overlord tom

I was asking some of the local dealers if they offered install of the 3M clear bra to combat the paint chipping problem. Most of course had no friggen idea what I was talking about. One of the dealers I went to said they offer something called "Finishing Touch" which is suppose to be a clearcoat that protects from stains, fading, and chipping and comes with a 5 year warranty. I was also told it was unnecessary to even wax the car after it was applied. That was about all the info I got on the subject. Does anyone know what this "Finishing Touch" is? It is really a clear coat, or do they charge $500 for a guy to smear some polish on the car and call that a "clear coat". I'm kind of confused. Can anyone shed some light on what this process details?

One more thing related here. While browsing used Z's to check out chipping and swirling in the paint after some mileage. I noticed that the cars that had some kind of listed paint treatment really had no chips even after 12k miles. I'm wondering if the stuff really works.

FairladyZ

The "finishing touch" is to sucker the buyer into paying an extra 500-1000 bucks on new car. They say they put something on the car when they really dont.

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

Ummmmmm...... A HUGE RIPOFF!

marhot

Yes

mydogscool

Pure B.S. Buy the car without any dealer treaments, inside or outide, drive directly home. Wash. Apply ABC cleaning system , install 3m clear bra immeadiatly, apply favorite shining stuff. Chant mantra to prevent tire feathering.... "I only have 3000 miles and no feathering".

BDM

It's just too bad the manufacturer didn't think to do anything to the car to protect it's paint and metallic parts before driving it to a dock and letting it sit in the salt air, putting it on an ocean-going vessel and taking it 1/2 way around the world (exposing it to more salt air), and unloading it and letting it sit at another dock (even more salt air). You'd think the manufacturers would have done something by now - especially after the early years of Japanese imports, when they all rusted out really quickly.

All I can say is that you're lucky to have a dealer that's looking out for your best interest like this.

dchengmd

I thought that's what the stick-on/peel-off plastic sheets that come on new cars were for?

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

"I thought that's what the stick-on/peel-off plastic sheets that come on new cars were for?"

Exactly.

"All I can say is that you're lucky to have a dealer that's looking out for your best interest like this."

OMG!! You CAN'T really believe that can you??? There is NO dealer that has anything but HIS best interest in mind. All that package is designed to do is pad his profit and take money out of your wallet.

I cannot believe you said that. This guy must own or run a dealership!

samw1978

"Finishing Touch" = car wash and maybe polish...

HokieZ

iTrader: (1)

"Finishing Touch" is wax, pure and simple. If you read the fine print, you will notice that you have to purchase a "maintenance kit" and apply it every 6 months. Hmmm, that timing sounds familiar, what could it be..... WAX!! The guy that tried to sell me that, a coat of scotch gaurd (fabric protectant as they called it)and one other piece of crap I can't remember really got mad at me when I laughed at his sales pitch. I didn't mean to be an ***, but it was just so pittiful I couldn't help it.

Masterfulks

The good ole undercoating, paint protectant, and stain guard treatment...

If the car needed this stuff it would come with it....

My local dealership had a markup of about 1250 or 1500 due to a "protection package" that came with this.

overlord tom

Well, what is funny is that the salesman didn't even mention it to me. I actually asked if there was some kind of paint protection available. At $495 with a 5 year warranty inside/outside against paint or fabric blemishes, it didn't sound like a bad idea. So I got it anyway. I took a close look at the car once I had it home and I seen some small areas of white crust around the Z emblems. You guys were right. I got a wash/wax and some scotch guard for $500. I'll be damned if I get a single blemish in the paint I'll be calling this "Finishing Touch" place to have them repaint/repair the spot (which it says they will in the contract). I park under a lot of trees, so that alone may be worth it.

3 other dealerships I went to already added all kinds of crazy stuff to cars that still had the plastic on it. To a tally of $2000 for a paint protection, security enhancements (tint), and some other funky unnecessary item. At least the place I went to (Mossy Nissan in Oceanside, CA) gave me the option.

HokieZ

iTrader: (1)

Agreed. Another dealership in the area here I didn't buy my car from wanted 4K over MSRP as a "market adjustment" then added on all the scotchguard/wax/garbage automatically and wouldn't even talk to me because I was driving my beater car at the time. Other dealership I walked up on a Saturday after SteveZzz from the board called his sales guy and he threw me the keys, we drove it for 45 mins, came back 2 weeks later and bought it for $1500 under MSRP with none of the "addons". Best thing at the end though after I got the car home was that I realized they had already done all of the things they wanted the extra $$$ for. Goes to show you how little they cost if they can afford to do it to every car and hope some people bite.

KingofScion

I am in the car business. They product kind of works. It's not worth the money, I work for a dealer, I can get it for $50. So I will.

As a customer I'd pay no more than 300 for it.

Omer.

Silver_Racer

"Finishing Touch"! LOL. Yeah, the dealer sure is putting their "finishing touch" on your wallet!!

dchengmd

Huh? First you say "it's not worth the money", and then you say you can get it for $50. Therefore, you're saying it's not even worth $50, but "as a customer" you'd pay up to $300 for it??

Do you use this same kind of reasoning to sell cars? I feel sorry for your customers.

overlord tom

Well I may have gotten 'ripped' as many of you say. I think the 5yr paint warranty was worth the extra charge. I can't count the number of times a bird took a dump on my ride and I never got the spot out of the paint. I guess its just a really really expensive 'detailing' job. Something I would pay about $100 for normally. Oh well.

phile

I got my car undercoated. The undercoating came with a 10 year warranty. Any spots underneath the car that become rusted will be replaced for free. It was 700 bucks and they were going to put on some "paint protection" also. I really didn't care about the paint protection, nor did I expect it to work. Although I put my Z up for the winter, I know I'll always end up driving it in a light snow a couple times before I put it away, or after I take it out. So it was worth it to me to get the undercoating because of the massive amount of salt used on our roads.

overlord tom

SNOW? Damn. I used to live in Pittsburgh and they lay down like a ton of salt per mile. I had my RX7 freshly painted and made the mistake of driving it for a month in the winter while my beater was broken down. When spring came and I pulled it back out of storage, there was nothing left to the underneath or wheel wells. I sure hope your undercoating works. Let is know next year.

BDM

Sarcasm, Yoda, sarcasm.