When I bought my first new car, I paid some ridiculous amount of money for paint protection. It seemed like a good idea at the time but the reality was it was little better than an expensive coat of wax and it didn’t last very long at all. So when we started reading about Pomponazzi 880xx paint protection and how good it was, I have to admit to being more than a little sceptical. Then I started to see videos on line of how this paint treatment is applied and just how effective it is at keeping the paintwork of your vehicle clean and in top condition. Given the Landcruiser is likely to be the last new car we buy for a very long time, we were keen to keep it looking good for as long as possible.

So we spoke to Stewart from MOS Detailing who travels around the country with his mate, Nick, applying the Pomponazzi coating to a myriad of cars of varying age and use. When you talk to Stewart, you become completely satisfied he is not trying to sell you snake oil. He is very passionate about his work and he is very straight up with what the product can do. We decided to go ahead and give our Landcruiser the full Pomponazzi treatment.

The process is best completed under cover and in as dust free an environment as possible. A largish shed or garage is most desirable however as long as the area is under cover from the rain, it should be fine. We had access to a very large shed so there were no problems here. The other thing to keep in mind is that this is not a quick 30 minute process. It takes a good 8 hours to apply the treatment to a car with good duco. If your car has been exposed to the elements or is showing signs of age, it can take two days to do the job properly. Now that may sound like a big issue but the reality is that the preparation of the surface is crucial and most of this time is actually taken up preparing the paintwork to obtain the best results. And let me tell you it’s worth it…!

I watched Stewart and Nick clean the car, not once, not twice but a total of three times in-between the various stages of preparation. I was also amazed at the level of detail the guys go to when polishing the surface. It was bordering on obsessive compulsive behaviour…! They carefully polish in very small sections, inspecting each area with a special torch, removing the smallest of imperfections. There is no way I would have the patience to do it myself to that degree. Only when they are completely satisfied the paint surface is as good as it can be do they apply the Pomponazzi coating itself. Surprisingly, that part is the quickest and easiest to do.

The coating is applied to all the duco including inside the doors. They also treat the glass, the wheels and some of the exposed plastics in high wear areas. They even did our bulbar which I wasn’t expecting and the bonnet protector….!

Now for the elephant in the room…..the cost.  Ummmm…there’s no hiding it or beating around the bush.  Its was $2,000.  Now when I first heard that, I’ll admit the first thing that came to my mind was the rough end of a pineapple and a certain orifice. But having witnessed first hand the work that goes into the process, I can assure you its worth every cent.  No pineapple required…!

And the result…? Well…it is nothing short of amazing. Even on our car which is only about a year old, it was immediately noticeable how much better it looked. The deepness of the colour and the shine has to be seen to be believed. The photos don’t do it justice.

The finish is only part of the story and only time will tell how the treatment will hold up and how well it will continue to protect the paint of the car in the harsh Australian environment. So far, in the few days since we had the treatment applied, we’ve noticed how easy it is to just hose off any dirt. It rained the other day and the water beaded off like it was on glass.

We’ll provide an update as time goes on but, for now, we have to say we are very impressed with MOS Detailing and the Pomponazzi treatment.