New Audi purchase - allow dealership prep/wax or no?

[dy9102]

Hi all, I am finally buying a new car and pick it up next week! It was just built in Germany and is being shipped over on a boat as I type. I have asked the dealer for a detailed list of steps they do to unpack/prep the car before selling it to me.

The detailing steps they mention include:

Exterior - Prior to Delivery

Remove protective covering
Wash/Dry vehicle exterior including inside door jambs and under trunk
Inspect painted surfaces/molding/glass and remove any residue (If any defects [scratches/dings/dents/body damage] are found, contact your supervisor
to arrange for immediate repair)
Inspect body for paint defects and damage
Check interior floors, sunroof, trunk, front and rear windshield and all windows for water leaks
Apply either 3M Performance Finish Wax or 3M Perfect-IT Show Car Paste Wax to wax the vehicle
Clean front and rear windshield using 3M Glass Polishing Compound. Refer to TSB 2020552 for details
Apply 3M Performance Finish wax to the wheels (except chrome wheels) to protect rims from brake dust


The question for everyone is: Would you let them do all of this or just tell them to wash the car and inspect the body, but DO NOT wax the paint and just bring it home and apply my Wolfgang Sealant and Wax after cleaning it again?

Alternatively, I could let them do their full list here but then still just wash it and apply sealant/wax again? Any downside with this second approach other than the risk that when they apply their wax they do not use a clean rag, or do not use microfiber, etc?

Thoughts?

[c8n]

Say no... then go.... then someone you trust!

All kidding aside, I wouldn't let them prep the car other than the mechanical stuff. Just do a search on the term DISO.

[Evan.J]

I second the motion to say not and go to someone you trust.

No sense letting them touch it. Just tell kindly that you wish not to have them prep it or do anything to the paint or exterior surfaces. You may have to remind them more than once.

[Vegas Transplant]

If you are a true Autogeekian...NO.
If you are an average Joe that doesn't know the difference between a swirl or a squirrel...Go For It.

Side note: Audi clear is traditionally considered hard. Probably will need a DA (at least) to correct DISO.

[dy9102]

If you are a true Autogeekian...NO.
If you are an average Joe that doesn't know the difference between a swirl or a squirrel...Go For It.

Side note: Audi clear is traditionally considered hard. Probably will need a DA (at least) to correct DISO.

Wow, you guys really think it is going to come with some swirls to the paint from the factory!? That is going to REALLY piss me off if that is the case...

By "DA" do you mean 'dual action', as in a dual-action polisher? Is that risky to utilize on the fresh 45 day old paint?

[c8n]

Not from factory... but the dealership
DISO = Dealer Installed Swirl Option

[Vegas Transplant]

Former dealer detailer here.
Yes.
No.

[dy9102]

Former dealer detailer here.
Yes.
No.

You mean, do let them prep the vehicle, but no exterior detailing? Like the other guys have said?

[SYMAWD]

Yes, new cars from the factory come with swirls. The only paint protection on Audis is a full fabric wrap, not the traditional peel off stuff. It is held on by clips. More than likely whoever takes it off will drag them across the vehicle and scratch it.

Need some proof?
Here is a car immediately after I removed the peel off stuff (VW).
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af270/SYMAWD/IMAG1993_zpse75fdb64.jpg

Here is an Audi that got attacked by the clips (I didn't unwrap this one).
http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af270/SYMAWD/IMAG1867_zpsbac30b10.jpg

[Vegas Transplant]

You mean, do let them prep the vehicle, but no exterior detailing? Like the other guys have said?


Former dealer detailer here.
Yes.
No.

My most humblest apology for the lackadaisical reply...fly-by on the way out the door :o

My intent:


Wow, you guys really think it is going to come with some swirls to the paint from the factory!? That is going to REALLY piss me off if that is the case... Not the factory, but most likely the dealer. Plenty of horror stories if you use the search feature.

By "DA" do you mean 'dual action', as in a dual-action polisher? Yes.
Is that risky to utilize on the fresh 45 day old paint? No.

Welcome to the forums :props: Sit back and enjoy the ride :hotrod2:

[jmfp]

No, absolutely, positively not. At most have them prep the interior & just pull the cloth cover. A mechanic has to do a pre delivery inspection & they need to remove the cover to do it.

Do not let them wash that car. I used to work for a dealer group that owned an Audi dealership. What I saw would make your head spin.

The usual wash process for the idiots I worked with was: mist water on the car with a pressure washer and dry it with a filthy shammy.

If it was lucky enough to get hit with a wash mitt & some soap, it was just as bad. Our wash bucket was an old vacuum with about 6 wash mitts. I was the only person that would change the water. It was typical for it to have sticks & leaves in there. It also wasn't out of the ordinary for all of the wash mitts to be on the floor, because people were too lazy to toss the mitt back in the vacuum. The detail manager also only bought a couple of new mitts about every 6 months.

I tried to change the ways of this shop and was absolutely hated for speaking up against the madness. I had people that went as far as going to upper management and telling them that I was dealing drugs in the shop to try to get me fired.

I wasn't trying to get them to do show car detailing. I complained about things like wash mitts on the floor and people power washing the interior of a 1 year old Audi A6($11,000 damage).

Do you want people like this even touching your car?

[SYMAWD]

Perhaps you can ask to see where they detail the cars. Not every dealer has hack detailers. Where I work we have an outside detail company, so cars come out pretty good looking. Other dealers just take them through a car wash or do what was described in the post above this one.

[dy9102]

This is great information everyone, thanks a lot and I am so glad I asked for some advice on this!

I will speak to the dealer about my concerns and plan to be there to watch the unpacking/prep process personally.

I will report back next weekend after I pick it up!

[Harry Da Hamster]

I'm going to go against the grain and say YES, allow the dealership to prep and detail the car.

1) You're probably going to polish the car anyway, right? So what if there's a few extra swirls to polish out.
2) If there is a factory or transport paint defect, how will you be able to prove it was their fault without a dealer detail?

[dy9102]

I'm going to go against the grain and say YES, allow the dealership to prep and detail the car.

1) You're probably going to polish the car anyway, right? So what if there's a few extra swirls to polish out.
2) If there is a factory or transport paint defect, how will you be able to prove it was their fault without a dealer detail?

After I slept on this, I think you are right @anonymous .. I think the right process is going to be to literally be with the car from the time the first unwrapping begins, all the way until final detail is complete to observe the whole process.

Additionally, I am thinking that it might make the most sense to just have them wash/clean the car (I might bring my own supplies to utilize) and then still not have them apply the wax and just do that myself when I get home.

Regarding polishing, I was originally planning/hoping that this would not be a needed step with the factory fresh paint on such a high-end car. I do not own a PC or other polisher yet and was going to wait a few months to get one..

Do you guys think that this is going to be an absolute required step and if so, what do you recommend for an extremely non-aggressive and effective method/product to accomplish this?