Why dealerships suck

S

spetulla

New member
I used to work as a lot attendant at the biggest cadillac dealership chain in the country (LUND).



Let me go over some things the detailers and the lot attendants there were trained to do:



-use lacquer thinner on tough spots on the car without putting wax back over it

-use steel wool on windshields all the time

-rotary buff with a heavy cut cleaner followed by maybe one polish and a weak weak wax- leaving a HEAVY HEAVY swirl marks.

-use a highly abrasive wheel dressing that splattered onto the body

-use dirty towels when wiping the body down- all the time.

-wash the car with a power washer- all the time

-use extremely cheap products-discouraged from using anything else

-use glass cleaner on leather

-clean carpet with a solvent that would leave stains months later





this was on escalades, hummers, and EXTs



DO NOT EVER EVER take your car to a dealership! I tried to be meticulous and take my time and use proper detailing methods and was RUSHED and SCOLDED by my ex-boss (who was a meathead steroid gambler who cheated on his wife). I ended up having poor relations with my boss becuase I refused to "detail" a car or put a car on the lot or clean a car to be DELIVERED in 30-60 minutes including wash! I now no longer work there, thankfully.
 
Wow! I can respect that! It makes me mad just thinking about what you described, cuz it's people's hard earned $$ that buys an automobile. Maybe I'm just naive, but it seems that a dealership should have car enthusiast's employed there. That is a major issue I see nowadays; People working places w/ nooo passion for what they do at all. Personally I wouldn't run a business if I couldn't do the best for people. Just my foolish pride I guess... Ultimately if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. I can't tell you how many times that I paid good $$ to have my car hand washed only to find that the little things were not done properly; like drying the car inside/out thoroughly. I'm not the kind of person that wants to stand over someone to enforce quality work, so I do it all myself. It's easier in the end and sometimes even more economical.
 
I dont understand why the dealers sell them selves short when it comes to prep, it ususaly costs them money in the long run. For example they destroyed my windsheild due to bad prep and im making them replace it, what costs more, 10 mintues to properly clean and polish it, or replacing it? sigh.
 
Acuracl98 said:
I dont understand why the dealers sell them selves short when it comes to prep, it ususaly costs them money in the long run. For example they destroyed my windsheild due to bad prep and im making them replace it, what costs more, 10 mintues to properly clean and polish it, or replacing it? sigh.
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it's so true...but for them most people don't care or notice.
 
This is exactly why I requested my car not be prepped by the dealer. Had the dealer not honor my request I would have refused delivery. I witnessed similar behavior when I returned to the dealership to get my plates. I saw the "detailers" breaking all kinds of "cardinal rules" of detailing not to mention the obvious carelessness of how they prepped the cars. This will be my protocol for every new car I ever buy in the future as well.
 
the most horrific thing i saw in the "detailer garage" at the acura dealer was a guy with a rotary buffing a brand new acura TL with a dry wool pad :sosad i wish i was joking.
 
whats wrong with using a powerwasher to the car?



if you stand 3 or 4 feet back and if you use more of a spray mode rather than the more powerful direct piercing mode, shouldn't it be fine?
 
I use a power washer, only if necessary, on the wheel wells and undercarriage. I try to be as gentle as possible on the paint, I'll wash areas multiple times if I have to. I think there is too much potential for scratching or other worse damage especially for black paint. For me better safe than sorry.
 
power washer will dull your clear coat and has the potential to take paint off and stickers off. i took the paint off an escalade in the door jams and we still sold it. i also took the stickers in the engine bay off some h2s and we still sold it.
 
Bill D said:
This is exactly why I requested my car not be prepped by the dealer. Had the dealer not honor my request I would have refused delivery. I witnessed similar behavior when I returned to the dealership to get my plates. I saw the "detailers" breaking all kinds of "cardinal rules" of detailing not to mention the obvious carelessness of how they prepped the cars. This will be my protocol for every new car I ever buy in the future as well.
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You betcha. I've worked in dealerships for 20 years. COMMUNICATE. Believe me, if you say you want the plastic on the car, you should get the car with the plastic on it. If it's full of swirls, and you asked that it be left alone, walk.



As far as why it is the way it is, the circumstances are subject to economic reality. Customers want the best price for cars. Dealerships are in competition, so the one with the lowest expenses has the highest profit margin (or in other words, can sell cars for less). Price pressures at the retail end force cutbacks in expenses down the line; there's not a budget for training of New Car Prep. It's a $6.75/hr job and people quit frequently. Sometimes you get clean cut college kids, and sometimes you get stoners smoking pot on their lunch break. And sometimes you get clean cut college kids smoking pot on their lunch break. In any case, the only thing they really catch flak for is if the cars aren't ready on time, not swirl marks.





Tom
 
Mosca said:
You betcha. I've worked in dealerships for 20 years. COMMUNICATE. Believe me, if you say you want the plastic on the car, you should get the car with the plastic on it. If it's full of swirls, and you asked that it be left alone, walk.

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I dont have too much experience with it... but what does it require to PROPERLY take that plastic off? is it just tucked around the seams of the car? or is it stuck on there with some form of glue?
 
In my experience working at a dealership as a new-car prep person, the plastic just pulls off. No residue or anything left behind really. I guess the chemical engineers did a good job developing that adheasive.
 
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