To ResistAll or Not To...

gonzoh

Has anyone taken advantage of the ResistAll protective coating? It's the paint sealant to protect against gloss loss, fading, bird droppings, sap, acid rain, etc. and stain protection for the leather.

Was wondering...isn't this vehicle already protected??

Just closed on an 09 SL and very satisfied with the terms. F&I Officer did the usual pitch of all the additional coverage. Opted for none. But afterward, he took me aside and really suggested I reconsider it. During the presentation, he knocked it down from $899 to $499. Typical ploy but I still declined.

Any experience with ResistAll anyone? Thanks for any response. Gonzoh

See Also: Teflon Paint Sealants Revisited
Paint Sealant for a New Car?

stever

Sounds like wax to me.

And I'm not all that sold on wax either.

Mr_Shiftright, "Teflon Paint Sealants Revisited" #7, 10 Jul 2003 9:33 am

Congrats on the new ride!

jayrider

You can go to any major auto parts store and peruse shelf after shelf of paint protectants. You can pick the most exotic package with the best features and for 5-15 bucks take it home and put it on yourself on a nice day. You can also check with local car washes/detailers who will do a great job for about $100. Do it next year so they can get off the bugs and road tar. You can do that for 5 years to break even with the dealer offer. The finishes on the new cars don't need protectant but a thorough professional cleaning every year will keep your ride looking great. You can buy a can of scotchguard spray for the interior. That's all the dealers use.

nolacarlover

Resist All is an amazing product. First of all it is the only product that I know of that provides a 7 year warranty on the exterior and interior. Second of all, the car industry is different than it was a few years back. Manufactures have placed a lot of importance on customer satisfaction. While dealerships are looking to make money where ever possible, they do offer products that do work! Also remember, we pay profit on everything we use, from a Big Mac or even a New York Strip from a fine steak house, such as Ruth's Chris. Keep in mind they are both meat, but one is certainly better than the other. As far as my experience has proven, Resist All is the fine steak of the the paint sealant world.I have had Resist All on my last 4 cars, a Lexus GX470, Lexus SC430, Acura RL, and my Corvette. The most remarkable experience I've had was with my red Lexus convertible. That car looked showroom new until the day I sold it 5 years down the line. The funny part about this car was that a buddy and I purchased the same car, same exterior colour, at the same time. Over time, his red car faded a bit, and mine was perfect (and I never waxed the vehicle, ever). In addition, my dogs have enjoyed a worry free experience when in the cars. Don't forget, the interior protection protects against punctures and tears as well, something Scotch guard does not. On my Vette, the exterior had a glass like finish, which is what I wanted. Now if you want that deeper looking shine, that only a fine wax can provide, more power to you, but personally, I don't have the time to wax every 4 to 6 weeks. The other HUGE benefit is that during the "love bug season" bug guts easily have washed off the car. The good thing is that even if they didn't, I know Resist All would pay for the repaint of the area. From personal experience, they do not repair just the little spot, they repainted the entire bumper, making the vehicle look like new again. I really like the product, and swear by it. I hope this helps... By the way if you do want Resist All, and you don't want to pay the price that your dealer is asking, then negotiate the price with the business manager. Trust me, they'd rather sell it for something, than for nothing at all.

stever

Your post sounds like a sales pitch to me.

Funny, if you go to the ResistAll site, what jumps out at you is "Partners In Profit Award Program Enhances Sales for F&I".

I can't think of anything that comes out of the Rip-Off Room (aka F&I) that's doesn't enhance profit. :P

jayrider

Amen

kjsmitty

After working at a dealership for 9+ years as well as being a very close friend of the attached detail shop owner,, All exterior/interior so called protection packages are profit machines for the industry. I'm not saying they don't help or work, just stating the fact that the price is enormously inflated to the actual cost/benefit of the product.

As mentioned, you could buy enough of the best product on the shelf to last you 5 or so years and still not spend 1/4 if not a 10th of what they charge at the dealership etc.

Take care of the car, wash and wax regularly and it will look as new 10 yrs later.

But as always, that's just my personal opinion / experience.

I would continue to say no - unless you get him down under $100 - where he is still making $50 in profit.... :-)

Cheers

jayrider

I don't know that any manufacturers recommend any special treatments.

stever

Some owner's manuals don't even recommend waxing. Just occasional washing with a mild soap.

topcatx

I use it b4! in a month or two you need to re-apply it again read the fine print! you have to reapply it again and again. Any Major car Wax off the shelf will preform just as well as directed.

rjoslin55

Question for Gonzoh: what kind of warranty do you get with waxes or Scotchguard? None. Some dealers may just use wax, which melts off on a hot day or when you go through a car wash (that's why they offer to put it back on), but many dealers now offer ResistAll, which is a great product. If someone waxes their vehicle every month to keep the pores of the paint sealed, they would not need a chemical sealant, but most of us almost never wax our vehicles. BTW: ResistAll is guaranteed for 7 years for both the outside and inside for all types of damage and stains.

stever

Gonzoh hasn't posted for a while.

Take another look at Kjsmitty's post above:

"All exterior/interior so called protection packages are profit machines for the industry."

Paint has an irregular surface, just like anything else you look at through a magnifier. But the experts I read say paint doesn't have "pores".

And I've read that at the molecular level water is much smaller than any wax or paint you put on a surface.

The mop and glow stuff just sounds like a bunch of marketing hype to me.

yreddy

ResistAll find reasons to NOT cover any claim you make. they are like any other warranty service, the less they need to work on, the easier its for them.

take my word, get it cleaned through a detailing company if you cannot get it done. try to get the easy stuff like stains from spills removed as soon as you can. there are a lot of great products that will do the job.

leave the heavy stuff to the pro's. you can get good deals for detailing your whole car.

atoms2me

We bought this warranty because my wife like her new car and wanted to keep it that way, also we needed to close the deal and leave the dealership for another appointment (i.e. a mistake).

A few months later, at Starbucks drive-thru coffee got spilled on the headliner so we figured we were luck to have this protection. After calling them to file a claim, to our surprise, they told us it's not covered because they "cannot apply cleaning adhesive on the headliner". We even went back and read the fine print, there's nowhere it mentioned this exclusion, but there is a clause saying it's not refundable. What a rip-off!

DO NOT BUY this warranty, it's a scam.

stever

Perhaps you should consider complaining to your state's consumer protection agency or AG's office.

atoms2me

Thanks for your suggestion. we did think about going back to the dealership and ask our money back. Before doing that, I decided to try cleaning it with household cleaner and paper towel... it worked like a charm... the coffee stain is barely visible. This goes to show how useless this warranty is.

According to my experience, if you have a leather seats, the only covered area is the small carpet area underneath your feet.

stever

Good to hear that you got it clean.

And please consider writing up a Dealer Review and tell other potential buyers about your experience. Thanks!

billy3554

All warranty and protection products pushed in a dealer's finance office are designed to make profit for the source of the product and, most certainly, for the dealer. Those products are priced to cover all likely claims plus the huge profts. The small print is designed to limit the coverage. Really how many people actually understand, or even read, the small print?

Common sense should warn everyone such products are a bad way to spend money.

People should google F&I and read about how much money dealers make on these products. Most dealers look to make at least an additional $1,000 in profit in the F&I office on every vehicle they sell.

The best approach is to buy a vehicle with a solid reliability record. Then compute the difference in monthly payment without the overpriced products compared to the monthly payment with the overpriced products. Finance without the overpriced products. Put the difference into a savings account each month.

If an unexpected problem arises after the warranty period, the buyer will have money to pay the bill. However, if no problem arises the buyer, and not the dealer, will have the money for other things.

cp1986

your outlook is a little on the negative side, i got resistall and dent guard and have used them both more then once on my acura, i would say scaring people out of keepinga brand new car looking good is not cool.

apatheticgent

For anyone considering it, there are things to know about ResistAll.

1) It covers leather/vinyl/upholstery/carpets/floor mats, and the painted portions of the exterior. Some packages also cover glass/headlights and or an undercoating.

2) Things it will never cover - (1)any moving parts in the interior (steering wheel, gear shift, etc.), (2)anything connected to the roof/headliner (will cause the liner to sag) (3) Cigarette burns - I don't know why, but this will not be covered

3) If you ever file a warranty claim, I really, really think that you just noticed the issue a few days ago. After you tried to clean it up yourself, you filed the claim asap.

4) If you regularly detail the car yourself, you do not need this. As far as the exterior goes, it replaces wax insofar as it protects the car the same way wax does. If it fails to, the company pays to fix whatever is damaged. It does not replace wax as far as aesthetics go - don't be surprised when its not "showroom new" for 7 years. For the interior, if you get stains, spots, small tears, small punctures - file a claim and it gets taken care of. Anywhere but the headliner and moving parts.

It sucks that people are mislead - there is no need to lie or omit things when selling this stuff.

stever

How much profit do you make when you sell this stuff?

ken117

Preventing people from wasting money on overpriced products like Resistall is cool. The fact remains similar products can be purchased at any auto parts store for $20 or less. Why give the dealer and that smarmy F&I person sitting across the table $500 or more?

I have been driving for forty years including many with young kids and dogs. Never had an issue I could not handle on my own. Over those years I have had ten vehicles, including my current two Acuras. I really have enjoyed the $5,000 or so I got to spend rather than having contributed to the dealer's profit line.

However, if you find happiness in contributing to the dealer's bottom line, by all means go for it. Truth is the more profit you allow the dealer the better deals available to those of us who recognize the dangers inherent in the F&i office of any auto dealer.

stever

Even better, just wash your car now and then with some mild soap and water. Paint's pretty good these days, and so is fabric.

billy3554

Not meant to be negative. Rather a statement of fact. There is a reason most experts advise against such products as Resistall. Generally such products are grossly overpriced and of no real value.

Dealers rely on a the momentary willingness of buyers to spend a bit more at the time of sale. And yes they use a bit of the fear factor to entice the buyer to purchase those products.

Dealers know well a buyer will not usually buy the various F&I products if they have time to truly weigh the benefit and cost of the product.

As with all products of dubious value, there are always instances where a person might actually receive a benefit from the product. However, the vast majority of people who purchase those products will receive no benefit. Otherwise, companies which peddle those products cannot remain in business.

Certainly people can buy such products if they choose. I just think they should be aware of facts behind the various F&I products from a buyer's perspective. F&I managers are not inclined toward full disclosure. We who post on Edmund's forums simply hope to even th playing field a bit.

detailer53

I run the detail shop at a major car dealership and have applied resistall products to several hundred vehicles over the past 5 years. In this time we have only had 4 or 5 complaints from customers about stains in their seats that were easily removed and really nothing else. The product is not designed to make your cloth seats impenetrable to liquids it is designed to stop the stain from becoming permanent. In other words in fifi pees on your car seat or your kids kool aid gets spilled all over your back seat it will stop the stains from sitting in. People are under some sort of misconception that if this happens they are able to run to whomever did their application and have it cleaned, no. You have to clean up your own mess up but if you are not able to remove the stain after cleaning it with a recommended cleaning product then your warranty will kick in. As far as the undercoating, vinyl and leather sealer and paint sealant no complaints. I make no $ if I do a protection package or not just my base pay so I have nothing to gain by selling up the product this is just the experience I have had with them.

grayghost21

Total ripoff. Won't pay any claim. Don't waste your money.

sierra356

I just leased a 2014 Honda Civic. The guy that did the paperwork said they put Resistall on the outside. A few days later when it was super hot and sunny I went to get in to go to work and the car STUNK!!! It smelled like someone spilled a bunch of chemicals. I called them up and they admitted to spraying the whole interior as well. I explained to them that they need to tell people that they are doing this. I am very chemically sensitive and also suffer from asthma and allergies. I carry an inhaler so I especially don't appreciate having to breathe it. I asked what chemicals were in it and how long it would take the stench to go away. He had no clue!!! I finally called the company that makes it. Right off the bat they assured me it was the most environmentally friendly product they have but couldn't tell me how long the stench would take to dissipate either! They sent me the MSDS sheets. I took one look at it, could not pronounce any of the chemical names that were on it. Under the IRRITANT section it states "Eye, skin and lung irritant. If inhaled, get ventilation." They call that environmentally friendly and safe for someone with chemical sensitivities and asthma?!!! REALLY??? I finally called Honda Corporate and explained the situation to them. The woman I spoke with was more than happy to suggest that I may use my own cleaning products to ensure that there are no harmful chemicals used to clean it off the interior and that she would work with the stealership with regards to reimbursement for my time spent cleaning, products purchased etc. In case anyone is wondering: The product DOES come off! I wound up using Biokleen's Free & Clear laundry detergent (NOT the upholstery cleaner) because the laundry detergent states it's safe for lingerie, handwashing, etc and does not have to be tested for color-fastness like alot of upholstery cleaners. I diluted a nickle size amount in a 5 gallon mop bucket with 1/3rd cup white vinegar. Then I dipped a hand towel in it and rung it out well and rubbed the whole interior with it. I wanted to make sure it was well scrubbed but not drenched wet. I just kept swishing the towel in the solution and squeezing it out. I changed the solution a few times too before I was completely finished. It worked awesome. I went over it twice to make sure I got it all. I also replaced the cabin air filter with one that contained both carbon and baking soda. FRAM is a company that makes this for Honda cars if anyone wants to know. I managed to find mine at Super Walmart for about $19 and changed it myself. I smell nothing in my car now and its great. I can smell actual fresh air if I want thanks to the carbon\baking soda filter. I am taking into consideration that if I asked a pro to clean it, they would charge $60\hour. It took me 2 hours ($120), 2 hours of phone time ($15\hour) to get someone to listen to me when I said I wanted it cleaned, $40 in parts\product cost and $8 in gas to go pick up the filter since my local Walmart didn't carry it, I had to pick it up from an alternate location. The local parts store didn't have it either. Honda Corporate is in absolute agreement with me that they never should have sprayed it without asking me. $220 should cover it and if the stealership doesn't want to pay it, Honda Corp said they would MAKE them pay it. Honda Corp agreed Honda shouldn't have to foot the bill and neither should I! Glad to see someone's finally on the same page. The world is rapidly becoming a more sensitive place. Years ago in school I don't recall of one fellow classmate having a peanut allergy. Now the schools send notices out or ban peanuts. My office has banned perfume. I just wish someone would have ASKED me if I wanted it rather than spraying it without my permission and letting me suffer until I figured out a way to clean it. Believe me, thats hardly a courtesy! I don't wish this Resistall stuff on anyone, not even my worst enemy. Good luck to anyone else that has to deal with it the way I have. It's no fun. If any of my remedy helps someone else then that's just great. I certainly hope it does!

~ Sierra

newcarbuyer51

This company's policies are non customer friendly. When I bought a new Nissan car, the dealer sold me this Fabric shield warranty for $1200. I did not know that this policy is not cancellable and signed the contract. With in a week, my car met with an accident and became total loss. I dont have the car anymore. This company refused to pay back my money saying that I should have read the contract before signing it. It is a warning for other car buyers. Think twice before you ink. The dealer will try to sell you this warranty. Think if you will need this protection. If this company is not willing to accept a genuine case like mine, it is clear that they just want our money and not customer service. Caution in dealing with this company

oldgoldtop

PLEASE READ!!! I have leased several large BMW's and Audi's and always have had difficulty with brake dust sticking to the wheels. I had Resistall applied by dealer on a new 2013 MB primarily because of the claim that it would eliminate the brake dust issue. WOW!!! It has really worked better then I could have hoped! In the past two years I may have wiped or hosed off the wheels once or twice. The dusts does not stick. Also it is a dark gray color and I have NEVER WASHED IT!!! That is right. After two years it still looks perfect without getting a wash or wax. Dirt does not seem to stick to it and simply rinses away in the rain I guess. There have been a few times I saw a little mud or road grime but it has always disappeared on its own without any effort on my part.
I was trying to retrieve a 1x12x16 foot piece of wood from my garage and accidentally slid the wood across the hood of the car. Unfortunately the wood had a metal staple in the end I put a deep (black) gouge from the wipers across the hood and down the grill. I went to a body shop and explained it was a leased car and I had scheduled a pre-inspection and and asked for their lowest price. He felt it and said it was too deep to be buffed out and said "about" $400 to do the entire hood. I brought it home and started using my fingers to rub at a little section. It seemed to have some effect on the and I began using my finger nail\ and in 5 or 10 minutes the hood looked as new.The clear coat was not even scratched! I did the same on the grill. No sanding or painting or buffing. I was amazed and believe it was the result of the Resistall coating but cannot say for certain. In any case I am pleased with the product and have ordered it for my new vehicle.

jump2thamoon

Did anyone receive a kit after they picked up their car from the resistall being applied? They gave us back the original box they gave us the day we bought the car and insisted they applied it and it was extra in case we need to reapply. Makes me wonder if they even really did it? 

fordlover92

ResistAll was a lifesaver. I definitely recommend ESPECIALLY if it is a new car. This warranty covers you for as long as you own the vehicle. My mom got it on her car as well, we both have been very happy with the product and the warranty! (Brake dust doesn't stick to the wheels, car looks freshly waxed)

stever

Sounds like someone works for a car dealer.

Went to the local Buick dealer a couple of weeks ago and tested an Encore. When I couldn't read the Monroney sticker because of the glare, the salesperson read off the numbers including a $1,400 paint and protection package that they put on every car. I laughed in the guy's face.

The more I've thought about it, the more I've crossed that dealer off my list. If they are ripping people off right off the bat like that, what kind of experience can I expect down the road when I need service?

The other thing that bugs me is that if the dealer is doing this kind of "treatment" to every car they put on the lot, that means they probably have one or two techs who spend hours prepping these cars. I wouldn't be surprised if they are putting the "wax" on every car using the same dirty rag over and over and scratching the heck out of the clear coat.

carl_mb_owner

Bought the $700 7 year package on a CPO. So far, had two areas redone after body work, and a drivers seat cover replaced (no charge). It always looks waxed. I guess I am satisfied.

fatboys01

Buyer be ware. According to most in the detail industry a coating is a good thing to have on your vehicle if you want the paint to retain its original luster. The Cal -Tex product "Resistall" is not the product to purchase. Sure the dealer will push it, it increases the profit margin for the dealership. What you don't see is the fine print on the back of the contract. Please read the entire contract front and back to make sure you are informed of the Warranty exclusions and the process to file a claim. I am about to go round and round with this company because I purchased the coating and had it applied to a used BMW in pristine condition. The paint was exposed to an environmental irritant and left a sandpaper like feel to the paint. Cal-Tex to this point has informed me that I purchased a used car policy and they would only cover a buff and wax. and not the damage to the clear coat (requiring a respray). To me unacceptable because the dealership did not disclose this and stated that my cars paint and interior was covered for 7 years. ( I at least read the front of the contract). all in all what I purchased was a product that did not do what the product was designed for. It allowed an environmental contaminant to penetrate their product and bottom line is that they won't stand behind the product. So again Buyer Be Ware!!!!!!

bangforbuck

I just bought a 2017 Nissan and added this 7 year plan to my vehicle, mostly because it only added $2 to my monthly payments. I mean, why not, what's the harm. I feel like this entire thread is missing the point. This is like insurance for your iphone, as opposed to getting a strong case. I have 2 kids under 8, so if one of them rips a cloth seat, or stains it bad, I want it fixed at no cost, and that's what Resistall plan gives you. If the only benefit was what is being talked about in a majority of this thread, that is, it should "resist" all stains on interior and exterior for along time (cross your fingers) then It would be waste. In fact, the finance guy told me they put this on all the vehicles in the lot, regardless of if people add the plan or not. The difference is, if you DO get damage, and you pay for the plan, you can get it taken care of at no out of pocket expense (7 years). I'll pay $2 a month for that kind of piece of mind.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you do make a good point about it being more like insurance. There's no "protectant" that's going to last 7 years, so obviously there's more to this "plan" than meets the eye. Does your contract require you to have periodic "updates" done so as to maintain your warranty? I have read that rips in the seat might not be covered if they are more than 1/2".

gunnyvictor

Just bought a new vehicle and I noticed a ResistAll sticker on the front window had no idea as to what it was but did some research after a week of owning the vehicle. If I had concentrated on the complaints in this list, I probably would never purchase the product. Our weather has been hot with occasional drenching rain. The other day I went out to see if I needed to wash the car and was both shocked and overjoyed that it was perfectly clean. My previous car was a 2014 Traverse and the new one is a 2017 Enclave, almost identical vehicles, both having white or off-white tricoat finish. Had it been my Traverse I would have found multiple insects splattered on the front of the vehicle and an ugly gathering of filth on the rear, the new vehicle was showroom perfect. Being an octogenarian, the condition brought me extreme relief. As far as the odor, it smells like a new vehicle should. I will have to wait to see if this continues but at this point, I am extremely pleased that the vehicle came with this protective coating applied.

chriskc333

I bought a 2014 Mercedes CLA 250. I purchased the resist all which they claimed they applied to the vehicle during the purchase process.. It's an all black vehicle. Looked beautiful on the lot. It was really glossy looking. I couldn't tell any difference in the cars appearance after they "applied" resist all. A few days later after plenty of driving I noticed plenty of dust sitting on the car so I thought to go wash it. I see I was given some box full of different sprays and solutions. One such solution was some type of cleaning solution I guess you are supposed to use with resist all. Well I live in a condo and a parking garage so I decided I since I only have dust I would just wet the car and go. So I took it to the automatic car wash and choose the most basic package which I found out was literally nothing but water. So I ran it through the auto-washer and left. I did not dry the car and let me tell you that was a mistake. There were numerous water stains on the vehicle. Not happy, I assumed resist all could at least resist water.... Nope - I also used non-scratch micro fiber cloths to dry and it seems to scratch the glossy surface.

I can honestly say I wish I didn't buy this crap. It appears the resist all is coming off the hood of my car already in less than two weeks. There are what appear to be little white specs about the size of a grain of sand on my hood. However, I believe its not a spec at all, but tiny little holes where the resist all is coming off and the white color is just the reflection of light caught in tiny holes. That has yet to be determined. Nonetheless, I'm not happy with the product....

Who knows, maybe I'll try cleaning the car with the solution they gave me and then rinse it off with water as described. Oh wait, I live in an apartment, so I cannot just pull a hose out the backyard and rinse my car down after applying whatever....

The car still looks pretty glossy at a distance, but when you get up close you can start seeing imperfections, scratches in the gloss (better not be my paint.) Smears any anything else. So this stuff doesn't work great, or either its just way too difficult to clean the car with it on. I'm probably just going to chunk up my losses, remove the crap and just regularly wax my car. I wont ever buy it again.

Not to mention it came with some re-apply spray. Yea, wish you would have told me I needed to re-apply this crap myself. I sure wouldn't have paid you $7-900 for it....

mm2468

ResistAll is a problem product. I had a physical reaction to this product - going to the doctor tomorrow. It stinks like formaldehyde, caramel coloring, keratin...first tried to air it out while driving but that didn't work. Became nauseous, weird metal taste in my mouth and skin irritation on contact with the arm rests-beware of this product. It maybe be great for the outside of the car but the providers must vet the car owner's health issues BEFORE application.

PinkyZ71

Cal-Tex and ResistAll a rip-off. It's basically an "extended warranty" for your interior and exterior surfaces. They covered two small seat rips, I'll give them this. But when it came to a more expensive paint repair, they denied my claim. I can go to arbitration but this is cost prohibitive. Two criteria are in my contract: A. Regularly inspect the vehicle and, B. Claim must be filed within 30 days of noticing the issue. Both were satisfied. I did my yearly "regular" full inspection of my truck and found tree sap ate the paint and started rusting on top of the cab. They said once it eats the paint they're no longer responsible. This is not stated anywhere in my contract.

jerez2

Purchased a new 2022 toyota and before leaving the garage at the dealership I had the Resistall cotings applied(inside and out) .Demonstration was impressive.Within first week a bird pooped on the hood.Not on 24 hrs.Using windex cleaned it off. Not supposed to affect finish.Sorry but there is a stain in the finish.THIS PRODUCT IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND DOES NOT WORK!!!!!! VERY DISSAPPOINTED.

Timmy99

Resistall/CalTex is a scam. I have the experience to prove it.

FWR_45

DO NOT GET THE RESISTALL Windshield warranty!
I got a chip then noticed a crack under my visor. They said it was longer than 6 inches and denied my claim. A true waste of money.