If you've seen my recent post, you know that i bought a car about four months ago which is covered in spider web scratches. Most of you say, just get it detailed, or do it yourself, but with the amount of money i make, that isn't really an option. I've been going to VW all the time, and have gotten nowhere, besides having the car detailed there twice, which did nothing. I've contacted VW and was told it is not there problem because it is not a factory defect, and it should be taken up with the dealership. I've talked to a bunch of different "top" guys at the dealership, and was told all kinds of different stories basically saying tough ****. I just wanted to know if you guys think this is worth going through all this trouble, and if you think i am going to get anything done. I know these scratches are common, but i would not expect them on a brand new car which wasn't exactly cheap for me. Any help and opinions are appreciated. Thank you.
A Fight worth Fighting?
- Thread starter tpsk8er
- Start date
DocHoliday
New member
Well I think that it is worth going through the trouble after all your vehicle is typically your second largest investment (someone still needs to tell me how something that does nothing that depreciates is an investment) and you want it to look good which helps retain its value.
I would suggest that you do it yourself or find a very very kind Autopian that lives close to you and beg plead and pray for their help.
I would suggest that you do it yourself or find a very very kind Autopian that lives close to you and beg plead and pray for their help.
Thomas Dekany
New member
where do you live?
Tell the dealership to pay for it and take it to a pro.
Tell the dealership to pay for it and take it to a pro.
Ha, on that note, who lives in the south florida area?
I would love to have them pay for a professional detail, but i know they will say there detailer is all they can do. One of the reps told me that the head detailer at the dealership is one of the best in the business, which i highly doubt.
I would love to have them pay for a professional detail, but i know they will say there detailer is all they can do. One of the reps told me that the head detailer at the dealership is one of the best in the business, which i highly doubt.
exile
Corvette Z06/85 jeep CJ7
tpsk8er said:
If you're anywhere near Sarasota, I'll get those scratches out:up
SVR
Dream Machines
Lucky bugger, wish I was at sarasota, getting to the USA is one goal in life that I am damn well going to kick.
Lovely car care supply people over there
Lovely car care supply people over there
DrSauekraut
CIXELSYD
No – it’s not worth fighting. Correct the swirls yourself or take it to a pro.
Hmmm.
Unlike the guy a couple of weeks ago (I forget who it was) that found a hair UNDER the paint on his new truck, your case isn't an obvious manufacturer defect.
I had a similar problem with my Honda Element, in that the fender cladding on the rear passenger side had some little gouges in it that I didn't notice until well after I took delivery. I'm not going to try and fight the dealer over it because (much like you paying someone to detail your car or doing it yourself), it's not a hard fix (the part costs $65 or so, then about 1/2 an hour to bolt it on).
Some things (such as obvious defects like a hair under the paint) are well worth fighting for, others (such as minor swirl marks and scratches) aren't.
Although I hate to say it because I'd prefer that the dealer make it right, I don't think you're going to be able to get much out of the dealer without just causing yourself more stress and headaches.
Hell, it'd be worth just paying for a good detail just to avoid the headaches from fighting with the dealer.
Unlike the guy a couple of weeks ago (I forget who it was) that found a hair UNDER the paint on his new truck, your case isn't an obvious manufacturer defect.
I had a similar problem with my Honda Element, in that the fender cladding on the rear passenger side had some little gouges in it that I didn't notice until well after I took delivery. I'm not going to try and fight the dealer over it because (much like you paying someone to detail your car or doing it yourself), it's not a hard fix (the part costs $65 or so, then about 1/2 an hour to bolt it on).
Some things (such as obvious defects like a hair under the paint) are well worth fighting for, others (such as minor swirl marks and scratches) aren't.
Although I hate to say it because I'd prefer that the dealer make it right, I don't think you're going to be able to get much out of the dealer without just causing yourself more stress and headaches.
Hell, it'd be worth just paying for a good detail just to avoid the headaches from fighting with the dealer.
yea, i've pretty much given up on the dealership, and now i'm just researching all the different self detail methods and seeing if it's with my capabilities to do myself. I figured owning all the stuff to do it would be convenient for later use as well. As for Sarasota, it's about 3 hours away from here. They are directly across eachother, on different coasts. I appreciate the offer, and i'll keep it in mind. Just one more quick question, what would you say is the average price of a professional detail? I've 300-400, but after seeing all the work that goes into it, i'm starting to think maybe more.
White95Max
New member
If you were a random person that came to me, I'd take the swirls out and then seal the paint for less than $100. The market is probably different in your area though.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Knockwurst said:
My sentiments exactly. Most people don't even notice this sort of thing and most people at dealerships think it's normal for *all* vehicles to look that way.
Go look at exotic used cars (or even *new* ones!)...most of them have a lot of marring. It's not considered something along the lines of depreciation/damage/diminished value, it's considered normal. Dealers and even owners just fill the marring with glaze and say :nixweiss
Life is short and has enough hassles. They can't fix it or they would have. They're clueless or it wouldn't have happened in the first place. You're banging your head against a wall and expecting them to get the headache
Solution for your next new car: take new cars "in the wrapper" and never let anybody else wash them (or even unwrap them). That's the way my dealer *wants* to do it with my cars, they don't want to be responsible for the damage that they *know* they'd cause by doing even one wash of a brand new car.
Solution for now: quit wasting your time and energy on the twits at that dealership. Put said time and energy into fixing your paint and working on your wash technique
tpsk8er said:
300-400 if you want the car detailed like a king top to bottom, every nook and cranny. Find a detailer like White95Max that will fix your 'particular' problem. Like I said at the onset of the post, Wash swirls is minor paint imperfection. And if you just want a detailer to get rid of it and seal your paint, any professional detailer should be happy to help you. If that's the only thing you wanted. I'd charge less than a $100 too.
I think i'm just gonna order some nice cleaning products off this site or meguiar's, my washing skills are good, but i think i'm gonna need to develope some kind of detail skills to keep myself sane in the future. When you say seal the paint, what are you referring to, wax? I appreciate all the help, and responses you guys have given me, the people on the this forum don't have too much pride, and are very patient, unlike another forum i have used before.
Wax is a sealant yes. Carnauba based waxes look nice, don't last long. Then there's Polymer based sealants, which last longer and can appear brighter. Sealing your car is for temporary protection and looks. Regularly doing it after correcting the spiderwebbing will help prevent future micro-marring. Here's a list of some.
Carnauba:
-PB's Natty's Blue
-P21S
-One Grand Blitz
-Pinnacle Souveran
-FK1 2685
-Jeff's Werkstatt Carnauba Jett
-ClearKote's MooseWax
Polymer based
-Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket
-FK1 2180
-FK1 FX-100
-Jeff's Werkstatt Acrylic Jett
-Klasse Sealant Glaze
-Zaino Z8
-Optimum Spray Wax
-NXT
...among others widely used by autopians.
Carnauba:
-PB's Natty's Blue
-P21S
-One Grand Blitz
-Pinnacle Souveran
-FK1 2685
-Jeff's Werkstatt Carnauba Jett
-ClearKote's MooseWax
Polymer based
-Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket
-FK1 2180
-FK1 FX-100
-Jeff's Werkstatt Acrylic Jett
-Klasse Sealant Glaze
-Zaino Z8
-Optimum Spray Wax
-NXT
...among others widely used by autopians.
What town are you in? I'm in Stuart / Palm City and can help with cleaning up the dealer swirls, water spots from your other post, give you some pointers on washing techniques, show you how to use a PC, etc. I also have a handful of different waxes and sealants you can check out. There is also an internet based supplier of detailing supplies in Stuart, you can order stuff over the phone and then go in and pick it up, saving the shipping charges. http://www.autogeek.net
White95Max
New member
tpsk8er said:
Are you SURE?
Why don't you give us a detailed description of your washing/drying process, and we'll critique it. There's more to washing a car properly than most people think.
Accumulator
Well-known member
White95Max said:
Aw, that's almost a set-up isn't it? Heh heh heh...If I could wash (marring-free) without a foamgun and all the other off-the-deep-end stuff I do, I'd save myself the hassle.
White95Max said:
Man-oh-man ain't *that* the truth! Just look at all the threads about "swirls"/"spiderwebs"/other marring...about 99.999% of which (IMO) comes from washing. And we're talking about people who are trying to be *so* careful when they wash, people who are into detailing and really care about what they're doing.
Well i read how to wash a car on this site, it might not be the best technique, but from what i understand, it is correct.I have seen all the threads about spider web and swirls, but i didn't even get the chance to do it myself. But anyway, here is amazing wash technique.
I use a lamb's wool mitt(NAPA brand) and some mequiar's soap(only mequiars they had at discount auto).
I use two seperate buckets(one soap, one rinse)
I spray my car off very well, before washing.
After washing, i dry with an Absorber, which i just read might actually cause some scratching.
The mit never touches the valences or the rims, and is rinsed well after each use.
I think that's it. Please be easy on me :grinno:
And to Louie, I live in Stuart. I've heard of autogeek before but i had no idea it was actually in stuart. Where in stuart is it. I appreciate the offer, i'll have to take you up on that at some point.
I use a lamb's wool mitt(NAPA brand) and some mequiar's soap(only mequiars they had at discount auto).
I use two seperate buckets(one soap, one rinse)
I spray my car off very well, before washing.
After washing, i dry with an Absorber, which i just read might actually cause some scratching.
The mit never touches the valences or the rims, and is rinsed well after each use.
I think that's it. Please be easy on me :grinno:
And to Louie, I live in Stuart. I've heard of autogeek before but i had no idea it was actually in stuart. Where in stuart is it. I appreciate the offer, i'll have to take you up on that at some point.