New Vehicle Question

[pricha00]

Its been a long time since I have been on here but with a new vehicle on order I might get back on the detailing horse. Up North here we only have 6 months of quality detailing time, and the urge wains when I look outside and see a salt covered vehicle and the temps are well below freezing.

Well with a new Cherokee Trailhawk on order, and its arrival in late April I hope, I have a question related to PDI and dealer prep.

While I don't want any paint defects from any prior washing before I pick up the SUV, I don't want to seem like a complete moron telling the dealer to not even wash my new car. I don't think the Cherokees come with any plastic on them as they are built in Toledo and come to Canada on train and truck so a quick wash and I would guess some quick detailer is all they apply.

The color I have chosen is Anvil, its kind of a flat bluish/gray and it should be much less fussy than the black on our current Rav4.

I am looking forward to trying one of the new Ceramic coatings after a good cleanup ( clay if needed ) and hopefully no swirls will need to be removed before any finish work.

I do notice the Trailhawk has alot of black plastic trim on the lower body so I will need to determine if my Optimum Tire gel will work well if I dilute it and apply with a sponge.

Well I hope to see you all here and to learn some of the newer techniques.

Pat.

[Evan.J]

Its been a long time since I have been on here but with a new vehicle on order I might get back on the detailing horse. Up North here we only have 6 months of quality detailing time, and the urge wains when I look outside and see a salt covered vehicle and the temps are well below freezing.

Well with a new Cherokee Trailhawk on order, and its arrival in late April I hope, I have a question related to PDI and dealer prep.

While I don't want any paint defects from any prior washing before I pick up the SUV, I don't want to seem like a complete moron telling the dealer to not even wash my new car. I don't think the Cherokees come with any plastic on them as they are built in Toledo and come to Canada on train and truck so a quick wash and I would guess some quick detailer is all they apply.

The color I have chosen is Anvil, its kind of a flat bluish/gray and it should be much less fussy than the black on our current Rav4.

I am looking forward to trying one of the new Ceramic coatings after a good cleanup ( clay if needed ) and hopefully no swirls will need to be removed before any finish work.

I do notice the Trailhawk has alot of black plastic trim on the lower body so I will need to determine if my Optimum Tire gel will work well if I dilute it and apply with a sponge.

Well I hope to see you all here and to learn some of the newer techniques.

Pat.

Congrats on the new ride!

If you want to save your self the hassle tell the dealership not to touch it period. You paid for the vehicle so its your and if you tell them not to touch it they should honor that. I will say make sure that its written down some where as well so they can't said oh we forgot. :dblthumb2:

[SYMAWD]

Honestly, your Jeep will likely already have minor defects from the factory.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/77009-fiso-factory-installed-swirl-option.html

Jeep probably does apply protection inside and out. VW does on their cars coming out of Tennessee.

Tell them not to unwrap and not to wash it.

As for PDI, I don't know what it involves in a Jeep. It varies between manufacturers and what is and isn't functional or installed at the factory.

[pricha00]

Honestly, your Jeep will likely already have minor defects from the factory.
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/77009-fiso-factory-installed-swirl-option.html

Jeep probably does apply protection inside and out. VW does on their cars coming out of Tennessee.

Tell them not to unwrap and not to wash it.

As for PDI, I don't know what it involves in a Jeep. It varies between manufacturers and what is and isn't functional or installed at the factory.


My wife would have a complete freak out if our new car came home with white plastic all over the front of it. I am unsure of the process but I used to know a prep guy at Toyota and the new cars off the boats needed some type of spray to completely remove the coverings put on for shipping.

I will go over the new ride from head to toe before I take delivery and if I find too many defects I make ask them to pay for the correction. I really don't wanna take my Makita to fresh clear coat.

Pat

[ShaunD]

Hope for the best, and prepare for the worse.:)
The problem with even letting the dealership remove the plastic/protective coverings is that the vehicle needs to be properly wash beforehand to remove the dirt and other contaminates on it from shipping. Then once the plastic is removed an adhesive remover may be needed to remove the remnants of the plastic's adhesive. Once that is all done the vehicle will most likely need an iron neutralization like Iron-X, followed by claying the paint and glass. You would be surprised how much iron gets on a vehicle in shipping from the trains and trucks. The steps all very necessary for any vehicle, especially if you plan on coating it. As for plastics, I would go with coating them as well. Opti-coat, Gtechiq C4, and CarPro DLUX are excellent options that will looks as good, if not better than a tire/trim dressing. And any plastic/trim coating will last at least 6 months to 2 years, if not the life of the trim. I light polishing will most likely be necessary to remove light defects that will occur during manufacturing and shipping, as well as anything that may occur while removing protective coverings/films. A finishing pad and light polish will at the least, boost the gloss of the paint before sealing it with a coating.

[swanicyouth]

Not all dealers hack up cars. My BMW and Nissan dealer's cars look defect free in their showrooms. I'd scope out the dealer before I bought the car there. I'd tell them I'd expect my car to look like THAT.

Yeah, I'm sure it does feel stupid telling them to leave the wrappings on the car.

[PreludeVTEC01]

Congrats!! Looking forward to seeing photos once it arrives!