The Aftermath Of Hack Detailers

A

Anthony O.

New member
Washed a Lexus SC 430 yesterday. It was detailed by someone here in town. Here is the aftermath.



5386SwrlsLexusTrnk-med.jpg




5386LxusHoodSwrls-med.jpg




This next picture just barley shows some buffer burns on the window trim.



5386LxusDrSwrls-med.jpg




The next detail horror is from a new client with a black on black Carrera S. I am sure this is a dealer detail.



I started detailing this late this afternoon and will hopefully finish it some time next week.



5386Lftrearscrtch-med.jpg




Notice that long scratch? Man that is ugly!



This next picture doesn't really show all the swirls but the gas lid is especially scratched.....and removing scratches from that area is a delicate operation



5386badfndr-med.jpg




Now for the gross picture.....parents, cover the kids eyes:scared



5386Hdswrls-med.jpg




BEWARE OF THE HACKERS!



Anthony
 
I can't believe what some dealers do to clients vehicles in the name of detailing them, even some luxury vehicle dealerships. The last time I purchased a car I made them take off the plastic protection film in front of me, when I was ready to drive it off the lot!



Looking at those images just makes me want to cringe :scared
 
My neighbor just bought a used black X5 that she took back to have detailed at the dealership yesterday. When she went to pick it up, they gave her the old we need more time crap. She picked it up late this afternoon and surprisingly, they did a good GLAZE and wax job on everything but did NOT TOUCH THE ROOF AT ALL! It was just plain dirty.
 
Those pics make me so sad, i just imagine the day ill be able to afford a car like that, and if it was delivered to me like that i would refuse it. That is pitiful, why not train the detailers right,. it doesnt take much real effort to not induce horrible swirling.
 
Why am I not suprised? I've detailed two Bentley Arnages that were sold by Overseas Importers and both had nasty rotary swirls, and just like the SC, one of them had swirls in the stainless steel trim around the windows. When I get a call to remove swirls on new BMWs, I know there will be a Moritz dealer emblem stuck on the trunk lid. Pretty sad, really.



Any after pics, Anthony?
 
Scott......"after" pics of the Carrera will come up next week. I machine polished the deck lid and the two front fenders and then the Doc had to leave.



Menzerna PG and IP were as far as I got but there was a world of difference already.......I hope :)
 
that's really sad. can customers like this one get a refund or discount or something for getting a brand new car with an option they did not choose?
 
I think it is important to remember that dealerships in particular get EXACTLY what they pay for. They are willing to pay next to nothing and then are surprised when the results are less than satisfactory. I have one dealership that I have fixed over $5000 in work that their in house "detailers" have done. Do you think they have changed the way they do business one bit? I also fixed the paint on a 1989 Mercedes S560 that a customer of mine imported from Germany for his collection. Upon receicpt of the car from the shipping crate a few spots were noticed that needed repainting. The panels were repainted but the body shop decided to "polish" the rest of the car. Heavy swirl city. Six hours later I had them all out and the car was back to mint condition but it never should have happened in the first place. People who have no experience and don't know what they are doing shouldn't touch people's cars.
 
The fact of the matter is most shops are out there to make money. All the customer cares about is a nice shiny car. Most people don't give a damn if the car is swirled to hell. The majority of the people that do come into our shop with swirl complaints are owners of black cars. I then watch and laugh at how these "detailers" buff out the swirls. In reality all they are doing is adding more swirls.



I look at it like this. You should be happy that shops are out here doing work like this. If every shop was good, YOU would be out of business.
 
I have a black SC 430 to start on Monday morning with the exact same look to it!. At least the mouldings aren't burnt to $hit, by the way ppl, that is why you take the time to mask the rubber mouldings and such, swirl maks can be fixed fairly easy, burnt rubber mouldings, well that's another story.
 
ShineShop said:
I think it is important to remember that dealerships in particular get EXACTLY what they pay for. They are willing to pay next to nothing and then are surprised when the results are less than satisfactory.
Click to expand...



True that, SS, but it's driven by the ruthless competition from the front end, both between dealers and between the customer and the dealer. You can't use the fact that it cost you more to detail the car, or even that you did it correctly, as negotiating leverage while making the sale. Sadly, it's both sides working together as a closed system creating the situation.



Still, it takes a real meatball to mess up a new car. Why machine polish it at all? Clay it and wax it. It's new. That's all we do. The worst thing I personally see in our store is the use of dirty applicators. That drives me up the wall, because it's so easily avoidable.





Tom
 
hirosh said:
that's really sad. can customers like this one get a refund or discount or something for getting a brand new car with an option they did not choose?
Click to expand...



Hirosh,



If the customer has a big enough tantrum over the dealer installed swirls (or factory installed) then YES they may get a discount. What the dealer usualy does though is talk the new owner into having their "make ready" guys buff and wax the car. This only compunds the problem, usually.



Accumulator said:
Anthony- You using the rotary on those or can you get by with just the Cyclo?
Click to expand...



The new Cyclo 'orange" pads on the Cyclo did an amazing job removing the hazing left over from the rotary, PG and a polishing pad. I was very impressed:xyxthumbs



More on the effects of these pads later.



Anthony
 
Tom-I couldn't agree more. Clay and hand wax only. I have no idea why they would allow anyone to take a filthy wool pad to an $80,000 car just to apply wax but it happens all the time. With the bottom line being so important, you'd think foam hand pads would be cheaper than a rotary and wool pads....except they probably only have one wool pad and its been in the shop for 10 years.
 
Ya know guys......I believe that someone must be buffing these cars elsewhere along the cars trip also.



The Porsche dealer GM told me today that none of their guys buff on the new cars but they come in that way.



So one must wonder if they come from the factory all swirled up?



I did notice on the Carrera GT that I detailed today that one area, while having a clear on it, had very little black pigmented paint. So it could be that there is not proper overseeing of the finished product before it is sealed and shipped off? What's your thoughts on that?



As for hack detailers, we all know they are out there, lurking. Waiting for any chance to undercut a good, reliable professionaly detailer. These guys promise big things like...."Yeah, I can wetsand that car for you.....Sure, we buff out scratches.....I have years of detailing experience".....etc. But after they ruin a paint job or get paid for a month upfront they vanish into thin air leaving a bad taste in the mouths of their former clients for the true professional.



Anthony
 
yup i deal w/ it too but not as much as anthony. most detailers from dealerships dont know too much. Theres a guy that works at a mazda dealer ship and all he does all day is IHG and AM sealant. He says all he has to do is make the car shiney not remove swirls. :(
 
Mosca said:
True that, SS, but it's driven by the ruthless competition from the front end, both between dealers and between the customer and the dealer. You can't use the fact that it cost you more to detail the car, or even that you did it correctly, as negotiating leverage while making the sale. Sadly, it's both sides working together as a closed system creating the situation.



Still, it takes a real meatball to mess up a new car. Why machine polish it at all? Clay it and wax it. It's new. That's all we do. The worst thing I personally see in our store is the use of dirty applicators. That drives me up the wall, because it's so easily avoidable.





Tom
Click to expand...



That's simply not the case with most of the cars that we see new or used. The majority of new vehicles do need at least some minor surface correction due to damage incurred during shipping and/or sitting on the lot for a period of time. We often see minor defects left in the paint from the factory paint shop as well.

Additionally, I don't buy the whole argument you make with respect to dealers and how much they are willing to pay. Dealers decide how much they are willing to pay by making an "emotional" decision, not a "factual" decison. Detailing yields the highest return on investment a dealer can make with respects to reconditioning (paint work, dent removal, mechanical repairs etc..). The usual return on investment is at least $5 for every $1 spent on detailing. This is based on Manheim Auctions 2003 report on maximazing wholesale value for car dealers in case you were going to ask. The only reason dealers get away with doing this kind of thing is the abundance of morons that are willing to play the game dealers play and do the work for no money. They go out of business but it seems there is always some idiot waiting in the wings to take their place. This creates a cut throat atmosphere and the dealers use this to justify what they pay because the low ballers are supposedly setting the market price. Quality detailers are then forced out of doing the dealer work because the dealers will not pay a reasonable price for a quality job. Show me a dealer that says they can not afford to pay a decent price on average for their used car details and I will show you a total liar. A close friend of mine owns a large GM dealership and how much they will pay has no bearing whatsoever on how much they make in profit per vehicle. It is based simply on what they are "willing to pay".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top