How to debunk dealership protection packages

[jonn127]

It seemed to me that there used to be easy ways to tell people it's crazy to think these dealership protection packages are permanent. However it seems now there are several coatings that are advertised as permanent that are from very respected companies.
Is the selling point now that detailers can typically do the same thing, but for cheaper?

[trekkeruss]

I'm clueless about the price of dealer offered coatings vs. detailer coatings, but I would think the selling point is not price, but quality. What good is a coating over a surface that hasn't been prepared properly? Not saying every dealer would do a bad job, but by and large, the dealer is just trying to pad the bottom line, not ensure that the finish is spectacular.

[Kacz]

They aren't coatings despite what dealers call them.

The products they use are sealants; mostly acrylic ones. They advertise in YEARS because they require you to come back for reapplication.

Well---duh, my car has been 'coated' for 3+ years now with various sealants and waxes.

Its a marketing gimmick and the ignorant fall for it while the dealer profits.

[Shane731]

Well, this is the crap that my dealership tries to sell customers:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYpqPtDWhTQ]Auto Armor Installation.wmv - YouTube[/video]


It's not really a coating, more like a spray-on wax type of product that would go on your car at a drive-through car wash, or a spray-on/rinse-off type product like Permanon or Hydro2. Either way, it is not permanent (although it is advertised as such). Nor is there any prep besides a wash (at least at my dealership). Basically, the customer is buying a $500 (or whatever it costs) 7 year warranty, which states that whatever parts of the car are covered under the warranty - if they get stained, scratched, torn, or what have you, and cannot be fixed, then the company will repair/replace said part. The thing is, the dealership does not want the customer to use that warranty, or they get less of a kickback. Usually if the customer has an issue they will bring their car back to the dealer, and if the guys in "detail" can't fix the issue, the dealer will try to find as cheap a fix as possible to satisfy the customer. So, the company that supplies the product and warranty get their money, the dealership and finance guys get their money, the customer gets "taken care of," and the guy in detail still makes diddly. Meanwhile, you have a less than stellar product on your vehicle.



How do I know? I'm the guy in detail making diddly and doing all the work.

[oldmodman]

I wonder how many new car buyers realize that if you just leave new clear coat paint alone except for careful washing it will still look fantastic to the majority of the "uninitiated" after three years with absolutely NO coating.

I would be impressed if their warranty lasted 20 years. Or about the time that most clear starts to (or has completely) flaked off.

[Mike lambert]

G tecniq wanted us to be one of the authorized detailers, I was told I could go into dealerships and have 6 cars ready for coatings. Make $200 each and my name would stay out of it. Also would use white label no name bottles! I asked who preps the car? They said they are paying for protection,not perfection! I said no thanks!

[parttimer]

I love it, let us swirl out your paint when you buy your new car, then we will seal those swirls in for you for $1000! That seems to be the going rate, like $995 for sealing your paint, the never wax your car again product! No thanks. I'll take the $100 and buy a bottle of Collinite for $12 and go on a vacation with the savings!