"Extras" advice on new car purchase

Branchini1979

Hi All,

I have recently purchased a new car and will be collect in a few weeks and thus will be finalising the deal but they are trying to get me to buy some extras which they say i should get.
I walked away saying i would think about it and thus researched away.

I was quoted £263 for GAP insurance. I have read that this is useful if you have a new car on finance (which i have) but i did a mock quote from a broker and was £120, so thinking i should go for that and so no thanks to their quote.
Also was quoted £200+ for paint & fabric protection. Again, i read pro's and con's to it, with some saying if you have a car on finance PCP and plan to hand it back, a non treated car would show scratches more and may have more chance or having additional charges.

Any advice would be welcome

uknick

Buy GAP from 2nd source such as ALA. But, also check your own insurance policy to see what they would do in the event of a write off for a new car. Many will replace car on a like for like in 1st year. So a separate 3 year GAP policy only really gives you two years cover. Also consider whether you want return to invoice or replacement car GAP policy.

For paint and fabric protection, again go to someone other than dealer if you really want it. The dealer prices will always be high, and, it has been said they don't offer anywhere near the same sort of quality work as a dedicated company that does protection services for a living.

DrEskimo

Do not touch any of the dealers extras with a 10ft barge pole. All overpriced and generally inferior quality.

As discussed GAP can be had for a fraction of the price elsewhere, and generally provides better coverage.

Paint protection is IMO borderline fraud. I've seen many examples where customers have paid £300+ and there is no evidence of anything having been applied.

For the protection to work well, they need to properly prepare the paint. Besides, it is very rare the car won't be delivered with surface scratches and marring from QC and the prep work, so they are just applying the product over a scratched surface anyway! They simple won't complete the necessary steps (full wash, decontamination, cutting/polish & proper application) to apply the product correctly, since they do not have the time/expertise. Even if they did, the products they use aren't that great either...certainly not £200+ good!

If at all possible, ask that they don't touch the car at all when it arrives.

To be honest, I would stay away from dealers for just about anything. Their finance products are overpriced (PCP rates can be OK, but I think it's a overpriced financial product in general), their cars are overpriced and their servicing is overpriced.

Overall it's generally a poor experience, for a sub-par service at a larger cost...but that's just my humble opinion.

Hotspur

I've had several new cars and never taken any of the dealer extras when offered. IMO they are much over-priced items, sold to earn commission for the dealer, that can be purchased elsewhere for a fraction of the price, if you really want them.

Look after your car by cleaning and washing it regularly and waxing it every few months to keep it looking good and you won't have an issue when selling it.

On an expensive/exclusive vehicle a professional valet (not a dealer valet) may be worthwhile on a new car to correct paint imperfections and protect the finish. But not essential for most people.

vansboy

The Gap cover, is worth considering, wherever you buy it from.


The paint protection, would be worth doing if you can find a professional valeter, who can carry out DETAILING, rather than just cleaning vehicles.


Also consider whell/tyre insurance, if you have some nice alloys on the car,as pothole damage can be very costly, if you are in an area where the road surface is not too good. There are sometimes claim limitations, but a worthwhile buy, if you do have costly tyres/wheels.


VB

Nasqueron

If you have agreed to any of this and it's gone to finance, check they haven't already done the finance package with the extras added

peter12345678910

I would get the valet done from a specialist, the dealer will just use a hose pipe, no claying. A specialist would use 3 buckets, deionised water and ph balanced solvents and be cheaper.

neilmcl

As above get GAP from a third party, ALA or gapinsurance.co.uk are both recommended, I'd also look at replacement cover rather than RTI. One thing that might be worth looking at, and I wish I'd known about it when I got my last car, is scratch/dent insurance that some of the GAP providers offer.