Just drove home in my new IS-F

disordr said:

Hey Everyone!

I've been a member of the is300.net, now my.is board since I got my is300 back in 2002. Now I'm happy to also join the ranks of proud IS-F owners.
I just drove home in my new 2008 IS-F Smoky Granite Mica.
It has Nav/ML sound option as well as Sirius Sat.

I'll upload pics as soon as I take some.

I'm contemplating the Xzilon "auto protection" offered by the dealer.
It's a coating that is "baked" onto the cars paint, further protecting it against the elements, etc etc.
The dealer also offers 3M plastic bras as well.
I'm leaning towards the Xzilon as it offers full paint protection and they package it with a ding/dent protection plan that sounds attractive.
Any thoughts or opinions on either?
I'm excited to drive my new car!

-Philip

Click to expand...

Hi Philip,

Congrats, and welcome to this side of town.

As for the "auto protection", I would pass it up. The coating they put at dealerships are usually BS mark ups sorry to say. Your paint already has clearcoat. There's no need to add a "baked" on protection on top of the factory clearcoat. All they will do is put on a "wax" coating and that's it. There's no such thing as a "baked on" wax. Wax breaks down overtime and you will need to reapply it eventually. You're better off waxing it yourself with a good high quality carnauba wax or even a synthetic paint sealant like Meguiars NXT or etc.

As for door ding repairs and paintless dent removals, it's usually a lot cheaper to do it through an independent mobile PDR guy vs. paying a pre paid package that you might not even utilize. I would definitely avoid it. Save your money.

Dealerships usually sublet it out to a different source or have a contracted person to do it on site. Chances are it will be marked up from what's normally charged by regular clear bra installers. If you're in SoCal. Aerotect (www.aerotect.net) has been installing clear bras on Lexus vehicles for many years in the Lexus enthusiast community. They have a lot of experience with IS F's including mine and a few other friends.

Good luck and congrats.

It sounds like the Xzilon wasn't explained properly to you. We offer it here at Lexus of Dayton with many satisfied customers. Yes it is something that can be sold during or after the finance office, but it is a good product in my opinion. It always pays to do a little research.

The Xzilon (pronounced "Zylon") we apply at the dealership level is not " baked on. " It is applied by hand by two guys. One applying, one following behind wiping it down. Both wear rubber gloves. It was developed for the aviation industry and uses molecular adhesion to extend paint life and prevent corrision on unpolished bare metal and polished metal surfaces. Like the huge polished rings that you see on aircraft engines from Boeing and Airbus. Xzilon has passed testing by Boeing which included 1400 hours of salt spray chamber exposure. UV Block/UV30 and heat resistance up to 450 degrees. It is not silicon or Teflon based.

I'll list some items here that are direct from their literature as far as what exterior paint protection it provides:

• Reduces frequency of car washing
• Filters hamrful ultraviolet rays
• Resists bird droppings and graffiti
• Resists water spotting
• Resists industrial fallout
• Resists rust spots
• Resists acid rain
• Resists tree sap
• Reduces brake dust on wheels!
• Resists oxidation and fading

We have had great results with it. I'm sure your dealer will let you choose to just do the Xzilon rather than the whole package. Ask them!

The explanation you provided about how you do Xzilon is much more helpful and in line with the information I've found across many forums (with quite a lively discussion of it on the cts-v boards).

From what I've been able to gather, Xzilon is a great product that protects your entire car. However, it does not last 4 or 5 years, but more on the order of 6 months. The price quoted at the dealer should include at least 1 new application a year (if not more), although convincing the dealers around me to do that would probably be difficult.

Any good wax will provide the same level of protection as the Xzilon, but its probably more work to apply, and won't last as long.

If you plan to wax your car regularly, you probably don't need the Xzilon, (but it doesn't hurt).
If you don't want the hassle of waxing, get the Xzilon.

Personally, I feel I will wax the car often enough that I dont need the Xzilon.
That and I plan on getting a full clear-bra installed.

Here's a good, though slightly biased, write-up of wax's vs paint sealants.
http://www.autogeek.net/qude101.html