Okay, is the "Undercoating Protection Package" really worth it on a new car?

Factual Questions
1

Stainz and I are looking to buy a new Vehicle. It’s looking like a 2005 Hyundai Tucson.

I was chatting with the dealer and of course he brings up the Undercoating and Protection package. Is this worth getting? I never asked the price.

Now we are hoping to keep this vehicle for 7-10 years. We live in Canada and have down to -30c in the winter and 35+c in the summer. They don’t use salt on the roads when it is slippery, they use de-icing fluid and sand.

Do modern paint jobs rust as easy as they did 10 years ago? How much is too much for this option? If they offer it to me for less than $500 should I take it?

Thanks!

MtM

2

No, they are not worth it, even in the northern climes. Get your car washed occasionally and you’ll be fine.

3

It’s not worth it. You car comes from the factory with all the paint and corrosion protection it needs. Simply keeping it clean will do more to prevent corrosion than whatever the dealer will do. The dealer undercoating and paint protection is a ripoff.

Undercoating can actually cause problems by plugging up tiny drain holes on the car’s underside, leading to trapped water and the corrosion you were trying to prevent in the first place.

4

You also don’t need the interior protection coating crap, just in case you were wondering. If you’re worried, buy a couple cans of Scotchguard.

5

Well, this is complete hearsay, but a car dealer acquaintance of mine has told me it’s a complete ripoff, and sort of gloats about how he rips off people by selling it to them for prices as high as $2000 (he deals in luxury vehicles.) At any rate, he makes a nice living from plying that crap.

6

Another vote for the crap column.

7

I don’t know. If this person you’re planning to buy the car with is name Stainz…

8

As a long time subscriber to Consumer Reports…

another no vote.

CR has said that about the only thing the package does is add several pounds to the car while removing several dollars from your pocket.

9

I make it a deal-breaker.

Salesman: “I need to tell you about–”

Me: “Ho-ho-hold it right there. If at any point in our relationship, you should say the words ‘undercoating,’ ‘paint protection,’ ‘rustguarding’ or even bring up any additional packaging, I will walk out and not come back.”

And I do.

10

:smiley: to psudotriton

I’ll have to remember that one the next time I go car-shopping…

11

Add to that “Gap Coverage” and “Extended Warranty” (unless you’re severely upside-down on your trade in, or you drive over 100,000 miles per year).

12

It’s been a while since I was in a showroom but maybe I need to update my list of magic words. (“Say one of them and make my ass disappear.”)

Any other suggestions?

13

…or your car is Korean make or a Chrysler that doesn’t already have a longer “buy me” type of warranty.

14

I’m sorry, I’m not quite following this – my Korean Hyundai has a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty. Why do I need the “Gap Coverage” or “Extended Warranty”?

15

You don’t. It already has the ‘buy me’ warranty Balthisar was talking about.

16

bolding mine

That would be me. I can’t afford not to have that coverage on my 2005 Hyundai Elantra. I had to ditch my van because I couldn’t afford gas anymore. I drive a lot and paying upwards of $65+ for a tank of gas is what convinced me to trade that fucker in.

17

Oh, thank you – I read it as a descriptive clause, not a restrictive clause. My mistake, and I get it now.

18

I’ve never even heard of such a thing before now. Just wash the car; you’ll be fine. In the winter, you can stop by a car wash and use the high-pressure hose rather than trying to wash it at home.

19

You’ve never seen Fargo?

20

Actually, what you can do is get through the entire process, agree on a final number, and THEN change your mind on the undercoating/paint protection crap, and tell him to back it out of the final number. And watch him squirm.

(Note: Never tried that, but I might need to next time!)