Applied once. Bonded to the surface.

One application, then a written warranty.

Conventional protectants sit on top of a surface and degrade, wash away, or need reapplying, so the protection fades along with the value the customer paid for. Ultimar describes its systems as becoming part of the surface instead: bonded at the molecular level, applied once by a professional, and built to last for years rather than months.

What the customer buys is a limited warranty, and it only applies once the selling dealer has applied the product to the registered vehicle. Ultimar is the warrantor and handles claims from South Gate, California. Its obligations are insured under a policy from Lyndon Southern Insurance Company, with sister insurers named for California, Georgia, New York, and Wisconsin, and the customer can take an authorized claim to the insurer directly if Ultimar does not pay it within 60 days.

What the exterior warranty covers.

Ultimar warrants that its exterior product will help prevent damage to treated surfaces from weather induced fading, UV exposure, industrial fallout, insect damage including love bugs, hard water etching, acid rain, accidental spray paint overspray, bird droppings, road salt, and road de-icing agents. Those are the everyday causes of a finish going dull, and the list is easy to walk a customer through.

It does not cover pre-existing damage, fire, road striping paint, hail, flood or other natural events, vandalism, neglect or abuse, collisions, road hazards, or factory defects. The owner has to wash the vehicle regularly and keep the interior clean, and using abrasives, waxes, or coatings other than Ultimar voids the warranty. Say that last part at delivery; it is the one most likely to cost a customer a claim.

Touch screens and exterior camera lenses.

Ultimar's newest program covers the vehicle's interior touch screen and its exterior camera lenses against UV damage, peeling, chipping, cracking, breaking, and scratching. If the surface of the screen is chipped, cracked, or scratched, Ultimar repairs or replaces the touch screen or the camera lenses at its discretion, and replaces them where a licensed repair technician finds a repair would not let them work properly. Each claim is limited to $5,000, or the vehicle's average wholesale value in the NADA guide if that is less. On the cameras, the warranty covers the lens only.

Terms run 7 years on a new vehicle (current model year and two model years back), up to 48 months on a lease, and 5 years on a pre-owned vehicle more than three and no more than ten model years old. It does not cover collision, vandalism, factory defects, pre-existing conditions, abuse, neglect, exhaust damage, compression cracks, abrasion, or damage from heat extremes or prolonged below-freezing temperatures.

Non-cancelable, transferable once, claims within 60 days.

Non-cancelable. Once the product is applied it cannot be removed, so the limited warranty is non-cancelable and non-refundable. That has to be clear to the customer before they sign, and it is also why the contract stays in force. Transferable once. The registered owner can transfer the warranty to the first subsequent owner, who has to send Ultimar the transfer form within 30 days of buying the vehicle.

Claims. A claim has to be filed online at ultimarinc.com or by phone at 800-243-3272 within 60 days of the damage starting. Photos are required, and Ultimar has to authorize a repair before it is done. Ultimar's claim form handles paint, dent, alloy wheel, headlight, carpet, upholstery, and windshield damage, so which ones apply depends on the products registered to the vehicle.

Where Ultimar fits.

Ultimar sits in the middle of a three-tier appearance shelf, below Xzilon at the premium end and above EcoPro Sport as the entry option. The touch screen and camera lens program is a separate product, so it can be offered alongside an exterior program or on its own to the customer whose main worry is the screen they look at every day.

Because the warranty cannot be canceled once the product is on the vehicle, it does not unwind when a loan is paid off early or a vehicle is traded. That makes it a steady line in a reinsurance company. We will model what it contributes for your volume.