PermaPlate

[JetBlack330Ci]

Hey whatsup, I am a new member and I am just discovering this forum. I am picking up my new BMW 330Ci on Monday and I have a question for you folks.

The dealers are trying to sell me something called Perma-Plate. It can be applied to paint work and to the interior (fibre or leather). It is supposed to protect your car, they give a warranty for a number of years. I do not know much about it. Do any of you have any experience with this product? My car is black and I intend to keep it very clean, wax it and protect it from he sun as much as I can. So I do not think this product is for me but I wanted to find out if anybody has any experience with it.

Cheers,
Frank.

[texan]

Undertray coats, special paint sealers, leather protectors and the like are generally just ways for the dealership to mark up the car without flat saying it's just additional charges they decided to tack on. Ask them if their product is so good why the factory doesn't apply it themselves, ask who makes the product(s), ask to be there when they're applied, and ask to see an example of how well these products work to protect your investment over the years.

That line of questioning alone should get the charge removed from your bottom line. I've yet to see any of these products actually being applied to a car, because in most cases they don't exist. It's like going to the car wash and paying an extra $10 to have them spray multi-colored foam onto the car during the wash, which is in fact just multi-colored foam.

[SaabJohan]

The car should have the protection it needs when it leaves the factory. And I mean should have, all manufacturers doesn't have that.
But most of them have.

The best way to get the car to stay in good condition is to wash it regulary and to clean the interior. Also protect the paint by using wax, this will also make it easier to clean. I use professional teflon wax and I think that have worked good. It is expensive but the bottle is also big.
When you wash the car it's important to use a good car schampoo which doesn't dry out the paint.

When the car is new, don't wax it until it's 4-6 months old. This is because the paint needs this time to "try".

[JetBlack330Ci]

Originally posted by texan
Undertray coats, special paint sealers, leather protectors and the like are generally just ways for the dealership to mark up the car without flat saying it's just additional charges they decided to tack on. Ask them if their product is so good why the factory doesn't apply it themselves, ask who makes the product(s), ask to be there when they're applied, and ask to see an example of how well these products work to protect your investment over the years.

That line of questioning alone should get the charge removed from your bottom line. I've yet to see any of these products actually being applied to a car, because in most cases they don't exist. It's like going to the car wash and paying an extra $10 to have them spray multi-colored foam onto the car during the wash, which is in fact just multi-colored foam.

Hmm, that's what I thought might be the case, just an excuse for them to extract more money from me. This thing is not part of the deal and I am not going to pay anything that I have doubts about.

[JetBlack330Ci]

Originally posted by SaabJohan
The car should have the protection it needs when it leaves the factory. And I mean should have, all manufacturers doesn't have that.
But most of them have.

The best way to get the car to stay in good condition is to wash it regulary and to clean the interior. Also protect the paint by using wax, this will also make it easier to clean. I use professional teflon wax and I think that have worked good. It is expensive but the bottle is also big.
When you wash the car it's important to use a good car schampoo which doesn't dry out the paint.

When the car is new, don't wax it until it's 4-6 months old. This is because the paint needs this time to "try".

Thanks for the info SaabJohan. I know about not waxing a new car. I will probably apply the first wax during the fall. I have never used teflon wax, but I will keep it mind. I have plenty of Mothers carnuba wax, I will continue to use that. I always waxed my alloy wheels using synthetic wax, it makes it easy to clean the wheels