Hi,

I am new to the world of Countryman, but I should take ownership of my new baby sometime this week. The dealership asked asked if I wanted to add Cila Jet. Can anyone give me the pros and cons of the product and whether or not it's worth the additional $500

Thanks

 

Did you consider googling the stuff? I just did and there are mountains of comments from all directions on several different car forums expressing pros and cons across the spectrum. I would have spent more time reading some of those but I suffer from a bad case of ennui on the subject.

 

You ever heard the phrase if you don't have something nice to say, it's better to keep your opinion to yourself? Last time I checked, this was one of those forums. I greatly appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to reply!

 

You asked for information. The source of that information was pointed out. The fact that I'm not interested in that information was also pointed out. I don't see anything 'not nice' in any of that. If your skin is that thin then you are going to be very unhappy in 'forum land'. Interpreting intent without common body language signals is impossible so trying to 'read into' what people really mean in what they write is a waste of time. Just take stuff at face value and don't worry about the rest.

 

I don't know about you, but any time a car salesperson asks if I'd like ANY dealership installed/recommended product/service, I pretty much shut down. I just don't trust that they actually have any considerations in mind other than profit margin...and I get that. It's unfortunate because I'm sure there are good products out there.

Concerning Cilajet, I guess I'd ask myself how much time and trouble I'm willing to contribute to the appearance of the paint. Since I enjoy washing and waxing cars and have already invested a small chunk of cash in terrific products (love the Menzerna line...the Power Lock protectant is terrific and probably similar to the Cilajet in outcome) I'd, personally, turn it down.

/Didn't answer you question at all.
//Did get to read about Cilajet and prepare an answer for the salesman when we pick up our CM and he asks though

 

i'd pass on it.
take it to a detailer, have them detail it and use a good paint sealer, then look into having a clear bra installed. after that maintenance on your end will by much easier. paint sealants go on SO easy now a days and last up to 6 months if you layer them.

 

Fly'n once again thanks for your plethora of useless knowledge. Your assumption is I didn't Google it and that I have thin skin. You know what they say about ASSumptions but there's no need to go there. Maybe you should look at the many questions asked in this forum about tires, gas mileage, etc. Sometimes it's better to get information from the subject matter experts. Once again thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to bring nothing useful to the conversation. You're making an effort to respond and I'm just doing the same.

 

from reading on this stuff it does the same thing as jetseal i use on my car though i do mine once a year not once every 5 but it is alot cheaper to do it yourself. I was my car at least once a month and re wax ever 3 and stuff just bids off mine i have not seen it but it is just a sealant and you can do it yourself.

 

I typically wash my vehicles about once a week, but I am not a big fan of doing the waxing myself though. I have already looked into the clear bra. I do a lot cross-country driving and I know bugs can reek havoc on a paint job.

 

Thanks, I will look into the Jet seal as well.

 

Usually the best response to useless posts is to ignore them, otherwise you risk turning off potential posters.

I've never been one for dealer installed profit makers. I have a used CM that came with the clear bra protecting shield which didn't really protect as it has stone chip damage through it. I can't imagine that Cila or another coating is going to protect against that. And then I'd consider what happens if you get a ding/dent, how do you match up the coating? Might want to ask about that before buying.

 

Thanks I never thought about it from the perspective of dents and re application of the protective coating.

 

 

seriously.
this thread got really interesting.

 

BTW - Cilajet applied by a dealership is just another money making scam for the dealer. While it's good product, it's no better than other similar sealant products on the market! Some dealers even apply Cilajet to all new cars and then demand payment! A couple of years ago, the dealer where I last purchased pushed VERY hard to have me pay $1500(!) for a Cilajet application after purchase. When I declined, they were downright insulting by essentially telling me I was a fool to pass it up. I did some research back then into Cilajet... And I found the company (XXPONET) in So. California that originated the Cilajet formula. I had some interesting email exchanges with the CEO. The guy revealed that the current Cilajet product isn't even the original! The CEO said he had some consternation about renewing his contract to supply Cilajet with his product because he disagreed with the marketing model. Soooo... Cilajet ended up reverse engineering the chemical formula for the sealant and that's what you get now. The CEO mailed me a small 10 oz. jar of the original product gratis and I was able to seal three cars with it. I also top the sealant with a high quality carnauba wax like PS21. The original product sells directly from XXPONET for only $30 per 10 oz. jar! While the dealers may say that Cilajet is "lifetime" and "you'll never have to wax again", it's really only good for about two years when it must be re-applied by the dealer - with a couple hundred $$$ charge, of course.

 

They put Cilajet on my 2019 Mini. It didn't last longer than three months at all. It was impressive at first. The car seemed to stay super clean in the rains. But then it started to get water spots all the time and the finish was no longer slippery at all, kinda dull and felt almost chalky. Three months...that's it. I Meguire #6 it to get the water spots off and it was deep and shiny again. I now use the spray wax that doesn't whiten up the plastic because it's so easy. It'll stay on to help it stay clean for a little while.

I can't imagine any dealer sealer having the capacity to stay on for any extended period. Cilajet certainly didn't. I think it's a fantasy that any sealer is going to work for a lifetime. So I just do what's easy with the spray, it helps with the water spot issues quite a bit.

 

You can get a good ceramic coat for not too much money and do it yourself. Next on my plans for the MINI. Just have to make sure you clean and clay the car before you put it on.