Did I just get ripped off?

[Spartan 818]

I just bought a 2024 Mustang GT Premium. I opted for the ceramic coat protection while sitting at the dealership signing the papers. They took the car out back and said it would be about 30-45 minutes to apply it but I could drive it immediately after.

My question is: is that enough time to ACTUALLY apply it or was it, likely, already on it and they deceived me into paying for what they had already put in it? Did they even put it on at all?

It was over a grand to have it put on at the dealership.
Something seems fishy.

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[Q6543]

Yup, that’s a ripoff
That’s not even enough time to claybar it and clean the paint

 

[Lightningwings]

Ceramic Coating as i'm familiar with, starts with paint correction/claybar buffing/prep then applying the ceramic coat usually takes another few hours. It is normally an all day job and costs around $1k. I believe the "ceramic coat" they apply at the dealership is just a bottle of spray on ceramic wax that breaks down within 3 months. I would ask the dealer to confirm what they are using and what process they take to apply the ceramic coat.

 

[REV745DH24]

I just bought a 2024 Mustang GT Premium. I opted for the ceramic coat protection while sitting at the dealership signing the papers. They took the car out back and said it would be about 30-45 minutes to apply it but I could drive it immediately after.

My question is: is that enough time to ACTUALLY apply it or was it, likely, already on it and they deceived me into paying for what they had already put in it? Did they even put it on at all?

It was over a grand to have it put on at the dealership.
Something seems fishy.

Way too fishy for sure! Ceramic works and PPF takes pretty long!

 

[friscoaggie]

Way too fishy for sure! Ceramic works and PPF takes pretty long!

I did a full body PPF and they had my car a week.

 

[Interstellar]

I did a full body PPF and they had my car a week.

Just out of curiosity fellow Aggie, was your car done by Morales autoworks? Got a message from them showing a video of a dark horse that looks just like yours done last week or sometime around there

 

[friscoaggie]

Just out of curiosity fellow Aggie, was your car done by Morales autoworks? Got a message from them showing a video of a dark horse that looks just like yours done last week or sometime around there

Used TriTek down in Garland, they have a youtube showing working on a BE DH, but his had the HP. Unfortunately no prime time video for me.

 

[Interstellar]

Used TriTek down in Garland, they have a youtube showing working on a BE DH, but his had the HP. Unfortunately no prime time video for me.

ah ya I'm really wanting to use them, however I just have a GT. Not sure it's worth spending all that money on PPF considering there are hundreds of mustangs like mine.

 

[friscoaggie]

ah ya I'm really wanting to use them, however I just have a GT. Not sure it's worth spending all that money on PPF considering there are hundreds of mustangs like mine.

Pricing quotes I got from them. Didn't get any number for Ceramic coating.

PPF:
We have several Xpel Ultimate Plus PPF packages to choose from. These are custom installations to maximize coverage and quality. We only use the flag ship Xpel Ultimate Plus film that comes with a 10 year warranty. Our partial front package covers the bumper, headlights, mirrors, 18”-22” of the hood and front area of the fenders for $1050.00. The full front package covers the full hood, full fenders, bumper, headlights and mirrors for $1750.00. Full vehicle packages are available from $5995. The Xpel Stealth (satin ppf film) is $6995 for the full vehicle. We can customize the coverages and packages on any vehicle to your liking.

Tint:

Existing film removal: $150.00

Basic windshield glare strip: $50.00


The side and rear window packages:

• $299.00 Description: Lifetime warranty Xpel Color Stable film that won't fade or bubble for life
• $399.00 Description: Xpel XR Black Nano Ceramic film blocks 88% of the IR heat and 99% of all harmful UV rays
• $599.00 Description: Xpel XR Plus Super Ceramic blocks 98% of the IR heat you feel and over 99% of all harmful UV rays

The whole front Windshield:

• $250.00 Description: Xpel XR Black Nano Ceramic clear 88% IR heat and 99% UV blocking film
• $350.00 Description: Xpel XR plus Super Ceramic 98% IR heat and 99% UV blocking film. **This is the best film offered**

Split Panoramic roofs:

• $100.00 per pane. Description: Xpel XR Black Nano Ceramic 88% IR heat and 99% UV blocking film
• $150.00 per pane. Description: Xpel XR plus Super Ceramic 98% IR heat and 99% UV blocking film. **This is the best film offered**

 

[samson]

My son details cars and there's a whole process he goes through before even applying the ceramic. It's like a 4-6 hour job for him. Now the car being brand new does cut some off that detailing time, but it should still take a few hours minimum.

 

[Spartan 818]

Yeah, it felt weird when they brought it out about 30 minutes after they took it back and said, "You're good to go." 30 minutes isnt enough time to wash and dry it to get the fingerprints off it before applying anything. I know I had my dirty little hands all over the outside before I bought it that day!

I suspect they may have already done it on the showroom model and instead of doing the right thing and saying it already has it on it, they figured they could get the 1K back out of me.

I'll head over there today and see what they say. I'm curious now

Thanks everyone!!

 

[Skye]

In my area, a full-car ceramic coat takes about three days and costs $2000+. It's expected to last close to five years, if the car is continuously exposed to the elements. A maintenance top-up (often part of the package price) is done once a year.

One day for cleaning and paint correction (light polish). One day application. One day to just sit and cure. Seventy-two hour minimum after pick-up before washing.

Edit: those considering a ceramic coating, ensure the place you're going to uses a clean area, preferably a clean room, like a paint booth. The cleanest environment possible will ensure the air, immediate area and vehicle surfaces remain debris-free during application.

 

[ElCid08]

I’ve had Ceramic and PPF professionally applied on multiple vehicles. My new DH goes in for Window tint, Ceramic Pro Ion coating, and full front PPF this month….it’ll be there for 3-4 days at minimum. Like others have said, the ceramic process(done correctly) is intensive, and requires completely washing the vehicle, chemical decontamination, clay bar entire car, machine polishing/paint correction(multiple steps), THEN the actual coating. Just fyi

 

[Trap]

You got the typical dealer version, wash the car, spray on the ceramic coating and wipe it off.
I got took once to by a dealer.
The dealer version is useless and does not last.

 

[P2]

IF (and that's a big If), they had it on the car before you bought it, then it was probably factored into the price you paid. I don't believe that any dealership would have gone through the laborious trouble of putting a ceramic coat on a showroom vehicle and not have it reflected on the sticker. If they didn't have it on the sticker, then they would be in an awkward position of having to charge someone extra and try and prove that it was applied to the car since it wasn't listed on the sticker. Also... if it was already on the car, what if you had said "No", what would they have done then? Something very fishy going on in my opinion. I would go back to the dealership and start asking some very detailed questions.... and probably think about getting my money back.

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