Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sat 18 Oct 2014 01:32
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - Rollerdave

Just in the process of buying a new car and the dealer has offered the Smartguard paint and fabric protection for about £369.00 Apparently its guaranteed for 4 years.

What is your opinion and experience. Is it worthwhile getting it done.

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Sat 18 Oct 2014 10:03
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - bathtub tom

>>Is it worthwhile getting it done.

NO!

There's loads of stories going around about how they give the job to the least experienced employee who's got no idea how to do the job and makes a right pig's ear of it.

You can buy the products on ebay for a fraction of the cost the dealer will charge and do the job yourself. Alternatively buy a good quality polish and wax.

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Sat 18 Oct 2014 11:39
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - Wackyracer

A collegue of mine had something like this done to his new car years ago, They claimed it stayed on the car for years but, He was given small packets of the stuff which he was told to put in the water when he washed the car.

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Sat 18 Oct 2014 12:01
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - Chris M

Contact a local valeter to get a quote. A sizeable chunk of that £369 will be commission for the salesman.

Edited by Chris M on 18/10/2014 at 12:02

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Sat 18 Oct 2014 14:30
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - Bolt

Not a fan of these protective coatings as most I`ve seen are not that good,a good polish is probably better,

the most effective coating i`ve seen so far is the Toyota one, it does appear to work well though not perfect.

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Sat 18 Oct 2014 16:42
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - Ben 10
No matter what Ford dealer you buy your new car from, they will push these coatings as BT said because the salesman gets commission for getting you to sign. Unless you stand over them at the time, how do you know they actually do the work or what standard they do it to.
If you look on EBay or Amazon you will see the same products to coat the outside and inside your car for £80 or less. Do it yourself.
When I bought my wife's Fiesta this year, I was quoted £400 and with a decline it got reduced to £200. Funny that.
These guys get commission on the sale, the CAP insurance, coatings and finance. You don't have to accept any of the added extras if you don't want. They will be your best buddy until you do. Just see how their manner changes when you say no to anything.
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Sat 18 Oct 2014 17:26
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - 72 dudes

Completely agree with Ben 10.

It's now ALL main dealers which push this stuff. Just say No !

The best paint protection for any car is a coat of wax polish a few times a year and keep it in a *&%^@ garage!

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Sat 18 Oct 2014 19:49
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - daveyjp
Paint guard, fabric guard, GAP, tyre insurance, MOT failure insurance, service schemes are all designed to empty the buyers wallet and boost the sales staff bonus pot.

As part of buying I tell the sales staff early on that I have no interest in any of them. It takes an hour off the time to buy a car!
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Sun 19 Oct 2014 07:56
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - catsdad
I agree with most of the comments to date with one exception. A service scheme can save money if you intend to keep the car for the length of the scheme and you want franchised dealer service. BMW Mini scheme is probably the epitome of this. It's easy to see if it's a good deal by checking cost of services bought individually versus the scheme - allowing for the fact you can get competitive quotes from competing dealers. Maybe you can negotiate a discount on the scheme too.
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Sun 19 Oct 2014 11:35
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - corax

Just in the process of buying a new car and the dealer has offered the Smartguard paint and fabric protection for about £369.00 Apparently its guaranteed for 4 years.

What is your opinion and experience. Is it worthwhile getting it done.

No. Get yourself a decent paint sealant. There are plenty on the market, I use Carlack. It takes time to apply to the whole car properly, but lasts for a couple of years with one application, and even a very high quality product will cost nothing like as much as the dealers.

The only thing is that you will need to apply some elbow grease :)

As for fabric protection, if you think that you will be getting the seats dirty, use some seat covers.

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Sun 19 Oct 2014 11:54
Ford Kuga - Smartguard paint & fabric protection - gordonbennet

I was given packs of these (or similar) products when i delivered new cars straight to certain valetting bays, the valetters could make one pack do two cars easily.

Did the Hilux myself when new, but after a few months the paint finish wasn't beading water quite as well as when first applied, just as you'd find with any polish or sealant.

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