We have ordered a new '05 S. As part of the discussion about 'extra's' for the car we were given two things for us to condsider adding to the car.
1. One is a Simonize finish for about $500. Will cover all paint damage for 5 years, including insects (which can be bad here twice a year). The insects can eat into the finish. They apply the finish when it comes in and then it's covered.
2. Tire insurance (about $350) Our Mini comes with run flat tires and the sales guy says if we have a flat, it will replace the tire. Since the tire costs so much and is about the cost of the insurance is this worth it? We are in FL and their are few nails around from hurricane /damage/repair.

I though about a removable invisibleshield to do the same as the simonize?

What do you think? A semi-ripoff from dealer to make more more money, or money well spent?

Thank you for reading.

kws
:smile:

 

Item numero uno is a total waste of money, IMO

You'll do much much better either by getting a permanent invisible 3M bra or a vinyl car bra from Colgan Custom www.colgancustom.com.

Invest that money into quality waxes and polishes (Zaino, Meguiars. Zymol, etc, etc).

Frequent washing, polishing and waxing can go a long way in keeping your new MINI looking finger lickin' good for years to come.

Item numero dos, Tire insurance... Read the small letter but I think you can get much, much, much, much cheaper road hazard insurance from the manufacturer of the tires (Dunlop, Goodyear, etc).

So yes, you are being ripped off.

 

INteresting how they offer you tire insurance for $350.

My dealer tried it for $500 and I was tempted considering my wife has this habit of putting holes in tires that baffle the realm of science and the laws of physics....

Good to know I would have bent over for the full telephone pole treatment on that one (had I actually opted for the option)!

 

Boy, I don't know. "All paint damage for 5 years"? Does that cover things like parking lot dings to your doors? Bumper scrapes? Getting keyed?

If I could pay $100 a year and get coverage for that sort of stuff - along with the things covered by an invisible bra - I'd be sorely tempted!

But I sure as hell would get it in writing!

 

The tire damage is nonsense, since they will look for a loophole no matter what. I know this becuase one of my closest friends owns a major tire/wheel/speed shop place. The paint damage seems a little odd to me, and you could probably keep the paint in mint condition with regular waxing. Its not like there is so much car to wax either.

 

It is amazing that they could even sell this stuff to people. Isn't it obvious that they are simply trying to pad their pockets?

How often would you go back to your dealer as a result of a flat, because I am positive that one of their requirements is for them to look at the tire first. Some of the

 

You can 'Simonize' the front of your car VERY easily yourself with about an hours time a, hairdryer and $200 with the XPel products.


www.xpel.com


I've done this to my Focus and it looks amazing after 4 years. The rest can be taken care of by good waxing.

 

I've never met bigger crooks than Miami auto dealers ... where are you???

Living in Miami I saved thousands driving north of Lauderdale or to the west coast for my vehicles... Bought two in Dade before I learned and walked funny for several days after each delivery....

But that was a long time ago....I'm sure things have changed

 

The "paint protection" is a total scam. The dealer had done it to my car and I refused to pay for it, because I did not ask them to do it. Read the fine print for yourself, it does not cover much. Basically, color fade within 5 years. If you take care of your paint at all with regular care, that will not happen anyways.

Item number 2...it's just insurance. $300.00 will cover a couple of replacement tires, or close to that. Have you had 2 tires go bad on a car in three years?


.

 

How long ago you lived here in Miami?

And I agree, the Miami dealers are a bunch of crooks!

That's why I bought my 2 MINIs from Lauderdale MINI in Ft Lauderdale.

 

Insurance from the tire manufacturer??? They dont offer that.



Ya know what I would do. Demand that they throw them in or walk to another dealer.

 

Go to Discount Tire/American Tire and buy their tire insurance. It is way cheaper than $350.00.

Earl

 

similar paint protection can be had for much cheaper. I was very easily able to find similar paint protection (not simoniz specifically, but very similar crap... cause that's what it is you know.. crap.) you should have no problem finding it for $150 and the one i had found was with LIFETIME guarantee.
But again, go buy yourself some zaino, klasse all-in-one, whichever you prefer. Don't believe the crap they feed you about the paint protect. it is only a warranty, nothing more.

I dont think you can buy road hazard insurance from another tire shop if you didnt buy the tires from them. Perhaps it's possible, so ask around... but it doesnt really make sense for them to offer it. Also, it should only be $40 at the MOST for a road hazard warranty. $500... that's more than a set of tires out the door. Friggin ridiculous.

 

I bought road hazard from Discount Tire for my wife's Lexus for less than the price of one tire. they were the new tires that came on her car and they don't even carry that tire but for the money they will insure them.

Earl

 

This is clear.

Just say NO to both.

Save your money.

For #1 the best you can do is wash your MINI regularly and pick a nice durable wax and use it. Careful not to drive in back of gravel trucks at freeway speeds or in back of SUVs on dirty roads.

For #2 You can replace the runflats if needed at any time with non runflats for a smoother and better performance ride. You can spend about $100 or less on tires from sources like alex@tirerack or edgeracing.com. If you have an MC then you get a spare compact tire for a flat but if you have an MCS there is no spare so get AAA or fix a flat, or buy a compact spare and cover it and place in the boot if needed.

 

At least they didn't offer window VIN number etching...

 

Agree with all comments (except I can't speak about the FL MINI dealers only because I've not had any dealings with them)! Here in the desert it's the "desert protection paint seal scam". Save you $$ and put a good coat of wax on the car every 6 mos or so. BTW most tires come with some sort of warrenty from the factory anyway, and for road hazards it's usually pro rated based on the amount of tread left.


Also post regarding Discount Tire's warrenty is correct; it's a deal. My wife hit somthing and destroyed a speed rated Michlen on her Acura TL. Put a hole in the sidewall the size of a quarter, then drove it for a few miles! Not sure how she did it but they (Discount) replaced it no ?'s asked..............mgg

 

Most of these "extended warranties" are not a good deal. There is so much fine print and so many loopholes that it is very rare that anything actually gets covered. Fo example, on the paint rotection it is often stated that you need to bring the car back yearly fro an "inspection". Often you are only allowed a two-week windo in which to have the inspection done and it is up to you to remember it. Miss an inspection and your coverage is gone! Put the money you would spend on this "protection" in a savings account and use it if and when that a tire blows out, or paint repairs are needed and you will probably come out way ahead. On the other hand, if having this type of protection give you "peace of mind" and help you sleep at night, it may be worth it.

 

I am getting my Mini at Downtown Mini (Orlando).

kws

 

It seems as if dealers just keep coming up with variations on the old "rip-off" themes of years past. What a waste of money all that is!

 

Discount Tire sold me 4 full road hazard warranties for my 16" Dunlop run-flats: $21 per tire. So yeah $350 seems mildly excessive

 

Yes they do. When JerseyGirl had her MCS for a couple of months, she got a nail in one of the Goodyear RF's. She took it to the Goodyear store nearby (who happen to be the only one in the area with the right changer) ready to pay the $300+ for a new tire and it turned out the tire was still under the factory warranty - she only had to pay about $30 for labor. Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised!