I'm just about to finalise the purchase of my TD4 HSE and have been hit with the options of vehicle protection packages and extended warranty. I was initially considering window tinting, paint protection and leather protection however I have heard various opinions on these products and am now having second thoughts. Have also been quoted $2200 for extended 3 year warranty. Has anyone had any experience with any of these products and are they worth having.
Regards,
Clinkerhull

paint protection + leather protection = waste of money, give your car a polish once every 6-8 months, or once every 12months if garaged and the paint will be in much better condition in 3 years time than a once off 'paint protection' when purchased new.

here are my thoughts on this whole money making scheme.

Paint protection can be done by yourself for $60, get some autoglym and polish it yourself, and then just look after the car.

Tint, 3rd party tints are high quality just make sure its lifetime guarantee against bubbles and all that.

I purchased leather protection, as i wear jeans everyday and they guaranteed it wont stain the seats or they will replace or clean the seats, i'll let you know what happens when it comes time to question the guarantee.

Never had the offer of the extended warranty, just make sure you read the terms of the extended warranty and what part you have to play in it.

whatever you decide on, just make sure they do it, my dealer tried to deliver me the car without applying the protection

Thanks for the quick responses . I thought as much so now I might consider after market Sat Nav and Blue Tooth instead.

ok, here is the low down...

you can save A LOT of money by simply looking after the vehicle yourself. The 'Aftermarket' packages have the highest % of profit (sometimes up to 50% ) of any part of the vehicle sale. This does not mean that they are not high quality products, however I have simply taken my vehicle to the hand wash cafe once a month at $25- a time and my car still looks like new.

you can get quality window tint for approx $350- with lifetime warranty. However you don't actually need Window tint to stop UV light (as the glass does this anyway) - tint will stop IR light, which does reduce heat, and darker windows sometimes makes the vehicle look better.

Go buy a Leather Care kit for approx $50- and this will do the same as any other 'protection'.

All in all it comes down to how much time you have to look after your car. If you have no time at all (like my Sister), then try to prepare the vehicle as much as possible for neglect And you may be able to write off the cost of the packages if you are purchasing for business use (speak to your accountant).

Hope this helps. ______________________________

own: '06 BMW 130i Msport (manual)
owned: '04 FL Td4 3dr
owned: '02 FL V6 3dr
owned: '98 FL Xedi
___________________________________

The road less travelled you will find me on.

I have looked into paint product myself

Things like dealer paint protection such as Diamondbrite will be removed after a few runs through a autowasher so that will make your $$$ outlay a waste of money, never mind that is you use a 'non' compatable wash'n'wax this might ruin any protection. you might also have to reapply it yourself once or twice a year

a majority of polishes do just that polish the paintwork, often containing fillers that fill/mask swirlmarks which is a good thing. but offer little protection

Save money, buy a decent polish, polish it up then, apply a long lasting wax (two or three coats) this will give you the protection from the elements and normally give a nice glossy finish too

It maybe worth claying the car after its been washed and dry too, this will make the wax/shine last longer  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

I had negotiated me up to a (free) nano-protection of the body when I bought the car 18 months ago. It looks good still.

The following, I copied from the internet:

There are four reasons that nano-coatings are important in car paint care products (surface care in general, actually):

1. The better "grip" a polymer can get on a surface (substrate), the less likely it will be that another substance or element can knock it off (break through the coating). This has a direct relationship with the coating's durability and tolerance to detergents and chemicals.

2. A nano-coating has a particle size that's smaller than water. As a result, nano-coatings are hydrophobic (lock water out).

3. A nono-coating fills micro-size pits in glossy surfaces, further improving the gloss.

4. Nano-particle UV inhibitors are perfectly clear, yet they absorb UV light energy. LR Freelander2 2,2 Td4 HSE manuel Stornaway Grey (Metallic) & Ebony Black Leather & Sun/Moon-roof & Bi-Xenon & Roof Rails & Tow bar & Body side rubbing strips & Cold climate pack & Privacy glass & NavTeq . Production Date: 11/5-2007 in Halewood.

Sorry, but I have changed to Defender 90 ", and I love my" tractor ".
http://www.youtube.com/bjartin

Dont go though the dealer. My uncle worked for LR as a mech. His mate that does the LR protection treatment packs, but after hours does cash jobs. Cost me $350 to do the paint protection, leather protection and tint. LR wanted over 2k.

I havent done the paint protection option which he only wants $50 for, because you have to wash the car with baby wash only. I cant be bothered as its a 3 year work car. However the leather and Tint is booked in before Xmas.

Dorko

I have the 3M paint protection to the entire front end of the vehicle as well as the rear bumper, mirrors, and the area between the windscreen and sunroof. Love the stuff.

Here's a little info for you though; All of my vehicles have had the 3M protection. A long time ago I discovered that dealers in my area all outsource the instillation. I also discovered who was doing their work, so I started bringing my vehicles directly to them.

To give you an idea of the savings, the dealer wanted $1,250US to do the above mentioned protection application. The outsourced company only charged me $650US, plus they tinted my front windows! The dealer was making $600US to drive my vehicle 10 miles to the outsource company and back. What a scam.

Paint & Fabric protection packages are perfectly fine so long as they are applied properly & the car is looked after properly by washing it properly with the aftercare pack & not through the auto-wash & definately not at a Supermarket or drive-in type place.

I applied a Diamondbrite package to a brand new Range Rover Sport HSE Luxury on Tuesday. He is a regular customer & I will be doing the service valets every month which will keep it looking smart.
The product if applied correctly stops carpets & upholstry from becoming stained.

Diamondbrite sometimes use me to rectify customer complaints, i.e a customer that has an issue with either marks on the paint or stains on seats/carpets - - 100% of these complaints are from cars that have had the application done (supposedly) at a dealer!! (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.

I have no problems with the paint protection product but you are being charged huge amounts of money for the application and IMHO more often than not it does not get put on properly leaving your car with swirls and worse paint than when it came out of the factory... If you are intent on doing something for your pain, by the stuff and DIY as mr Pinks said, or pay a proper detailer to do it for you, I can guaranty for the same money the car will look many times better and probably last far longer with a little maintanance.

As for tints - if you get the option, go for factory fit not dealer fit.... they are not much more and are just better IMO. Freelander 2 TD4 Auto, SE, Narvik Black, Alpaca full leather, Rear Headrest Entertainment System, 6 CD, 18 HSE Wheels, Privicy tints