I Have No Problem With This Method

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ISLANDSBEST

New member
I noticed that several of our members have ordered new cars and are waiting for delivery. Rather than post on each thread that has such a member, I thought I would start a thread on advice to those who have put in an order for a new car.



My advice is in the post that follows this "thread starter."





Any other advice to those awaiting delivery of a new car?
 
Dealer "prep" often results in damage to the new car's paint, typically by putting swirls in the paint.

Tell the dealer that you do not want him to wash the car or touch the paint and if he does -- if the car is not dirty -- you will not take delivery. Follow this up with a <em class='bbc'>letter[/i] repeating what you said.

The day before the car is to arrive, go to the dealer and find the guy in charge of preping the cars and tell him you do not want the paint touched. Give him a copy of the letter.

Why all this redundancy? 1. they will have trouble believing you, 2. they are drilled and drilled that <em class='bbc'>delivery[/i] is an important part of creating customer satisfaction and 3. it often truely makes them feel good (or better) about having sold you the car in the first place if they can present a shiny, new car to you and see you smile. So, it goes against everything they know to leave the paint alone. So, you have to hammer in your instruction not to touch the paint.
 
Dealerships can swirl the hell out of your paint, but the danger of taking delivery of a dirty car is that you may not see that ding/scratch like you would on a clean vehicle.
 
I ordered a new 330Ci for my wife just 4 days ago and I made the salesrep write on the order.."Do not wax or buff!" I told him that it could be washed, but don't go anywhere near that car with a can of wax of a buffer. I explained that it would take me about 6-8 hours to correct what damage was done on the new black finish. They have been servicing my 528 for about a year now and each time I take it in for anything, I tape a note to the steering wheel...<strong class='bbc'>DO NOT WASH![/b] They understand that I'm a fanatic and actually coment on how nice my car is each time it's there. It usually attracts a crowd on busy days.

So far they have only ignored my sign once. I plan on finding out exactly what day the new car is going to come in and actually plan on going there and washing it myself with my supplies. I know of at least one other person that has done that at this dealership.
 
I definately agree that the dealers do a shody job on cars, but dont some cars come caked in black parafin and the dealer has some chemicals to get it off. When i order my first car (w/ the "rents" help money wise of course), i want to be the first person to touch the car, but i dont want it to be covered in parafin....what do you think...
 
I ordered my next ride from a dealer 1200 miles away. I plan on flying out and driving it back home. What do you suggest? Doing my own detailing before the drive back or leaving it dirty until I get it home? I'm also hesitant about telling the dealer to leave it dirty because there might be dents or paint flaws.
 
All the OG's will remember this, but I'll lay it out again for all the newbies.



The most fanatic of the OG's, Murat, would get his Peugot up on a lift (he resides in Turkey, by the way; imagine getting all the good stuff there!) and details/waxes EVERY part of his undercarriage. One day he took his car into the dealer for service, and all the mechanics just sat in amazement at his detailwork. The General Manager came out and said that Murat deserved some sort of reward, so they gave him some floor mats, and some other stuff; now that is commitment! Sounds like you're not far behind, Steve!
 
Hi Beau and RH. I understand your point and it is well taken. What do you suggest? Just let them wash it and take your chances? The dealer washes the car, but under your supervision? Wash the car yourself on their premises? Did you have another idea?
 
I took my 330i back to the dealership to get some titanium surrounds for the lights installed, and they were told not to wash the car. However the washers left several drops of water on the hood of the car.



The young guy that brought my car out for me to take home wiped a dirty towel on the hood to get the drops of water and scratched the hood. That meant more time at a paint shop to have it repaired. This all came off the bottom line of the dealership.



One thing my salesman allowed me to do, was to take a tour of the facility and I looked at the detailing shop and was unimpressed. I told the G.M. that he needed to improve the cleanliness of the place and invest in a washer/dryer combo for the dealership.



So the point is, take a look at the cars that are there and look, look, look at the towels, chammies and see how clean they are!
 
Our Bimmer dealership uses Klasse AIO, SG, Lexol (too much conditioner though,) Vinylex, Gummi-Pflege, BMW Wheel Cleaner (actually P21S) and a bunch of Meguiar's products.



Sadly, sometimes they still make swirls. I would highly recommend to do what jazzyjack did!
 
You know that the car is going to be washed and waxed at the VPC, right? No way to get around it. They have to get the Cosmoline (sp?) off and they throw a coat of crappy wax on. I tried to take the same precautions when I ordered my bimmer, and the dealer did not wash the car. However there is no way around (at least that I'm not aware of) the VPC washing and waxing it. Good luck though.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by darbh [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Hi Beau and RH. I understand your point and it is well taken. What do you suggest? Just let them wash it and take your chances? The dealer washes the car, but under your supervision? Wash the car yourself on their premises? Did you have another idea? [/b]</blockquote>
Why not ask to see a car before it is delivered? Surely they are prepping and delivering cars every day, so it shouldnt be a problem. My car was delivered flawlessly. Believe it or not, some folks do their job right and take pride in their work. No need to potentially insult them and tell them they cant do their job without asking to see their work (on someone elses new car) first. Just an idea.
 
I was planning on calling them in the next week of two and asking what's involved in the dealer prep. Then telling them (no matter what's involved!) SKIP IT! Seriously.



Writing a letter sounds good though. Very legal. I'll incorporate that into my overall agenda.
 
RH -- not a bad idea. If their work looked good, I think I would still go down and watch them do the car.



Cybercowboy -- I saw a 2001 'vette at a car competion last month that had 51 coats of Z on it. It was unbelieveble. I bet you can't wait to get the car.
 
It was all fun and games until I saw her laying on the hood trying to wash. All I could think of was that metal button, rivets and zipper too close to the paint.

This did make me think that with PAC being in Tampa, I know there are some FL girls out there that would love to help sell their products... and what better way than a swimsuit calendar? :clap:
 
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