Hi! I am just about ready to sign all the papers for
the 2002 EX and have a quick question for the group.
The sales manager was trying to sell me an
"Environmental Protection" policy for $395. It's good
for 5 years and apparently protects the paint used on
the car. The sales guy was explaining to me that new
cars are now painted with lead-free paint and
overtime, they tend to fade in color. The dealer will
take my car and apply a gloss to it that will protect
the finish. An added bonus is that you never have to
wax the car.

Is this really the case? Is it worth it to buy this
policy? It was sounding a bit fishy to me, but I
wanted to ask the "experts" and see what you all
thought. Have you guys been buying this policy when
getting your new cars?

Thanks for your help. This is a great group. I've
learned so much about the Vs.

Sounds like they are trying to get $395 to wax your car.  That gloss may make it shiny, but doesn't sound like it does anything for the paint itself (they certainly don't repaint your CRV for $395). It sounds to me that they may just be putting another clearcoat-type layer on. I've had this discussion with some co-workers as there are several companies that do a "hard shell wax" for much less than $395. The premise is that you never have to wax it and it provides "superior protection". Personally, I'd skip it. 
 
Your post reminds me that I have to do some more researching on that subject.
 
Erik

Back many many years ago (actually 17, or so) - I sold cars.
 
We had this "protection package" of fabric guard, undercoating, paint sealer, and some other stuff listed as well.
 
List price on it was $695.
 
The company that came around and "treated" all the cars charged $75 per vehicle to do what they did.
 
You do the math, and figure out the true VALUE of it!  LOL!!!!
 
David

I'd say "stay away" from this too. If you are halfway deciplined, you should
be able to keep you paint looking great for years buy applying some Meguiar's
or other good quality brand name wax every 6 months or so. You can buy an
awful lot of wax for $400!.

Stephen
01 ITR NBP
01 CR-V LX NBP

No only can you buy alot of wax, but you can buy the Cenntenial Collection for Meguiars which includes a Dual Action buffer (which no matter how hard you try, will *not* burn your paint) and everything you need to keep a couple cars waxed and shiny for a long time. After doing both cars once, I can now wash, clay bar, ScratchX, polish, and wax both cars within 3-5 hours anymore and do so every 3-6 months. 
 
Erik

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I was pretty sure
that it was a senseless policy to purchase and just
wanted to make sure.

If you are not the kind who enjoys waxing your car, I would suggest
you find a good detail shop and ask them to put on a good protective
wax. It should not cost more then $75. I would ask a few people to
find a good shop. Usually car collectors know the best places.
Let them know you are looking to protect the paint rather than just
make it shine.
Also, if you can live with with a few scatches, I would recommend
against polishing the car more than once a year. Polishing is very
hard on the paint. Yes it does make a car look good, but a car that
is waxed but not polished will have good paint in 10 years, a car
that is polished 2 or 3 times a year will have the clear coat worn
through in 4 to 6 years.

"Also, if you can live with with a few scatches, I would recommend
against polishing the car more than once a year.  Polishing is very
hard on the paint.  Yes it does make a car look good, but a car that
is waxed but not polished will have good paint in 10 years, a car
that is polished 2 or 3 times a year will have the clear coat worn
through in 4 to 6 years."
 
I'm curious as to you source for the above information.  Where'd you get it?  Thanks!

Erik
 

Just my experience, and the recommendation of people I trust.
I used to show (or atempt to) a Porsche.
I saw the results of a few too many polishings quite often.

There is not much magic to paints, polishes and waxes.
Clear Coat is nothing more than a clear paint put over the color
coat. (almost all new cars have a clear coat, all metalics do today)
Polish is nothing more then a very fine abrasive designed to cut a
small amount of the paint away.
Waxes that "remove oxidation" or are "Deep Cleaning" have a small
amount of polish mixed in.
Pure wax sits on top of the paint and protects it. It will not
remove scratches, but may hide some.
"Swirle Marks" are just the fine scratches left by polishing.
Ah interesting test, is to take a clean cloth and wax a non-clear
coated car with a "pure wax", and a "cleaning wax" (what most people
use). I like red cars for this test. You will see how much paint
ends up on the cloth after using the cleaning wax. When you do this
on a clear coated car, you take off just as much paint, you just dont
see it till it is too late.

Meguiars say their polishes contain oils instead of abrasives. If so I
think one could use their polish everyday! I'm not sure of the ScratchX
but it sure makes your finish s-h-i-n-e...no kidding. I go through the
same procedure as Mr Anderson and I can't believe how deep I can make my
Taffeta White finish shine (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
David