My local ceramic coating snake oil operation

Eric7810

Eric7810

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I just talked with a friend who works used cars at the local Chevy dealer. He referred a customer of his to me for ceramic coating.

He went on to tell me they (the dealer) offer ceramic coating in house for $1,500. It is a hose attachment that a high schooler sprays on the vehicle and then wipes it off with a towel.

He said they don’t even see it, meaning the charge is rolled into their principal/monthly payment.


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It really is sad and shady what lengths actual brand dealerships go to to upcharge customers on. I worked at one many many years ago, the interior, exterior, and rustproofing they offered were joke products back then. Today it's worse because they literally rape people for how much more they charge.... for product not much better.
 
I coated a 2022 VW Atlas about a month ago. They opted into the $2000 paint protection package at the time of purchase which basically consists of the same type of spray on sealant that you can buy on EBay for $50. My local Honda dealership where I bought my car last year now goes so far as to include their “ceramic coating” as a dealer add on so you don’t even have the chance to opt out. It’s total BS how take advantage of gullible customers and do it with no shame at all.
 
I'm not surprised. Their material costs are low and it probably makes near 100% profit off those silly treatments.

I've walked away from dealerships for nonsense like that. When I refused to add that "package" to our most recent used car purchase, the dealership finance guy was shocked and looked like I'd kicked his puppy. Apparently it is really popular. I would have walked away if it was built into the price and not negotiable.

It's shocking how little consumers understand about what they are agreeing too. "Ceramic" is the buzzword they all know and will jump at any of it, no matter how nonsensical.
 
Desertnate said:
Apparently it is really popular. It's shocking how little consumers understand about what they are agreeing too. "Ceramic" is the buzzword they all know and will jump at any of it, no matter how nonsensical.
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Exactly. I've had friends and workmates tell me about the "Ceramic" coating that came with their new car. They're the same people when a mechanic upsells them on "Ceramic" brake pads they feel like they're getting something special. Maybe it's the word "Ceramic"?
 
Local Honda dealer near Chicago does it. Walked away from a purchase because they would only take 200 off the 1500 charge.

Great work on the “coating” too. Swirled to heck. Dealers are clueless.
 
Desertnate said:
It's shocking how little consumers understand about what they are agreeing too. "Ceramic" is the buzzword they all know and will jump at any of it, no matter how nonsensical.
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My friend recently bought a Lexus with a $700 ceramic coating add-on built into the price. Thankfully I had coated his previous car so he knew the game. He inquired as to how they were able to coat the car so fast when he previous coating took 8 hours and the car had to be kept overnight. They removed the charge but customers like him are few and far between.
 
Brake pads are a little different, not really apples to oranges in this case.

A ceramic break pad will perform differently (often for the better) than an organic compound/semi-metallic pad. There is a clear distinction in the makeup of the pads. Either they are or they aren't. In detailing products companies seem to be mixing in "ceramic" ingredients to everything from wash soap to sealants to trim compounds with claims of superior performance. I waiting for it to show up on my next bag of coffee.
 
I guess you only care to know about this sort of thing if you are interested in the subject, same with anything really. Dealers are counting on that and is why so many simply pay the price for this sort of "service" or "option".

One of my gardening clients bought a Landcruiser in 2011 and opted for the "ceramic coating" option. To this day, he believes the coating is still present, which I know is long, long gone when I have detailed it for him. I don't have the heart to tell him any different.

My sister was given the option for "paint protection" on her new Jaguar. I was of course asked if she should get it, and I of course told her not to bother as I could do it for her for nothing. She was led to believe that the paint protection would stop the car getting stone chips, and no, we are not talking about PPF here. So, they were happy to take her $2000 and have her believe that the car would be imperviable.

My boss recently bought his first brand new car and was being sold on paint and interior protection. Again, I told him to not fall for it, that I could do it for him at a fraction of the cost. Again, they had him believing that these paint and interior protection services were going to make the car flawless for the rest of its life.
 
A guy I worked with back in the late 90s bought a brand new Hyundai Excel, he paid extra for Ming paint protection. He was adamant it meant he never needed to wash it. I watched the white paint get more and more dull. The paint protection had a 5 year warranty, and when it was 4.5 years old it got hail damage, he was screaming blue murder when the insurance wouldn't cover the cost of reapplying the paint protection. They basically just laughed at him.

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The got my pops back in the day with good ole PermaPlate. Just looked it up and it is still around.


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DFB said:
My sister was given the option for "paint protection" on her new Jaguar. I was of course asked if she should get it, and I of course told her not to bother as I could do it for her for nothing. She was led to believe that the paint protection would stop the car getting stone chips, and no, we are not talking about PPF here. So, they were happy to take her $2000 and have her believe that the car would be imperviable.
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Our Acura dealer tried to sell me a similar line with a $1600+ package for just the windshield glass (separate from the paint protection nonsense). The marketing line claimed it would prevent any stone chips and even breakage from flying debris! It was really hard for me not to laugh. Just thinking through the physics of a rock being kicked up by one vehicle and impacting another at speed makes it obvious no product you smear all over the glass and buff off is going to offer any protection.
 
Desertnate said:
Our Acura dealer tried to sell me a similar line with a $1600+ package for just the windshield glass (separate from the paint protection nonsense). The marketing line claimed it would prevent any stone chips and even breakage from flying debris! It was really hard for me not to laugh. Just thinking through the physics of a rock being kicked up by one vehicle and impacting another at speed makes it obvious no product you smear all over the glass and buff off is going to offer any protection.
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Acura got me with this BS. We bought my wife's Acura in late 2008 and they gave us a "deal" on their Crystal Fusion protection package. Whatever they put on the car, if anything, didn't do a damn thing. That was a hard lesson to learn but it never happened again.
 
What a scam. Infuriating they dupe people into it.
 
CleanIT said:
What a scam. Infuriating they dupe people into it.
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What’s really infuriating is when your neighbor always tries to nickel & dime you everytime they want you to just “hook them up with a quick car wash” on their filthy vehicle yet tells you they paid the dealer $750 bucks for some “protection package” that didn’t bead from day 1 of the supposed application… Btw I stopped doing her car a while back but that ticked me off.
 
Desertnate said:
Our Acura dealer tried to sell me a similar line with a $1600+ package for just the windshield glass (separate from the paint protection nonsense). The marketing line claimed it would prevent any stone chips and even breakage from flying debris! It was really hard for me not to laugh. Just thinking through the physics of a rock being kicked up by one vehicle and impacting another at speed makes it obvious no product you smear all over the glass and buff off is going to offer any protection.
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I would absolutely laugh and then ask them to explain it to you. Make them earn it for all the others they've screwed.

Last purchase I told the finance manager "weird hobby, but I clean my cars for fun and will apply my own ceramic if I choose for $100". She moved onto the next upsell quicker than I've ever seen anyone go through it. She finished the spiel with "I can't let you walk out of here with nothing." As if to say buying the car itself wasn't enough...

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I am a Christian and I am not to harbor any hate in my heart, but I have to admit here before God and my fellow AG’ers… I really do hate dealerships.


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Uncbrs said:
I would absolutely laugh and then ask them to explain it to you. Make them earn it for all the others they've screwed.

Last purchase I told the finance manager "weird hobby, but I clean my cars for fun and will apply my own ceramic if I choose for $100". She moved onto the next upsell quicker than I've ever seen anyone go through it. She finished the spiel with "I can't let you walk out of here with nothing." As if to say buying the car itself wasn't enough...

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This last time around, the finance guy took an odd approach to his sales pitch. At the start it sounded like some of the perks they give a new owner like one free oil-change. However, when dollar amounts were mentioned my wife and both knew the game was up. We both shut the guy down at about the same time which was humorous, and the guy looked hurt. He probably lost his cut of the commission.

The best experience was with a VW dealer several years ago. The finance guy simply pushed a piece a paper across the table with a list of options on it and their cost. He asked, "you interested in any of this?". I said "no", and he just smiled and we moved on. I was in and out of his office in 15 minutes.
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My brother in law bought a Kia Stinger and he was all excited about the great deal he got. For only an extra $1000 they added Simoniz Glasscoat at the dealership. They told him that he will never have to wax his car again. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he got taken. He was too proud of his "deal". About a year later the car was full of scratches and bird droppings that never really washed off.
 
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