Paint Protection Product .. worth it or rip off?

[driva]

I will soon take delivery of a new Polo. The dealer is recommending "Fusion Advanced Protection" interior and exterior treatment for around $1400. I notice it's also being offered by other car dealers including Holden and BMW. The sales pitch is quite extraordinary "lifetime warranty, no need for inspections" etc, etc. It's on the website as well.

Advanced Protection: Welcome

I'm aware there is a fair amount of opposition to dealer treatment plans because they're seen as rip offs. Obviously the dealer is also aware of the industry's poor reputation and assures me that this is a far superior product which, "unlike the others" does what it says it will do. I'm told the product has been around for about two years, and conveniently (for the dealers) it is only available through dealers .. or so I'm told.

So is there anyone out there who has had this product on their car for a while and, better still, parks it in the street and rarely washes it?

Also I'd like some feedback on window tinting. Worth doing or not. Thanks.

[Transporter]

I prefer a good wax at least once a year.

[Hillbilly]

Absolute waste of money.

If you want it done, get it done yourself after taking delivery. still wasted money IMHO

My wife got it done on one car she bought Then found out we could have got the outfit that dealer got to do it would have done it for under half the dealer price

BE WARNED

Also it never made any improvement to the paint

Window tinting Same applies take car home get on here and ask for recommendations SAVE MONEY


If you want a show car there is a sponsor on here who makes a great job of rejuvenating old scratched paint.

However with a new vehicle a good polish with a quality product is all thats needed UNLESS you are anally fussy

[Martin]

I agree it's an expensive waste of money

A friend of a friend sold his car sales and told us not to buy these extras,
he described them as "do you want fries with that" extras that are cash cows for the dealer
Paint protection, leather protection, rust prevention device on the battery terminal, etc

The paint protection product is ok - but it's cost is $75 to $140 - plus one hour of labour
So you're paying $900~$1,200 for this product plus a 3rd party warranty
Wax 2 or 3 times a year will be just as effective

[Swainey32]

I got opti coat on mine, first like 4 months, water flew off the car which was great, washed it weekly as explained, but after that, I really didn't notice any real gain by paying for the protection.

Just wax it

[tonyf]

Look, at the end the of the day, it is a good idea to have some sort of protection, be it wax, sealant, or coating, but $1400, ouch, they are really pocketing a fair bit of extra for that one. There are a lot of good detailers around that can do it for a fair bit cheaper and they can do a superb job. And by the way, NOTHING lasts forever. Have a look at Car Care Products here on this forum, and google products like 22ple, nanolex, Cquartz, Opticoat, thay are all coatings that if applied properly can last a good 1 to 2 years with correct maintenance. Also important before puting these coatings on is if any correction to the paint is needed. The paint should be as good as it can be before applying these products. This is something a good detailer will point out and explain, where as the dealer just wants to up-sell.

[fuzion]

Tony has covered it very well.

Anything is better than nothing, so do something soon before your paint becomes a bit 'how you going'.

and of course, maintenance is the key! two buckets, microfibre wash mitts, microfibre waffle weave to dry .. usual stuff

[Twin_Dad]

Tony's post is right on the mark. The main point to take away is the applied correctly part. The pros can take quite a time just preparing a car for a coatings (which btw is different to a sealant and of course wax). In general expect 1 - 2 years from a coating, 6mths from a sealant and 6-8 weeks from a wax.

That $1400 would get a very top end car a very good paint correction and coating from an expert in the field (have a look on Detail Paradise for the difference between good work and bad work). Just because the car is brand new don't expect it to be swirl free.

[Hillbilly]

That $1400 would get a very top end car a very good paint correction and coating from an expert in the field (have a look on Detail Paradise for the difference between good work and bad work). Just because the car is brand new don't expect it to be swirl free.

It would from a professional restorer Yes.

However a dealer will just send it to a polisher and charge you $1400 for a $300 job.

We found that out when I took wifes car for its 12 month paint checkup and saw the advertised price for what we got. Was well under half what the wife paid and wasnt even worth that for some infra red paint treatment which didnt make the vehicle look any different to any other 3 year old of the same model An utter waste of money

[Twin_Dad]

Sorry I should have clarified my statement. What I ment was if you take your car to a professional (not the dealer) you would get a lot for that kind of money. Just to be the Devil's advocate here sometimes it's not the dealer detailers fault, he is under pressure to get 2xX amount of work done in X amount of time (but others are just rubbish).