Dealership detailers a joke?

S

sh1ver

New member
Long time reader first time poster.



Here is the story..A few weeks ago I purchased a 2008 Black Pearl Acura TSX. Upon inspection under the dealerships lights I noticed some light micro marring from whatever prep work they originally did to the car upon arrival and im sure from washing and drying. I informed the sales person that I would like to have a car with no marring and he said they would take care of it. I've already setup an appointment for this Monday to have the car detailed by Acura. My question is what are the chances this "Detailer" marrs the car even more and then covers it up with a glaze/wax/filler? I really only need them to remove not cover the scratches and I can handle and would prefer to wax with NXT and top with #26 myself. I am no stranger to detailing I just don't have the time or resources to purchase equipment to take out the marring and I'm not sure sure using ScratchX by hand is ideal either. This is a daily driver so perfection is out of the question I just would like the scratches they applied removed. What is everyones advise or better yet what is your experience with dealership detailing.



Thanks!!
 
I'd say about a 99% chance they will make it worse. I'd recommend finding an Autopian around you to help out.



Where are located?
 
You're mistake was to take ownership before they fixed the marring. You should have made them fix it, then wiped it down with a wax remover to make sure they didn't fill them before signing the papers. Now that you own the car, I wouldn't let a dealer touch the car. 99% of dealer detailers mess up the finish. Every now and then you'll find one that does a proper job, but it's rare to say the least. The mere fact that they had the car swirled in the first place should be the only clue you need.



I agree that your best bet would be to post your location and try and find an autopian nearby that can help you out.



Edit: BTW, Welcome to Autopia. :welcome
 
I'm located in Los Angeles. I would consider contacting autopia members to remove the swirlies I just would like to see the dealership resolve this if possible. I am however doubtful of their abilities in proper detailing.
 
sh1ver said:
.... I've already setup an appointment for this Monday to have the car detailed by Acura. ...
Click to expand...
Always keep in mind that you are not having it “detailed by Acura,� but by some individual who is employed at your local Acura dealer. The quality of the dealer’s work has absolutely no relationship whatsoever to the quality of the cars.





sh1ver said:
... what are the chances this "Detailer" marrs the car even more and then covers it up with a glaze/wax/filler? ...
Click to expand...
As has already been pointed out, very high.





sh1ver said:
... what is your experience with dealership detailing....
Click to expand...
The people entrusted with detailing at most dealerships are completely incompetent. But there are rare exceptions. Unless you can talk to “the guy� himself and he can demonstrate that he is capable you’re taking a risk.



If they can’t convince you that they know what they’re doing, maybe you can get them to pay to have it fixed by somebody that does.





PC.
 
Not worth the risk letting the dealership touch it again, IMO. I've seen some absolutely horrible jobs done by high end dealers.
 
Thanks for all the input. I think I already knew the answer but didn't want t believe it and yeah I should of not taken delivery of a already marred car. I think even if they did present the car to me that night with a smooth surface it would still have been scratch only filled in as a selling illusion. It looks like I'll be canceling the appointment and will look for someone on this forum in the LA area with the right experience to remove my new cars swirls. I'm sure claying waxing and finishing with lsp all by hand I could probably cover up most of the marring but I would like to start off with a smooth surface from the beginning.
 
I agree, don't take it to a dealership to have it repaired, however, don't give them 100% credit for trashing your ride. I work at a dealership (OMG I know, I must suck), but anyways, a lot of vehicles come in, wrapped in plastic from the factory, pull the plastic off and reveal a present of holograms galore!



I will however agree you'll be hard pressed to find someone at a dealership that knows how to repair that, unless there's perhaps a painter that cares. Chances are if they're half decent, they'll have some 3m 3000 in there SOMEWHERE that someone might possibly know how to use...but don't hold your breath. It seems you're quite bothered by it, so certainly seek someone you KNOW knows how to repair it, cause in all honesty, marring is a pretty darn simple thing to fix...so it shouldn't be too hard.



And in all honesty, to back up dealerships...since 99% of the time you won't find a dealership that can detail properly...it's about equal in you will sell 99% of your vehicles to people that don't know squat about detailing...and since dealerships are about making money, why waste the time?



However, because I'm a super nice guy, if a customer has a car and even SLIGHTLY mentions they like to take care of the car, I switch into Autopian mode and take the utmost care and follow proper Autopian methods. (I hide Menzerna, LC pads, megs #16 in my locker along with some MF towels for these opportunities)



And some horror for all of you! I hide my wash mitt when I'm not at work, because the people I work with wash cars with brushes, and use the mitts for the tires! Scary, huh?!
 
I recently did a detail ... when the owner and his ride came to pick up the vehicle I noticed they both were wearing shirts from a major car dealer.



So I asked them "don't you have detailers on your payroll over their at your dealership".



They both replied "yes, we do...but those guys are hacks who only care about speed".



True story.
 
Think about the people who work in the "detail" department at a dealership. What do they make? Probably minimum wage, right? Bottom line is that they will screw the paint up, no doubt about it. Either buy the materials to do it right yourself, or have someone from Autopia do it!
 
Thanks again everyone for the advice. If you have any recommendations of someone in my area let me know. Otherwise I'll wait for my post to get approved in the South West forum.
 
Having worked at small used car dealerships most of my detailing career, the last year on my own. I have seen many cars from other dealerships as they would buy from each other. My personal experience is about 75% was unacceptable. The other 25% was good or very close to marr free and the interior was not a greasy mess. Keep in mind this is my area. Auction vehicles was a different sorry.



Here's a story for you. An older gentleman bought a 3 year old car from a dealership in town. He was over 80 so his daughter was out taking the car for a test drive, as she was basically his chauffeur.

She came back and found him in the salesman's office signing papers. He signed up for a $699 paint sealant and a $499 undercoat. He has been dealing with this dealership for many years and didn't think that they would rip him off.



So a month later i get a call and hear this story and that the car doesn't look as good as when he picked it up. Care for a guess why?
 
HAH what a coincidence...





For over a year, I was a detailer for "Cush Acura" - San Diego's #1 Acura dealer.





The sales staff was extremely picky and thorough when it came to brand new cars.... whenever a new car was sold, they instructed the customer to completely walk around, check the interior, for any marks, blemishes, etc. It had to be SPOTLESS. (Not hard to do on a brand new car, but sh*t happens).



They had strict rules in the detail area.... if a chamois falls on the ground, it's DONE. DO NOT REUSE IT. (not a crazy idea, lol, but most detail places dont do this)



They used allbrite products, pretty good for the price in my opinion. I still use allbrite and i haven't worked there in a few years...





Used cars, however, got much less treatment on the outside.... sometimes shampoo the carpets but with the cheap stuff....
 
Hi all. New to this forum, but not new to the world of detailing (hobby level only). I wanted to share my ordeal with the OP on what can happen. I recently bought a 2008 Ford F150, and like the OP, I had minor scratches and marring on the paint due to improper washing, etc. on the car lot. A month later I decided to have it detailed "Professionally" and get some protection on it for the remainder of our nasty winter. Well, the detailer used a wool pad and a cutting compound to get the minor scratches out. When I saw what he had done, I almost had a heart attack. It wasn't just holograms, in some places he actually went to primer. It is currently in the body shop for a complete repaint. The painter attempted to wetsand and reshoot only the clear, but because the scratches were so deep, he immediately busted through in many spots down to primer. I just wanted to share this story and to tell you, make sure you know without a doubt who is going to work on your vehicle. Since this is my first post, I can't put in links but the addresses are below for pictures of my truck and of my story on one of the other boards.

Pictures - .f150online.com/galleries/mygallery.cfm?gnum=11181

Thread - .f150online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319465
 
I agree with the 99% of dealers screw things up line, I am honestly making it my lifes work to find that 1% though, haven't seen it yet, let me know if any of you do.
 
Well after he washed the car a couple times this is what he paid $699 for.







IMG_5279.jpg






So i wet sanded some of the deeper scratches and did a full compound/polish and reapplied a sealant for him. I can't remember the full process as it was a few years ago.





IMG_5314.jpg






Tires and a few small things left to do, but an outside shot.



IMG_5305.jpg
 
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