I was studying my new car invoice when I noticed .....

Dealer Accessories G3 Gold @ £249.17

I don't recall asking for this, what is it?

This?

http://www.gordonlamb.co.uk/servicing/paint-and-fabric-protection/

I could (and would) buy an awful lot of very good car wax for that sort of money!

You've got to watch stealers (I mean dealers), some apply these treatments without you asking for them and the first you know is when you see it on the invoice. You may also notice it on your quote, but in the excitement of buying a new car missed it. If you didn't ask for paintwork treatment I would refuse to pay it. They have no right to add stuff you haven't asked for. Stick to your guns and let them know how disappointed you are with what they have done. If need be, give them a negative feedback report - the sooner dealers stop this sly tactic to make a few extra quid the better.

These paint treatments are sometimes very good, particularly if you don't enjoy polishing and waxing your own car. However, the dealer mark up is huge and it is invariably poorly applied. If you want something like this, far better to get it done by a local detailer for half the price.

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Edited 17 February, 201610 yr by Falmouthboy

First Endowments....then PPI.....this could be the next compensation craze.....it should be!

Hold on Nigel, thats after the great Solar Panel rip off through save & pay. Telling everyone that the savings made will pay for the finance.

 

 

Ooopps sorry, is this going off subject?

When you reach the point of agreeing to buy a new car out here, you are then expected to talk to a lady (almost exclusively) about 'stuff' you'll REALLY need eg paint protecting, fabric protection and window tint.

The salesman will be in big trouble if he doesn't direct you to her.

Margins on new cars are that tight due to competitive choice.

Edited 17 February, 201610 yr by Ryeman

If you have the car and did not ask for it then you have it for free.

Turns out I did not order it and "it will be removed" I remember being offered this coating

on a new Ford Focus it started out at £200 and went down in increments until I was still

saying no thank you at £90 (a special offer)

 

Out of Interest what happens to the coating as it wears, say at or towards the end of

the 5 year warranty? anyone have any experience of this?

If it is solvent resistant how is it going to be 'removed', and will the removal actually cause damage?  I suspect it will be left in place.

I had Modesta Ceramic coating on my 1 series and was told that if the car needed a touch of a respray, the coating has to be machine polished off first!

If it is solvent resistant how is it going to be 'removed', and will the removal actually cause damage?  I suspect it will be left in place.

 

I think he means the "bill" will be removed, not the product.

Turns out I did not order it and "it will be removed" I remember being offered this coating

on a new Ford Focus it started out at £200 and went down in increments until I was still

saying no thank you at £90 (a special offer)

Out of Interest what happens to the coating as it wears, say at or towards the end of

the 5 year warranty? anyone have any experience of this?

It's no different to any other polish or paint sealants. It eventually looses its effect and the paint will no longer bead water. At this point you will need to wax the car if you want it to shine and shed water. Conversely, you can still wax the car in the same way from day one. You can't see it deteriorate and break down like the lacquer coating on the paint.

As said though, it may need to be professionally removed if the paintwork needs respraying. That is why when applied a sticker is normally put on a window to say the car has been treated.

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Edited 18 February, 201610 yr by Falmouthboy

Sounds like a proper producer worth paying for. If your not going to wax your car

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I had this applied free after a lengthy negotiation when I bought my Yeti and was supplied with a lovely bag of replacement polish and waxes etc. from AutoGlym. To be honest the finish seemed no better than had you done it yourself and it soon wore off.

 

I was offered a similar treatment on my Qashqai and again a zipper bag of waxes and polishes, this faired no better than the treatment on the Yeti, but the bag of cleaning product has saved me money, but would I have been happy with either car if I had paid over £200, then the answer is NO

 

I am pleased you got the bill reduced, it's a con if you did not ask for it. But I bet they do not give you the free bag of goodies, but I could sell you some

My invoice for Yeti 2 shows that I declined the paint seal treatment at over £300, I shall be applying some AutoGlym high definition wax post delivery.

I got an "explanation" today, "it is an opt out not an opt in option!

Mine is cancelled!

So the dealer 'assumes' the customer will pay for any number of extras unless you say no thank you.  Sharp sales tactics if you ask me.  If tested in court, no doubt the customer will win their case.  Either way you have had the cost removed so all is well.

 

Am in the process of buying a Fabia III and had a similar experience.  When I was discussing the costs the salesman, he had added on Gap insurance and paint treatment which I declined.  The salesman just smiled and took them off but at least he was up front about it all.

 

Call me suspicious if you like but it seems to me that everyone is trying to extract as much money from me as they can at every opportunity.  I just keep saying no politely.     

I opted for the Autoglym Lifeshine, although from what I'm reading here, maybe the 'life' part of the name is a misnomer.  It seemed a good idea at the time, but then I was a soft touch, being in the happy position of being able to add any extras I wanted, for the first time ever.

Well the Skoda dealer in Plymouth lost our sale on the basis of this 'sharp tactic' and I told them as much. If I can't trust them to sell me the car without having to go through the invoice and weed out high profit dealer 'add ons' that I don't want, I don't feel I can trust them as 'honest'.

By all means put in some time to try and sell me this stuff, but it should never be an 'opt out'.

I would urge others to show dealers who use this sharp practice similar disdain.

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Edited 27 March, 201610 yr by Falmouthboy

I opted for Autoglym DIY, it's a lot cheaper.

I can do much better for a lot less

 

"Opt out" just seems silly.  What if every optional extra was like that?  You could be buying a base car and end up fully jacked and double the price!?

One of the problems with all these products is that unless the person applying the product is very careful, they get it on the black crinkly plastic trim, bumpers etc and after a couple of months it goes white. looks awful and is a devil of a job to remove. May not be quite as much of a problem if your car has body colour painted plastic, but on the pre-facelift's bumpers it was a nightmare. Never again!

One of the problems with all these products is that unless the person applying the product is very careful, they get it on the black crinkly plastic trim, bumpers etc and after a couple of months it goes white. looks awful and is a devil of a job to remove. May not be quite as much of a problem if your car has body colour painted plastic, but on the pre-facelift's bumpers it was a nightmare. Never again!

 

Thats why I do it myself, have the tme to take care rather than the dealer rushing the job, Autoglym also do a product to restore your black/grey bumpers, should you get the odd splash.

Thats why I do it myself, have the tme to take care rather than the dealer rushing the job, Autoglym also do a product to restore your black/grey bumpers, should you get the odd splash.

I always used to do it myself, but when i bought my Yeti 6 years ago, the deal sounded good with Autoglym Lifeshine included. I now know better!

I tried Autoglym's black plastic restorer but it only masks the polish "overspray" and doesn't remove it so you have to keep applying it to hide the white residue.

Eventually with a great deal of effort and a stiff nylon scrubbing brush with mild detergent managed to remove 90% of the polish from the crackle finish. The back bumper was fairly easy, as was the front bumper except in the recesses that look as though they should take front fog lamps, but the side sills must be have a deeper fissures and were a nightmare. Fortunately, after about 4 years, the rest of the residue eventually wore off.

 

Fortunately, the F/L Yeti has more body colour plastic now, particularly the "indoor" version, but there's no way I'd have such a treatment applied "professionally" again!