Paint protection from Ford dealer on new cars available aftermarket?

[HDGoose]

When my wife got her dream car (yellow convertible Ford Mustang), the dealer offered a "paint protection plan". Whatever it was, it made the monthly washing very easy. That was 5 years ago.

I am not looking for the guarantee type plan, but I believe that this type of application is available probably available from detailers. What do I ask for? Is this something that is applied manually or at a paint shop. I have found different application on the internet. From $170 (detailer) to $3000 (paint shop on the internet).

Not sure what to ask for? Or was it all an illusion and the new vehicle paint on the Mustang glowed like that because of the paint?

Or do I just need to forget magic elixirs and clay bar monthly?

 

[LeesEvoX]

its called ceramic coating. once applied water will bead, and run off the paint. Rather than leaving streaks, and water marks.

 

[quietpeen]

When my wife got her dream car (yellow convertible Ford Mustang), the dealer offered a "paint protection plan". Whatever it was, it made the monthly washing very easy. That was 5 years ago.

I am not looking for the guarantee type plan, but I believe that this type of application is available probably available from detailers. What do I ask for? Is this something that is applied manually or at a paint shop. I have found different application on the internet. From $170 (detailer) to $3000 (paint shop on the internet).

Not sure what to ask for? Or was it all an illusion and the new vehicle paint on the Mustang glowed like that because of the paint?

Or do I just need to forget magic elixirs and clay bar monthly?

please tell me that you put wax on after you clay bar....especially if you did that once a month.

Dealers do offer coatings like you are describing (ceramic coating like poster above me said). Not sure on the price but it is more than I would want to pay. I just ceramic coated my truck myself. There are many DIY kits out there and the spray versions make it even easier to apply but don't last as long. However in a year you can apply it again.

 

[HDGoose]

please tell me that you put wax on after you clay bar....especially if you did that once a month.

Dealers do offer coatings like you are describing (ceramic coating like poster above me said). Not sure on the price but it is more than I would want to pay. I just ceramic coated my truck myself. There are many DIY kits out there and the spray versions make it even easier to apply but don't last as long. However in a year you can apply it again.

I will, when I clay bar.

 

[mjscharlotte]

Yep, ceramic coating is what the dealer probably offered. There's alot of work that goes into doing it correctly - Iron deposit remover, clay bar, paint correction polish ceramic coating. The most tedious portion is the paint correction part. If you look at the paint you will see factory swirls and light scratches that you will want to remove BEFORE you apply a ceramic coating. Remember, whatever is on the paint before you apply the coating will now be trapped under it. If you don't really care about the small scratches and imperfections - just was wash/detail and apply a coating that you can get from Amazon - CQuartz UK3.0 is a good one to use, Chemical Guys has some that are good. The ones that you get from Ebay, Amazon etc.. are consumer grade and are basically the same as a professional would use except they will only last 6 months - 1 year. If you do it yourself it will cost about $125-$150 total. If you go to a professional that specializes in Ceramic Coatings - plan on spending $1000-$3000. It really depends on if you want the paint correction done ( highly recommend) and how bad it is and how much time they will have to spend correcting it.

Have you looked at PPF (Paint Protection Film). It's a clear film that is put on the vehicle and protects it from road rash, chips/scratches, bird droppings etc.. You can do just the bumpers, just the fenders and bumpers or the entire vehicle - it's up to you how much of the vehicle you want protected. Food for thought - just my 2 cents

 

[chrisbh17]

Honestly Im not even sure the "paint protection" plans include an actual coating.

At least the one my RAM dealer offered me was kinda sorta one, but not really. There are much better aftermarket alternatives for less money than a dealer would charge.

I honestly just assumed any dealer paint protection was just a glaze and sealer to "hide" and then make nice and shiny and smooth.

 

[Quick_Shifter]

Honestly Im not even sure the "paint protection" plans include an actual coating.

At least the one my RAM dealer offered me was kinda sorta one, but not really. There are much better aftermarket alternatives for less money than a dealer would charge.

I honestly just assumed any dealer paint protection was just a glaze and sealer to "hide" and then make nice and shiny and smooth.

They have a coating scotch guard type fabric protector on interior and a spray on ceramic coating on the outside. Just a way to get money out of you. Most people don’t tear up their brand new car in the first few years

 

[stricnine]

Paint protection from a dealership is usually no more than a sealer applied. Some may include PDR as part of a paint protection package as well.

With that said, a quality sealer will last a year.

 

[joeygster]

When my wife got her dream car (yellow convertible Ford Mustang), the dealer offered a "paint protection plan". Whatever it was, it made the monthly washing very easy. That was 5 years ago.

I am not looking for the guarantee type plan, but I believe that this type of application is available probably available from detailers. What do I ask for? Is this something that is applied manually or at a paint shop. I have found different application on the internet. From $170 (detailer) to $3000 (paint shop on the internet).

Not sure what to ask for? Or was it all an illusion and the new vehicle paint on the Mustang glowed like that because of the paint?

Or do I just need to forget magic elixirs and clay bar monthly?

What they applied was Xzilon Paint Protection. I inquired at my Ford dealer back in 2010 when I was buying my Harley Davidson F-150. Back then it was going to cost me between $400-500 Canadian. I did some research and found out that I could buy the Xzilon product off of Ebay for about $40 so opted to get a detailer to apply a ceramic coating; back then it was Optimum Opti-Pro.

The Xzilon is a good quality sealant from what I found on the internet, but not worth the price that the dealers were charging.
https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/28919-does-anyone-have-experience-xzilon.html

If I were you and you're interested in a ceramic coating I'd find a reputable detailer in your area and get advice from him on what coatings he uses. There are many good ones on the market nowadays. The key to a good job is the prep work and you'll pay alot for that part of the process.

For my part, I don't see the value in detailer applied coatings...they just cost too much. I'd rather invest the money in good quality self healing PPF (Paint Protection Film).

 

[kmrtnsn]

Dealer applied paint and fabric protection is a racket, don’t fall for it.