Protecting your new car – should you use the main dealers treatment or an independent specialist?

When you purchase a new car, the “protection package” is often the final hurdle in the sales office. It sounds like a sensible investment: a one-time fee to keep your car looking showroom-fresh for years. However, do these products do what is claimed and are they worth spending hard-earned money on?

The following guide breaks down why taking your car to an independent specialist is almost always the superior choice.

1. The Art of Preparation

The most critical part of any protection treatment isn’t the product itself—it’s the surface it’s applied to.

• Main Dealer: Dealerships operate on high-volume, low quality “valeting” and quite often, a protection product is applied after a quick wash. There is no paint decontamination or polishing done to prepare the surface. Not only does this cause premature failure of the coating, it tends to put defects into your paintwork that are then sealed in.

• Professional Detailer: A detailer will spend up to 16 hours cleaning and preparing your car for protection. Their process includes chemical paint decontamination to remove industrial and organic fallout that is present on every car. They will also machine polish the paintwork to ensure every defect is fixed and your paint is as good as it can be before coatings are applied.

2. Product Quality: 

• Main Dealer: The products sold by dealerships are mostly “ceramic” sealants these days. For a long time there were polymer based sealants that would last a matter of months rather than the years they claim. The ceramic coatings dealerships use tend to be at the basic end of the market, they are engineered for ease of application rather than outright performance, and whilst they are an improvement on polymer sealants, they still won’t do what it says on the tin!

• Professional Detailer: Not only do professional detailers prepare your car properly, they use much better quality products. Products that are engineered for appearance and performance are generally trickier to apply and need careful management during curing. This isn’t an issue for a workshop-based professional detailer. And whilst there is a lot of BS in the industry, if a product says it will last 5 years, it probably will. 

3. Specialist Expertise and Environment

Detailing is a craft that requires controlled conditions.

• The Environment: Professional coatings require specific temperature and humidity levels to cure correctly. Detailers work in dedicated, well-lit, clean workshops (or studios.) Dealerships often apply treatments in open-air bays or busy service centers where dust and contaminants can interfere with the bonding process.

• The Technician: A detailer’s reputation relies entirely on the quality of their finish and the performance of the products they use. Many professional detailers take part in manufacturer led training and are certified as a result. 

At a dealership the valeting staff aren’t usually employed directly. They are short-term contract staff, working for one of the national valeting companies who have very high staff turnover (and aren’t picky about who they give a job to.) They use chemicals that allow them to work quickly (not necessarily safely), and equipment/consumables that would never be found in a professional’s arsenal. That isn’t to say there aren’t some good people doing the work – there are – but they are sadly, a minority.

4. The “Lifetime Warranty” Trap

Dealerships often make wild claims about these products – “lifetime” warranties that sound impressive but have significant fine print. They aren’t worth the paper they are written on and will only “pay out” if you have a total paint failure. That is incredibly rare and when it does happen it isn’t usually anything to do with environmental damage – it’s a manufacturing defect. 

5. Better Value for Money

While a dealership package might be rolled into your monthly finance making it “feel” cheaper, the upfront cost ( between £500 and £1500 depending on the marque) is money down the drain. These are very profitable services for the main dealers and one of the reasons they push them so hard. 

A professional detailer can provide a tailored service that includes paint correction, treatment of paintwork, wheels, glass, plastics, lights and the interior, for £900-£1600. Obviously, this depends on the size of the car and specific coatings chosen. It might seem like a lot, but it offers significantly better value and it will do what it says on the tin!