Dan

Just wanted to canvas opinions on the following topics:

- Rustproofing - I'm driving the car year-round therefore it will see salt/snow. I plan on getting it rustproofed with the oil-based stuff that gets into all the nooks and crannies. Works amazing. My questions are:

I will be receiving my car in three weeks, is there any problem with rustproofing it in late Dec? How is Ford's factory rustproofing/what do they use?

- Scotch Guard - never used it on any vehicles I've owned but people I know really like doing this. I'm getting leather and was wondering what the pros/cons are for getting it done (not to the leather obviously, but to the carpets )? Can you do it yourself, is it worth it?

- Paint Protection - My first reaction is NO WAY. Waxing a few times a year should do a better job than paying for paint protection you'd think. Anyone know what they actually do and if it is worth it? I really have no intention of doing this unless there is some real benefit.

Thanks.
Dan

Lynx4Ben

BUMP - I am also driving the car year round in snow/salt and need opinions on rust proofing.

PaulF

Dan,

As for paint protection, I don't know what other people think about getting it done, but I've gotten two cars with it and I like it. I like the fact that I have a 5 year warranty on anything that happens to my paint, plus the dealer that I've used in the past adds it as a "free" option (I know I'm paying for it somewhere!) along with a "free" application of something like Scotchguard that carries the same warranty as the paint protection. I've got little kids and I didn't think twice about putting it in my '04 Taurus and it definately works! Trust me...multiple spills and it just beads up and wipes right off, no stains.

So you might want to call around to dealers and see what they say.

idobson

Scotch guarding the carpets is pretty easy, just go and buy a couple of cans of scotchguard from your local hardware store.

make sure that you spray the crap out of the floor mats..

follow the directions on the can and make sure that you test it first.!!

I've never had a problems and I've done every new car I've ever bought.

Dunno about the leather seats, but I'm sure that there is a one for leather, but again test it where it won't show first.

Galaxie

Dano, with leather seats I see no point in paying for scotchguarding.

Especialy if you change your red floor mats to black as you said, just do as suggested and get the spray and do it yourself. Just keep your drunk friends out of your car

Don't bother with paint protection, it will never shine the way Zaino does.

Rustproof it on the way home from the dealership, there shouldn't be a problem with it in late december.

mav

chorpeac

I got the paint protection from the dealer, and they made it sound like this big thing. It sounded like it was going to be a lot more than just putting a coat of this special wax like stuff on it. plus I have to use it every 6 months or so also. I thought this was going to be better than that....

I did get the 3M paint protective film. I do have to say I am impressed. It's like an invisible bra that protects the front of the car from nicks scratches, rocks, pebbles, etc. So I have double shield on the front of the car.

Grantsdale

Thank you for the well thought out and informative post. And thank you again for explaning your position.

frankswildyears

Dan, I ended up getting the rustproofing, scotchguarding and paint protection. I failed to research this issue before my car arrived so I decided to err on the side of caution. Said yes to everything, just wanted to get my car on the road The package cost about $600.00 and includes rust, paint, fabric and sound protection. I also paid $99.00 for glass etching. I'm not sure what the sound protection covers. Hope this helps

drizztbob

There have been a lot of mixed opinions on this site about all of these "extra" options and personally the only one that makes any sense to me is the rust protection underneath the car. The scotch guard can be done yourself, the paint protectant can be done with a good wax job every 6 months, and the 3M shield dulls the shine of the car which may be worse then a chip here or there that you could fix yourself with touch up. In fact, I have read that people can do their own rust protectant too so if you can do that, do it yourself. All of these things should never be any more than say $200-$300 MAX, yet the dealer will tell you these are life threatening options that are essential, don't buy it. I live in an area where they salt the roads even if there is a CHANCE of snow so the only option that I will even consider is rust proofing...hope that helps a bit.

metroplex

I'm not sure if they sell it, but I just kept the factory "tape" on the carpeted floor. The dealer is supposed to remove it during PDI, but they let me do it and I just left it there. I put my all-weather floor mats over the tape and the clear tape covers the "dead" pedal area as well.

If they sell this stuff, I suppose you can just replace it (like tear-offs in NASCAR) periodically.