Looking For A Detailer In Nashville

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ISLANDSBEST

New member
We have identified one challenge to having great paint: the damage that might be done to new cars before we receive them. A current thread I started discusses issues relating to prep work dealers do on cars.

A poster said that new cars are worked on and waxed by some party, after they are shipped, but before the dealers get the car. Does anyone know of proceedures that are done to the cars when they land (or are taken off trains, etc.) -- that is, <strong class='bbc'>before[/b] they are received by the dealers?
 
I'm currently waiting for delivery of my Saab 9,3 cabrio from Valmet in Finland. I have discussed this issue with my dealer. Parafin and other coatings are no longer used by most European automobile manufacturers. The horizontal surfaces (hood, trunk, top) are covered with several mil thick, white, opaque, plastic film sheets. These are held on the car with a mild adhesive. This protects the car from debris (here's a disgusting thought - many railroad cars in Europe still do not have holding tanks - waste is flushed onto the tracks - think about it....).



This film is removed on delivery to the importer, the car is washed and shipped to the dealer, usually by flatbed truck, for final prep. The dealer washes it again when prep is completed and usually waxes and buffs (where the real damage gets done).



I guess the ideal would be to have them leave the protective film right up to delivery - althought this could definitely conceal paint defects.
 
Small volume manufacturers such as Saab use a different distribution and port ops than say Honda, or other volume brands.



In the late 80's I developed port processes for several imports, as well as predelivery center processes for Ford and Chyrsler.



The latest I has been working with is Mazda.



They have vehicles that come from Japan, but their volume model, 626, is built in Flat Rock, Mi, where the next generation Mustang production will moved to from Dearborn.



The vehicles built here are railed to the ports, Tacoma, Port Huenmene, Midlothian,Tx, Elizebeth,NJ, Jacksonville, Fl and across the street to the Woodhaven inland port.



The work is performed by subcontractors. Overseen by Mazda people.(subcontractors-do they care like the manufacturer or are they like dealerships-just get it out?) You be the judge on that one.



Domestic builds has different prep requirements than import models.



It is really quite involved, but then they are railed to rail heads in many cases or for short hauls, by truck to the dealers.



The main thing is as you stated, the dealers can really screw up the vehicle.



We shot the footage and working with Ford, put together a New Vehicle Pre-Delivery process and procedure video last fall. It was broadcast 4 or 5 times over the FordStar system to all dealers and is archived for them to make a tape of.



It was promoted to the dealers regarding the times it would run. Somewhere in the area of 4500 dealers in US.



Less than 5% had their get ready people watch the broadcasts. They just don't really care.



Sad state of affairs.



:mad:
 
Based on your wealth of knowledge in this area, what would you do if you were me.....I've got a new 330Ci BMW coming in early Nov. and I've told the dealer that they are not to get within 10 feet of my new car with a buffer! I know that they have to do a certain amount of pre delivery prep, but I just want to make sure it's not swril city when I come to pick it up.

Oh yea, and to make matters worse........it's <strong class='bbc'>BLACK[/b]
 
Back in the dark ages, the late 80's, BMW was facing some serious concerns, IE very poor perception of quality by the American marketplace.



The average production time of a BMW auto was around 34 to 36 hours and then the dealers were spending 50 hours or more in order to get the vehicles up to delivery standards in order to deliver them to the customer.



In order to address this, they built Port Ops in several locations. These facilities are not operated by sub contractors and are very nice, clean, functional operations.



They were able to set and maintain predelivery standards above those of most of the industry. They had to do something, due to the poor build/assmbly quality. The average time a BMW vehicle spent in the ports having corrective measures done in the late 80's/early 90's was around 34 hours.



The Japanese were building vehicles in 16 to 20 hours and their ports were doing corrective procedures in 3 to 4 hours per vehicle.



Now, you may ask, so what about the dealer and my new BMW?



These, as those of us in the industry call them, Tja Mahal's, still spend a lot of time on the vehicles and they still buff and apply glazes to them before the reach the dealers, and they reapply a transit film after they are done.



So, even if the dealer does nothing but assure the fluid levels are correct, the lug nuts are tight and all the lights work, you may wash it and find marring, etc.



Ketch.



:cool:
 
Thanks for your information.

You wrote:

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

These, as those of us in the industry call them, Tja Mahal's, still spend a lot of time on the vehicles and they still buff and apply glazes to them before the reach the dealers, and they reapply a transit film after they are done. So, even if the dealer does nothing but assure the fluid levels are correct, the lug nuts are tight and all the lights work, you may wash it and find marring, etc.</blockquote>

Do you have any suggestions as to a solution to the problem?
 
All you can do is the things you are, working em out, might wish to notify the dealer asap so if you find that there was excessive clear removed, trim damaged etc it is on the record.
 
I work up at the local Ford lot, and I'd have to say, I'd be kinda iffy if I had my ca go through there. To wash the car there is a 55g plastic drum that gets emptied out about once every few weeks,(before each car is washed there rinsed off with a pressure washer, and than you use the pressure washer to get some suds again and use the big nylon brushes dipped in the bucket to scrub the car. After it is scrubbed, rinsed off with teh pressure washer. And dried with an absorber thats been soaking in water and turned black from the dirt, from the past 100 cars. Than if you get it "buffed"(new cars aren't) it gets a coatiing of wax that is applied with the same bonnet thats been on for the past few weeks. and buffed off wth a dry foam pad. TA-DA its "buffed", see. . . .no more scratches=P Same method is used for scratches . just put coat after coat of wax on till it goes away. Lets not get into the fact that if the car was undercoated it is washed with kerosene with rags that are piled on the floor in the closet. That's just my insight on why I wouldn't trust a car dealer with my car.
 
fiveohhh's post gives us a direct confirmation of what we suspected.



As opposed to using a towel until it is polluted, as Five reports occurs at this dealership, I throw a towel in the "dirty pile" after using it just to dry the car after applying Z6, after just washing and Zing the car!!
 
Mine looked AWESOME till I washed it once. I once saw a mercedes dealership washing 3-4 new cars at once with a broom! Anyhow, the car does get washed once at the VPC center and there is nothing you can do about that. I would not let the dealer touch it. My dealer applied some THICK silicone spray wax that hid all the swirls they put in it. I was horrified when I washed it the first time. Also the shiny,greasy, silicone tire dressing they used penetrated DEEP into the tire and I had to wait weeks before I could apply my favorite stuff........
 
The "detailing" side of most dealerships is horrible. Most dealers don't want to pay the money to hire people who actually know what they are doing. Just about every dealer that I have seen butchers the cars when the wash them or "detail" them.



I live in Cincy, and our Jaguar dealer here (Williams Jaguar) is horrible. I know MichealB changed dealerships because they were so bad. I was waiting for my car one day and I noticed they were washing some of the cars that were in for service. They were using sponges to wash the car (Arrrg, swirl machine) but that was not even the worst part. There was some tar or something stuck on the bottom of the drivers door. They went and got a Scotchbrite pad and rubbed it on the paint to get it off!! I did not get to see how it looked after, but I am sure it was a total mess.



Some dealers are good, but not many. I never let any dealer wash my car at all.
 
Our shop system, AutoPreservation, just signed a contract to do all of William's Jag new car cosmetic predelivery.



While none will be as perfect as those an owner would do, (they don't pay that much labor) they will be better.



The next step is to get the dealership to send their employees to the PrepExcellence school and support them with the proper lighting, equipment, supplies.



That is going to be the tough part, but at least once the transports drop them and we finish them, the level of condition will improve dramatically.



Just don't expect any car from a dealer, to be as slick as what you here would like. Just is not financially possible.



:cool:
 
Ron,



Its good to hear that they are finally hiring some people who actually know what they are doing. But, I think they are damaged goods to many around here. I know many here in Cincy that want nothing to do with them at all. I know MichealB and myself had very bad experiences with their sales staff. I have had many poor experiences with their service department also. I would never buy another Jag from them again, and I know many people that feel the same way. For a dealership that is selling cars that cost $60,000++ their customer service is very poor.



Who knows, maybe they are finally starting to get on the right track.
 
They have gotten rid of the Ford store and kept the Jag and Land Rover.



But, since you have bought some vehicles from them , you know the problem is very close to the top of the organization.



That is changing as well, from what my people are telling me.



:bounce
 
I don't think its cost holding them back to do a "decent" job the ford dealer here charges about 200 for a full clean inside and out, and about $10 of labor actually goes into it and maybe $3 in materials, I think its just a money scheme. I imangine they say hey we can start a detail shop, pay the workers minimum wage, and charge alot and when it leaves are lot it looks decent, after the rain hits it a few more times though....it looks worse than it did before=p. I just see the butcher work that goes on at my ford dealer, and wanna cry:(
 
I agree with fiveohh. Money is usually not the "real why." The "real why" is often a question of intent. It don't think it necessarily costs that much more to do a good job compared to a bad job. It does take care and concern (reflections of intent) to do a good job.

The inverse is also often true. Spending more and more money on problems does not necessarily solve them. People solve problems, and they solve them when they <em class='bbc'>intend[/i] to solve them.
 
A retail detail is entirely different than a set amount provided for predelivery of a vehicle by the factory.



The "bean counters" at the OEM level have cut the time allowances down so low that in order to break even on the entire predelivery process, dealers are short cutting.



Last fall, in order to prove this point to one of the big three, I personally did the cosmetic predelivery on two each of 4 models.



Since my contacts built over the past 15+ years at OEM level run to all areas, was able to get some bean counter desk jockey's I know to come down to the facility and take part in the time studies.



I had all the equipment ready, good lighting, the chemicals ready etc.



Went like a bandit and still, could not perform all the required processes as required in the time alloted.



Later, they admitted, that it was not possible to do a correct and quality cosmetic predelivery for the time that they had allowed. Seems, the time studies being used for the present go back to the mid 80's and as we all know, things have changed a lot.



Here is how a vehicle manufacturer has been looking at it. Our company XXXX sells 4,000,000 vehicles-average allowance for cleanup/predelivery is $85(just a number), now if they cut $5 out of that times 4 million vehicles+ $20,000,000 to the bottom line.



This one company is presently revisiting the time allowances, etc.



Like I have said before, what those of you here have as a preception of quality, reasons for and time, don't really play in the OEM or dealership world.





:cool:
 
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