New car preparation - is it worth the extra money?

I take delivery of my new car on 1st September. An independent vehicle detailer in my area offers a new car preparation service which includes extensive polishing and the addition of protective coatings. This seems to be a similar but more extensive service than the vehicle preparation/supacoat provided by the dealer. The cost is high (£975) but seems to involve many hours of work and the service promises significant improvements to gloss sheen, removal of all surface imperfections and improved stone chip protection etc.

There's a good deal on the Internet about the poor quality of modern car paint finishes and so this service also includes a pre PDI inspection to establish the factory state of the paint and clear coat with a view to negotiating a contribution to any required rectification with the dealer/manufacturer. I've spent a lot on the car and am keen for it to look as good as possible so am willing to invest if it's worth it. My question is, is this just selling snake oil or are these services really more effective than the standard I ought to expect from the dealer anyway?

Asked on 11 July 2016 by Tonybyriverside

Answered by Honest John
No. EC legal requirement that the colour coats are water based, but the clearcoat lacquer can still be solvent based. The unintended consequence of this EC Directive is that paint needs to be protected and the environmental impact of that is probably worse than painting cars with hard paint. The only way it works is that most people don't bother to apply paint protection.
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