Xzilon and Scotchguard added by dealer

T

Trice

New member
Hey, I just bought an 05 Nissan Pathfinder, and I need some advice. I feel like I have been taken advantage of, being young, buying my car by myself because my husband is in Iraq.

When I was signing for my car, the finance guy told me I should really get the Xzilon and 3M Scotchguard paint protection bra, because they will keep my car looking like new. I thought it was ok, so I said sure, then I went back in his office and asked him if it's too late to take it off, since this boosted my monthly payment by $29. He said yeah, but I would regret it. He never took it off. I am supposed to take the truck in on the 16th to get it applied, he said it would take 2 days. Here is my problem: the cost of the Xzilon on the exterior and interior is $700, and the price of the 3M on the front bumper is $1098! Is it worth the price? Did I get scammed? I know they profit off of this stuff. Should I still get it if it's worth the money? I am moving to Germany and I think the 3M Scotchguard would really help on the front, being that I will be driving on the autobahn, but is that a good price to pay? Also with the Xzilon, can I do that myself? What is the difference in having it "professionally done"? Thanks in advance. I have seen this post on here b4, but it's pretty outdated and I figured there would be more info on it now. I have to decide very soon, so I can keep it, or get it taken off my note.
 
Get a quote from an other shop on both. I wouldn't let the Stealership get away with adding 1800 bucks to the price of the car for a bra and scotchgaurd. Go to a wallmart and buy some Scotchgaurd spray for the carpets if you feel you need it.
 
That xzilon is really good stuff, It a blue liqiud that has a strong petroleum smell. That stuff costs $100 a bottle and has enough in it to do one car and once you open the bottle its only good for 3 days. You did get scamed on the scotchgaurd though. You can buy a can for 5 bucks at autozone and do the same thing that the dealer ship does. now about that xzilon. I would not recomend a ametaur/weekend detailer trying to apply it. it doesn't take much skill but if done wrong you've wasted your time. I've applied it many times. and it does do what it says it can do. Bugs come right off with just one swipe of the spunge, the paint never gets tar/road grime stains, it really makes washing your car alot easier. YOU CAN'T APPLY XZILON TO THE INTERIOR!! i can't see how $700 for a paint and interior protection package can add $29 a month to your car payment? It should only add $11 for a 5 year term

BY chance are you from florida?
 
Nope, not in Florida. I live near Seattle. The total price for the 3M Clear coat paint adhesive film thing is $1098. That is the "Clear Bra" that they are applying to the front. And the Xzilon exterior and interior is $698. I think they are using a Xzilon interior protection for fabric/vinyl/carpets. It's supposed to last 5 years. The Xzilon ($698) and the 3M Scotchguard Film ($1098) together is what's adding $29 to my note. I am just trying to make the right decision here. I will definetely call around, but I am wondering if any of you have used or seen the product. TrueDetailer, do you think it's worth the money??? BTW, I like that term "Stealership". I gotta use that one.
 
Dont do either. Both are horrible scams by dealerships. When the guy said you would regret it he just wanted to change your mind. I would avoid getting both done and look into some car care items from our sponsers.

Greg
 
Some sort of a clear bra on the front might be a good investment, especially if you're going to be at sustained high speeds (the Autobahn :drool ). I've seen Ferraris that were driven for a week at high speeds through the desert and the paint on the bumper is completely gone, it's a good investment to be sure. With that said I don't think you should get it from the dealer, they'll charge way too much for it. Go to a local window tinting shop and they can probably do it for about half that. Thw Xzilion, while it may work, is not a good idea. It only leads to neglected and swirled paint finishes. For the same price you could get 10 cans of Souveran (before the DC discount) and wax your car every week for a long time, probably longer than the Xzilion's warranty.
 
Like i said earlier xzilion is not made to go on interiors. I've used this Xzilon. I'm telling you its a good investment. It Is not your average paint sealent usualy scammed off. at dealerships.
 
I have bought 2 new cars this year and I got Xzilon exterior and interior protection both times. I think it is a good investment BUT it depends on a couple of things: how well the dealer applies it, and how much they charge relative to how much time & energy you want to invest in maintaining the car yourself. I'll both of these in more detail...

* Depends on how well the dealer applies it - my first car this year I spent $900 (i think) for both exterior and interior, but, I believe it was not applied correctly. The exterior lost it's beading very quickly even though the car is garaged. My 2nd car (different dealerships but same owners) I refused to purchase the Xzilon and explained the problems with the Xzilon on my 1st car. The sales mgr was amazed and promised to reapply for free! I agreed. Now he also offered to apply on the car I was purchasing at his cost, or ~$109 +/-. I agreed because I believed that he knew about the product and expressed, sincerely, that they knew how to apply. Well, as it turns out, my 2nd car HAS WATER SPOTS UNDER THE CLEARCOAT.

* Depends on how much you want to invest in $ & time in maintaining your car - If you want to purchase quality products and invest the time to car for your car as many here on the boards do, then you should try to back out of the Xzilon at the dealership and 'do it yourself'. A number of people recommended this to me prior to my purchase of my 1st car, but since I was getting a $2000 rebate I decided to spend it all on extras (clearcoat, xtended warranty).

The moral of the story, IMO... Xzilon is a good and effective protection tool if it is installed correctly, or you don't have the time nor interest to properly maintain the exterior yourself.

If you have troubles getting the purchase reversed, take it to the General Manager, stay level headed about it and everything should work out. Other than that you can express concern about being scammed and that you are willing to 'spread the word to your friends and family' and the GM should quickly give in. Another idea would be to appeal to the lending institution that you requested to back out of an extra, blah, blah, blah, and you might get some assistence from them.

Oh, one more thing...you should have received a 'contract' with the purchase of your Xzilon. If you did not, you have grounds to back out. Also, if your salesman made the claim that you will never need to wax the car again or that your car will bead for life (or at least 5 years) you have grounds to back out at the dealer level. In my research both of these statements are misrepresentations.

My 2 cents,
docker
 
As a factory trained installer of 3m paint protection films I can say that the price is rather high BUT if the installer is good then the price is fair. We charge around $1000 for a Porsche or Ferrari but then again a Porsche bumper is a real PIA! I am guessing that you could get your film installed for around $700 from an outside source. The Pathfinder is not a difficult kit to install. For that price, around $700, you should get a full kit, meaning : full bumper wrap, hood, fenders and sideviews if painted. Some guys do headlamps in that price range also.

The adavantage of the dealer is that you don't have to pay right away BUT you'll be paying alot more for alot longer in the long run. As for the paint protection, in and out, forget it. No paint sealant is worth that cash. For myself I would just apply a protective sealant every 6 to 8 weeks, heck just running it through the brushless carwash and then getting their sealant applied will be good enough if you really don't care to do alot of car care upkeep.
 
Wow! Thank you guys so much for the input! I am glad I came across this forum when I was doing a search. It's good to ask people who have "been there, done that". We don't ship our truck to Germany until May, so I have plenty of time to purchase the 3M clear bra thing. I am gonna find an experienced dealer in the Tacoma/Seattle area tomorrow and call them. If they charge ANYTHING less than $1098, which I am sure they will, then I will get this taken off my note. $1098 isn't even the final price if I'm paying interest! I am pretty sure I will need this 3M thing though because the autobahn tore up our '02 Civic when we lived there b4. It was dark blue, so you could easily see the paint that was chipped away, and the bug guts I was not able to remove. Hey, I probably imported some foreign insect never known to live in North America!

As for the Xzilon treatment, they are charging me $698 plus interest, so I am sure I can also get that done elsewhere. I have a 4 & 5 year old, so it is a must that I have something put in there, or do it myself. I will call the dealership tomorrow and let you all know what they say. I know he will be dissapointed, since he was enforcing it so much. Oh, about the guy that installs this stuff for Nissan here, I don't know his work, but I did see him come in to pick up another car. He was wearing a 3M/Scotchguard shirt. He may be one of their recommended installers. Don't know. But thanks again you guys for clearing this up for me!
 
if you haven't taken delivery yet, you do whatever you want.until the papers are signed, you are not responsible. if you have taken delivery adn you don't either on or both, talk to the general manager about the situation that you changed you mind and ask for your money back. the key is though, if they give you your money back, put it right on your car loan, otherwise you are paying a lot of interest on nothing. i work at a dealership so that i hope this helps. nissans are great aren't they? my wife works at a nissan/infiniti dealer and gets a demo so i get to try them out.
 
So here's my update. First I called 2 dealers that were recommended installers on the 3M website of the protection film, one of them charges $720, and the other charges $700. Either way, they both charge cheaper and said I was beeing overcharged ($1098). So I went to Nissan and told them I want them to take it off right away. Seeing that I meant what I said, they said no problem. I just need to go upstairs and tell the lady that handles all the paperwork. So I went up there and she was upset that they sent me up there cuz she said she has never had to go into a signed deal and take out something like that. So she said it would take her awhile to even find out how to do all of that. So I told her why don't they just take the $1800 and install me a DVD player. She thought it was a good idea for me to use that money and get something I actually want, so she crossed out the protection package and paint protection film, and added the DVD player.

Now, I know I could go to Car Toys or Best Buy and get one for cheaper, but they are supposed to be using a really good expensive brand. I am waiting for the service dept. to call me cuz they need to know the color of my roof so they can match it, and then I will ask the screen size, brand, etc. Either way, it's not coming "out of my pocket" and I could just take it in and have it done. Now I will still be getting the protection package and paint film done (I must have used 10 different names for that thing on here), but now I know I can get it cheaper somewhere else. BTW, yes I have already taken delivery of the truck. My plates came in 2day.

The service dept. just called. She is still "shopping" around for a brand, and asked what I prefer. I don't know of a good brand, but I did tell her I want a 9" screen. So anyway, this is what happened and I really thought they would give me a bunch of crap. The guy that pushed that stuff on me in the first place was not there. Like I said b4, thank you guys so much for helping me out with this. I would of not know what to do. Did someone mention that this site sells car products? I know where to place my order if they do!
:dcrules

Janae
 
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