This debate has raged – and will continue to do so – for many more years than we’d care to know.
If I had ten dollars for every time someone said something like “I just ordered a car and the aftermarket lady told me that their paint protection is lifetime warranty, and is better because they are factory approved”, well, maybe I would retire from window tinting and paint protection… Another car-dealer catch phrase is the infamous “oh, well if we take the paint protection package out of the equation, then that’s going to throw out the WHOLE interest rate deal, and it’s actually CHEAPER for you to get the paint protection…” In fact, I’m not even sure if it’s legal to say that, but again and again, that’s what we hear.
Firstly, all paint protection products have their downfall – application. If you don’t prepare the surface properly, it won’t bond properly. Just like painting something, really. This being said, it is important to note that the aftermarket shops and detailers, who do this for a living every day, will most likely have the correct method well practiced. Compared to getting it done through a dealer, where you don’t know who is doing it, how long it takes the applicator, or if they even do it completely.
Second, is the price jump. The dealer will most often go in very high. Absurdly high. Then when they realise you are going to shop around then you get offered an amazingly cheaper deal. One that might make you wonder, in fact, why it was so much more in the first place?
Third, product. Opti-Coat is a brand that changed the marketplace. Every single other product has followed in the footsteps of Optimum Polymer Technologies in material, strategy, and sales. Optimum still release product updates, a solid dealer support network, a great following and a great name. It is easy to find info on the brand Opti-Coat and it is sold all through the world. However, if you try to find info on the brand that the aftermarket lady at the dealer is selling, it might get difficult. This is because they change the brand quickly enough to not allow any negative press to build around it. A clever tactic but one that does not allow any room for improvement.
Do you really need paint protection? Well, that’s up to you. If you like the idea of never waxing the car again, and you like to wash your car in record time, with stunning results, then I’d say Opti-Coat is a product you will be happy with.
Bottom line
– Opti-Coat PRO+, is a product you can tell is on the car. It has physical presence and makes washing the car easier. It comes with a 7 year warranty with no inspection, no special car wash, covers bird & bat poo (which no other product will completely do). It has been CSIRO tested and published results for compete submersion in 100% hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, and has complete chemical resistance.
The Lifetime Warranty is available by allowing any Opti-Coat PRO+ dealer to inspect the vehicle, once per year. If you miss this service, your warranty remains completely valid, for the remainder of the 7 year term, less the time since purchase. This is done because we want to know that the coating is still working. After all, so much can happen in one year, let alone 7 years, that to give a LIFETIME warranty would be unrealistic without seeing the vehicle annually.
Opti-Coat PRO+ is “wipe on & leave”, meaning you do not wipe any off after application, and is the only product you can do this with. It is thicker by up to 100 times when applied correctly, and accelerated weather testing has confirmed that without tampering, the Opti-Coat PRO+ can last the full 7 years of your warranty.
Further, we are a family business and inferior product has no place with us… This is our livelihood and our policy is that your Suzuki Swift deserves the same respect as the next person’s Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota etc. If it’s your car, it’s our priority to have not just customers, but happy customers.
Automotive Aftermarket Sales at the dealer “nano-x, X-Pack, etc” paint protection, no matter how many instances of the phrase “nano technology” are in the brochure, is likely to wear off in under 12 months. If the warranty claims “lifetime warranty with no inspections” it means they likely don’t really mind if it isn’t really working for you after 12 months. The inspection is about making sure you are still getting the value out of the product.
I can’t speak for every dealer applied protection, but I can speak for every Solartint Brookvale/Sydney Paint Protection applied paint protection. I can say that for every job, we consider individual needs and give you everything you need to keep that smile on your face!
Below is a great case study, video footage (shot roughly by me, in our shop) of a grey VW Polo in for annual check up. This was done one year ago and looks like it was done yesterday.
After that you’ll see footage of a VW Golf R being washed by us, which had a dealer product applied. The name of the product is unimportant (and I can’t remember it), and on closer inspection you’d find all dealer coatings to be the same or similar. These cars happen to be owned by the same individual. Both garaged and cleaned between 2-8 weeks depending on use.