[Jawa]

My new M40i arrives next week. Some quick advice needed.

Dealer is offering protect X for £600. I watched the advert/film and it says it protects the car from UV rays and acid rain.

I tend to clean my cars irregularly for the first few months, then once a year. For a motorist who is too lazy to wash a car every Sunday and too cheap to pay for proper ceramic coating... Is it worth it? Will I even notice after a few months?

[eurobear]

I guess it depends what you plan to do with your car.

Are you going to keep it once your lease runs out (assuming you lease/PCP)?

If yes, could be worth it, if no, then I don't see the point.

I'm keeping my car no longer than 4 yrs (most likely 3) and paint should be fine in that period. However, if I planned to keep it for 10yrs I definitely would have protection put on it.

[ep22jg]

I've had equivalent products on my last 2 cars and personally think they're worth having.
They are NOT a top level solution by any means, but I've found the car definitely cleans well with a quick jet wash and bucket clean.
I'm not into detailing and my car gets washed a lot less than some, so this is a good solution for me.

I would negotiate on the price though, it's probably worth half that in reality!!

Just my 2p

[MarkyM]

Check out what maintenance it needs to keep up warranty before agreeing, some times they require monthly treating with special polishes (special as in expensive) and you would more likely get similar protection if you polished it anyway that often

Have you looked into ceramic coating? I'm dreadful at washing my cars, but this is a doddle with ceramics coat applied, even if left for months (which I did over the winter, shame on me), it seems to stay looking cleaner longer especially the wheels

[Speedbird1]

Hi, congrats on the new car. I went for the protect X on my new G01 (paid about £250 I recall, so defo worth negotiating) and I have always gone for this option with previous BMW's. On the face of it, it appears expensive but you do get a comprehensive blanket of protection on the car. The bodywork is protected with nano-wax and the interior leather and carpet fabrics are also protected. I believe it really contributes to the long lasting looks of the vehicle as a whole. It also offers an insurance policy against stains on the interior fabric / leather and also any damage to the exterior paintwork e.g. bird dropping damage to the laquer clear-coat. The dealer will correct these issues under the protect-x warranty.

When I sold my last X3 (F25) the purchasing dealer (BMW) asked specifically whether I had had the protect-x on that car and offered me additional cash at trade in. I believe it is quite a cost effective way of gaining additional protection for the car from day one without having to go to the expense of professional detail or ceramic coatings etc. Horses for courses, bit I think it's worth it. You also get a comprehensive bag of products for ongoing care including, shampoo, wheel cleaner (the type that changes colour), leather treatment. plastic care. windscreen wash, and glass cleaner together with sponges, micro-fibre towels etc.

Hope that assists a little with your deliberations.

[SROC3]

I would get this.......Apply it 3 coats and worry about a re-application in 6 months The application is SO easy that the whole car took me all of 10 min. It's pretty awesome stuff:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Rbrown]

I use Chemical Guys Jet Seal. Works fine for me!!!

[Louda0801]

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY. Poor quality paint sealant that will last 2-4 months. Spend the money on a proper ceramic detail. If it's free I still wouldn't bother. A ceramic wax would be better.

[D69GMB]

Seriously £600?, that is just an insane price to pay for that. Do you not have any decent detailers that are local to you?. If you really want this on your car I would be negotiating this to be flung in for free,personally I wouldn't pay anything for it.

[Speedbird1]

All the points about alternative treatments are completely valid, and it may be that you get an even better paint protection from ceramic coatings etc. Just worth bearing in mind though, the BMW protect x system isn't just a one-off protection for external paint, it also covers the interior and it is also an insurance policy which is why BMW states the following:

Protect X - The benefits:
Maintains a high-gloss showroom finish, wash after wash.
Guards your paintwork and interior
Protects you future resale value for your BMW
Achieves British Standard EN ISO 2812-5:2007
Provides a transferable Lifetime Guarantee for paint, leathers and fabric
Customer Take home care kit - includes shampoo, wheel cleaner, interior care clothes and glass cleaner. Everything you need to main your BMW.

So, whilst it may well be there are better alternatives - do they offer future Lifetime Guarantees ? Unlikely. Having had my clearcoat damaged by bird droppings (centre of bonnet) whilst my car was parked up at the airport for 2 weeks - I was very grateful I had this 'insurance' as the dealer repaired my car to 'as-new' for free.

If you can haggle down to a good price I really wouldn't dismiss it out of hand.

[MySport]

Originally Posted by MarkyM

Check out what maintenance it needs to keep up warranty before agreeing, some times they require monthly treating with special polishes (special as in expensive) and you would more likely get similar protection if you polished it anyway that often

Have you looked into ceramic coating? I'm dreadful at washing my cars, but this is a doddle with ceramics coat applied, even if left for months (which I did over the winter, shame on me), it seems to stay looking cleaner longer especially the wheels

I sold new cars for nearly 20 years. In all that time, I never heard of any cleaning regime required for warranty. In any case, manufacturers give warranties on bodywork and paintwork that far exceed any PCP or PCH deal.

When these enhanced paint protection products first came into the market, we were retailing them at £299. The product cost us £15 + the labour to apply it. You work out whether you think they are worth the money!

[Jawa]

thanks for all your replies. Consensus its that it's overpriced, and a 50/50 split on whether it makes much difference. I'll try to get a hefty discount otherwise I'll pass.

[JustChris]

I had mine ceramic coated after a detail, wheels, all glass and tail pipes heat coated as well and this was £699.

I'm not sure what protect X is but unless it's a great ceramic coating you can get more for your money finding someone yourself. Where in the UK are you,if NE PM me I could recommend.

I only PCP my cars and yes this is an expensive add on BUT the car looks it's best 80% of the time (like new) rather than about 30% as it just says so shiny and is much much easier to clean.

I justified my detailing work as 'only' another £300 than my local BMW seal and protect effort. Until you have had a car coated it is hard to believe but it's a world of difference IMO.