Black Audi + Shop Wash = Disaster!

SamIam · 12-18-02, 05:08

I am beside myself. I took my black Audi A8 in today to get the oil changed at a shop that works on only Porsche, Audi, MB & BMW, and an occasional Volvo for the guy with the wife driving a Volvo Wagon. Anyways, as I was waiting, they came in and told me they needed to replace a CV boot that had split and would need the car for awhile. I left and came back later in the afternoon. I paid my bill, left and when I got home, pulled into the garage. I saw a haze on my rear bumper, which seemed strange, as to get ready for winter, I used my PC buffer & went over it with Medallion PPC a couple of times, put on a layer of AIO as well as 4 coats of SG. I then followed up with 2 coats of S100, and since the weather has been ok, followed up with another 2 coats of S100 over the past 5 weeks.

Well, upon closer inspection, there is now not 1 square inch of the car that does NOT have a swirl or scratch on it! Turns out they washed my car and have destroyed all my hard work. I mean, it looks as if they used polyester towels that were embedded with sand and all sorts of crap.

I can't believe just how bad it really is. This place specializes in expensive German cars, and this is the service they provide? I am so po'ed that it is good they were closed when I called because I am not rational right now and would only make things worse.

I am going over there tomorrow, but now I have to start over tomorrow and fix all the crap they did. i am guessing that my Medallion PPC will work on it, but should I follow up the PPC with another product before using the AIO?

I need strength. My wife and neighbors couldn't believe this happened especially to me, as I am the 'crazy guy' using the toothbrush on the engine and who seems to collect car wax!

:scared
I will post pictures over the next couple of days when I pick up my new digital camera.

JustinTRW · 12-18-02, 05:33

This is all too common, even at Audi, BMW, and Mercedes dealerships. Make sure you show them the damage, so don't get to work until afterwards. Sorry about your circumstances, but I guess that's what happens. I always tell them NOT to wash my car when I leave it at any shop.

rightlane · 12-18-02, 06:12

Sam:
You may have to use a SMR on the swirls. Try a search an see if the Medallion performs as a swirl remover. I am just adding this because I know that once I start I do not like to stop and chase down a different product and then start again.

good luck

detailbarn · 12-18-02, 06:21

It's sad but all to true that even the high end dealers don't have high end detailers. They are usally hired hands or I've found out some are even having the mechanics detail the cars they work on. Sorry to hear you misfortune , I hope it works out for you.

DETAILKING · 12-18-02, 06:30

I even put a do not wash sign on it once and to my luck the car washer did not read english!!!

Enough is enough........I had my dealer reimburse my time spent on the car. THey wanted to give me a free detail, I took the cost value of that instead for the time it would take to repair their mistakes. Got 150 bucks out of it..................

good luck

AMP01 · 12-18-02, 08:02

When I have my 740iL serviced at the dealer in Santa Barbara, I make it a point to tell the service tech not to wash my car, no matter how long they have the car or how dirty it gets. I then have him enter "DO NOT WASH THIS VEHICLE" on the service order and get a copy when I leave.

So far this has stopped them from washing my car and leaving me with a whole new set of scratches or swirl marks.

Cheers,
My 7 Series Site

ShineShop · 12-18-02, 08:12

Quote:

Originally posted by SamIam
I am beside myself. I took my black Audi A8 in today to get the oil changed at a shop that works on only Porsche, Audi, MB & BMW, and an occasional Volvo for the guy with the wife driving a Volvo Wagon. Anyways, as I was waiting, they came in and told me they needed to replace a CV boot that had split and would need the car for awhile. I left and came back later in the afternoon. I paid my bill, left and when I got home, pulled into the garage. I saw a haze on my rear bumper, which seemed strange, as to get ready for winter, I used my PC buffer & went over it with Medallion PPC a couple of times, put on a layer of AIO as well as 4 coats of SG. I then followed up with 2 coats of S100, and since the weather has been ok, followed up with another 2 coats of S100 over the past 5 weeks.

Well, upon closer inspection, there is now not 1 square inch of the car that does NOT have a swirl or scratch on it! Turns out they washed my car and have destroyed all my hard work. I mean, it looks as if they used polyester towels that were embedded with sand and all sorts of crap.

I can't believe just how bad it really is. This place specializes in expensive German cars, and this is the service they provide? I am so po'ed that it is good they were closed when I called because I am not rational right now and would only make things worse.

I am going over there tomorrow, but now I have to start over tomorrow and fix all the crap they did. i am guessing that my Medallion PPC will work on it, but should I follow up the PPC with another product before using the AIO?

I need strength. My wife and neighbors couldn't believe this happened especially to me, as I am the 'crazy guy' using the toothbrush on the engine and who seems to collect car wax!

:scared
I will post pictures over the next couple of days when I pick up my new digital camera.

If you want to see some dealer disasters go to my website at www.shineshop.ca and check out the gallery section. the 3,4,5,6 pictures are of the bumper of an Infiniti QX4 that the dealership charged some poor schmuck $180 so they could destroy it. It was really unbelievable. Wax everywhere, paint contaminated with fallout and tar, swirls all over. I got $400 to repair the bumper and re-detail the exterior. Funny thing is I got another QX4 a month later with the same problem. They never learn.

Knight · 12-18-02, 09:15

I have a black Audi a4 1.8T. I was getting the brakes done at the dealer and when I arrived back at the dealer my car was washed and clean. I drove home and when in the sun I saw swirls. I told myself that day forward, that any service done to my vehicle, I will make sure they understand that they are NOT to wash my vehicle. After that hellish day, every time I went to the dealer I made them put it in writing to not wash the vehicle. Sound a little extreme? Well they did not touch it. Tell them to put it in writing and give it to you and make an extra note of it on the service order that they print out to the people working on the car.

burn me once, shame on you, burn me twice shame on Me.

Hope this helps

PhilStatic · 12-18-02, 09:50

I worked for a Lexus dealer not too long ago that did the samething about five or six guys that would wash cars all day with the same mits and never change the water in the bucket it was a disaster to say the least...

ThreeSixT · 12-18-02, 11:34

Sorry my Audi brother...too bad it had to be you. I will be sure to let the dealer know to never detail my car. I was already suspect about the jo that they do anyway. My brand spankin' new A4 already has swirls and scatches from those idiots using black bath towels with thick edges. I got a good amount of $$$ knocked off the sale price because of the condition of the paint. Don't get me wrong, it's not that bad...but to me, it's very noticable. Can't wait to put the Klasse/P21S system to work on it. Good luck with the dealer. Remember, "never follow"

Dowdy · 12-19-02, 06:56

We dropped our Navigator off at the local Lincoln dealer for its first oil change. I told them "NO CAR WASH". He wrote it down, even.

My wife brought it back home later that day. They washed it. It looked like the entire thing was covered in cobwebs.

It took me about an hour to cool down. I finally contacted the dealership to let them know how upset I was. I even gave them tips on how to properly detail cars.

It turns out that their carwash consists of driving the vehicles down the road to the automatic wash with the brushes.

My favorite part of my conversation with the dealer was when the manager admitted "I'd never let any car dealer clean MY car."

I'm still working on removing all the swirls.

Jngrbrdman · 12-19-02, 07:10

I've got a white car and I still won't let the dealer touch it. LOL The last time I had it in the shop and I saw them backing it up to wash it I went a little nuts. I started banging on the glass between the waiting room and the shop to get their attention. lol I think the service manager thought I was nuts, but he wasn't the one who was going to have to polish out the problems that his greasy mechanics were going to put in my car. I won't even let my wife wash it after she took off a part of my windshield banner I had on there last year. lol