New Car Paint Protector

[Raizinman]

Having just bought a new Acura, the worst part of buying any car is the meeting in the finance managers office where he tries to sell you all the extra goodies from extended warranties to paint protection. These are the high profit items that the dealership, finance manager, new car manager and others all have their fingers in the profit.

During our meeting, he sits there and smiles at me. Right off the bat that is not a good sign. He tells me that I’m in store for something special. Again, not a good sign. He says that his dealership is now carrying this new (Brand X) paint protector. He asks me to follow him out to the showroom. He proceeds to take a can of Krylon black enamel spray paint and walks around a brand new white TLX spraying the paint like a vandal. He then says, let’s wait a few minutes for the paint to dry. He then takes a terry towel and proceeds to wipe off all the paint. This paint protection is good up to 1000 degrees F. He says that I can have that paint protection for just $999 or it will add just $17 more to my monthly payment. I decline. He asks me why, telling me that virtually everyone who has seen this demonstration has purchased this paint protection.

I tell him that I have never had my car vandalized with spray paint and don’t really see this as something that will happen to me in the future. I also do not intend to be driving anywhere near 1000 degrees F. I tell him that the auto manufacturers have perfected their painting of cars and you don’t see bad paint jobs on cars these days. You don’t even see cars rusting. I don’t see expensive paint protection as something that I need. A good coat of $12 wax is enough for me.

Did you buy paint protection for your new car?

 

[Evilviking]

When I purchase my new car soon. I won't be getting paint protection like you stated. I will on the other hand get a clear bra installed on the front.

 

[WackyDan]

I buy no add on bullshit and if the dealership has default add on bullshit fees I find a new dealer.

I've never in 30 years of driving had a car spray painted. I might add, that your insurance coverage is probably good for that anyway and your deductible is probably less than $999. Shit, having a decent autobody shop fix it out of pocket should be cheaper than that.

Lastly, I'd love to see that $999 protection and how well it works after a few years of micro abrasions and UV soak.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I just say no to everything.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I accidentally spay-painted my own car when the breeze carried spray from where I was painting nearby. I just broke out the clay bar and the tiny black specks went bye-bye.

Can't say whether wax was a factor or no.

 

[NutBucket]

The only coating that's worthwhile is opti-coat.

 

[madoka]

When I was in high school, my car was spray painted by vandals. My school went on a senior cruise and when we got back very late at night, students from a rival high school spray painted all the cars in our parking lot with obscene language.

Fortunately, the spray paint just rubbed right off with some elbow grease.

 

[squirrel dog]

Vulcan death pinch . Really , the only option .

 

[evident]

The only coating that's worthwhile is opti-coat.

Never tried opticoat before but my car came with xpel premium paint protection film installed on the entire vehicle. Car is so easy to wash and maintain, and the hood hasn't had any paint chips yet for over 20K miles. Won't ever get another car without it.

OP, for $1000 you can get PPF professionaly (or opticoat i believe) done to your vehicle and will probably be better than whatever crap the dealership is selling

 

[silicon]

Having just bought a new Acura, the worst part of buying any car is the meeting in the finance managers office where he tries to sell you all the extra goodies from extended warranties to paint protection. These are the high profit items that the dealership, finance manager, new car manager and others all have their fingers in the profit.

During our meeting, he sits there and smiles at me. Right off the bat that is not a good sign. He tells me that I’m in store for something special. Again, not a good sign. He says that his dealership is now carrying this new (Brand X) paint protector. He asks me to follow him out to the showroom. He proceeds to take a can of Krylon black enamel spray paint and walks around a brand new white TLX spraying the paint like a vandal. He then says, let’s wait a few minutes for the paint to dry. He then takes a terry towel and proceeds to wipe off all the paint. This paint protection is good up to 1000 degrees F. He says that I can have that paint protection for just $999 or it will add just $17 more to my monthly payment. I decline. He asks me why, telling me that virtually everyone who has seen this demonstration has purchased this paint protection.

I tell him that I have never had my car vandalized with spray paint and don’t really see this as something that will happen to me in the future. I also do not intend to be driving anywhere near 1000 degrees F. I tell him that the auto manufacturers have perfected their painting of cars and you don’t see bad paint jobs on cars these days. You don’t even see cars rusting. I don’t see expensive paint protection as something that I need. A good coat of $12 wax is enough for me.

Did you buy paint protection for your new car?

you were right to avoid that scam and shame on the dealers for pushing these worthless products so hard. The paint as it comes from the factory will last easily 15 years, i know because my honda lasted that long, as it already has the clear coat finish. no matter what there are always a few dishonest dealers out there to be avoided.

 

[Raizinman]

Opti-Coat appears to be the new ‘in’ thing with paint protection. Here are a few facts about Opti-Coat.

1) It is expensive! Anywhere from $750 to $1300 depending on size of vehicle and who is doing the install.
2) It only comes with a 5 year warranty, even less if your car is 6 years old or older. Does it only last 5 years? Does it need to be reapplied every 5 years? The warranty is also non-transferable. Wouldn’t this be a great selling point for the next owner?

If it only lasts for five years, how does that compare to a bottle of Meguiars Ultimate Wax which for $22 lasts almost two years or more depending on outside conditions and has enough inside the bottle for almost 10 applications. Not a hard choice to make except for people who have already spent $1000 on Opti-Coat.

 

[razel]

Yup... say no to all attached extras when buying a car. If you end up wanting something they offered later, they will be more than happy to allow you to purchase it later.

As for the semi permanent polymer coatings, when they came out, they were available over the internet for purchase. But you absolutely must have the paint preprep P-E-R-F-E-C-T. Which is the reason why it is not available on the Internet much now.

The good news is synthetic waxes are excellent these days. Wash+Wax, Wax as you dry over a car that's waxed yearly is very doable and simpler.

 

[NutBucket]

Opti-Coat appears to be the new ‘in’ thing with paint protection. Here are a few facts about Opti-Coat.

1) It is expensive! Anywhere from $750 to $1300 depending on size of vehicle and who is doing the install.
2) It only comes with a 5 year warranty, even less if your car is 6 years old or older. Does it only last 5 years? Does it need to be reapplied every 5 years? The warranty is also non-transferable. Wouldn’t this be a great selling point for the next owner?

If it only lasts for five years, how does that compare to a bottle of Meguiars Ultimate Wax which for $22 lasts almost two years or more depending on outside conditions and has enough inside the bottle for almost 10 applications. Not a hard choice to make except for people who have already spent $1000 on Opti-Coat.

Valid points but consider this. How many people actually reapply traditional waxes and sealants as they should? And there's no way that Meguiar's will last 2 years. A traditional carnauba wax typically lasts a couple month and a synthetic might last 6 months. A sealant should typically be applied yearly. So couple that with paying someone to apply it and the delta gets a lot smaller.

EDIT: If you want to buy it yourself look here: http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-coat.html But installing it is not forgiving since you can't just buff out a mistake by hand.

Opti-coat itself isn't that expensive. Don't forget you should have the paint prepped first. I mean, why bother with opti-coat if the existing paint has swirls and such. My detailer charges about $250 for it. So my total cost, including correction, was $600.

 

[Raizinman]

There are many ways car wax can last 2 years or more.

The life of a wax finish depends on many things:
– Type and color of paint
– Condition of paint
– Local environment (normal conditions and extraordinary events)
– Number of hours exposed to outside conditions
– Quality of the wax used and method of application.

Many people store their vehicle in a garage and consequently their paint does not see the outside. Under these conditions, the car wax can last many years. There is no specific rule, as it depends on the factors above.

 

[NutBucket]

Agreed on that. In my experience most cars are stored outside and parked outside while folks are at work. I'm lucky I have covered parking at my office. No argument it makes a huge difference in keeping paint (and interiors) in good shape.

 

[QueBert]

The only coating that's worthwhile is opti-coat.

Modesta Glass Coating's another great one, probably even better. Although it's considerably more expensive than Opti-Coat.

 

[jdoggg12]

So if stuff like Opti-Coat and the like are so great for the paint... why don't manufacturers apply it at the factory? I know it'll force a small bump in price but after shit paint on every Honda/Acura vehicle I've ever owned, I am taking a much more serious look at other brands than I would if their paid wasn't so shitty.

My 1996 Acura Integra was red. The clear coat was failing on the hood/spoiler by 2001. The paint on the roof, hood, spoiler, and rear bumper had started oxidizing by 2003.

My grey 2005 TL has cracks in the paint on the front bumper, quater panels, and hood. These cracks are UNDER the intact clear coat.

My sisters green 2002 Acura CL had failing clear coat by 2006 and was oxidizing by 2008.

 

[NutBucket]

Everything adds up. There's a million things that cost a few bucks (or less) that are omitted or cheapened to satisfy accountants and ensure cars hit the proper price points.

 

[smitbret]

Paint Protectants suffer from being packaged with Undercoat for years. Leaves a bad taste in people's mouths.

A lot of Paint Protectants are very good but they are oversold and then underdeliver like that F&I guy from OP. In reality, all they do is protect the luster and longevity of the clear coat. They don't protect against physical impacts and if there is already paint damage it won't fix it. They won't do anything that a good wax won't but they do make maintenance easier and in general, they live up to the promises if they are presented the way the manufacturers intend.

Yep, I sell it but I also put it on my personal cars cuz then I only have to reapply once every year or two. I could probably wait longer since most products claim between 5-7 years but I just haven't wanted to find out if it's true.

There is no way I am going to get off my lazy ass and wax my cars 2-3 times a year.

 

[evident]

So if stuff like Opti-Coat and the like are so great for the paint... why don't manufacturers apply it at the factory? I know it'll force a small bump in price but after shit paint on every Honda/Acura vehicle I've ever owned, I am taking a much more serious look at other brands than I would if their paid wasn't so shitty.

My 1996 Acura Integra was red. The clear coat was failing on the hood/spoiler by 2001. The paint on the roof, hood, spoiler, and rear bumper had started oxidizing by 2003.

My grey 2005 TL has cracks in the paint on the front bumper, quater panels, and hood. These cracks are UNDER the intact clear coat.

My sisters green 2002 Acura CL had failing clear coat by 2006 and was oxidizing by 2008.

2007 honda accord, babied the paint, waxed it regularly and washed it but wasnt able to garage it. started getting rust along wheel well last year.

2004 honda accord- sister's, paint oxidizing. she didnt take care of her car too well, rarely washed, probably never waxed...

both paints were nighthawk black pearl.