Written by Grace, co-owner
Before you spend another cent on your paint, read this
If you bought your car new, you probably paid for a paint protection package. Usually somewhere between one and two and a half thousand dollars. It gets added right at the end, when you've already made the big decision and you're tired.
I'm not going to tell you that was a waste of money. I haven't seen your car, so I don't know. Some of those packages are genuinely fine. But there are two things worth checking, and almost nobody checks them.
One: what you actually bought
A lot of dealer packages are polymer sealants rather than a true ceramic coating. They aren't the same product and they don't last the same length of time. A sealant sits on the paint and wears off. A ceramic coating bonds to it and stays.
That difference matters more up here than it does down south. Our sun, salt air and wet season are harder on paint than anything in Melbourne or Sydney. A product that would quietly last years in a Hobart carport can be doing very little by its second summer in Cairns.
The part that surprises people is the price. These packages often sit in the same one to two thousand dollar band as proper professional ceramic work. So in a lot of cases you didn't pay less. You just got less.
Two: the condition inside the warranty
This is the one that catches people, and it's the reason I wanted to write this.
Think of it like this. That lifetime cover isn't something you own. It's something you rent, twelve months at a time, and the rent is that inspection.
Miss one, and the cover usually drops back to a fixed term instead of the lifetime you thought you'd bought. In most cases you can't undo it later, no matter how well you've looked after the car.
I've sat with plenty of owners who had no idea that condition was in there. That isn't them being careless. It's on page four, in small type, and nobody read it out at the desk.
One more thing, because it comes up a lot. You might be told that your paint warranty dies if someone independent coats the car. That isn't how Australian Consumer Law works. Your consumer guarantees stand no matter what extra warranty was sold to you on top.
What to check, tonight, for free
You don't need us for any of this. Go and find the folder that came with the car and look for four things.
- The product name, then a quick search for whether it's a sealant or a ceramic coating
- Whether an annual inspection is required, and what the window is
- What happens to your cover if you miss one
- Who counts as an approved applicator, and what they charge for the inspection
If it all checks out and you're still inside the terms, genuinely, you're fine. Put the folder back and enjoy the car.
And if you'd rather someone just looked at it
We'll do that for free. Bring it into either of our shops, Trinity Beach or White Rock, whichever is closer to you. It takes about twenty minutes. We'll tell you what's on the paint, whether it's still doing anything, and what shape the clear coat is in underneath.
If the honest answer is that you're fine for another two years, that's what we'll say. I'd rather tell you the truth now and have you come back when you actually need us.
Everything below is our own work and our own customers. Have a look, and judge us the same way I've just asked you to judge that paperwork.
Grace, Posh Wash
