Photo: Which set of equipment to choose for maximum comfort (audi-mediacenter.com) Author: Konstantin Shirokun
Both the seller – the official dealer, and the buyer – the newly-minted owner of the car – accept these rules of the game: a brand new car, yesterday off the assembly line, needs to be additionally equipped with something. Is it really necessary and if so, with what – let's figure it out together.
Read about the meaning of additional equipment for a car when buying it in a car dealership in the RBC-Ukraine article.
If you have never bought a car from a car dealership before, a series of questions from the manager may puzzle you. You will be offered a particular set of benefits that can be added to your brand new car. Sometimes there is something useful on this list, so it does not hurt to have an extra amount of money with you.
What is additional equipment?
Let's face it: very often, on the assembly line of a car factory, a car does not receive everything that a typical Ukrainian consumer might need.
For example, depending on the class and configuration of your car, you may be offered:
- Alarm (security system)
- Floor mats
- Anti-corrosion treatment of the body
- Tinting of windows in the salon
- Heated seats
- Seat covers
- Protective mesh for radiator grille
- Installation of high-quality speakers instead of standard ones
- Additional noise and vibration insulation
On the one hand, you can add all the above options to your car yourself later – when a real need arises, when you find a reliable contractor, or when you have money for it. Speaking of money: both the work and the components of additional equipment at “official” dealers are usually more expensive than at independent service stations. Nevertheless, the official dealer is responsible for the result, so here you can expect that both the installed products and the work itself will be of high quality.
Another important point can be communicated to you by the car dealership representative himself, who will mention that independent improvement of the car will result in the loss of the warranty. But here it is necessary to clearly, with documentary evidence, find out what kind of work will entail the loss of the warranty for the entire car.
What additional equipment to order in the salon
Among the offers of the car dealership there will certainly be something really interesting for you, but do not hesitate to ask the manager questions for clarification, or even bargain with him.
Security system. Alarm system in domestic conditions is a very useful thing, but the problem is that the on-board electronics of modern cars is not so easy to coordinate with non-standard “alarms”. Therefore, in order to avoid possible problems with the electrics, and most importantly – to maintain the warranty, the security system should be installed in the car dealership.
Anti-corrosion treatment . This is a very serious question, because not all models from the factory have rust protection that will work for more than 4-5 years. Think about this question in advance, and if a positive decision is made, it is worth considering the option of anti-corrosion treatment of the body in the car dealership. The advantage is that the official service must do this important and difficult operation using the car manufacturer's technology. At the same time, third-party anti-corrosion masters (of which, by the way, there are not so many) do not always do everything as they should.
Seat heating and electric windows . Ask the aftermarket manager what components will be used during these works. It's good when you have original buttons installed in the regular places of the car, and the window lift drives and seat heating elements will also be branded. And it's worse if these are unofficial budget solutions – but at a “dealer” price.
Audio system speakers. Yes, the standard acoustics in the car do not always sound like a studio. But first, keep in mind that it is reliable and durable, despite the fact that high-quality third-party speakers in all senses are frankly expensive these days. And second, do not expect a global improvement in the sound stage from replacing only the speakers. This requires a whole range of work – at least with the acoustic design of each speaker, and better – with an additional amplifier, crossover units, copper wires, etc.
In brief
For a car dealership, so-called additional equipment is a convenient opportunity to earn extra money from a client. But the client himself also benefits here, especially when it comes to a budget-class car or a poor factory configuration: what is not included in the ordered option package can be selectively added for an additional fee. The main thing is to understand in advance what you really need and what you are offered so that everything is “rich”.
In preparing this article, materials from AutoBild and Autocentre were used .
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported what is better for a car: a canopy, a garage or a parking lot.