Hey Ed. We just bought a mustang and when we were at the dealership, we had the sales pitch for getting the scotchguard and wax that lasts for 6 years. We have until the end of this week to decide if we get it done or not. I have heard over the years what a sham really the scotchguarding of a car is and how expensive it is to have done and all... but what about the wax job that is offered with it? Just curious what you think personally about this package since you deal with it all the time. My husband is considering it just because it sounds like it really protects the paint for many years. Thanks Ed.
-Marci

Just my opinion, Marci. Ed may feel different about it.

Buy a can of scotchguard. Follow the directions. You're done. A lot cheaper.

If there really WAS a six-year wax, don't you think that would be all ANYONE would ever use anymore? :-D

Again, merely my humble opinion.

As for the interior, like Jon said you can buy scotchguard and do it yourself. If you do, make sure you take out the floormats so you can do the whole carpet and don;t forget to do the floormats.

There are several types of paint sealers. Some work very well. If you are the type of person who likes to fiddel with your car yourself then buy a good wax such as Mother's or Zaino. It takes a little work but looks great. However if you do not like do it yourself or don;t have the time, have the process done. Find out who is doing it, the dealer or an aftermarket company like Ziebart. Also, the price is negotiable. They sometimes mark tha tup 100-200%.

Good point about the wax Jon. I think the lure of the possibility of not having to wax for 6 years has it's appeal. And maybe we will check with some businesses around here to see about what Ed mentions about the wax.

So the price is negotiable at the dealer? I'd actually prefer to forego the scotchguard and do that myself and get them to do the wax part if it's not $399 smackeroos like they mentioned the other night. I'll have to check and see if we have a ziebarts in town.
Thanks Ed!! -Marci

6 year wax??? Come on. It's a sham! Don't waste your money, do it yourself! :)

What Ziebart uses is a paint sealer that gets reapplied by them each year. Just to give you an idea, when I do the complete package of interior protection, paint, and rustproofing, my dealer cost is $285.00. You should be able to get the paint alone done for $150-$175.00.

For comparison Marci, the sort of package Ed describes was offered to us (and declined) for $1537! They also included another classic, VIN etching. They'll etch your VIN number on your glass. The theory is it makes your car less desireable to a thief (which I personally question). They intended to charge us $250 for that. You can go to an auto parts store and buy the etching kit for about $20.

Some dealerships see this part of the sales close as a huge profit center. And that is fine. But know what you are buying!

I have Ziebart Diamond Gloss on a 2000 Mustang. It was about $175 for first application, and $125 yearly re-apply. After five years, it still looks factory new, well worth the minimal yearly cost.

I won’t argue with the Zaino fanatics - one could probably do better with a lot of work on their own. But to me, this isn’t a show car, and I don’t have the time to put in the effort necessary. It’s a cost - work involved - benefit equation.

When I get my ’06, I’ll still go with Diamond Gloss, maybe twice a year, once pre-summer, and once pre-winter.

To me, the Ziebart is a perfect compromise between appearance, work amount, and cost. Just MHO.


Dave

Cool. Is it basically a wax job though? Or is the Diamond Gloss more than this? It sounds awesome and I found out we do have one not far from here. (about a 30-40 min. trip from here) I'm glad to see someone who has used them before. I personally don't have a problem with waxing our car... my husband is the lazy one and he doesn't want to hear the "you never help me" speech I give him after I spend three hours by myself waxing and washing a car. ;) Thanks!
-Marci

The Ziebart Diamond Gloss is not a wax as one would think of waxes. The sales pitch includes all the buzz phrases like molecular bonding to the surface, yada, yada, yada. One thing I like is it goes on clear, not the white, milky kind of sealers. That way, you don’t get the “dried milk” in the seams and around the weather-stripping and fender badges.

I would pay for Ziebart Diamond Gloss before I would wax with a general-purpose quality wax. It’s just a matter of cost/effort. Now, if I could afford the work of a several-step Zaino process, I’d go that way. BTW, anybody want to Zaino my car for $125?

If you enjoy the process - and believe me, in my younger days, nothing beat spending the afternoon primping the current Mustang of the day - then you’ll be well satisfied with Zaino or any of the other fine quality products. In fact, I do sometimes put a coat of high-quality wax over the Diamond Gloss every now and then.

But if you want a reasonable paint protection on a daily driver, keeping it up as well as possible with minimum effort, I think Ziebart Diamond Gloss is a good choice.

Dave

Sealer? Why would you want to truly 'seal' your paint? Paint has to breathe, ask any professional painter. Sealing the paint will eventually lead to dull paint on down the road.

Now, maybe the term 'sealer' is just marketing razzmatazz and the product is actually a very long-lasting wax. In that case, maybe it won't harm the paint. But I'd still be very leery of it. Just spend an afternoon twice or three times a year with a quality wax, wash the car when it gets dirty, and keep the bird crap off of it and you'll be fine.