Dealer recommeded paint treatment

[scrowe]

My new car dealer recommended a product called polysteel paint treatment for my new truck. Is anyone familiar with this product? I am concerned because of the winter conditions and not being able to properly treat the truck myself with consumer products. Is it any good?

[ChevyNick]

I would say you should NOT get it. Just wax yourself, it'll be just as good probably. And it'll cost you a lot less.

[davey g-force]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

[Bjkearns]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

run

[STRIFE]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

I would never recommend anything from the dealerships (aka stealerships)
Just read up on stuff on MOL and you'll be better off...

[mswerb]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

Anything the dealer wants to sell you is garbage. I used to work as a detailer at a dealership and they sold "Environmental paint sealant" That was just that, garbage. The salesmen told customers it took 8 hours to apply, when you could have an entire car done in 20 minutes. Any coat of wax would do just fine.

[tomdetail]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

Worked at a dealership that had this stuff. It's junk. What you're paying for is the warranty it comes with.

[ffboy]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

well, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Its better if you wax it regularly since when you clean and detail it yourself since its a good way to know your vehicle from top to bottom. And you can get to maintain it even better since you spend time with the car and you get a good workout after and see the results of the hard work you put in.

[mb911]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

I agree. It won't last years like they claim. Just as long or a bit longer than regular wax.

I think it's better to simply wax regularly.

[ffboy]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

no sealant lasts that long, the owner still has to do steps in maintaining the finish. so its back to the old traditional wax with regular washings and spray wax spray detail spray to keep the shine for as long as you can. a car's paint is subject to many types of dirt/grime/crud like tar or contaminants so you will be subject to using tar removers/clay bars that will remove many if not all wax protection from your paint so you will have to reapply the wax/sealant anyway so why bother with this so called miracle product?

[umi000]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

Unless they're using a resin coating like OptiCoat, or a glass coating like GTechniq, CQuartz or G'Zox, (neither of which is likely), you'll just be getting a regular paint sealant application at an inflated rate.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

We responded to a similar question just the other day, but we'll copy and paste that response here since it applies equally well to this discussion:

These dealer applied coatings discussions pop up from time to time, and there are several different coatings being used. While these coatings are rarely true junk, their claims are often a bit hard to swallow. If you've been taking care of your cars yourself, we can only assume that means that you've been removing swirl marks and other defects that develop over time, and that sort of defect is not something these coatings tend to protect against. Several years ago we had a gentleman from one of these companies come onto MOL and offer to any questions we might have. I kept pressing him about the possibility of swirls still developing if I had a car coated with this and then just ran it through a commercial tunnel car wash. He kept dodging the question and finally declared that I, perhaps, wasn't the ideal customer for this sort of coating. Yes, I am rather particular about these things!

A few months ago I received the following email:



Have been using Meguiars for about 15 years and love your stuff.
I just purchased a new 2011 Chrysler 300C that is painted with "black
crystal pearl" paint (car built in April 2011). As soon as I got it
home I washed it with dawn and clay barred the body.
The dealer wants me to purchase a sealant known as -------. All the
people in the dealership and two body shops I called seem to think the
stuff is great. I have a DA machine and a rotary and know how to use
them. Plus, I like to take care of my vehicles and do not consider it
to be work.


From what I read on the forum, it appears that all recommend your
Ultimate Wax for the best protection. I used Gold Class and NXT on our
previous car (black) and it looked like new after ten years.


So my question is would you go with the dealer or would you suggest wax
and if so, which one?
I know you can't beat up the competition but you can comment on your
observations of products.


Your suggestions appreciated.


Regards,


My response was that, since he owns and knows how to use these tools, that tells me that he's rather particular about his vehicle's appearance and that in the long run he probably won't be happy with the dealer applied coating. So I recommended a thorough evaluation of the paint and then perhaps nothing more than M205 applied either by DA at speed 4 max, or rotary at no more than 1000 rpm and light pressure, then apply a coat of Ultimate Wax. The M205 would do wonders for the clarity of that Black Crystal Pearl paint, and UW would just enhance it even further. He took my advice and a couple of weeks later sent the following email as a follow up:

Just got the car finished, I was out of town and had to play catch-up.
Followed your suggestions and had a good workout with the car. Must
say that Barry has produced some very good stuff and it did an amazing
job. Car looks like it should. Went to dealer last Saturday and they
asked me how I made the car look so good even in rainy Seattle. A
customer even wanted to know how I did it. HeeeHeee.


Thanks again for taking time to reply to me and for the good advice and
great products, I am very pleased. Please tell Mr M. to keep it coming,
we are all car crazy.


So, even the dealer was impressed and a customer inquired about it! And the owner of this new 300C (and yes, he gave me permission to reprint his emails here on MOL) will ultimately be happier in the long run with his car - not to mention he saved several hundred dollars.

This all begs the question - what do you want out of your car's finish?

You get what you put into it, no doubt, but proper maintenance following a major correction is actually quite easy and can keep a car looking fantastic for a long period of time. You really shouldn't have to be doing a major correction every 6 months, or even every year, if your maintenance routine is top notch. And let's face it, frequent car care is easy car care.
so,

[scrowe]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

Thanks to all. You just saved me alot of money.

[Garage Troll]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

I'm a bit late to the party, but, I agree with everyone else. The dealership packages are not worth it.

[Tuck91]

Re: Dealer recommeded paint treatment

Others have said it already, but it cannot hurt to say it once more.

Dealerships are THIEVES & MONEY GRABBERS.

They claim their Polyseal XXXXX product lasts a decade, yeah only if you take it in every one or two months like your supposed to, they will charge you $700-$800 when you purchase the car. What are they using??? I have seen jugs of Meguiars M21 Synthetic Sealant on dealership shelves. We all know how inexpensive of a product that is, the dealership would make a killing if they poured a whole gallon on the car, let alone a couple oz. And this is even assuming people remember to get the service performed like their supposed to. Your virtually donating money to the dealership.

GM is the worst, they have these protection packages that are not worth the paper they are printed on.

Do i need to even mention how bad they damage the finish when applying it with a wool pad & their rotary. You could apply it by hand and it will look better, as in no damage.

This is partially the reason I wont sell or perform a coating job (Opti-Coat, Cquartz) because it goes against what I have told my clients in a way.

The ones who buy these sealants and treatments are always the most gullable.