skip000

When my new Lexus arrives from Japan, I know my dealer will try to sell me on the extra cost package of Simionizng the car...I think it costs $800.00. Does anyone recommend this? Is is really added protection to the paint over years? Or is it simply a standard wax job with Simionize paste wax? I would do it, if there was really added protection, and made the paint more durable over the span of years. Thanks for any information!

toyotatom

I think you would be better off getting some PPF for the car instead. No wax job is worth $800.00. The wax will not protect against rock chips and things. What part of CT you from?

Cougar24

I was waiting for someone to ask this question so that I could give my honest opinion. I got my car in the middle of December and my dealer actually didn't have this option at the time. I went back to the dealership about 2 weeks ago and my sales guy mentioned this to me. Basically what this is is a version of cQuartz. I'm not saying it's better/worse, but it this is Lexus' brand of cQuartz. It is a paste that is applied to the whole exterior of the car that makes it super slick and flat. When you drive the car off the lot, think of the body of the car like a golf ball with dimples. Rain/Dirt/Dust/Road crap accumulates in the small grooves of the body and your cars looks dirty. With this, the dirt and everything else doesn't have anywhere to sit and accumulate.

The part that really sold me on this whole thing was what they do to the interior. My sales guy fixed himself a cup of coffee and took out a floor mat from one of the cars. He said, "This hasn't happened much, but in 2 years, I've spilled my coffee twice in the morning on the way to work. With this treatment, I wont have to worry about any special cleaners or anything." He then poured half of his coffee on the floor mat. After a little bit, the coffee hardened and was almost like caramel. He pulled the hardened coffee up and there wasn't a stain on the mat. You couldn't even tell he had poured anything on it.

If for any reason sap/suicide bug bombers/bird crap/road tar sticks to the exterior of your car and ruins anything, Lexus will replace it for free (as long as it's within 5 years). Same goes for the interior of the car - If it stains, the leather cracks, the seats wear down and become soft, they'll replace it for free.

Here is a 2 week review so far - Everything is going just as they said it would. The rain beads up and rolls right off as if I had cQuartz applied to my car (I know I keep mentioning cQuartz, but I was actually about to schedule my appointment to have it applied to my car before my sales guy told me about this). The car still looks nice and doesn't appear to have any dirt on it, despite some crazy weather we've had here lately. This inside really looks amazing. Haven't had any spills, or anything major to compromise the inside, but it definitely looks cleaner/shinier than when I bought it in Dec.

I think my total after tax was $920 something. Compare that with cQuartz at $875 and that is only the exterior. With this you get the interior as well. If you have any more questions or anything, feel free to ask!

SW17LS

Sorry, but this is all really marketing BS. As a hobbyist and former professional detailer this idea that the paint "is like a golf ball with dimples" and this stuff "flattens it out" is just utter hogwash. All it is is a polymer sealant, and a poor quality one at that. Something like cQuartz applied by a professional will offer you much better protection and much lower cost, but even that is not going to "make a dimpled surface flat".

This is just an infomercial parlor trick. Like setting the paint on fire. You can accomplish this with a can of scotch guard.

This is the only possible benefit, assuming the warranty is honored when the time comes. But...its just like any other warranty...the product is really providing no protection, you have to ask yourself if you want to pay $950 for a warranty for this wear.

Staggering cost...wow.

$875 is a lot to pay for cQuartz application too, you can actually do it yourself. The difference is the cQuartz is a legitimate product that performs as advertised. These dealer products are just bottled or paste polymer sealant you can buy yourself for $15.

Honestly, people, do not spend your money on this package. You are absolutely being taken for a ride.

Lost808

I got the full vehicle protection package included free when I leased my 3IS. The normal price was only $350 and included the paint protection (nothing more than a sealant), leather/nuluxe protectant, and interior/carpet protectant. All warantied for 5 years. If it wasn't for being free however; I would not have purchase it, as I can do all of that myself for cheaper than $350. The warranty part is nice though and I can tell the sealant is holding up good, no swirls, smooth surface like right after clay and polish, ect.....

pheonix72

iTrader: (6)

Cougar24- wow, your sales guys is really good (at BS)
OP- save your money and buy something nice for your bf/gf, yourself and maybe yourself (and a few set of spare floor mats;-)

Cougar24

Maybe so, but to have a 5 year replacement on everything is worth about $400 at least to me. But who knows, maybe complete BS. I'll let everyone know as time goes on.

Like I said before, cQuartz is definitely the way to go if you're looking for the best of the best - but what really sold me was everything in the interior + the warranty

SW17LS

But you paid $920 not $400.

The other issue is the poor quality of the "detailers" employed by the dealer. $875 for cQuartz is going to include a full polish and prep by a really skilled professional detailer...the "detailers" at the dealer can't even wash a car without swirling and scratching it up.

skip000

Wow...thanks for the info....some say go for it...others say a waste of money....so I still don't know what to do...maybe more people can weigh in on this...but thank you all for all this interesting information

SW17LS

Like I said before...the only tangible benefit is the warranty. The actual product applied to the exterior and interior is worthless.

pheonix72

iTrader: (6)

Well said! Could someone post a link the the terms of the warranty? Interested in knowing what they cover! Many of us got caught by surprises when they actual go for a claim!

corradoMR2

Might be a good idea to open a poll up for this if you feel you want to consider what the majority goes with.

My vote is to not invest the big $. I enjoy applying my own waxes and sealers periodically 3-4 times a year on a vehicle to maintain that super gloss shine and protection.

Keep in mind, nothing is permanent. Even the best products by the best detailers will dull over time exposed to the elements and after repeated washes. With regards to the mass-market products I use such as from Meguair's, Mother's, Turtle Wax, etc, I am also brand agnostic as I have noticed very little discernable difference among brands in terms of shine and longevity, and this has been over my near 20 years of car ownership and personal detailing.

Cougar24

Again, definitely not arguing with you. They did put the product on and it is working, so in my eyes, I really paid about $500 for their "protection" inside and out ($920-400). What I am planning on doing is trading this in for a new car in 3-4 years. If there is anything wrong with the car's interior/exterior, I file a claim and get it fixed for free then trade the car in. The fixes could equate to a higher trade in value over what I paid for their "protection". I was definitely interested in getting the cQuartz, but after I weighed that fact, I thought it would be smarter for me to go ahead and get this since I'm not planning on having the car past 5 years. (cQuartz lasts about 10 years and I wouldn't get to reap the benefits of it for very long)

toyotatom

Great request, if they covered everything the warranty would be posted on a 3 X 5 card and not the four pages that its actually on. I would imagine the list of what they don't cover is quite extensive

Lost808

I can't see how they justified charging $800+ for it, when my dealer only charges $350 and with the same 5yr warranty for exterior/interior.