raaaaam

Hi,

We just bought a white 2016 Acura RDX with ebony interior and we were asked by the dealer if we want the Acura plus protection package. We were told the price tag is $1400 and comes with 10 year warranty. It includes paint protection, rust proofing and leather protection with no annual inspection. We live in Ontario, Canada.

Does anybody have any experience with this? Suggestions are welcome.

Kaputnik

Congrats on your new RDX!

You can look into the Acura Plus extended warranties in detail on the Acura website. There are different packages depending on how much time after the initial warranty you might want, if any at all. At least in the US, you can purchase these from any Acura dealer, and several offer much more competitive pricing. Your own dealership may give you a better price if you can get a quote from another dealership.

As far as paint protection, rust proofing and leather protection - these are three big scams from the dealership. Based on what you describe, it sounds fishy. Like they are trying to roll these dealer-provided items together with an Acura extended warranty as part of a package. The Acura plus warranty should cover some things related to these (early wear on the seats for example), but I hear those three terms, and I immediately call shenanigans!

RDX-Rick

I think this is a ripoff!

First thing is I believe that any type of rustproofing that makes use of solid substances ( e.g. tar or wax sprays) will only increase rusting. For example in an area where metal is folded over to create a seam. Water may enter the seam through a gap in the tar/wax, and the remaining tar/wax will actually prevent quick draining of the seam.

I do however believe in oil sprays like Krown or Oil-Tech, because a drop of oil will actually "crawl" to and leave a film of oil over a wide area. It will cost about $120 for the RDX. In the past I had my vehicles sprayed annually. The result was zero visible rust. With such good results I plan on stretching the re-treatments of my 2016 RDX to every 2-3 years.

The paint protection is just done with a high quality sealant which you could buy yourself. Or you could buy a less expensive sealant at Canadian Tire and apply it more often. If you appreciate a nice shiny vehicle, the dealer sealant will still require quarterly coats of wax or sealant to keep up the shine. Since the paint quality on new vehicles is so good the dealer has about zero chance of every needing to honor the paint protection warranty.

The leather protection is something you can do yourself with CTC products. The OEM leather already has a protective coating on it. You only need to clean it once in a while. The dealer protection will not reduce the need for cleaning.

So keep your $1400 and get an initial oil spray at Krown and additional sprays every 2-3 years. Treat your paint to a decent sealant like Meguairs NXT, or the Autoglym High Definition Wax.

raaaaam

Thank you for your replies. We will decline it.

Regarding rust proofing, will it void the warranty if the rust proofing company drills holes? Should I wait until spring/summer or do it ASAP?

RDX-Rick

I have had my last 6 vehicles oil sprayed within the first 30 days of purchase, including the 2016 RDX.

This might seem obvious but the dealer can only refuse warranty if the problem in question is related to the drilling of the holes, or the oil spray itself. In other words if the navigation system fails the dealer can't refuse the warranty.

So what can go wrong because of an oil spray? Well if the installer drilled into the latching mechanism of the door, or perhaps some internal wiring, the car warranty would not pay for repairs but the rustproofing company would be responsible for them. I have never had any problems of this nature because a larger company like Krown and Oil-Tech have the experience and training to know where to drill the holes. They also have to maintain their reputation and would never refuse to repair any damage they caused.

The Krown website offers this answer to your question (LINK)

There are many common misperceptions about our rust control products and their effect on our customer's vehicle manufacturer warranties. Unless the manufacturer warranty on your vehicle expressly states that third party rust control products will void the warranty, using Krown products should not void your vehicle's manufacturer warranty. New car dealers have a vested interest in selling their own rust control and can be very misleading with their statements. It is beneficial at times to address this question in writing to the vehicle manufacturer as opposed to the dealership. If you have further questions about this, please feel free to discuss your concerns with our dealers or with our head office.

ceb

Rustproofing is only as good as the prep. Whenever you drill holes you've just kissed the factory rust-proofing warranty goodbye. Most manufacturers warn against aftermarket rustproofing because they tend to trap moisture, increase rust and clog drain holes.

Save your money. The factory rustproofing is quite sufficient.

RDX-Rick

While I agree with the part about dealer treatments clogging drainage, it is funny that I have never met a dealer that doesn't try to sell a rust proofing package after a new vehicle purchase.

raaaaam (the OP);

Before making your decision you should definitely consider all the opinions you receive here. You might gain some additional information from this thread (click here), in which Ceb and I debated this same topic. If you can't read the whole thread then this post in particular (click here) offers a more in depth explanation as to why oil sprays are much different than the rustproofing treatments applied by the dealer. You know the ones that don't require annual inspections or re-treatments because the dealer doesn't want to spend any more time on you as a customer.

As a Canadian resident, I'm sure you already know many people who have already had an oil spray treatment. You are fortunate that you can easily get the opinion of people who actually have personal experience with the product.

Just in case your wondering, I do not, or have I ever worked for a rust proofing company.

dirleton

" --- because a larger company like Krown and Oil-Tech have the experience and training to know where to drill the holes."


The companies and/or management may have the experience and training but the high school dropout actually doing the work is probably another matter.

ceb

Of course they do. This is a carryover from the days of old (where dealers would "lose" the keys to your trade just to keep you in the dealership longer) when cars actually needed rustproofing. Dealers will sell anything to make a buck and rustproofing, paint treatments and leather sealants are all places where they can sell something for thousands that costs them under $50 to apply.


Canadian winters aren't much different from winters elsewhere and modern cars (with galvanized panels and factory applied rustproofing) need nothing to keep them going for years without rust blooming.


Every panel, underbody part and so forth that benefits from rustproofing is already treated. All the aftermarket guys do is treat the treated areas and gum up the drain holes.


Be very careful when you read articles extolling the benefits of aftermarket rustproofing - who wrote them or paid for them to be written?

ceb

I just watched that Krown video and shuddered every time I saw the guy drilling into the panels.


Here is a very badly done video that kind of explains why you don't need to drill into panels and why every new hole is a rust magnet.






The holes are there from the factory for the same purpose. Panels are galvanized and dipped in rustproofing. The excess runs out of the factory holes and then they are plugged.


Once the car has been on the road, there will be places where aftermarket rustproofing traps moisture - be it oils, spray on tars or the latest and greatest miracle solution.


A few posts to consider


Should You Rust Proof Your New Car? » AutoGuide.com News


Should I rust-proof my new car? - The Globe and Mail

Kaputnik

Lol!! I'm envisioning these salesmen wearing plaid pants and white patent leather shoes.

ceb

Ford dealers started this and would toss a customer's keys up onto the roof of the dealership. It would take quite awhile to get them back. In the meantime, the customer got to listen to "what will it take to put you in a new car today?"

dirleton

They tried the old "Looking for your keys" trick with me a few years ago. I used the guys phone to call the local police and report my car stolen. Keys quickly appeared as if by magic.

Nostradamus

Ok i got this protection package at significant discount like $300. but i am not sure if this dealership is trying to rip me off. They didn't have it included in the work order when i arrived to get it done. They only had side door molding only which i paid $500 for. How would i know they really did it ?? it is mostly just spray on. I don't want to get ripped off.