So, like many other wishfully waiting motor'rs, i too was attacked by the sales person to buy all the extras. How am i to know if i need the paint protective film made by Scotchgard, or the special seat protectant, or the tire protection program, the extended war. program, etc, etc, etc......

Can someone help me/us who are in the same boat figure out which are good and which are bad?

HELP?

 

Short answer: No. No, no, no, no, and no to all extras.

 

<shakes magic 8 ball>

"My reply is no"

 

NOTHING at all? What about the 1/20th scale model of my car on order?

What about the blood transfusion that would make waiting on my car easier?

 

I'm a BIGGGGGG fan of paint protection film. In my case, the dealer option for this WAS cost effective compared with alternatives (I shopped it) and had the added benefit of being applied before the car got it's first chip.

55,000 miles later, my front end paint looks soooo much better than many I see with 10,000 miles... it's basically still perfect. With the amount of painted, nearly vertical nose surface on a MINI, I recommend clearbra to everyone who doesn't like (lot of) chips.

But make sure the dealer's pricing is fair before you commit to it.

Otherwise, I'm NOT a fan of the other assorted "warranties", sealants, fabric protectors, etc.

 

What is a fair price for the clear bra?

I like the idea in theory, i just hate that it stops mid way up the hood.

 

My dealer never really even asked about any of that stuff.

 

Definitely go for the ClearBra, but I'd stop there. The Extended Warranty you don't have to buy now it will be cheaper once you get closer to the Factory Warranty running out. And Fabric/Leather protectant, you can get a rag and wipe crap on your seats can't you??!! I knew you could!! That's all the protection that the Dealer is going to do and charge you an arm and a leg for!!

 

Skip the clear bra, buy touch up paint.

 

Clearbra installs seem to range from $400 to $800 - also depends on what you get - I have 3M 1/3 bonnet, front bumper, mirrors, door cups, door edges, rocker panels, and front light protectors. That whole thing was (I think) $700. I thought long and hard about it - and it has turned out to be one of the best things I've spent money on... Many, Many hard highway miles later and the paint is still car show quality without countless hours of touch-up time.

You really don't notice the "break" across the bonnet, and you really don't need more than the front 1/3 covered for protection. I've never gotten a chip over the line.

Where and how you drive does matter - if you spend all your time going 35mph on city streets, it's less critical than if you spend lots of time going 70+ on the highway with trucks... but I've seen MINIs where the bonnet looked like it had been blasted with rocks, with dozens of chips, after ONE club drive on roads with some loose gravel. If you're the type who cares about that kind of thing, then clearbra is a good thing.

 

I shopped the clear bra around and got the dealer to price match. Plus i got a 10% off coupon via email for the dealer. All said and done i got the clear bra for about $300 less than originally quoted. I am also a fan of the Tire/Wheel protection. Covers nails, pot holes, curb rash. Used it two or three times on the my last mini so it paid for itself.

 

The only thing I would recommend is the Tire and Wheel warranty. I have had a runflat replaced and just several weeks ago hit a pothole damaging two rims and tires. Just got the call today that the tires will be replaced and wheels fixed since they do not make the rim in 18" sizes. I would get the clear bra done from someone else.

 

I am still having brain issues with spending $650 for that 3M Clear stuff being added to my car?

 

It was money well spent. Have you seen a car that has had no protection at all?? Once you do you won't question that add-on ever again.

 

no, i have not. It just seems like a lot of cash for a small amount of plastic.

 

Honestly it's not worth it...I've seen it on many cars and it always seems to show after a few years in at least one way. Depending on the color of your car you can start to see it turn almost yellow over time Cars that are dark, especially like my bf's midnight black cooper, tend to collect dirt/dust/pine needles right where the bra ends on the bonnet ...I agree with Sgrobben: Just buy touch up paint.

 

I spoke with the installer and asked if they would give a special recession price. They said NOPE, we don't need your business, we are plenty full with other cars. It seems like all installers in my area are jerks about their pricing of putting down plastic film.

 

Clear bras aren't a good idea in my opinion. They show over time and look bad and rocks always seem to hit parts of the car not covered anyways.

 

wow that is pretty bad...most places now are getting to be pretty unforgiving when it comes to discounts for these bad times. You would think they would give you a better price so you would prefer to come back to them later.

 

The seat protection is only needed for cloth seats and a $5 can of scotchguard will do the trick for that.

 

If they really really really really want you to buy it, you really really really really really really really don't need it. :-)

• You don't need to Sctochgard the paint! Rip off.
• You don't need to "protect" the seals! Rip off.
• You don't need the tire protection program -- just the spare (standard on Cooper/Clubman) or runflats (standard on S models of Cooper/Clubman)
• You don't need undercarriage sealant or any of that nonsense -- the Mini has a no-rust guarantee much longer than your warranty already.
• If you see something like "appearance package" on the price sheet, make sure that's a real Mini option listed in the booklets provided by Mini. At a lot of dealers, "appearance package" means "$500 for one pinstripe down each side", aka, rip off.

You might want to consider the extended warranty program, depending on the cost and how long you tend to keep cars. BUT: find out, is this a real, BMW-backed factory warranty, or is it a dealer service contract? If the latter, you can't get repairs anywhere else. (Dealers looooove those dealer service contracts -- they're almost pure profit!) Personally, I'd skip the extended warranty program, and talk to your bank, credit union or insurance company about Mechanical Breakdown Insurance instead.

Hope this helps?