Should I have paint protection on new car?

Andystriker

Thanks for all replies on my "New Small Family Car Suggestions" thread. Much appreciated.

I have now done a deal on a brand new Suzuki Swift, and collect it next week. When I did the deal, the salesman wanted me pay an extra £695 for paint protection. I refused this, but wonder if its something I should have had?

Would you guys have had this "extra"? Do you think I should get, or need, some form of paint protection, and if so, should I find a local (the car was bought from a dealer 80 miles from me) specialist to do this.

What would you do?

Any replies are again much appreciated.

daveyjp

£700 is a lot of polish. Never had it, never will, had used cars with stickers to say it has had it, the car still gets dirty!

However the salesman will be thankful of the bonus.

QrizB

£700 is a lot of polish.

It would but quite a few professional valeting sessions, too.

EssexExile

If you pay their inflated prices for paint protection, you then have to clean the car regularly to their specifications or the "guarantees" that come with the paint protection are invalid.

Evidently 4 times a year to the local cheap car wash doesn't count.

SpurRoadTraveler

Hi Andystriker,

You definitely made the right call by saying no! Dealership paint protection is rarely worth the paper it's printed on, and £695 is a massive markup.

The products they use are often basic sealants that you can buy yourself online for under £30. Worse, dealer valeters rarely have the time to prep the paint properly before applying it, meaning it doesn't last very long anyway.

If you want peace of mind for the paint, look for a highly-rated local independent detailer near you. They will do a far superior, professional job prepping and sealing the car for a fraction of that dealership price.

Enjoy your new Suzuki Swift!

facade

Yes you should have paint protection, but put it on yourself for 1/20 the price!

You can easily do as good a job as the dealer will yourself, or you can pay a detailer to do a really good job.

Clean the car and apply a polish, then go over it with a sealer.

Polishing it yourself you can spot any marks & blemishes in time to take it back.

The sealer will help ward off the effects of bird poo and the vile ichor that falls out of trees- but you still need to wash them off as quickly as possible.

There are loads of Magic Fluids, I use Autoglym Super Resin polish followed by Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection (mainly because I bought a large bottle of the polish years ago and it hasn't run out yet) but many other brands are available.

I can't be bothered with the secret special recommended shampoo though, my cars just get Bilt Hamber snow foam followed by a Karcher shampoo stick up the handle of the brush (I bought a load of them too, but I'm down to the last pack now, I bet they are more than the 50p I paid…)

chuffinnora

For sure NO is the right answer. It a rip-off and one of those commission earners for them, a bit like fridge insurance.

A local valet specialist berates them and posts detailed close-up photos of how bad they apply these offers and actually damage paintwork.

beanielou

I had no idea that this was a thing!

rikbar

Never ever let the dealer add any kind of protection - and when they have the car never let them wash it (unless you want swirl marks galore).

For the money quoted you could have a pro detailer do a full paint correction and ceramic coat with a decent product - I have had my last 3 cars coated and it makes cleaning the car so easy as well as ensuring that the paint stays at its best for longer.

Alanp

I had mine done by the dealer when I bought it new three years ago although not at the price the op has been quoted, I think it was worthwhile as it is easy to clean, the dealer offered me a price to do it but i refused and they came back with a half price offer, would I have it done again, not sure if I’m honest as I miss giving my car a clean and polish, I guess if you’re less mobile then it might be worth it but, as others have said, find a car detailer and have them do it…

chrisw

I've found the initial dealer's polishing/waxing lasts a good 12 months and there should be no real deterioration in the paint for years if looked after properly.