Civic06 - Car Protection

[investopedia]

I have just put down a deposit for my Civic Sport and I am wondering whether it is worth spending...

$1700 for undercar rustproof, undercar sound insulation, leather protection, vynal protection, paint protection
$1200 for 3 of the above
$600 for each

I was told the protections come with 5-10year warrantees and the product itself is MUCH better than commerical products where the protection may eventually fade away and even peel (paint protection)

I do live 15 minutes away from a beach, so it may seem as though the rustproofing is reasonable, the Civic Sport is mostly leather inside, paint is usually a must, and the soundproofing removes 80% of noise that comes inside the cabin from outside the car...

Most of you are probably aware of this deal when you had bought your own civic but I am not sure if its worth the price...

[panda[cRx]]

if only you knew what it actually cost the dealer to apply that crap....

[aaronng]

Get it done at a detailer. Look for those certified to apply Ming protection or similar. The vinyl protection is that Lanoguard spray on stuff that you can buy at supercheap. Leather protection is probably the same lanoguard stuff. Undercar rustproofing is the spray on tar that you can also buy, while undercar soundproofing is a thicker layer of tar (they might use 6-8 cans instead of 4).

Rust proofing is not carried out throughout the entire car. Only in certain parts like undercarriage, inside the doors and similar. Your engine bay won't be sprayed with the stuff.

When you buy these protections, all you are buying is an insurance policy. BTW, paint protection doesn't cover scratches, so if you get a scratch and the paint goes shit around it, it's not covered.

[investopedia]

To be honest I am not a big car enthusaist and I dont see myself going out to buy protections or doing it myself. I just thought hey, if the dealership can do it before my car arrives, why not? But also the crucial quesiton is, is it worth the price considering the previous point...


Get it done at a detailer. Look for those certified to apply Ming protection or similar. The vinyl protection is that Lanoguard spray on stuff that you can buy at supercheap. Leather protection is probably the same lanoguard stuff. Undercar rustproofing is the spray on tar that you can also buy, while undercar soundproofing is a thicker layer of tar (they might use 6-8 cans instead of 4).

Rust proofing is not carried out throughout the entire car. Only in certain parts like undercarriage, inside the doors and similar. Your engine bay won't be sprayed with the stuff.

When you buy these protections, all you are buying is an insurance policy. BTW, paint protection doesn't cover scratches, so if you get a scratch and the paint goes shit around it, it's not covered.

[JasonGilholme]

Why would you do it yourself??

Because you can buy the products for 100 - 200 bucks and spend half a day doin it all.....

Up to you though, i'm sure you don't have to be a car enthusiast to want to save some money....

[aaronng]

If you like a shiny car, I'd get the paint protection for 1 reason. The swirls that are in the paint when the protective wrapping is removed. The detailer usually does a swirl remove before applying the sealant. So you get a shiny car from the showroom rather than one with dealer-installed swirls.

Price... it's up to you to see if it is worth it. You have to factor in time off work to send your car to the detailer as well as the period without your car for the day. For some people, their time is worth much more than the $600. If you are one of them, go for it.

[chylld]

I have just put down a deposit for my Civic Sport and I am wondering whether it is worth spending...

$1700 for undercar rustproof, undercar sound insulation, leather protection, vynal protection, paint protection
$1200 for 3 of the above
$600 for each

I was told the protections come with 5-10year warrantees and the product itself is MUCH better than commerical products where the protection may eventually fade away and even peel (paint protection)

I do live 15 minutes away from a beach, so it may seem as though the rustproofing is reasonable, the Civic Sport is mostly leather inside, paint is usually a must, and the soundproofing removes 80% of noise that comes inside the cabin from outside the car...

Most of you are probably aware of this deal when you had bought your own civic but I am not sure if its worth the price...

having fallen for the accessory trap with the same car earlier this year, i feel my opinion on the specific products offered might carry some value :)

:thumbsup: :thumbdwn: undercar rustproof+sound protection (same thing)
this one for me made a noticeable difference in noise levels, but only if you can get it done for under $500. mine cost $495 and i would barely say it's worth it. also, it doesn't remove anywhere near 80% of the noise, i would say about 10-20%; i am already preparing to add another layer of undercoating myself to complement this one, since it isn't enough. (and doing it yourself is much much cheaper)

one thing to note: you do not need the rust proof protection just because you live near the beach - the car will live on its own quite fine. it's best considered as an investment that pays itself off after 10+ years of ownership. (i bought mine purely for the sound protection properties)

:thumbsup: leather protection
this one i would say is worth it. your seats will be very slippery for the first few months (especially the back seats), but it isn't too bad. i remember having a couple of stains on my seats and they came out without any problems.

:thumbdwn: vinyl protection
don't really need this one. the quality of the plastics and other interior surfaces is high enough that you really don't need to consider this.

:thumbdwn: paint protection
this one is the biggest wastes of money i've spent on my car. it looks nice up until the first wash, and even if you're careful and take it slow and use soft lambswool washmitts and gentle wax-friendly diluted car wash, you're gonna end up with lots and lots and lots of tiny scratches that will insult you at the first glimpse of some sunlight.

the protection may indeed protect the paint, but in doing so it absorbs the scratches itself and makes it look crap anyway. i would highly recommend skipping this one and getting a proper, professional wax every 6 months or so. Edit: by this i mean a proper detail

also you might have been tempted by how 'smooth' the paint-protected cars felt in the showroom... trust me, this smoothness disappears after a few months and feels just like normal paint.


of course the final decisions are up to yourself and yourself alone, but based on my experience with the same car, same company and same protection products, i highly recommend you consider aftermarket products that will work better and save you a LOT of money in the process!

[aaronng]

LOL, professionally waxed? WTF.
The reason why your car's paint feels rough is because you are not washing weekly.

[chylld]

LOL, professionally waxed? WTF.

by that i meant professional car detailing. (which includes wax amongst other things).


The reason why your car's paint feels rough is because you are not washing weekly.

that's what i thought! i washed it fortnightly for the first few months after i got the car, but noticed the surface was getting rougher after every wash. and it felt rough immediately after the wash.

in most light it still looks pretty damn shiny though :) just don't get up close...

[VTECACCORD]

My girlfriend had her car paint protected by horny honda.

They did a shit job on the black paint, swirls and holograms galore, she took it back once but u can still see the swirls.

Shes taking itback a 2nd time, I'm telling her to get her money back.

If your serious about paint protection get a professional detail for $300.00 a year with Zaino products and wash the car regularly yourself. It's amuch better alternative.

Use a quick detailer between washes like Zaino Z8 or Duragloss Aquawax (special order from the US), and ur all set.

The only good detailer in Sydney is a guy whose business is Drdetail. the rest are pretty shit, seems like the best detailers are in melbourne and queensland.

[aaronng]

by that i meant professional car detailing. (which includes wax amongst other things).



that's what i thought! i washed it fortnightly for the first few months after i got the car, but noticed the surface was getting rougher after every wash. and it felt rough immediately after the wash.

in most light it still looks pretty damn shiny though :) just don't get up close...
My car was smooth as a baby's butt. Then I had to lengthen the time between washes to 3 weeks and then it became roughish. I guess where you live, there is more pollution than in my area.

But no problem as I clayed it and it was back to smooth as new. Swirl removal and then a wax to protect and all good.

Oh, and you brought up a good point. If you wax your car, your paint protection warranty is not valid anymore

[VTECACCORD]

btw check out this link to learn how to properly wash your car.

(it will take a while to load)

http://www.guidetodetailing.com/articles.php?articleId=9

[chylld]

Oh, and you brought up a good point. If you wax your car, your paint protection warranty is not valid anymore

good point. at the moment i'm pretty much just waiting for the scratches to be more and more obvious, when the time comes i guess i'll go claim warranty on the paint protection and get them to fix it.

[aaronng]

good point. at the moment i'm pretty much just waiting for the scratches to be more and more obvious, when the time comes i guess i'll go claim warranty on the paint protection and get them to fix it.
Paint protection doesn't cover swirling though. It only covers discolouration.

[m3ntAL_l2]

when we bought our VZ from holden we did Paint protection + tinted window for around $1k, and they told us both of em came with life time garentee, and we never hav to waX our car because of the Paint protection.

[aaronng]

when we bought our VZ from holden we did Paint protection + tinted window for around $1k, and they told us both of em came with life time garentee, and we never hav to waX our car because of the Paint protection.
Let us know in 5 years time if your paint is still alright.

[m3ntAL_l2]

lol yea alright...
but my warrenty on the paint protection is voided already, cos we didnt take the car into the dealer for the yearly check :|

[chylld]

Paint protection doesn't cover swirling though. It only covers discolouration.

bugger!!! i'm just re-reading the warranty card now, it says:


Defense Pak Glaze Guard is warranted to prevent weather induced fading, acid rain or etching, oxidisation, bird droppings, tree sap, industrial fallout to the treated areas as a result of exposure to normal weather conditions, and eliminate the need to wax or polish the treated areas for the term of the warranty.

i wonder if scratches fall under the "eliminate the need to wax or polish the treated areas" clause? i think i'll go get some of my lawyer friends to answer that one for me.

one thing that i only just picked up on just then as well, is that the warranty on all of these things i have (paint protection, rust/sound protection, leather protection) is VOID unless i have an annual inspection at an authorised defense pak service centre... and that "A fee will be charged for each inspection."

bugger. i was never told this when i bought the accessories... only have this info now on the warranty cards... which i got after i paid for the vehicle...

[JasonGilholme]

Diy!!!