dealership ran through car wash - need help

[mike_va]

We've always babied the paint and applied griots premium carnauba paste wax. The finish was perfect.

However...despite two requests to NOT wash (on two different days) ...the dealership ran it through their car wash.

>water spots all over the hood
>obvious brush marks on the back of the car (i.e. dirt missed, which is what made me think that they washed it)
>purple leaf stains on the silver trim from being left under a tree

They agreed they washed it by error and will do whatever is needed to correct it (up to $200, at which point they will detail it themselves)

A friend has recommended a local detailer, a few options noted from the website attached. I've looked closely at it inside yet.

Anything I should look out for or be aware of?

[mike_va]

options on the detailer's website:

[Tobster3]

I feel your pain! I have personally experienced this when a BMW Dealer that I do not regularly use put my car through a car wash when I specifically told them not to and then had some buffoon dry it with a cloth with what must have had rocks in it! My car had 1,200 miles and was PPF & Ceramic on day 1. They ended up paying close to $2,000 for paint correction and new ceramic after I raised hell!

[Tobster3]

Oh yeah, I have these now and hang them from the mirror when taking the car to the dealer.

[B58-M340iX]

Originally Posted by Tobster3

Oh yeah, I have these now and hang them from the mirror when taking the car to the dealer.

I need me some of those!

[dudley@07726]

I ask for hand wash only. My BMW does hand washing. My MB does not. My CLE53 AMG is a cloth cabriolet. I am especially careful with that.
And so, I decline a car wash.

[John in VA]

Where in VA? Who is the detailer?
I see you benefitting from a hand wash & possible machine polish of areas affected. I'm sure the 17-item detail list is >$200 but the dealer shouldn't be on the hook for that whole suite of items.

[86Zed]

Yes they failed to follow your explicit instructions, but no the resultant "damage" looks fairly innocuous. Is there evidence of serious swirl marks, scratches, or damages to previously installed ceramic coating or PPF?

Even the most attentive at home washing can leave a few swirl marks over time with repetitive actions or old towels. Accept the dealerships apology/compensation, get a nice hand wash & detail, and move on.

[DocL]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

...Even the most attentive at home washing can leave a few swirl marks over time with repetitive actions or old towels. Accept the dealerships apology/compensation, get a nice hand wash & detail, and move on.

Exactly. It's not like the dealership wrecked the car. It's happened to me a few times. My car is ceramic coated it really didn't cause any issues. It's not worth the stress and worrying about it.

[Phizzzle]

Oof, that's hard to look at but at least they're compensating you for it. A good detailed can have it looking new again.

[mike_va]

Originally Posted by John in VA

Where in VA? Who is the detailer?
I see you benefitting from a hand wash & possible machine polish of areas affected. I'm sure the 17-item detail list is >$200 but the dealer shouldn't be on the hook for that whole suite of items.

One my coworkers had recommended the place, I'll PM you with the name.

I drove over there today, very nice facility and people. Their initial estimate was $750 for machine polish and paint sealant (not the whole list). I'm mainly trying to get advice on how to get it back to how it was.

The main apparent issue is that there is a million water spots (hood roof doors etc).

I may try a hand wash tonight on my own and see how it goes. The spots did not wipe off with a damp rag.

At least it is not as bad as others have experienced with dirty towels.

[mike_va]

Originally Posted by Phizzzle

Oof, that's hard to look at but at least they're compensating you for it. A good detailed can have it looking new again.

That is encouraging. The quote today was a lot more. The dealership also offered to detail it themselves if the estimate was more than 200. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet.

[mike_va]

Good news: I tried washing it and the leaf stains on some of the spots came off.

Not so good: there are still some weird spots on the hood and the roof. Not my area of expertise.

[John in VA]

The hardness of their water & the brutal sun/heat we've had may require a polish to remove some spots. There are water spot removal products (or vinegar from the pantry) that you could try. See my PM.

[mike_va]

Originally Posted by Tobster3

Oh yeah, I have these now and hang them from the mirror when taking the car to the dealer.

I purchased a pack of 5 from Amazon. The dealership said they we re going to get some also.

[mike_va]

Update: the car was detailed locally at the place recommended by a friend at work. I was impressed by the people there being nice and low key and the facility. Cost was $650, it was worth it. The dealership paid for it.

It is at about 90% corrected and not perfect (as assessed by the detailer). His recommendation (for a daily driver and not a Ferrari) was to stop at this point. I agree. There are still a few water spots, and faint hairline marks on the hood (like a piece of spider web) depending on the light. From several feet away and not under stadium lighting it looks good.

Tanzanite blue is hard to keep clean and perfect. Aside from that it is really pretty and we like how it changes at night to an inky blue.

Thank you for the comments and PMs.

Note: at first the dealership said anything over $200 they would fix themselves, I'm glad it worked out that we used the right place. I also got a second quote (for even more) at a place that smelled like cigarettes in the detailing area. Both detailers said it was in amazing condition for a 1 year old DD.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Tobster3

Oh yeah, I have these now and hang them from the mirror when taking the car to the dealer.

Originally Posted by B58-M340iX

I need me some of those!

I definitely want one also!!!

[tcphoto]

Happy to hear that it was taken care of, they'll pay more attention to the "no wash" requests in the future. In the meantime, enjoy your car.

[ShapeShifter]

Printed this on cardstock paper and temporarily tape it so it's easily seen. Have a washable and reusable air filter, so no dealer checks or changes are needed. The service manager has this in my profile, but reinforcement can't hurt.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by mike_va

Good news: I tried washing it and the leaf stains on some of the spots came off.

Good.

Originally Posted by mike_va

Not so good: there are still some weird spots on the hood and the roof. Not my area of expertise.

Yeah, those are regular water spots. They are inevitable on a daily driven car. There are ways to mitigate those.

Originally Posted by mike_va

Update: the car was detailed locally at the place recommended by a friend at work. [...] It is at about 90% corrected and not perfect (as assessed by the detailer). His recommendation (for a daily driver and not a Ferrari) was to stop at this point. I agree. [...] Tanzanite blue is hard to keep clean and perfect. Aside from that it is really pretty and we like how it changes at night to an inky blue.

For a daily driver - some accumulated paint imperfections are to be expected. Especially on a car with dark paint.

You may want to manage your expectations in the future to avoid triggering a medical emergency over something as insignificant as the condition of the paint on your car!

a

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by afadeev

For a daily driver - some accumulated paint imperfections are to be expected. Especially on a car with dark paint.

You may want to manage your expectations in the future to avoid triggering a medical emergency over something as insignificant as the condition of the paint on your car!

a

My service advisor always puts this sign on top of the dashboard and also makes a note in the service request specifying that the car shouldn’t be washed. If they screw up the cost is on them!

[Tobster3]

Originally Posted by MOEHQ

Where from?

Amazon $10

Double Sided- Do Not Wash This Vehicle - Por Favor No Lave este vehículo- 5 Pack for Ceramic Coated and Waxed Vehicles Dealership Detail Shop https://a.co/d/c3BYuPT