Cz7

Is it worth it to get the protection package through my dealer? ResistAll Enviroguard NG treatment on exterior & interior surfaces plus a windshield treatment for $1460 total. Includes 5 year warranty against int/ext stains, windshield rock chips & cracks, dentless ding removal, and small leather punctures & tears. A layer of "invisible" chipguard film can also be put on the front third of the hood as well as backs of mirrors and door edges for an additional $600 and includes chip repair warranty on those areas.

My GL450 will be obsidian metallic black, so I'm a bit worried about chips, but then again the leather and dentless repairs are pretty inexpensive, and my insurance co waives deductible on rock chips so not sure if it's worth it.

Has anyone found these treatments beneficial or worth the cost?

JokerzWld

Most definitely get the 3M paint film as I do it on every new vehicle I have delivered. The other offers I cant comment on but the film covers the whole front of the GL, both mirrors and a film over the rear bumper to protect when unloading the rear section.
Go to Clearplex website and read their info for windshield film.

2013 GL450

i got the 3M and glad i did. protects it in the garage. i also got the dent protection. Have used it twice already. For me, it was worth it.

cincy8

Is 3M the Resistall or a different product ordered by your dealer?

I'm planning to do Opti-Coat from a 3rd party but there is no paint/chip protection with that. It's ~$400 from the detailer in my area including leather protection.

2013 GL450

to be honest, i'm not sure. they asked me if i wanted to get bumper protection which they said was a 3M film they put on the bumpers to prevent scratches from parking garages or street parking. i didn't go into the specifics of the product. I have to get it put back on because i had some body work done and they had to remove it and repaint. there's apparently a certain amount of time that has to pass before it can be reapplied on new paint.

thebishman

Replacing a windshield on a GL is expensive. It might be worth the 'investment' just to help defray the replacement cost if you live in an area where damage to the windshield is high.

Be careful when using dealership sourced 'clear bra' installers as they tend to go with the lowest bid which can sometimes equal the lowest quality. Find out who they use and do your research.

Bish

Cz7

After doing a bit of research online, it seems the Scotchguard type spray-on exterior/interior protectant from the dealer is seen as a bit of scam with people recommending you buy the spray yourself and do it, or go to an independent detailer for a lot less. I could do the same with the windshield product, too. But I am thinking I want the clear film on the front of the hood and leading edges, and obviously I wouldn't apply that myself. So I will price around and ask other detailers and see who they compare with the dealer on that.

Cz7

I called some detailers for prices on the Scotchguard/Envirotech type spray, and one of them was they guy that does it for my dealership. They charge almost $1500-he charges $250. For the clear film, I found the guy that does it and he charges $300 vs. the $600 at the dealership.

Trimmer2

I had the local EXO guy coat both my Porsche and GL63 and LOVE the results! Finish looks wet, ZERO swirl marks after multiple tunnel washes. While it's not a clear-bra type cover it's more of a finish for the car. It ain't cheap but, I'd definitely re-up in a year or two.

http://gtechniqna.com

Dog hauler

Xpel is a very good clear mask product. It has a longer warranty against lifting, peeling and yellowing than does the 3M product. I've had both products on my cars and I prefer Xpel because it has much less orange peel than does the 3M film. On one vehicle, the 3M began to yellow at about 5 years (the warranty is 5 years, of course). I haven't had a car with Xpel for that long, but the longer warranty tells me it resists yellowing better.

Xpel has 2 levels of product. The lower level is equivalent to 3M. It's the premium Xpel film that has less orange peel (almost none) and the longer warranty. The dealer quoted me $2k to do the car in 3M. I went to the independent installer that I've used in the past and who does high end cars such as Ferrari, RR, BMW, MB and others) and he did it for $725, which included:

Elric99

That was a good tip on the XPEL Ultimate and going direct to installer. I skipped the dealer and found the local guy who does their installs (simply by looking for installers on the XPEL website). Got similar deal to yours, including door edge protectors and I had them install some on the inside of the 2nd row door jambs near the seats and down to the chrome plate to help keep my dog from scratching it.

Still waiting for it to fully dry but so far it doesn't stand out at all on my white GL. Which is a good thing, because I was worried it might not be totally clear. Installer said to occasionally clean the edges with q-tip and rubbing alcohol if you see any buildup of wax or anything.

Dog hauler

My GL is white, as well, and I also had clear mask applied to the bottom of the door jambs to protect the paint from my dogs getting in and out. I wanted film applied to the aluminum trim plate that covers part of the bottom of the jamb, but my installer said he'd never be able to get the film to conform to the ridges in the plate so it would look good. He even tried and it wasn't working at all.

I also wanted film applied to the top of the running boards where the black plastic part of the running boards meet the jamb and and are pretty much part of the jamb. The dogs (or people, for that matter) step right there and will eventually scratch the plastic up. The plastic is textured and my installer said the film would look awful over it.

I tried the new 3M clear mask spray. Masking was a real project, but the application of the product went well. Unfortunately, the material looks like it's not going to adhere well to the black plastic and although the stuff sticks to the aluminum trim piece just fine, it's already scratched from the dogs and doesn't look good. The aluminum isn't scratched, which is good, but the clear mask spray film getting marked up badly this quick doesn't bode well. I'll probably remove it soon.

Did your installer cover either the aluminum plate or the black plastic? If so, how did it come out?

Elric99

My installer said pretty much the same thing, that that trim plate inside the 2nd row doors would not work well, so he didn't even try to cover it.

As for the running boards, my dog's only 4 months old and hasn't actually tried to get up in the car by himself yet, so that idea hadn't even occurred to me yet. I guess we'll see how it goes in the coming months and whether that area needs protecting too. If you find something that works, please post it.

Dog hauler

By the time you find out if it needs protecting, it's probably too late. :-(

I doubt I'm going to find a solution to cover the aluminum trim plate. Assuming I must remove the spray film, I plan to replace the plate as needed. My guess is that it's stuck on with double sided tape or other adhesive; a heat gun and fishing line should get it off. Then I'll just stick on another one.

Elric99

Wonder if plastidip would work for the black plastic part of the running boards? They even have a primer product to make it stick better to plastic, but maybe you could try it first without that just to see what it would look like and peel it off if it is bad.

http://www.plastidip.com/blog/2013/0...ti-dip-primer/

here's a link to a Lexus forum to show how the standard stuff can be used for a black matte look

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/5816370-post1.html

Elric99

Some other ideas in this thread, I'm guessing the best answers will be in these offroader type forums

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...plastidip.html

Dog hauler

I can't imagine that would work. I used some of it a while back to coat tool handles. The stuff is pretty soft even after it cures and I think it would get torn up pretty quickly.

And if the application didn't turn out well or if down the road the surface is damaged and you want to remove it, I'm not so sure it will just peel up. I searched the web site to see how you remove the material and didn't find anything on that. It would be a real problem if you wanted to get the stuff off and couldn't, especially on the black plastic at the top of the running board. The protective plate, I suppose, could in a worst case scenario be removed and replaced. But, you'd be stuck with pretty uglied up running boards if things didn't go well.

Well, I guess I stand corrected at least to some degree now that I read the material in your links. But, I don't really understand how the material can peel off easily from surfaces you don't want it to stick to but adhere firmly to surfaces you want it to. And I still think the material is too soft to withstand dog nails.

If you give Plastic Dip a try, please let us know how it goes. I'll let you do the experimenting on that.