I can see us owning it all through its extended warranty period of 4+2 years. I also added on the Skoda Maintenance package for peace of mind.

The Kushaq's lack of electrical adjustment for (at least) driver seat, the non dynamic reverse camera guide lines, and regular sized (non panoramic) sunroof were some of my concerns when I was comparing cars.
After the first day, I feel like 2 out of these 3 concerns can be lived with easily. I do wish it had dynamic reverse parking guidelines - for a car of this size and in this price range, I think it's a must.

Lastly, I still haven't decided on the PPF. The quote of 1.4L from the Showroom felt too exp as did the one from Optimum Detailerz of 1.93L.
I have an option to get a Blaupunkt PPF installed for under 1L but some members suggested I don't use Blaupunkt given it hasnt built a reputation in the PPF market yet.
So I am at square one and driving the car without any PPF, as of now at least.

Sharing some exterior pictures for everyone's benefit.

Admins, unsure if this is the ideal place for this reply, but please let me know if you need me to move it elsewhere.

Cheers!

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Roark

Consolidated the thoughts that were put forth by Amol Chitre.

If I understand it correctly ONR is Optimum No Rise Concentrate (costs an arm and a leg on Amazon)
So in effect it is a No Rinse Concentrate which is mixed with water which then can be used for a No Rinse Wash.

Please don’t dry dust the car, any contact with the PPF (or paint) must be with proper lubrication after a thorough pre rinse otherwise you’ll get swirling in no time. PPF is much softer than paint and ceramic, making it even more prone to micro marring.

Initially the self healing may reduce the visible swirling but it can only self level a finite amount of times, after which the effect is lost permanently.

Also, there’s some confusion between a waterless wash and a rinseless wash. Both are completely different products.

A waterless wash, means literally no water is used. You spray on and wipe off, it’s a quick recipe for micro marring and swirls. No pressure washer is used here/no pre rinse.

Rinseless wash: ONR, as the name suggests is a rinseless wash, which means unlike traditional shampoos, it doesn’t need rinsing off after application. You are still required to thoroughly pre rinse (pressure washer ideally but garden hose can work) the paintwork before applying the solution.

ONR dilutes 1:256, cost shouldn’t be an issue (don’t over dilute or you’ll be buffing needlessly to get it off.)

Another point, use a fresh towel/mitt for each panel. Even after pre rinse, road film and certain contaminants are still present on the paint, when you wipe you’re picking these up with your towel. Dunking the towel in your 2 buckets with grit guards is not enough to fully release all these contaminants.

At the very least, use a fresh side per panel, and after 2-3 panels or a single large panel, switch to a fresh towel. You’ll need around 5-8 towel’s depending on the surface area. Also use a fresh towel to buff after wiping, don’t use the same towel used initially as that has all the debris.

To my mind, if one is taking the trouble to pressure wash and wipe using rinseless wash, might as well use a foam cannon and get even better results with more safety. Rinsing foam takes about 3-4 mins tops.

[Mr Anderson]

Originally Posted by Ram22693

I came across his channel after I read your comments here and I decided to take the plunge a buy a matte PPF roll from him for my Kia Seltos x-line (delivery pending). The experience of ordering was really good. He didn't send me generic "sales" messages. Took an interest on what I want, sent me matte PPF he sent out for a Kia Carens earlier this month and share before and after photos and videos of the same. Looks promising. Will keep this thread posted on my overall experience as well as the quality of the PPF I receive.

It's been a year already. Could you tell me how is the oof holding up now? I am also in search for a matte ppf within budget.

[cybergeek]

Originally Posted by Riddler

Amazing wrap! And congratulations on your ride! I stay in Kalyan nagar and have been observing Boss and Wagons for a year now.

Thanks! Congrats on your new N-Line. Have you already booked it and are waiting for delivery? The cost for the wrap is around 140k-150k (depending on the brand). It was a bit more for me as I had purchased other services. There is another brand called Nar-PPF that is a lot more budget friendly - while still being as good as the american brands. It took about 2 days and yes, they did remove the tail and front lights, handles, and loosened the bumpers, so the PPF could be neatly tucked in. Yeah, I was there for some of the work. Let me know if you have any other queries about the N-Line or the PPF and wishing you all the best.

[Riddler]

Originally Posted by cybergeek

Thanks! Congrats on your new N-Line. Have you already booked it and are waiting for delivery? The cost for the wrap is around 140k-150k (depending on the brand). It was a bit more for me as I had purchased other services.

Thanks! I will meet them and enquire about it. I had met a lady named Saba who very patiently explained to me about all their products. And yes, I have booked my n-line, paid in full and awaiting my delivery. There is a bit of hiccup on my vehicle and some not-so-good moments, but keeping my fingers crossed! In case you are interested, you can read my ordeal here https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...is-street.html (A Nightmare on Hyundai's Street)

[Riddler]

Has anyone tried Onyx Graphene coating?
https://onyxcoating.com/product/graphene-pro-10h-n1/
The folks at Boss and Wagons have this product and recommend it as better than a regular ceramic coating. I would like to know if anyone has had any experience with a graphene coating vs ceramic coating.

[cybergeek]

Originally Posted by Riddler

Has anyone tried Onyx Graphene coating?
https://onyxcoating.com/product/graphene-pro-10h-n1/
The folks at Boss and Wagons have this product and recommend it as better than a regular ceramic coating. I would like to know if anyone has had any experience with a graphene coating vs ceramic coating.

The folks at Boss and Wagons coated my PPF'd vehicle with ONYX's Quartz Pro 9h ceramic coating. At that time, last year, this Graphene-pro-10h was not available and I would assume that this is a better version.

[VindyWheels]

Hi,

I chanced upon this thread while researching Garware Hi-Tech Films, a 2300 Cr listed company. Many BHpians seem to have perceived Garware as lower quality as it is made in India. I thought I will share some interesting information I came across.

Garware has the 2nd Largest global capacity of Sun Control Films and is the only company in the world with backward integration for manufacturing. 90% of the Sun Control Films they make in India are exported with over 1/3rd of their sales coming from North America.

Their brand named "Global" is among the Top 3 largest selling window films in US & Europe. Technology is patented in the USA & 15 other countries.

The company was ranked #1 at Tint-Off Contest in USA.

When they started PPF, expectation from the Indian market was very low like 5% of PPF sales, but after seeing high interest in the domestic market, Garware plans to increase the reach many folds in the coming years.

Xpel, the top brand in USA, is growing its global business at the rate of 31% annually for the last 5 years! The penetration of PPF in USA and China is 10-12% and in India, it is at 0.5%. Xpel outsources manufacturing. 3M also does not make their own films!

Garware is a supplier to Xpel and might be to 3M I'm not sure. Half the sales of Garware is to other brands. They seem to possess efficient manufacturing capacity, backward integrated with strong R&D. Capacity for both SCF and PPF has gone up recently and I believe they will keep gaining market share.

My conclusion is that this is a business with great potential.

Cheers

Vindy

[wooka]

To ask a few questions of people here,

1. In Noida, any recommendations for an economical car tint (>80% VLT) and PPF?
2. For PPF - matte, just the bonnet. Lesser glare, I hope. Or will it look awkward?

Cars:
1. 2021 Dec Thar. Bonnet has tons of scratches. Dogs and offroad bush are the two causative agents.
2. 2023 Scorpio N. Dogs again, but just a couple of superficial scratches.

So far the quotations I've received are unreal.
1. Llumar air 80 ceramic sunfilm - 6k a door for 6 doors (2 thar and 4 scorpio.)
2. PPF - not a direct reference, but someone has their 700 done for 1.5L and it ended up banged up (3 panels repainted) within a month.

I'm happy to go with any brand that will give sufficient performance. Any routing drive through chandigarh can mean losing the tint, and the dogs can make quick work of the PPF. Alas, only one winged dog where I live currently.

[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by wooka

1. In Noida, any recommendations for an economical car tint (>80% VLT) and PPF?

Try Detailing Bull. I had PPF installed on my Tucson by them. I went with their own brand, Bull Armor, instead of Llumar.

Originally Posted by wooka

Cars:
1. 2021 Dec Thar. Bonnet has tons of scratches. Dogs and offroad bush are the two causative agents.
2. 2023 Scorpio N. Dogs again, but just a couple of superficial scratches.

You might consider getting those spiked mats for the hood & roof - to discourage dogs from jumping up on your cars & scratching them.

Originally Posted by wooka

Cars:
PPF - not a direct reference, but someone has their 700 done for 1.5L and it ended up banged up (3 panels repainted) within a month.

Misfortune can smirk at anyone at any point. My car scraped a bit while coming out of a tight turn in my office parking. Fortunately the PPF saved the day - only that got damaged in addition to minor scratches on the car. It was easy to take care by replacing the affected pieces of PPF.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by cybergeek

The folks at Boss and Wagons coated my PPF'd vehicle with ONYX's Quartz Pro 9h ceramic coating. At that time, last year, this Graphene-pro-10h was not available and I would assume that this is a better version.

What is the point of applying a ceramic coat over a PPF'd car? Which brand of PPF does your car have?

Regards,
Shashi

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

What is the point of applying a ceramic coat over a PPF'd car?

Hi Shashi,

The aim is to achieve semi permanent hydrophobic properties characteristic of a high quality ceramic coating, as the pre coating the PPF comes with does not last anywhere near as long as a standalone pro coating. Makes cleaning and drying very easy.

This is the reason we see brands like Expel introducing Expel Fusion, their own ceramic coating meant for their PPF.

[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by AJ56

The aim is to achieve semi permanent hydrophobic properties characteristic of a high quality ceramic coating, as the pre coating the PPF comes with does not last anywhere near as long as a standalone pro coating. Makes cleaning and drying very easy.

I got PPF installed via Detailing Bull & went with their own brand instant healing PPF. I asked them about ceramic coating on it & they advised me against it on this particular PPF. They said the current coating on the PPF will last a year or so, so I don't need to worry about it before that.

I'm thinking the hydrophobic coating will last for some time & it'll be best to consider a coat after that only.

[Kaypa]

Originally Posted by THE-U-

Summary: Even before my X5 was delivered, I started researching different types of PPF. I was all set on getting the Llumar Valor PPF. After I received the car, a few folks told me I really didn’t need PPF because the clear coat is really good on the car. So, I got cold feet for a week or two. In the meantime, I continued my research. I finally decided on STEK Dynoshield and got it done a few weeks ago.
...

Hi

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am taking delivery of an X5 later this month and was considering a PPF application from Wheel Force Studio. Can you share your experience of working with them, as well as your thoughts getting the PPF application? Were you concerned about the installer removing all the badges, panels etc.? Would greatly appreciate your insight.

Thanks

[THE-U-]

Originally Posted by Kaypa

Hi

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am taking delivery of an X5 later this month and was considering a PPF application from Wheel Force Studio. Can you share your experience of working with them, as well as your thoughts getting the PPF application? Were you concerned about the installer removing all the badges, panels etc.? Would greatly appreciate your insight.

Thanks

I was certainly concerned quite a bit about the installer removing the door handles, panels, the BMW roundel etc. However, a couple of weeks into my ownership, it became clear that keeping the car clean with all of the different things that splatter on the paint was going to be challenging and the paint is going to be marred significantly in a very short time if that continued. So, I concluded that getting the full PPF was the lesser of the two evils. If anything, it is going to be easier to get the panels removed without damage when the car is new as plastics and panel clips are going to be flexible. In addition, Wheel Force has a repair shop for European cars and I verified that they have all the tools needed to get this accomplished. There is always a chance than something may go wrong, so one is taking a measured risk with such things.

With the PPF, the dirt just comes off the surface easily and the bird droppings just wash off with some water or with very little pressure if completely dried out. Best of all, one doesn't have to worry about putting scratches on the paint. I have been very happy with the decision so far.

The good thing about Wheel Force is that they are able to install any film one specifies as long as they are able to get them. That was a major plus for me. I wanted the STEK PPF and if I recall correctly, no one else in the NCR offered it when I called around. Llumar films are offered by quite a few establishments. I visited a few facilities and they all looked similar in their methods and cleanliness.