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Thread: To Cilajet or not to Cilajet

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    1

    To Cilajet or not to Cilajet

    I just picked up my brand new 2011 alpine white BMW X3. The dealer has offered a good price on the Cilajet paint protectant. I want to get it because the white paint color gets dirty pretty quickly. Has anyone opted for this option RECENTLY? I see many old postings through my research but would like a more recent review. BMW is endorsing this product and I assume they did their due diligence on it. Please help!!!!. Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Ellensburg Washington
    Posts
    51
    My Cars
    '03 Topaz Blue E46 325Ci
    I Would say its a Money Maker for the dealer... Improper techniques used by the dealer to detail and apply this coating to the vehicles would result in shitty work..
    Don't allow the dealer to even wash your car...
    If you want to save yourself the money just pay a detailer for a 6 month wash and sealant 100 bucks tops..

    Don't take my word as scripture though.. do your research as you have been.

    If you even once question the authority of what someone is going to do to your car don't do it..

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Bay area, California
    Posts
    49
    My Cars
    2000 honda accord
    i would just slap two coats of sealant and top it with wax. Another option would be cquarts or opti coat.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    TX
    Posts
    3,423
    My Cars
    97 M3/4/5, MCS
    imo, have a professional detailer apply opti coat.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sidney, B.C.
    Posts
    1,483
    My Cars
    99 M Coupe
    Don't do it.
    It's just a fancy sealant they charge an incredible price for and they promise you the moon. They mention terms like 'nano bonding' and 'molecular bonding' and make claims about repelling dirt and brake dust.
    Well, why pay the dealer $1000 when you can get your own sealant for 20 bucks?
    Really, dealers care more about your money than your car.
    -John C.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Posts
    155
    My Cars
    1992 BMW 325i
    Don't waste your money man...all they're selling you is a sealant applied by high school kids or morons who don't have a clue how to PROPERLY detail a car. You'll get much better results hiring a TRUE detailer to properly wash and apply a couple of coats of a quality sealant to your paint AND you'll save yourself a TON of money, which is funny considering how much a TRUE detailer is actually worth. haha
    2012 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro Prestige and S-Line Package

    1990 BMW 325i - Work in progress.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    orlando, florida
    Posts
    3
    My Cars
    2014 BMW X1 m35i
    Had cilajet applied to my new BMW. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!! Totally ruined my car. I waited months for my new car to come from Germany, I picked it up at the dealers all nice and shiny. They talked me into cilajet, I PAID 1,300. Two days after it was applied I had it outside in the rain. When it dried big white spots appeared all over my car, windshield and windows. There is also white residue on the inside door sills and white streaks are running out of the grill and down the side of the car. It took 3 people washing the car to try to get the white spots off. Only problem, every time it rains the white spots appear again making it impossible to wash off. I paid 50,000 for my new dream car only to have a car that looks horrible and I'm embarrassed to drive.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Rochester, Michigan
    Posts
    1,005
    My Cars
    E36 M3
    There are a few problems. And this applies to any sealant/protectant from any dealer.

    First, dealer's detailers are subpar. Paid minimum wage and pressed to move volume, they are sloppy, unknowledgable, and do not care about your car. There are a lot of testimonials from dealer employees throughout the nation in this.

    Second: BMW endoresement: not really. It is up the dealers to upsell whatever they can. If BMW "endorsed it" I would expect it to be used at the factory. It is not BMW "Licensed", nor does BMW per se do any testing on it.

    Third: price. Way to expensive.

    Fourth: warranty. How will you make a claim? What will it entail? Will the dealer "re-detail" the car? Are they knowledgeable about paint thickness? Will they repaint the car in 5 years when the clear coat fails? Will they admit the clear coat failed due to their detailing? If they have no clue then they can't be of much help. Ask the dealer manager about paint thickness, how much he removes, what the chemistry of the sealant is, how they document their process for warranty purposes, etc. Get a feel for their level of knowledge.

    Fifth: options! There are many options outside of the dealer. Optimum has a warranty (is it 10 years?) for a similar price, and would be performed by a proper detailer. That is in the case you are really attracted to a permanent coating. If not, sealant and wax is very cheap and easy to diy.

    Even if the dealer were to sell Optimum (which thay will soon I believe), the expertise of the goons in the back doing the work is subpar. They lack the eye, the knowledge, the understading, the discipline, and the care you as an owner would want when touching your investment.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    orlando, florida
    Posts
    3
    My Cars
    2014 BMW X1 m35i
    I had cilajet applied to my new BMW. WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!! I waited months for my new car to come from Germany, I picked it up at the dealers all nice and shiny. They talked me into cilajet, I PAID 1,300. Two days after it was applied I had it outside in the rain. When it dried big white spots appeared all over my car, windshield and windows. There is also white residue on the inside door sills and white streaks are running out of the grill and down the side of the car. It took 3 people washing the car to try to get the white spots off. Only problem, every time it rains the white spots appear again. I paid 50,000 for my new dream car only to have a car that is covered in spots. UPDATE: Had it reapplied, the women at Fields BMW Lanette Wheatcraft first said it was hard water spots. We pointed out that under the cilajet agreement this is covered. She then admitted it wasn't applied correctly, this statement was made in front of my husband, the salesman Phillip Deane and me. She said don't worry we will take care of this problem for you. They reapplied it and when they were done my husband said now put the hose to it and wet it down. After a few minutes my husband, the guy who applied the cilajet and our salesman Phillip Deane saw the white spot covering my car when it dried. The salesman didn't know why this was happening and took several pictures. He said he will find out what is going on. Next thing we know Fields sent us an email saying there was nothing else they could do that the product was doing what it is suppose to do. You have to be kidding! So every time it rains I am going to get big white spots covering every inch of my car? A women at Cilajet said to solve the problem wash it down each time we drive it. Yeah right like I have time to wash my car each morning before I go out.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Jersey City, NJ
    Posts
    2,038
    My Cars
    2013 X5 35i M-Sport
    If you take a strong polish/compound to the paint, will the cilajet be stripped? I would just leave that crap off and stick with a regular sealant/wax.

    VRSF CP & DP | BMS Intake | MHD 2+ Tune | BavSound Stage 1 | 20% Tint
    Contact me for module coding/ECU resets

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    orlando, florida
    Posts
    3
    My Cars
    2014 BMW X1 m35i
    I PAID 1,300. Two days after it was applied I had it outside in the rain. When it dried big white spots appeared all over my car, windshield and windows. There is also white residue on the inside door sills and white streaks are running out of the grill and down the side of the car. It took 3 people washing the car to try to get the white spots off.
    Last edited by nan; 07-18-2013 at 10:07 PM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    philadelphia
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    2011 650
    I have had cilajet on my 650 for two years. It is an amazing product! It is not a wax. My car stays clean and shines like there's no tomorrow! Whether or not dealers make money on it doesn't matter (they made money selling you the car, right?) The only place you can buy it is at authorized dealers. I know - I tried to find it anywhere else first. Highly recommended!

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Encino, CA
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    2012 BMW 3 Coupe

    Yes to Cilajet!

    Quote Originally Posted by bmwrom View Post
    I just picked up my brand new 2011 alpine white BMW X3. The dealer has offered a good price on the Cilajet paint protectant. I want to get it because the white paint color gets dirty pretty quickly. Has anyone opted for this option RECENTLY? I see many old postings through my research but would like a more recent review. BMW is endorsing this product and I assume they did their due diligence on it. Please help!!!!. Thanks.
    I love it!


  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    California
    Posts
    476
    My Cars
    '89 635 CSi, '15 535i
    In my general experience, any detailing product may be good, great or excellent, depending on who you ask. However, I believe the way it is applied is as important, if not more so, than the actual product. I've seen a wide variety of bimmers using P21S, Blackfire, Meg's, etc. And the only differences I saw were between the cars who's owners had varying levels of detailing experience and/or time put into their car. Even detailers with 30+ years of experience use different products, but can produce similar-level results.

    By that logic, I would prefer that any detailing be done by someone who has experience and/or a vested interest in the results. Optimum comes to mind.

    Cilajet may be a great product, but I don't know that I would just trust "the dealer" to put it on. Perhaps if they had someone who's been detailing for decades or is trained by cilajet, I would let them. But without knowing who is applying the product, it's hard to say how it will turn out. That "white spot" thing seems like a deal-breaker to me when most people with OptiCoat don't seem to have many problems.

    Keep in mind, that you are in the detailing part of the forum, where a lot of us enjoy detailing our own cars. However, a brand-name sealant in a bottle can offer a few months protection depending on conditions. If you don't want to reapply yourself, you can always pay a local detailer to paint-correct and reseal as required. If you got your car detailed once a year at say, $150 a pop (idk what prices are like in your area), you could go maybe 5-8 years before catching the cost of the cilajet. I doubt the cilajet will last that long or look that good by that time.
    Last edited by bkats; 05-22-2014 at 02:27 PM.
    ___________________
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    1989 E24 635CSi
    2015 F10 535i M-Sport
    2002 E39 530i Sport [sold]
    2001 E39 ///M5 [sold]

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Rawalpindi
    Posts
    10
    My Cars
    BMW
    It should be not to Cilajet.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    California
    Posts
    476
    My Cars
    '89 635 CSi, '15 535i
    Sawan, again, this ^ is an unhelpful response. Please provide a reason or experience as to why you do not recommend the product. It will ne hard for people to take your posts seriously if you respond like that.
    ___________________
    [|OO==|0|0|==OO|]
    1989 E24 635CSi
    2015 F10 535i M-Sport
    2002 E39 530i Sport [sold]
    2001 E39 ///M5 [sold]

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    254
    My Cars
    e46 330ci
    Im in the same boat with a new car. Im still deciding if I should do the opticoat thing but would have a detailer do it and NOT the dealer even if they offered it for free.

    ill keep an eye here to see how recommended it is by people that have it.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Oklahoma City
    Posts
    3,895
    My Cars
    s52 e30, e36Ms, e46M
    You can't go wrong with opticoat or cquartz!
    Check out my details and paint corrections!

    www.theautospallc.com

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Madison WI
    Posts
    425
    My Cars
    05 330i convertible
    Wow, lot of spam going on here.

    Personally, I wouldn't do the Cilajet. I would not let any dealer personnel touch my clear coat. In fact, I would not even have them prep it. Hire a professional detailer to prep your car.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    Volvo S80
    I had to post because I used this forum to determine if Cilajet was a good idea for our new car.

    We purchased a package for $750 to Cilajet the interior and exterior of our new car (from dealer). Comes with a guarantee that it is so strong it prevents dents and scratches, and they will repair dents and scratches if they occur - dents that can be paintless dent removed; scratches that are less than 2" long. Check the fine print from the dealer to make sure this is included.

    Within 2 weeks of having the new car, we ended up with 3 door dings. Great news was the dealer honored their side of the warranty to remove the dents in our new car.

    Cilajet did not hold up, as it was just a marketing ploy, but the benefits of the warranty worked for us.

    Additionally, our interior leather stitching is already taking on the color of our clothes (jeans, mostly). We anticipate utilizing the Cilajet warranty to have the interior cleaned at some point in the future as well, since we have a 5 year warranty. Our purchase comes with an additional 5 year warranty if we keep the car that long (have to go in after 5 years for a complete reseal/reclean - for free).

    If you can get the warranty with Cilajet, purchase Cilajet. If not, it is just another wax!

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    mitten
    Posts
    3,760
    My Cars
    525it,02 525it,73 2002
    Paint protection that says it prevents dents ?? Reason enough right their not to buy it.


  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Longwood, Florida
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    2017 BMW 750i
    I fell for the sales pitch by the Financial Manager at Fields BMW in Winter Park who handled my leasing paperwork. Since I live in Florida, I asked if damage to the paint from Love Bugs or stone chips from highway driving were covered and was assured that they were. Well, they 're NOT. Cilajet is a complete waste of money. I agree with comments above; skip this profitable for the dealer product and just regularly wax your car.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Chicagoland area
    Posts
    4,372
    My Cars
    EXOTICS
    There are several useful paint protection products,
    they just should NOT be applied by a dealership,
    but only by a professional detailer approved by the product manufacturer.

    P.S.- I am specifically referring to professional quality products-not over the counter!

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Orlando
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    2018 540i msport
    I opted for coating on my new 540i. Just in the first few weeks it is worth it. I drove to West Palm from Orlando, car covered in bugs. Damp microfiber rag, they fell right off, no bug residual left behind. I have lived in fl since 05 and tried countless wax, polish, clear bra....still eventually the bug acid left marks that need proffessional wet sanding, cutting and polish to remove.
    Had the ivory leather coated too, coffee drip from a closed cup, wiped right off no stain or mark of any type.
    BMW is known for brake dust, with the rims coated, they are staying clean. I have owned bimmers before and shortly after a wash the brown brake film returns, not with cilajet so far.
    I agree some of the posts are right, with regard to dealer tricks and markups but I actually had a very good experience at Fields BMW winter park. I have been driving for 30 years, and had several bad dealer experiences so I am a tough judge. They outsource their detailing so a bmw employee is not applying the coating.
    Bottom line paint sells the car down the road, clarity, shine, lack of blemishes help keep value. Be picky on dealer offers but protect your paint especially in the hot south.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Annapolis
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    BMW 328XI
    So I have a 2011 alpine white 328XI sedan with the M package that I get compliments on, to this day. When I tell them how old my car is (10 years young now!), they are pretty much in disbelief and tell me what an amazing job I do on taking care of my car. I began wondering, why does my car look so good? It really does look immaculate. Then I started remembering, oh yeah, I did get some kind of additional sealant on my car, but couldn't remember what it was. After some research, I recognized that it was Cilajet that I had gotten on my car. I don't take care of my car better than anyone else, and no, I don't wax it. So either Alpine white is just an amazing color, or it's the Cilajet. I'm thinking, it's probably the Cilajet. And I'm glad I did. I LOVE my car, ordered it from the factory with everything I wanted. If I was to get a new car, it would just be the exact same one, EXCEPT, that I can't get the same exact car, being they don't offer stick shift anymore. I'm holding onto my beaut as long as I can.

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