Well, I've taken the plunge. And my Cooper SD Clubman should be arriving in early March.
The Dealer is offering me some sort of protective polish/ wax treatment which they apply at the dealers before I take delivery. I have to admit after signing the forms I baulked at any further cost and said I'd think about it when they had the car in.
The question is has anyone else been offered this and was it worth it? They want about £250 extra to apply this wonder treatment!

Depends on what it is and if they are going to rectify any paintwork marks etc before applying. If not they will just seal in any marks. You would be amazed if you put a new car under ultra violet light how many marks and scratches you can see wqhich are not visible to the naked eye. In any event £250 is nearly all profit to the dealer as the chemicals don't cost much to buy. You might be better finding a reputable car detailer in your area and let them bring the car up to spec.

DON'T DO IT!! It's not worth the money and they'll seal in any marks and swirls, plus they'll cover it in swirls too as they're applying it.

Seal & Protect - totalMINI Forums (http://www.totalmini.com/forum/32-mini-countryman/18738-seal-protect.html)

Having browsed some other car forums the general feeling seems to be its a rip off that only the dealer does well out of, and can actually do more harm than good.
So I don't think I'll bother!

Don't do it. When i bought mine (second buyer) there was a clear bra or cover on the whole front end. The covering really helps prevent rock chips Pretty sure I will add this to all future purchases.

Yeah waste of money. They don't send them from the factory without any sort of paint protection!

I'm going to add to the above comments!!

Noooooooooooo dont do it. You may as well set fire to your £250

Hi Carthorse,

As you know I have just had a Clubman from the same dealer, I didn't have any treatment. I went over the car and removed any little traces of the hard wax, used SRP on a couple of very minor little marks then washed, dried then applied a good coating of Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection, left it for 45 mins then buffed off. Will now wash once a week with AG Shampoo and Conditioner, AG Custom wheels cleaner for the rims and re-apply the gloss every 8 weeks. After 18 months will probably do a full detail, Clay, Cleanse, SRP, Wax.

All comes down to wether or not you can be bothered doing it yourself. I would not recommend buying a brand new car and doing nothing though! If you go for the Dealer treatment, ask how long it will last before you will need to detail the car yourself to protect it.