New car from dealer with micro swirls

Yes they do that dealers. I work at one I see it daily.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Never let a dealer's "detail" shop touch your ride. I knew this before I picked up my brand new truck in '12. They were told at LEAST 10 times by me NOT to wash it. (They didn't).

I told my buddy the same thing when he ordered his new '14 Jeep Wrangler. Well, I guess he didn't stress it enough, because when I brought him to the dealer to pick it up, there was one of their "detailers" with a bucket of dirty, barely soapy water, and dipping a hard nylon brush into it giving his new Jeep a "detail wash".

And in full sun in the back lot. Dry it? What??

I cringed, and had to spend most of the following weekend helping him get rid of the serious swirls, water spots, and light scratches this buffoon put into his brand new paint.

Unreal.
 
So I talked to the guy who heads up detailing for the dealer yesterday. The Mazda dealer subs out detailing to this detailing company. BTW, just to be clear, I don't think their the ones that caused the swirls/scratches in the first place. Keep in mind the car was pulled from another dealer somewhere else since they didn't have the model/color combo we wanted. Who knows how long it was sitting on the lot and how many times it was given a quick-clean.

So the detail guy gave me assurances in a few ways;

- When I asked how this happened he said it wasn't them, as their careful to use fresh water and a hand mitt. A gentle wash. I saw this myself when I went back to the prep area.
- He showed me the products their going to use, a swirl/scratch remover, a wax and a sealant. I said that I didn't want them to just wax it to cover the swirls up for a couple months. He agreed and showed me the swirl remover. The brand is a little odd (Commodore). But whatever works best for them.

So, I dropped the car off this morning. Worse case is the car looks fine between now and spring, and come nicer weather I take care of the swirls myself if they come back. I have a random orbital buffer I bought at autogeek.com, just afraid to use it at this point on a new car.

Thank you everyone for your help. I don't mean to ignore peoples advice about taking it elsewhere. Its just that I need to give these guys a chance since it sounds like they know what their talking about.
 
kevreh said:
I have a random orbital buffer I bought at autogeek.com, just afraid to use it at this point on a new car.
Click to expand...

That's too bad, because I'm sure the dealer guy won't have a problem using a rotary buffer with a dirty wool pad that's been lying face down on the concrete floor on your new car.

I'm sorry that no one really responded to your thread looking for a "Geek" detailer in your area.

Hopefully it won't come out too badly. I wish you luck.
 
I would NOT have the dealership "take care of it".... they are most likely the ones who "installed" them in the first place.
 
Hope I didn't pay extra for those installed swirls! :laughing:
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Any update on this?
Click to expand...

Thanks for asking. So, I let the detailer, who Mazda hires out to, do his thing. That was almost a month ago. Keep in mind I looked at the products he uses and made sure he wasn't going to just cover up the swirls with a wax job, but actually buff them out (see my description of what his approach is above). The car came out looking great, no swirls and very smooth to the touch. After buffing out the swirls, he put a wax coat and synthetic sealant on. We'll see over the next couple months and a few washes how thing hold up. Keep in mind he was adamant that they didn't cause the initial damage, which I believe considering what I saw in the back shop and the fact that our car was pulled from another dealer.
 
Did they clay before they used any machine at all? What order did they put the wax and sealant on? that would make a big difference
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Those actually look pretty bad. Usually a dealer or even a pro they bring in will be a hack, relative to the level of work that members here do.

I would renegotiate your deal and have him take $250 off the price and use that to buy your own supplies to do it yourself or take it to a detailer recommended on here. Where are you located?
Click to expand...

I second this idea.
 
I can think of very few industries that "you get what you pay for" applies more to than Detailing. I'm with most of you, I ask the dealership not to wash/prep/anything the vehicle when I purchase it. I do use dealerships for oil changes and routine mechanical service but I always have to remind them. "Just change the oil and rotate the tires, I'll wash it myself".

It is too bad as there are some good "detailers" in dealerships, but the constant pressure they get to turn vehicles quickly, doesn't allow them to use the skills they have.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top