Paint Sealant Applied by dealership vs polish/wax?
 

When I bought my new Mazdaspeed 3 the dealership sold me a paint sealant package for an extra $550.

Is anyone familiar with these sealants? Apparently I am never supposed to apply a wax, and I have to have an inspection every so often, and a re-application every so many years.

How well does it work compared to a good polish/wax? I am most concerned with paint fade/oxidation protection since I am parking my MS3 outdoors.


Thanks

How does it feel to be robbed of $550.00? Anyway that sealant they sell you is no better than your average cheap meguiars wax. The piece of paper you get with checkups for your paint is nothing but a gimmick. Use anything you like on your paint. Chances are that wax they put on your paint wont last for more than a couple weeks. FYI I used to apply that shit for 2 dealerships.


**edit

Theres some good info in the general car care section that lets you know whats good to put on your paint as well.

Yeah they pretty much just took $550 out of your wallet. For that money, you could have gotten yourself plenty of sealant/wax. Good quality ones, or a porter cable + polishes.

That's why I'm asking, because not having bought a new car before I don't know these things.

I'm no stranger to waxing my car. When I detail the Mustang it's an all day affair.

Oh well at least I didn't go for the $1000 package.

how did u still manage to fall for this than ......

i wouldn't trust the dealer to do any car detailing related stuffs. you'd ought to see some the shit they are doing in the back with your car, like taking a broom to your car to give a nice clean swirl. so fuck no to the $550 bucks sealant bs.

yeah I worked at nissan and we used a brush (pretty much a broom lol) to wash a lot of the cars. The brush has been laid on the ground, left in acidic wheel cleaner, you name it, we got it!

Wow thats horrible!
Did they wash every car that came in for service or was it just whoever requested a wash?

Not going to say which Nissan I worked at. But cars that came in for servicing got a really old mitt. Don't even know what type. But yeah they either got a really old raggity mitt or a brush. It's a green brush that is used for...:rolleyes: everything. Then for new cars, they all got a Megs Microfiber mitt, for the top parts and the bottom part of the car got a brush. Whenever my parents/sister take their cars in, I tell them not to get it washed, just serviced and thats it. My moms G was pretty much swirl free, and then some asswipe smashed our window so the window got replaced and body shop cleaned the car up with a broom for us. Now it's completely swirled:cry:. Oh well, now you guys know, wash with two buckets and don't let anybody else wash your car! Also, no waterblades!!

Damn good thing you posted this, I have to take my car in for service next week. Now I'll say very clearly NOT to wash it, service and thats it

yeah never let the "stealership" anywhere near your paint, most of their free washes end up costing you money in paint correction.

they always try to sell these sealant/protection packages for an arm and a leg when you can get the same for less than half. i am a big fan of paint sealants like zaino but they only last a bit longer than seasonal wax jobs. the stuff isnt magic and will need to be re-applied... twice a year is good for most people, four times a year is best if you can afford the time/money.

Yeah no problem:thumbsup:. The mechanics there are all good guys and do good work. Just do service and get outta there. The guy that washes for service does shitty jobs, don't get it washed. Save yourself the time lol

This car care tech forum doesn't really have a FAQ unfortunately...

But they probably just put on the sealant, which is essentially the same as putting on a wax but just lasts longer since its synthetic

a bottle of good sealant costs 30-40 dollars, and its good for 10-20 recoats. Sealant is usually applied 2-3 times a year, and wax can be applied over it as long as it's not a cleaner wax (since cleaner waxes have stripping properties which could weaken the sealant)

http://forums.clubrsx.com/showthread.php?t=578036 for more in depth look at detailing terminology

Thanks Gatorade, your reply was exactly the type of info I was looking for.