Appearance Protection - worth it?

I don't recommend any of these dealer add ons, they are all about 95% pure profit for the dealership! I wouldn't worry about dings till they happen and then seek out your local paint-less dent doctor. Chances are you won't have that many if your careful where you park, and the couple you may get will cost way less than $700 to fix. The rest of that package can be applied yourself for less than $50!

As for lojack, total waste of money, there's a thread on here somewhere that shows Prius is one of the least desirable cars to thieves! Toyota may still be offering 2 year maintenance for free. So that $440 plan is really for only 2 years. Oil changes are with pure synthetic oil, so they are only done every 5000 miles, you do the math... You can also go to a local tire shop and get a lifetime balance/rotation package that includes road hazard on the tires, chances of loosing a rim is slim. Just my two cents...

 

I liked the pitch for the fabric/paint protection- so i got it applied and im happy with it. Price was low, about 600$.

Dirt/stains stays on top of the fabric, doest grind in. Liquids dont soak in. Cleans up with a rag or a vacuum. Any stains i cant get out- they deal with even if it requires replacement.

Paint protection- i dont know really. Car seems "shinier" i guess. Paint is smoother to the touch. Unwaxed car beads water as if it was waxed.

Overall- was worth the 600 just for the fabric protection. A breeze to keep clean.

 

All of those items are boat payments for the dealer. Just Say No :_>

The fabric protector is a $12 spray can of Scotchguard. The waxed appearance of the paint protector *is* a wax job. Apply those things yourself and save $650.

 

I had a couple of small dents removed by a paintless dent repair place called Car Medic (there are several others) about 5 years ago. The came to my house and removed the two dents for $40 each. They could take out a lot of little dents for $699.

As far as Lojack is concerned it might help you get the car back if it were stolen. But, Prius(es) are hardly ever stolen, as Paul58 points out not exactly what kids want for a joy ride. Besides that with the immobilizer system that Toyota uses there is just no way to get it started unless you leave a key in it, or leave it running. Besides that I have always thought if my car is stolen the last thing I want is to get it back, I would rather fight it out with the insurance company and buy a new one.

In fact I would say that every thing that you were offered is a rip off, not uncommon for car dealers. Just take your Prius the way it arrives at the dealer with no additional dealer options and enjoy. :rockon:

BTW don't buy an extended warranty from the dealer either, you have 3 years/36K miles to decide if you want one or not. If you decide to get one you can buy the Toyota extended warranty through this site for a lot less money than a dealer would charge for the same thing.

 

Everything is mentioned above are right except for the oil change, Toyota recommends every 10k miles so if you buy the maintenance package from them you will only get 4 oil changes. And only costs you 200 if you pay for it.

 

The majority advice whenever anyone asks about the "value" of a dealer option is almost always a resounding NO! With cautionary tales of Rumpelstiltskin like dealers spinning your Gold into Straw...

But I'm going to be somewhat contrary.

While I think most dealers services and extra's are overpriced and designed to simply increase profit for themselves and catch people at a weak moment...I'd say if it is an extra or service that you are relatively sure you would like or use? Then despite what might be a tangible on the paper "bad value" can be worth it in terms of peace of mind...real of imagined.

However, the thing I don't like about a lot of dealer protection packages is that often to take advantage...or attempt to take advantage of any included warranty...you become tied to using the dealership...and whatever service they decide to employ.

In many cases? I'd rather pick the product, service or provider..aftermarket myself. Or at least have the freedom to choose.

So that is my "On The Fence" arguement for and against.

 

Don't get it. I used to work at a dealership and I liken Hendrick Autoguard to glorified NuPolish and Scotchgard. A clay bar/wax every few months is all you need for exterior paint really.

I'll give you a little kicker here: dealership-applied paint "protection"(Perma-Plate, Hendrick Autoguard/First Place Finish, Resist-All, et al) doesn't last a damn. Those products are full of silicone. If you really want to protect your paint, you can give your car a once-over with a clay bar and Klasse silver bottle and then a good wax on top - Meguiar's or Mother's at the least. If your car is full of swirl marks, either a professional detailer or you can polish the car. If you decide to DIY paint correction, DO NOT USE A ROTARY BUFFER AND "CLASSIC" COMPOUNDS LIKE 3M's. Get a Porter-Cable or Meguiar's random orbit polisher and a "gentle" compound such as Menzerna's Intensive Polish or Meguiar's 105 and TAKE YOUR TIME, DO NOT FORCE THE MACHINE, KEEP THE MACHINE MOVING AND AT A LOW SPEED.

 

Consumer Reports doesn't think most of these dealer add-ons are worth it. See:

www .consumerreports .org/cro/cars/car-buying-advice/guide-to-new-car-buying/closing-the-deal/watch-for-these-sale-pitches/index.htm

in the section "Dealer Extras." (Sorry for the extra spaces in the URL; this site otherwise won't allow me to post it.)

 

Here is the link: New car buying guide, watch for these sale pitches

 

People think there is a magical product applied to the paint or fabric. The fact is this is nothing more than things you can apply yourself. Spend some time on a good detailing forum like Autopia.org and you'll learn about the best products on the market that are available to anybody.....And no matter what the best product is, NOTHING will last forever.

Dismiss the marketing BS and buy two cans of scotchguard and treat your carpet and upholstery. Purchase a good paint sealant and do it yourself. Your paint will have the same protectant the dealers apply. Trust me on this....They are selling snake oil!

Craig

 

First, I will admit that I got it. I have no idea whether it was worth the money and probably won't give an opinion until the 3 years have lapsed. But I didn't pay much for it, plus, it sure was nice having somebody else have to do all of the work while I watched the football game.

But that's not the issue. How much is Hubby wanting this package. Sometimes, any amount of money is worth keeping peace in the family. If he insists, just go along with it. It ain't worth being "right." If he's on the fence, you can talk him out of it. And worse, if you don't get it, something bad happens and you can't get a stain out, etc., he'll give you the stinkeye for the life of the car. For me, it ain't worth it.

That doesn't mean you get all of the junk. Just those things that he really wants. Then, when you really want to go shoe shopping (that's my girlfriend's desire), he doesn't have much room to say no.

Dumb Mike