Well hello fellow Lexus owners.............. I am taking delivery of my 2008 ES 350 this afternoon and I have a question. How do you folks feel about perma-plate paint and interior treatment?...... Also by reading this forum I feel like I was able to make a fairly educated decision in my new purchase. I am retiring my 1984 BMW 733 I. Other than another BMW the Lexus seem to have the best feel and track record. The BMW at 24 years old and 200,000 miles well let's just say was starting to feel tired and becoming expensive to maintain.

 

Ive heard its a waste of time and money. If you have a light colored interior, then the interior treatment might be a good idea, with the warranty and what not, but ive heard the exterior is nothing but a glorified sealant, and the 7 year warranty has hidden requirements, like reapplying the sealant regularly.

 

You're better off finding a professional detailer to do that stuff to your car. If you find a great one they're pretty much guaranteed not to scratch your car. My friend had it done to his IS-F and its swirl heaven right now. He told me to fix all that when he comes back from NC haha

Oh, you can also buy the sealant yourself. A favorite among detailers is Zaino. Somewhat tricky to work with but it lasts for a long time

 

Most dealers sell rip-off products like this. It's nothing more then a paint sealant and leather conditioner (which will last no more than one year) Let me guess...they are asking $500-700 for it? Complete scam. Find a professional detailer to keep your vehicle in top condition that uses such products as Zaino. A detailer will do the exact same thing for $200.

 

Total waste of your money and an indication that your dealer is not ethical. Beware of anyone who would rip you off on something this worthless, they will likely try to sell you oil additives at service. Dealers like this should be reported to Lexus corp and to your local Better Business Bureau.
Steve

 

Thank you for the information guys.Yes Miniz they were telling me they would do it for $600 and that the retail was $1300. This was actually the general sales manager trying to sell the product when I was signing papers. He also tried to sell me the extended warranty and I figure with the minimum miles I drive per year. the factory four-year warranty war plenty. My salesman was definitely low-pressure and really not trying to sell any additional stuff for the car. I did pose the question to him and of course being a salesperson it is his job to say it's a good idea. But that's why I came here. I will look for the products mentioned and use your advice. Thank you. The car definitely handles different than my old BMW but that's expected after 24 years of technology advancements. I just couldn't see purchasing a new or used BMW again because of the service cost. Again thank you for the advice and I'm sure I will be here often. By the way it's a 2008 Gray Mica with dark gray interior no navigation.

 

An informed decision is usually a good one. This forum has also been helpful to me and others...great sense of community. Come visit again and enjoy your ES.

 

I've gotten them on other cars. But that's only cuz my BIL is a mechanic at the dealership so he just pays the installer a small premium over his cost. Worth about $100-150 at most for the permaplate. Not sure about the interior stuff cuz BIL does it himself, but I'm guessing $30-50 for the interior spray. Not all the exterior paint stuff is the same. I've seen the dealer stuff. You can tell a difference over stock, but not by much. My buddy's family went to some company down in LA for all their cars. That stuff was awesome. Paint was as smooth as a mirror, but slick like ice. They used to put a sheet on their cars cuz the cat liked to sit on them, but after the paint protector stuff was put on, the sheets would just slide off. It was ok cuz the cat would shoot right off the car too if it tried to jump on. He said it was called Perma Plaq or something like that but by the time I could afford my own cars, we couldn't figure out what company it was or what product they used.

For the interior spray, t's better than scotchgard, even tho BIL says that's all it really is. At the same time one car got the dealer spray stuff, another car got store bought scotchgard. Coffee/soda spills in both cars showed the dealer stuff worked better. Even years later with no reapplication.

 

I should've done some research before agreeing to get this but I hope there's some benefit. I really liked the idea of having a 5 year warranty for both exterior and interior protection. If it's a scam then I'm only out $300.