DON'T WASH CAR! by Mike Phillips

Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

One of my best customers was referred to me after the dealer wrecked the finish on his SRT. Shortly after he drove it home, one of the engine mount bolts broke causing a chain reaction of damage under the hood. He brought the car in for service and at some point before returning it to him they washed it and scratched the beejeezus out of the vinyl stripes from hood to trunk lid. Even managed to swirl up the bumper stripes. He went back in an absolute rage and their response was " well, we can take the stripes off for you. Here I come to VERY carefully and painstakingly clean up the mess. Now even HE doesn't wash his car. The car is garage kept and every few weeks I simply get a text that it needs a wash. Worked out great for me, but I could not even imagine getting my car back with the finish all jacked up.
 
Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

garyg7133 said:
One of my best customers was referred to me after the dealer wrecked the finish on his SRT. Shortly after he drove it home, one of the engine mount bolts broke causing a chain reaction of damage under the hood. He brought the car in for service and at some point before returning it to him they washed it and scratched the beejeezus out of the vinyl stripes from hood to trunk lid. Even managed to swirl up the bumper stripes. He went back in an absolute rage and their response was " well, we can take the stripes off for you. Here I come to VERY carefully and painstakingly clean up the mess. Now even HE doesn't wash his car. The car is garage kept and every few weeks I simply get a text that it needs a wash. Worked out great for me, but I could not even imagine getting my car back with the finish all jacked up.
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Wow, the fact that he's so dedicated that he calls you for maintainence washes.... And the dealership had the nerve to screw it all up is just terrible.
I seriously cringe handing my keys over while at the dealership. You just never know what is going to happen.
 
Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

Great thread.

Going to make some signs this week. Fixing to do a full and total paint restoration on a car we bought new back in '08. Just had the horizontal panels resprayed under warranty for a weak or extra thin layer of clear coat. When I went to pick up the car from the paint shop I noticed a few issues. I had them respray the roof and rear seam to the upper rear glass. No paint in that crevice was our biggest concern to longevity.

When the car was ready the second time the rotary buffing guy swirled up the entire car. Before we often had remarks from the dealer staff stunned at how many miles were on the car. That was before I researched out AGO.

Now with the ability and know how to do a stunning resurrection of a fifteen year old paint job, I've decided I am competent to tackle this '08.

Thanks for the templates on the mirror hanger. I am planning to make the English and Spanish version, just to make sure.
 
Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

chriskraft3 said:
Great thread.

Going to make some signs this week. Fixing to do a full and total paint restoration on a car we bought new back in '08. Just had the horizontal panels resprayed under warranty for a weak or extra thin layer of clear coat. When I went to pick up the car from the paint shop I noticed a few issues. I had them respray the roof and rear seam to the upper rear glass. No paint in that crevice was our biggest concern to longevity.

When the car was ready the second time the rotary buffing guy swirled up the entire car. Before we often had remarks from the dealer staff stunned at how many miles were on the car. That was before I researched out AGO.

Now with the ability and know how to do a stunning resurrection of a fifteen year old paint job, I've decided I am competent to tackle this '08.

Thanks for the templates on the mirror hanger. I am planning to make the English and Spanish version, just to make sure.
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HAHAHA! Never thought of Spanish!.......but yeah, you're absolutely right! LMAO!
 
Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

When I bought my new 2014 mazda3, I told them don't wash it, don't vacuum it. The sales person looked at me like I was from mars, when he asked me why. I simply pointed to the brooms (which also just lay there on the dirty ground) they use to wash the cars and told him that's never touching my paint in a million years. When I got the car home it still had some swirls, rids and waterspots, but this is oregon so it kinda normal.
 
Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

As long as u put a sign up like mike posted ,you be proactive ,
 
Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

apme123 said:
When I bought my new 2014 mazda3, I told them don't wash it, don't vacuum it.

The sales person looked at me like I was from mars,
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Hard to believe but that's how the staff at most dealerships will think and react to you when you request that they don't wash your car.



apme123 said:
when he asked me why. I simply pointed to the brooms (which also just lay there on the dirty ground) they use to wash the cars and told him that's never touching my paint in a million years.
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And again, since most the staff at a dealership are primarily experts at getting you to sign a contract, knowing something about the thin, delicate, scratch-sensitive clearcoat paint systems on they cars they sell is completely foreign to them.

The also will not understand that to remove the swirls and scratches they inflict from a single wash job will require approximately 6 hours JUST for the compounding step.

You cannot simply make the job go faster by moving a polisher faster over the surface.

Correct technique when using ANY brand of dual action orbital polisher is to move the polisher SLOWLY over the surface and only tackle small sections at a time.

The average time to detail a swirled out car from start to finish is a low of 8 hours and a high of 10 to 12 hours depending upon the person doing the work and how good the are at detailing cars and how good they are at NOT taking breaks.


apme123 said:
When I got the car home it still had some swirls, rids and waterspots, but this is Oregon so it kinda normal.
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I lived most of my life in Oregon and buffed out thousands of cars in Oregon and this is where I learned the importance of machine polishing glass to remove both water spots and road film.

As a detailer, you cannot detail a car and return to them a car with shiny paint but with water spots on the glass. You have to buff both the glass and the paint.

This is why I also teach in my Competition Ready detailing classes that the order of steps is to machine polish glass BEFORE washing the car so that you save time and steps.


:)
 
Re: Don't wash car !!!!!!!!!!!

kevincwelch said:
There are some nice ones out there, but Autogeek does not appear to sell them.

Given the shape and appearance of the ones out there, it would be something fairly straight forward for AG to do -- that or some nice laminated signs.
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Breaking news! (kind of) :laughing:


I think we came out with a laminated Do Not Wash Car hang tag last year, that would be sometime in 2017


dont_wash_car_tag.jpg




I wrote this article in 2013, here's a screenshot showing the date...


dont_wash_car_tag_02.jpg







And I'm excited to say that there is now a Don't Wash Car hanging tag available on the AG store.


On Autogeek.com


Autogeek's "Do Not Wash Car" Hanging Sign FREE with orders over $95!



:dblthumb2:
 
Breaking news! (kind of) :laughing:


I think we came out with a laminated Do Not Wash Car hang tag last year, that would be sometime in 2017


dont_wash_car_tag.jpg


I just included mine on an order I placed this morning (also included the Speedmaster Polisher Rack!).

I actually don't take my care to anyone who would tend to "do me the favor" of washing it. But my wife does, and as I get here car closer to the level it can be, I certainly don't want them "fixing" anything on the outside. Now, I just need to train her to hang it when she takes her car in...

And I'm excited to say that there is now a Don't Wash Car hanging tag available on the AG store.


On Autogeek.com


Autogeek's "Do Not Wash Car" Hanging Sign FREE with orders over $95!



:dblthumb2:[/QUOTE]
 
Free with order over $95 but not for sale?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
The dealer car washes are a practical joke comprised of a bunch of yahoos using old terry cloth towels to wash your vehicle. As a "courtesy", my dealer offered this service and afterwards the car was riddled with water spots. I politely told the service writer not to wash the vehicle and after enough visits they all know me and my vehicles. Now I get compliments from the techs and service writers and they say that it was a pleasure to work on the vehicle.
 
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