If you have recently purchased a new vehicle or you're currently looking to purchase a new vehicle the dealership might try and sell you a “protection or coating package” when you are going over the financing and warranty options. Sometimes, this “protection package” may already be on your invoice without you even asking for it. They may even tell you that this coating is used on “jets”. Yes, this just occurred to my daughter last week when she purchased a brand-new Volvo when they were trying to get her to purchase the “coating protection”
Should you purchase this protection?
The short answer is “No”. If you speak to any professional detailer, their answer would be no because the “coating or protection” being sold is far inferior to what professional detailers are applying. In most cases, the product they are using lasts a couple of months, not even a year. The dealership will even tell you in some instances that the protection lasts a lifetime. What you are purchasing is a warranty. I have seen and been told by clients that the prices for these protection/coatings from the dealership range from $800-$2000.
What are you getting from the Dealership?
In most cases, you are getting nothing more than a paint sealant or some type of spray-on coating that will not protect your car's new finish for very long. You are paying for the “warranty”. The dealership will tell you that if anything goes wrong with the protection/coating, they will fix it for free. Well, that sounds great, but do they explain what you should be seeing to gauge if the protection is working, or how you should be maintaining the protection? No, they just like to show you how little this protection is going to cost you over the term of the loan you are financing. If you think about it $2000 is not very much additional cost added to your monthly payments over a 4-5 year or even longer loan with them telling you the paint of your car will be protected for “years or a lifetime”. It’s an easy justification on your part to add it. Please don’t do this. I know a one-time payment can be tough, but you will be getting far superior protection for your car that will last when installed by a professional detailer.
Will the protection last?
The majority of the time, No. I have seen some of these dealership protection/coatings start failing in as little as a couple of months. I have a client who purchased a new vehicle at the start of summer, was presented with the protection package, and purchased it. This client's vehicles are maintained and on a bi-weekly maintenance detail schedule with me. Within 2 months, I noticed the protection failing. Yes, that’s right 2 months. I took a video of the customer's vehicle and then took a video of the same body panel on my vehicle to show my client the difference in the water behavior. My vehicle’s coating at the time was just shy of 2 years old. The difference was amazing, see the videos for yourself.
Dealership Coating 2 months after purchase
My truck's coating is just shy of being 2 years old.
Don't feel bad if you have a dealership protection/coating on your vehicle. There are simple ways to test the strength of the coating and see how well it is holding up. If it has failed or stopped working we can still install a professional-level coating at that point, or you can go back to your dealership and push for the warranty to cover reapplication. Just be aware, you will be back at the dealership a couple times a year to have the protection reapplied and the process to have it covered may be a little difficult.
I am not saying every dealership offers inferior protection/coatings, but most do. As a consumer, you need to be questioning what type of protection you are purchasing, especially when you hear the words “lifetime” even from a professional detailer. Even with a professional detailer, don’t be afraid to ask them questions about the coatings being offered, how they are applied, what you can expect from the coating, how to maintain the coating to reap all the benefits of the coating, and any other questions you may have. As with any purchase, it should be an informed decision on your part. If the detailer you contacted seems bothered or doesn’t want to discuss these questions with you, move on to another professional detailer.
If you have any questions about this topic, about coatings, or if a coating is right for you and your vehicle, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask questions. You can contact me at 845-820-2325 or email me at mrgmobiledetailing@gmail.com and I will answer all your questions.
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