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Honda Civic Cilajet

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#9 of 12 Cilajet NO Warranty, No Protection by r_expert May 17, 2008 (7:13 am)
Cilajet does not protec your car and thereis NO WARRANTY   I landed into this beemer forum and read the posts regarding protection and Cilajet. Then I found this forum and the same questions. Everyone is so concerned about his or her car and there are so many frauds out there. Hard to find anything that delivers what it promises. Any way when it comes to cilajet, it simply does not work and there is NO REAL WARRANTY. After considerable research, I would like to share the results with those who are seeking information about ciliajet. According to the manufacturer, Cilajet is an epoxy-based product. Epoxy is a synthetic material that works like glue and forms a plastic/PVC-like surface. Epoxy is a resin and contains two main components Epichlorohydrin & Bisphenol-A. Environmental and health risk: The primary risk associated with epoxy use is sensitization to the hardener, which, over time, can induce an allergic reaction. Both epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A are suspected endocrine disruptors. Bisphenol A is linked to the following effects in humans: Estrogenic activity; Alteration of male reproductive organs; Early puberty induction; Shortened duration of breast-feeding; Pancreatic cancer See: http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/stop-toxic-toys/bisphe- nol-a-overview And: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/epichlor.html   Application: Since epoxy is liquid (so is Cilajet) it creates a thin layer over the paint (According to the company one ounce is enough to cover a medium size vehicle). When epoxy cures, it creates a somewhat plastic and glue-like coating, hard as PVC. This application over the paint results in a "PVC-like" overlay. While epoxy is very resistant polymer against environmental contaminants, it does not tolerate mechanical violations, such as polishing. Remember a PVC pipe or an epoxy floor does not require complete scratch free surface. However, your car does. In addition, since the paint is not etched (see below) the binding is not stabile and durable. Therefore, compounding a vehicle with an epoxy coating creates scratches (It is like compounding plastic). Therefore, Cilajet voids the warranty if epoxy treated vehicle is polished. Also, it is a misleading statement from the manufacturer that the binding of the epoxy is on molecular level. While the curing process is a molecular action (that is hardening process involving epoxy resin and a catalyst), the connection between epoxy and surface is mechanical. Remember that epoxy is widely used as concrete floor coating (requires etching process), deck wood coating (wood is very porous and etched by nature), untreated metal (that is exactly what was used in manufacturer's testing).   Cosmetic effect: The softness of the paint as stated by Cilajet has VERY little to do with the coating. It is a result of polishing and compounding. The gloss value has also to do mostly with the polishing part. However, the epoxy adds some shine on the vehicle as it does with your garage floor. What I often see is statements such as "it makes my car shiny". Well, motor oil makes your car shiny; butter makes your car shiny so does a million different waxes and shining products. The question you should ask is: Does it PROTECT the paint? Why? What are the chemical properties? What are the resistance and failure points?   Functionality: Cilajet is a paint sealant . Sealants have one function ONLY. That is making a surface waterproof and water repelling. That is it. Just because something is repelling water, does not mean that it is protecting against everything else. Moreover, if Cilajet was protecting as it promises, the warranty should be different.   Warranty and Durability: As it is the case with all epoxy-protected surfaces, the application will decay with the usage. Therefore, the 10-year warranty is very limited. The warranty says:   "Eligible vehicles: New Vehicles: cilajet™ Limited 10-Year Warranty applies only to new vehicles that have been treated with cilajet™ within 180 days of titling, have less than 7,500 miles on the odometer at the time of application and have the product reapplied after 5 years of original ownership. Commercial vehicles and/or vehicles for hire are NOT eligible for the 10-Year and 5-Year Limited Warranty. Pre-Owned Vehicles: cilajet™ Limited 5-Year Warranty applies to pre-owned vehicles that are 5 years old or newer, with less than 40,000 miles on the odometer at the time of application."   As stated by the manufacture, warranty does not include commercial vehicles and commercial usage of the vehicle voids the warranty.   Since the coating is very thin and the epoxy is not as strong as it should, in order to provide proper protection, the sealant cannot resist harsh chemicals. Therefore, manufacturer limits the warranty if any contaminant is not removed immediately, or if bug remover or degreaser is used.   "The treated vehicle must be properly maintained by frequent washing and the removal of any foreign substance, as soon as it is noticed. If a bug, tar, or tree sap remover is used, cilajet™ must be reapplied to the affected surfaces to keep the warranty in force. Failure to maintain the vehicle’s condition by regular and appropriate washing/cleaning invalidates the warranty."   Well, as you see there IS no warranty. Hehehe...Whatever happens to the paint is a result of "Failure to maintain the vehicle's condition". This warranty is a joke. I wonder why they don't provide a 50 year warranty, or why not lifetime? Legally they do not need to fulfill it. ALTERNATIVELY, if you have any problem with them so they have put an arbitration clause in the warranty too. So forget small claims process. You must go through the costly arbitration process. See: http://www.cilajet.com/cilajet%20warranty%2010yr.pdf   Test Result: Cilajet was tested only in a lab in Texas for 110 hrs and not on the paint. They sent a chrome/nickel plate, which DID show loss of chrome and heavy pitting. My car has a few chrome details but it is not made of chrome or nickel plates. By the way, that was 110 hrs of (let's say) very harsh testing. But 10 years warranty is 87,600 hrs (5 years 43,800 hrs) subject to sun, dust, acid rain, you name it. Even in their own test, they are using an untreated metal plate. Guess what? One industrial usage for epoxy is as a non-corrosive sealant on untreated metal, not automobile paint. It protects steel wool from rust, so do undercoating and rust protective products or liquid galvanizer. However, I don’t put those products on my car, and my car is not made of steel wool or untreated metal, is yours? See: http://www.cilajet.com/steelwool.pdf and: http://www.cilajet.com/cilajettest.pdf Replies to this message: thunderthumbs (May 22, 2008 8:17 am)
#10 of 12 Re: Cilajet NO Warranty, No Protection [r_expert] by thunderthumbs May 22, 2008 (8:17 am)
Replying to: r_expert (May 17, 2008 7:13 am) Great post. Thank you. It seems like I made the right choice by not purchasing Cilajet. I feel even better about the choice by not supporting what I tend to think is a money-grabbing scam designed to deceive the consumer. Honda generally makes good products. I can't believe they have allowed the possibility of their name, and particularly customer experience being compromised via association with Cilajet. If you ask me, Honda is just asking for problems by association with Cilajet.   I was particularly concerned about an item which you referenced- tree sap:   "The treated vehicle must be properly maintained by frequent washing and the removal of any foreign substance, as soon as it is noticed. If a bug, tar, or tree sap remover is used, cilajet™ must be reapplied to the affected surfaces to keep the warranty in force. Failure to maintain the vehicle’s condition by regular and appropriate washing/cleaning invalidates the warranty."   I have no problems washing a car regularly that gets dirty. Tree sap is another issue altogether. I made the point, and continue to make the point that tree sap does not care what surface it is on, and is very, very difficult to get rid of on any surface. My rationale of buying Cilajet was based on the possibility that somehow, Cilajet would eliminate that chore. Nobody could speak to the issue of tree sap convincingly enough to override my sense that tree sap will stick to anything. Period. Via your message, it is clear to me that even if I have Cilajet, I STILL have to do the grunt work of removing tree sap, and as an added bonus, I'm sure I'll have to PAY CILAJET AGAIN for reapplication of Cilajet to those areas which I had to use tree sap remover.   What a scam.
#11 of 12 Re: Cilajet- good/bad? [thunderthumbs] by cartalk11 Aug 15, 2008 (1:51 am)
Replying to: thunderthumbs (Feb 24, 2008 6:41 pm) I had Cilajet applied to my new car 4 months ago. It cost me a thousand bucks. It is no more effective than a 5 dollar bottle of Eagle1 nano wax spray. Actually the Eagle1 spray outperforms the cilajet application. Cilajet does not prevent bird droppings from damaging your car period. Bird droppings are very hard to remove from my car even though I had Cilajet applied.
#12 of 12 Re: Cilajet- good/bad? [drmbb] by cilajetalan Apr 14, 2009 (2:52 pm)
Replying to: drmbb (Feb 27, 2008 7:47 am) Hello, Is there anyone out there? I kind of doubt it since this blog has not had a new post in about a year but I have something to say about Cilajet. I have 30+ years experience in the automotive paint/body/custom/racing/restoration industry and I have never used a product anywhere near as good as Cilajet.   I have personally been involved with evaluating the products for about 2 and a half years, and I have found nothing to indicate it is dangerous to my health or the environment. When correctly applied, it performs better than any wax, or polymeric "nano" product currently available. It is not an epoxy/paint product like you put on concrete floors or wood, it is not mixed and sprayed on like paint, and it DOES pass California Prop. 65. If it passes Prop 65, you can almost eat it!   Anyone who would like to have more information about Cilajet and Cilajet Wet can email me at alanarea51customshotmail.com

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