When I walk into a car showroom and observe an extra sticker (listing dealer-installed equipment) on every car, the first question that I ask is, Can I order a car without a “dealer pack”?
If the answer is “no”, I turn on my heel and leave immediately, as the surest sign of a sleaze-bag dealership is the placement of these virtually-worthless, overpriced “dealer packs” on every one of their cars.
You can get silicone oils off with a siloxane solvent, toluene, or Simple Green.
@Bing
You just made everybody on this board dumber. Except me.
They make solvents that remove waxes and silicone from the surface of the vehicle before any body work is performed.
Never purchase something you can’t see. Sure! They can tell you they applied the special coating to the vehicle. But how would you tell?
Tester
Clear coating and other dealer packages are useless and a gimmick ? Shocking !
Anyone remember a thread like this a few years ago about someone CERTAIN that there was an expensive coating that would protect his paint with CERAMICS…
Prep-sol has been around for at least 40 years.
Dealer applied coatings are “packs”. “Clear coating”, a term generally used to describe a clear coat of paint applied at the factory to provide sheen to and better protect the paint’s surface, is not.
Many automotive paints are actually designed as two-part processes, a coat of pigmented paint that leaves a dull finish and a coat of clear coat that provides sheen. IMHO they really do hold up better than non clearcoated finishes. Perhaps the pigment adversely affects the ability of the paint to withstand UV or seal against moisture, I don’t know. But I personally prefer clear coat finishes, and suggest that it not be confused with the dealer applied stuff.
By “clear coat finishes”, do you mean something like Mirakle Shield? I see they guarantee their work, and I don’t see many bad reviews, excellent BBB rating.
No, I don’t. I mean an actual painted-on coat of paint that does not include the tint, specifically formulated to create sheen without adding color.
I’m sure Mirakle Shield is fine IF the surface is properly prepped and the Mirakle Shield properly applied, but it’s a plastic coating, not a paint. Personally, I’d rather have a shop apply a fresh coat of clearcoat than a coat of plastic. But only when the original paint loses its sheen, and if I keep it waxed that’s unlikely to happen. The original paint on my '89 pickup still shone (shined?) 17 years after I bought it, even though it lived its entire life outside in all sorts of weather. Keep the finish clean and waxed and most will last for many years. Manufacturers in the early '80s had problems learning to use the newly mandated low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) water-based paints or that era, and peeling was common, but by the '90s most of them had figured out the processes and paints since then have been fine.
If this is Miracle Shield in Cleveland, OH then it appears to be more than just another wax coating because it says you no longer need to wax the car. Yes, it is plastic, but so is the clear coat used by the factory. You don’t need to wax the clear coat unless you want it to last more than 5 years. I think waxing makes sense, and I agree with Mountainbike that Miracle Shield is not needed. Save your money for other things.