DON'T WASH CAR! by Mike Phillips

[Dr_Pain]

Hey Mike, Nick, Meghan...... I think an Autogeek promotional rear view mirror tag is in order.... or a steering wheel cover of some kind.

[RaskyR1]

I was doing an interior detail and exterior touch up on one of my good clients cars last week. I was happy to find this nicely laminated sign between the seat and center console.

[Mike Phillips]

How about Autogeeks make some of these and put them as part of free sample list for orders more than $50?

Or something.

I like the hang tab but I like the laminated sign like below...

I was doing an interior detail and exterior touch up on one of my good clients cars last week. I was happy to find this nicely laminated sign between the seat and center console.

Thanks for adding Chad. Must have made you feel good knowing your customer is both knowledgeable and respectful.


I still think you really need to be pro-active to the point of having a few signs in the car AND confirm the Service Manager has marked on the work order to not wash the car in bold red sharpie marker.

Everyone here that has buffed out at least one car from trashed to treasure completely understands how much labor and love goes into undoing someone else's mistake.

The big picture is this...

Don't be a victim. If you own a new car that you take to other people to work on then by all means, take the necessary precautions to ensure your car's finish isn't hacked up.


Me?

I no longer own new cars and do all my own washing and exterior maintenance so I don't have this issue, I just feel bad when I see bad things happen to other people and that includes their cars...

[TurboToys]

that isn't the only reason, it's to avoid even more costly damage!

a dealership is only as good as the mechanics and people who work there, and if you don't personally know them, i wouldn't trust them.

i had tree branch damage to my cars rear quarter that had to get repaired, a 93 TT supra, rare and collectible japanese sports car, and a set of wheels that aren't made anymore, volk gt-7, which were around 3500 new almost 10 years ago.

the finish on the wheels was great when the car went in, it's an anodized finish, and what i got back was ridiculous. i didn't do a full walk around of my car when i got it back, i shouldn't have to. no one should have to do a 50 point inspection of their car before they get it back (this isnt the only time a dealership shop has messed this car up upon giving it back as well, i'll never take it to another).

this is what the wheels started as



and this is what i got back








the wheel cleaner was so harsh and acidic that it took the paint off the calipers that was left on them!! (i redid those in a g2 paint system later anyway). i took the car back and had to go back and forth with them about the wheels. they claimed they didn't do it and the wheels were in that condition when they came in, after which i grilled them about what product they used on the wheels, he stated he didnt know but they use a wheel cleaner product that is safe for all wheels. which i knew was BS.

i had to call in anonymously to find the name of the wheel cleaner, when i showed back up with a sample i bought myself and the instruction on the back which said not safe for use on painted or anodized finishes, they finally agreed to get them redone, but not before they said they would just polish them out, and had to have a conversation with them about what an anodized coating was, and why you can't simply polish it, and that i wouldn't accept a polished surface back because i won't be polishing my wheels twice a week to keep them looking like they did.... but they weren't redone right either which would have involved shipping them out. i had to compromise and get them repolished, all the anodizing removed, and then clear powercoated to get a similar look back to the wheels without constant polishing being needed.

it was simply a nightmare, dealing with their ignorance, and their lack of taking responsbility






Cliffs: not only is it a good idea to not let them do extra to your car for the sake of the paint, but there are any number of things they could easily screw up if they don't know your car, which could cost thousands of dollars to repair (which it cost that dealership by the end when they finally refinished the wheels)

[MCPunk79]

This is quite the interesting story... and something I think about frequently with my cars... I'm more knowledgeable about paintwork and detailing than I am working with a wrench... I can do a few things, but I wish I could do more, so I don't have to worry about my car EVERY time I take it in for ANY kind of service: wheel alignment, timing belt change, radio installation, etc.

I've had quite a bit of work done mechanically... and it's sad when I look at my car and KNOW for a fact that the damage on my car was not there prior to me bringing the car in for a service or upgrade.

In particular: I had a supercharger installed on my 2008 Mustang. When I got the car back it's paintwork was in the worst condition it had ever been in. It also had SO much dirt on the rear end from the mechanic's "test driving" the car afterwards. It also had a large scratch with an interesting indentation on my passenger rear quarter panel... it's only visible in the right light, but I know it's there. There were also scratches on the rear bumper as I had some parts in the rear trunk in boxes that needed to be pulled out for install... the front bumper was also removed from the car and was not cared for. And don't even get me started at what the front fenders looked like after the mechanics leaning over them to work on the engine... they had towels laid down, but they would have been more protected if they put sandpaper down to protect it.

I never said anything, but I'm still bitter about it to this day. It's a small town here, and it's one of the more "respectable" dealerships... compared to some of the similar HORROR stories I've heard from other shops around town.

[Mike Phillips]

i had to call in anonymously to find the name of the wheel cleaner, when i showed back up with a sample i bought myself and the instruction on the back which said not safe for use on painted or anodized finishes,

Good detective work....

they finally agreed to get them redone, but not before they said they would just polish them out, and had to have a conversation with them about what an anodized coating was, and why you can't simply polish it, and that i wouldn't accept a polished surface back because i won't be polishing my wheels twice a week to keep them looking like they did.... but they weren't redone right either which would have involved shipping them out.

i had to compromise and get them re-polished, all the anodizing removed, and then clear powder coated to get a similar look back to the wheels without constant polishing being needed.

it was simply a nightmare, dealing with their ignorance, and their lack of taking responsibility

What a horrible ordeal to have to go through. Thanks for sharing the above.


Just to note, I downloaded your pictures from Photobucket, resized them to 800 pixels wide and then uploaded them into your gallery and then re-inserted them in your post above.


These pictures are to important to go missing sometime into the future...

[TurboToys]

Good detective work....







What a horrible ordeal to have to go through. Thanks for sharing the above.


Just to note, I downloaded your pictures from Photobucket, resized them to 800 pixels wide and then uploaded them into your gallery and then re-inserted them in your post above.


These pictures are to important to go missing sometime into the future...

thanks mike, i do have them saved multiple places like most of my pictures, including solid state cards.


this is just the start of it, im sure any number of people could go into detail about worse things that have happened with bad shops do bad work. but i had to go back to a different dealer multiple times for shotty work including bad paint, parts not reinstalled correctly, and even a hologrammed front fender that wasn't that way when i dropped it off as i had just done a complete correction only a month ago. and asking for them to make it right, just as you said, only made it worse so i had to take it back and file a complaint then do it myself again

[Hazcat]

I do most of my mechanical work but my latest purchase came with free service and tire rotations up to and including 20,000 miles. When I took it in for service I asked how they washed it and they told me they had an automatic car wash. I asked if it had brushes and they advised yes. I requested it not be washed and remembered someone on this forum requesting the same but they still washed it and did a number on it. The service writer put it on the work order and assured me it would not be washed. I stood outside by the car wash until the car was returned to the service bay to be picked up. I'm printing signs as I type this for my next visit.

[erichaley]

thanks mike, i do have them saved multiple places like most of my pictures, including solid state cards.


this is just the start of it, im sure any number of people could go into detail about worse things that have happened with bad shops do bad work. but i had to go back to a different dealer multiple times for shotty work including bad paint, parts not reinstalled correctly, and even a hologrammed front fender that wasn't that way when i dropped it off as i had just done a complete correction only a month ago. and asking for them to make it right, just as you said, only made it worse so i had to take it back and file a complaint then do it myself again

I noticed the Nebraska plates on your (very nice) supra. Are you in the Omaha or Lincoln area (no county on your plate)? I'm in Lincoln but previously lived in Omaha.

[jayshut11]

Cliffs: not only is it a good idea to not let them do extra to your car for the sake of the paint, but there are any number of things they could easily screw up if they don't know your car, which could cost thousands of dollars to repair (which it cost that dealership by the end when they finally refinished the wheels)

Your story is absolutely appalling. I cannot believe a dealership could be so ignorant. I'm sure dealerships hate people like us, but if they would just listen to us in the first place, things like this wouldn't happen.

I've had poor experience with my Jeep and Audi/Porsche dealerships.

At the Jeep dealership I watched a young-teenaged boy wash the cars. He dropped the rag (and it literally was) on the ground multiple times and then would go back to washing. I could hardly watch...

At my Audi/Porsche dealer, it's hit or miss, which is still unacceptable. They have one good detailer, but the rest are young lot-hands who don't care.

Personally, I never take the risk at any dealership. I always have Do Not Wash signs in the cars, and address it multiple times with the Service Departments. They always laugh as to why someone is so adamant about not having the car washed, but I always do whatever it take to get my point across.