Volvo Car Protect

[justj]

I'm buying a new XC90 (great deal buy the way). Anyway, I've been offered Volvo Car Protect for £399. It says "Your car’s paintwork will be treated with a highly durable hydrophobic coating that bonds to the paint and forms a tough protective barrier with a high gloss finish. This keeps your car cleaner for longer and protects your paint from the worst that the elements can do - no need to wax or polish, all you have to do is wash the car"
Does anyone have any opinion as to whether this is worth it? I've never had a brand new Volvo before.

[Polestar Pete]

I usually avoid paying for these treatments. I've been naive in the past and didn't see any benefit at all and there's nothing really to prove that the treatment you paid for has been applied correctly (if at all).

Personally, I'd expect it to be washed and waxed on delivery and then use my own choice of cleaning product going forward.

[Paul Wildsmith]

In my opinion, no.

If you're the sort of person who never washes or polish's your car, then maybe of some minor benefit, otherwise no.

You can buy similar (or even the same products) and apply yourself, if so desired) for a fraction.


Also, I wouldn't trust a dealer to wash my car, never mind any other sort of prep.

[Lozzingers]

I was offered this same deal when almost buying a new car a few weeks ago, and as others have said, these are generally quite overpriced/high markup that can be done cheaper/by yourself, so I personally would not go for it.
Cars will still get dirty and need cleaning regardless!
Good luck - and exiting to be buying a new car,
Laurence

[Moonlanders]

I am the opposite - I did take up the option. Against what I was already paying for the car, the amount was relatively insignificant. I took the view that it could not harm the car to be applied once on delivery, and as it was going to be sat outside during a pandemic for who knows how long, it would probably give limited additional protection. (I collected it on the Friday before the first lockdown - can honestly say I was not expecting it to be sat still for 12 months!). Bird muck has been wiping off easily and I am claiming that fact as proof I was right!

Would I pay for it in a normal world situation? Probably not.

[Cull06]

I wash my car as often as I can be bothered to and never wax it etc because generally I’m one of those who don’t care that much how it looks

But.

I have had the ceramic thing included and it genuinely does make a huge difference in terms of the car staying cleaner for longer and the likes of bird muck coming off easier. It’s a similar effect to keeping it waxed. In fact others have commented on how it stays looking clean for ages between washing. When it rains it basically takes most of the dirt off with it.

It costs next to nothing for the dealer to buy the product which they do in bulk and their minimum wage car washing fella is prob the one putting it on.

So try and get it thrown in for free if you want it. I did on my current car.

As some of the previous posters have said. If you are going to regularly wash and wax yourself anyway then I don’t think it really adds much if anything at all.

[St Evelyn]

The product applied is probably something like Autoglym Lifeshine that you often see advertised in car dealerships for £399. Bearing in mind you can pick up a brand new kit for around £20 on eBay (here for example), it ought to be feasible to get it thrown in. Alternatively, buy a kit and give it a go yourself.

[shagaboopon]

Originally Posted by Cull06

I wash my car as often as I can be bothered to and never wax it etc because generally I’m one of those who don’t care that much how it looks

But.

I have had the ceramic thing included and it genuinely does make a huge difference in terms of the car staying cleaner for longer and the likes of bird muck coming off easier. It’s a similar effect to keeping it waxed. In fact others have commented on how it stays looking clean for ages between washing. When it rains it basically takes most of the dirt off with it.

It costs next to nothing for the dealer to buy the product which they do in bulk and their minimum wage car washing fella is prob the one putting it on.

So try and get it thrown in for free if you want it. I did on my current car.

As some of the previous posters have said. If you are going to regularly wash and wax yourself anyway then I don’t think it really adds much if anything at all.

I would concur that the easy to wash off dirt factor is the same on a car that is waxed frequently. Waxing your car 4-6 times a year with a quality wax would likely produce the same results for a fraction of the price. I turned down the dealer on the car I bought recently as I will also be doing a paint correction as the weather improves so there is no point buying it if you're going to fully detail the vehicle as you'd need to strip the protection.

Personally speaking I'd recommend paying a reputable detailer to go over the car on delivery and you'd get a much cleaner and nicer prepared car for half the cost and the paint would be sealed just as well. That's just my opinion though.

[Mint Cake]

Originally Posted by shagaboopon

Personally speaking I'd recommend paying a reputable detailer to go over the car on delivery and you'd get a much cleaner and nicer prepared car for half the cost and the paint would be sealed just as well. That's just my opinion though.

Which is what I did, for a lot less than half the cost. My car comes up lovely every time I clean it and every third time I wash it with a "conserver" as well, which adds a layer of sealent/wax to the surface.
The detailer put 2 layers of ceramic sealant on the wheels, so washing them in just water brings them straight back to life and looking brand new. (it helps being an R Design and having large gaps in the "spokes")

[justj]

Thank you all. I'm somewhere in the middle to be honest - I will look after my car and will happily wax it a couple of times a year. Being brand new this time, I obviously want to look after it. I'm going to decline their offer and look at either waxing myself initially or getting a professional detailer to do it locally. Thanks for all the opinions.