mommy_barbie

My silver tech w/black int. has finally arrived after an almost three-month delay.

Now I have to decide on an Acura protection package. Does anyone know anything about these?? E.g. bronze, silver, platinum??

Bronze includes paint & undercoat protection, plus basic leather/fabric protection.

Silver includes all of the above, plus chemical rust guard, for $200 more.

So far, I'm thinking both sound good - but the chemical rust guard sounds pretty useful, so that makes silver seem more appealing. HOWEVER:

Gold adds a hood rock guard (3m clear plastic that covers your hood and protects it from rock chips etc. - almost like a piece of tape across the front!!). This costs an extra $200 CDN.

Platinum has all of the above, except the chemical rust guard - it replaces that with electronic rust module, surface rust protection, and rip/tear/burn protection, for another $200 more.

What on earth do I do?? I can't add on accessories or do anything else until I give the go ahead for the protection I want and the sale has to be completed before the month ends.

Any help out there would be awesome!! Thanks -

lumpulus

This is NOT an Acura sanctions package...it's your local dealership trying to get you to buy the most possible accessories by putting them into "packages".

sasair

All dealers offer different "packages".

Depends on your driving conditions and how long you want to keep the car for. I'd say no to the rustproofing these days as vehicles these days hardly rust in almost any conditions and you already have a rust warranty for something like 5 years. I am thinking about undercoating myself purely as a sound deadening feature. the 3m plastic guard is always a good idea to prevent against hood chips especially if you are in an area that uses sand on the roads in winter or if you tailgate alot. The leather/fabrc protection is robbery if you ask me. You can go buy a can scotchguard and a bottle of lexol yourself for pretty cheap, and thats about all the dealer is going to do to your vehicle.

c_hunter

Skip it all -- the dealer is trying to make additional profit on the sale with un-needed fluff. Don't fall for it. Extended warranties and dealer add-ons are overwhelmingly ripoffs in most cases.

About the only thing I would do is add the 3M paint protection film to the front of the hood, but that would be under $200 US and I would do it myself (the RDX hood is easy to do). If you can negotiate only the 3M film only where it's needed for a fair price, then maybe add that on. The other stuff is a waste of money.

JayCT

Consumer Reports does not recommend buying the protection package offered by the dealers. They do little to protect the car and are overpriced. Thye say the vehicle already has protection on the interior and the under carriage so don't bother. Plus thye point out that the interior protection is nothing more than a $5 can of Scotchguard sprayed on the seats. Not really needed, so I did not get it on mine. JMHO Jay

mommy_barbie

Wow - Thanks for the replies.

Here, we have a lot of salt and gravel on the roads in winter, but sure, the manufacturer's do seem to do a better job these days with their paint, and the RDX shouldn't rust like my old '92 Accord (I hope).

What about the paint protection?? On our old Accords, we applied something called Diamond Coat on the paint and it made a huge difference with respect to sun damage, shine and overall paint condition - the vehicle still looks like new. Once this was applied, we never had to apply wax. I definately want this on the RDX, but I'm having trouble figuring out what the dealer calls it - there's "paint protection," there's "surface rust protection" and there's the "electronic rust module." How do I figure out which is the one I want? What do you guys think?

Also, about the rock guard - it does sound like a good idea from what you're saying, but what does it look like once it's on? I don't want it to look like I've covered the $50k RDX with a band of scotch tape Have you guys ever seen this on a vehicle (especially silver)??

One bonus is that with the protection package (anyone - doesn't matter how much stuff you get), you get lifetime oil changes thrown in.

Please let me know what you think -

sasair

Just ask them if they do Diamond Kote if thats what you want. "paint protection" coat just be a coat of wax.

Someone on here got the rock guard installed on their RDX. I have seen it on other vehicles and you hardly notice it's there. Assuming the base protection package isn't too expensive, you should get it just for the free oil changes! Oil changes could be about $60 a pop!

c_hunter

You claim the Diamond Coat made a big difference, but I have a feeling that the vehicle would have done fine without it. There's no way to really tell. I do know that any product, whether it's a wax or a magic paint protectant, needs periodic applications to keep protecting the clearcoat. None of the one-time products last beyond about 6-8 months, especially if you wash the car -- it's physically impossible.

You would get the most benefit by waxing the car every 6-12 months.

I have the 3M film on my Outback, and it has been excellent. I only applied it to the leading edge of the hood, which is where the main benefit is. The non-metal parts have a much lower chance of chipping so they are not as crucial for film application (exception might be the mirrors). On light colored cars, you see the edge of the film show up as a hairline across the hood. Not a big deal to me -- small price to pay for not getting chipped paint!

Stevenm

The sales manager at my dealership tried harder to sell me the teflon wax job than they did the car! He contacted me 3 times about it. I think he pockets a nice profit on that 3-400 glorified wax job. That tactic was the only thing I wasn't impressed with, because my dealership I feel are a class act. I would just get what you feel comfortable with. For me, I wouldn't get anything except the pinstripe. I want the pinstripe

Brad G

Ya skip everything, but I suggest the 'clear bra' or 'rock guard' as it is called. I have Xpel (3M) protection on my CBP RDX and love it. Ive had 3 previous cars with this stuff and its pretty amazing and saved me from nasty chips numerous times. Ill try and get a picture tomorrow, but all that you can see is a nearly invisible line across the hood. You cant see the bumper film at all. Also makes scrubbing the bugs off the bumper much easier in the summer.

sasair

Just about every product that dealer offered you is a Diamond Kote product. They do paint protection, undercoating, rustproofing, fabric guard, leather/vinyl protection, electromagnetic rust protection. I think they only deal with businesses like car dealers. That's your first hint that their products aren't worth the money or rather that their products are just other well known products relabeled and redistributed and they aren't allowed to resell through normal retail channels.

chyllintsx

do you guys know something called "zapel" or "xapel" or something like that... my cousin told me she got it sprayed on her TL when she bought it ... it suposed to keep all dirt and prevent stains... its sprayed ont he leather too... its like a permanent wax... sounds pretty appealing

sasair

There's something like that called ArmorCoat, but not for leather I don't think. It's more like a clear coat of paint, but it is much thicker and more flexible so it won't chip like a clear coat of paint would. I've never seen it actually on a vehicle though so I would trust it enough to put it on any of my vehicles. I'd go and do it and in a few months it would turn green or something....

mommy_barbie

Okay - I'm definately in for the 3m guard on the hood - thanks guys.

What about the leather/fabric burn/tear/cut protection? They claim that if anything happens, they'll replace the piece for you as part of the warrantee. I have kids, but I'm a non-smoker, and I just can't see us being this hard on the vehicle. Has anyone found themselves wishing they'd bought this type of protection in the past??

I did a little questioning today - can you believe it?? The finance clerk says 90 % of the dealership's customers buy the platinum protection package (it includes everything under the sun)!! I wonder if she's been trained to say that.

Also, I checked into electromagnetic rust protection - it involves putting a little box on your battery that transmits a negative charge across your entire vehicle - it's supposed to drive off water, etc. and deter rust. Anyone hear anything about it?? Both of these carry a lifetime warranty against rust (but supposedly, they do the same thing, so you either get one or the other).

Boy, these dealerships do sound like scammers though - I'll be glad when I'm finished with my purchase and onto driving...

drtdvl

It sounds like most of the opinions are telling you to skip the protection package and just go with the 3M rock guard. I agree with them all as that is what I did as well (3M rock guard was put on my RDX), however, in the end, it is your car and you have to be comfortable with your decision. If it makes you feel better, go and spend your money on a protection package.

With respect to rust proofing, the only thing I can tell you (which is going to drive you crazy) is to shop around if you want it on your car. If you are in Eastern Canada, there are places like Krown or Crown and Rust Check who also offer similar packages.

sasair

That electromagnetic rust protection is a Diamond Kote product. You can see it on their website. www.diamondkote.com I think it is called dk 9000 or something like that. Looks like a waste of money to me. I'm very happy with the rust warranty that comes with the car. Why should I pay the dealer more money for something they'd have to cover if it rusted anyway? If after the rust warranty ran out and I planned to keep the car another 5 years, I could just do it then. But 5 years from now I'm sure to have the 2012 RDX in my garage....

Have you ever had a tear in your seats? I'm sure it happens, but not enough to pay someone a couple hundred dollars to insure it. I think you'd come out ahead of you keep your $200 and wait till it happens to you and pay $200 to fix it if you need to. Even if it cost you $400 to fix it, I'd still take the risk that it will never happen. Of the people that pay for that protection I'm sure it is a very tiny percentage that ever use it.

How much do they want to charge you for the cheapest package? For the free lifetime oil changes it's probably worth it...

chyllintsx

u mean you WOULDNT trust it right? hahaha... turn green ... damn i dont talk to my cousin much, shes from texas... i want to know wat this is called, i want to do it, my car is getting owned... so many paint chips, i need a touch up pen

chyllintsx

sounds like you want to keep your car and turn it into a vintage classic vehicle haha... i doubt you need ALL that... im sure you change it within 10 years... it will be fine... at the most, get some paint protection and just maintain your leather... dont need to go all out on it IMO

sasair

lol... yeah that!

I already got a touch up pen for mine. Thank god I haven't needed to use it yet.... make sure you get the clearcoat touch up pen too!

mommy_barbie

Awesome - I'll have a little chat with DH - he thinks we should go for the full package which is something like $1500 Cdn. After checking in, I think it's safe to say we can skip that route.

I'll stick to the paint and leather/fabric protection (I'll get them to do it since I'm a little bit sloppy ) plus I'll get the 3m rock guard since everyone agrees it's a good product. And when you get all that, the chemical rust protection is pretty much thrown in - supposedly a lifetime warrantee against rust.

In the end, we're all waiting for a better RDX (or something) - I like to keep my vehicles for a long time, but I may be turning this back in for a sedan when the kids get a little older, we'll see...

mmsmith2

When it comes to paint protection they way it usually works is:
1. the protectant is applied to the vehicle when it arrives at the dealership so its already on the vehicle when you buy it.
2. what you are paying for is a "warranty" on that product. this usually applies to the paint and the interior of the vehicle.

It's not a bad buy in some cases (in florida most of this stuff is regulated so the dealer can't charge you 1000% of the cost) its fairly cheap. If you have kids in your car, or live in a fairly "severe" environemnt all you have to do is bring the vehicle in when you get stains or spills in the car and they will repair the damage.
If you are single or don't use your vehicle as a "taxi" cab, you probably don't need it.

Fishbulb

You're throwing money into the toilet. The dealer paint protection is fairly universally seen as useless, and the leather protection can be duplicated with a $5 can of scotchguard or equivalent leather product.

Most consumer publications recommend that you decline all dealer add-ons, by the fact that they are either completely useless, or can be had much cheaper aftermarket. These sorts of things are pure profit items to the dealer.

sasair

But if it costs you $500 for the package, and you get free lifetime oil changes, then it is worth it!

econman

I'm new here and don't have any credibility but I did want to reinforce what Fishbulb said. The margins on dealer sold accessories are generally "keystoned" (double), but nearly all forms of retail "warranties" enjoy margins of 200-400%!

The Present Value of the premium expenditures is in nearly every case larger than the expected value of the coverage. Also, read the fine print! There are always all sorts of riders and exclusions that are precisely designed to minimize the probability of future values. All except the most poor of individuals (and then one wonders why they might be buying a $35k car?) can afford to self-insure on relatively "low ticket" items.

Of course, like with all insurance (even the bad insurances), there is some subjective value in the warm and fuzzy "peace-of-mind" that one gets (even if irrational) from knowing an unforeseen contingency is covered.

In any event. Congrats! On your new RDX. I await my own next month I suppose.

c_hunter

And if you plan to keep the vehicle long enough, and plan to always go to the same dealer for service (meaning you don't move out of the area or find a better place to go to). Personally, I do not pay up front for anything, even if it appears to be a "value". I can bank/invest the $$ and earn more money, or decide to use it for something else. No sense putting my $$ in the dealer's pocket so they earn interest on it instead of me.

chyllintsx

where did u get ur touch up pen?

sasair

www.paintscratch.com

chyllintsx

not sure if they have the right code... but i got mine tsx one on ebay for ALOT cheaper... straight from acura