DON'T WASH CAR! by Mike Phillips

**S2K** · 06-23-2014, 07:00 PM

When I ordered my FR-S I told the salesman I didn't want it washed or touched when it came in. Don't take the stickers off or anything, just back it off the truck and park it. He looked at me like I was crazy and kept asking if I was sure.
When I went to pick it up they had complied, stickers still on the glass and being shipped from Japan it was filthy. I could just see them rubbing all that dirt into the paint.
When the paperwork was done the salesman told me he was going to go fill it with gas and I had to instruct him that it only takes 93 and again he thought I was crazy so I had to show him the sticker on the fuel door. When I got home I walked around it and saw where he had spilled gas all down the side of it. That reaffirmed I made the right decision to not let them wash it.
After I very carefully washed it the first time I found scratches and swirls all over it. One big one right below the corner of the spoiler that looked like they dropped it while installing it. A few deep ones on the top of the bumper at the trunk. The right front fender looked like someone leaned against it with jeans on and did the Chubby Checker.
So it's not just the dealership, the factory and the shippers will trash your car too.
I polished most of the swirls and scratches out but some I just had to let go, I didn't want to sacrifice too much clear coat on it's first polish. Thought I better leave some for later down the road.
I went by the dealer last Saturday to get some oil filters and ran into the salesman and he said "you know you get free oil changes for 2 years". I said "yes I know but I will pass". I would rather change my own oil than have to fix whatever damage they will induce. I just hope I never need any major warranty work, anything small I will just fix myself and probably come out ahead in the long run.

I read a story on another forum just the other day where a guy had a staggered wheel setup on his FR-S and took it to the dealer to get a tail light replaced under warranty because it was fogging up. When he picked up his car they had rotated his tires for him as a free courtesy. Yea that's right, they put the big tires and wheels on the front and the skinnys on the rear!

**Andr3wilson** · 06-23-2014, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by S2K

When I ordered my FR-S I told the salesman I didn't want it washed or touched when it came in. Don't take the stickers off or anything, just back it off the truck and park it. He looked at me like I was crazy and kept asking if I was sure.
When I went to pick it up they had complied, stickers still on the glass and being shipped from Japan it was filthy. I could just see them rubbing all that dirt into the paint.
When the paperwork was done the salesman told me he was going to go fill it with gas and I had to instruct him that it only takes 93 and again he thought I was crazy so I had to show him the sticker on the fuel door. When I got home I walked around it and saw where he had spilled gas all down the side of it. That reaffirmed I made the right decision to not let them wash it.
After I very carefully washed it the first time I found scratches and swirls all over it. One big one right below the corner of the spoiler that looked like they dropped it while installing it. A few deep ones on the top of the bumper at the trunk. The right front fender looked like someone leaned against it with jeans on and did the Chubby Checker.
So it's not just the dealership, the factory and the shippers will trash your car too.
I polished most of the swirls and scratches out but some I just had to let go, I didn't want to sacrifice too much clear coat on it's first polish. Thought I better leave some for later down the road.
I went by the dealer last Saturday to get some oil filters and ran into the salesman and he said "you know you get free oil changes for 2 years". I said "yes I know but I will pass". I would rather change my own oil than have to fix whatever damage they will induce. I just hope I never need any major warranty work, anything small I will just fix myself and probably come out ahead in the long run.

I read a story on another forum just the other day where a guy had a staggered wheel setup on his FR-S and took it to the dealer to get a tail light replaced under warranty because it was fogging up. When he picked up his car they had rotated his tires for him as a free courtesy. Yea that's right, they put the big tires and wheels on the front and the skinnys on the rear!

I did the same when I got my tundra.

Does the FRS have that stupid locking filter cover (no locking - needs tool)?

**S2K** · 06-23-2014, 07:54 PM

Originally Posted by Andr3wilson

I did the same when I got my tundra.

Does the FRS have that stupid locking filter cover (no locking - needs tool)?

Nope just a regular spin on filter....it's got a Subaru engine!

**Bates Detailing** · 06-23-2014, 08:04 PM

Great Write-Up Mike...... If I can every afford a new car, I'll be sure to print a sign like that! Unfortunately - I own a detailing company :/ lol! But seriously, youd be surprised how many new cars we'll get to detail

**Angus** · 06-24-2014, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by swanicyouth

Funny you said that - I said the same thing. He bought the car in some God forsaken place in rural PA where they had the exact one he wanted - but emissions aren't required there.

He told me the salesman told him it was exempt because it was a new car for a year or so.

I dunno. When I was doing SI/EI every new car where I lived needed stickers.

Ahhh, Pennsyltucky... you never cease to amaze me...

Interestingly if your vehicle is registered outside of the following counties it doesn't need an emissions inspection:

Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Cambria, Centre, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Washington, Westmoreland and York.

So if your buddy doesn't have his new Sti registered in one of the above, he's good to go.

**DetailKitty** · 06-24-2014, 08:26 AM

Just print out a piece of paper that says DO NOT WASH and tape it to the dash... that's what I used to do.
Now they know me enough to not even try it.

But mostly I go to a small shop that if you said "wash it" they'd tell you to go ef yourself LOL

**Andr3wilson** · 06-24-2014, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by S2K

Nope just a regular spin on filter....it's got a Subaru engine!

Lucky! Mine is stupid!! Generally they are good at not messing it up tho

**Jbirk** · 05-11-2015, 08:42 PM

I know you think I am crazy for reviving this thread... Sorry, but I too have been asking my dealer to NOT wash my car for years.

It is kind of hard now because the detailer is a sort of friend of mine; he is the husband of a friend of a friend to be more specific, but I know him well and have a good rapport with him. They do not wash it, but each time they ask if it is okay to vaccum to which I respond... "sure." One time he came out and wanted to know if he could put tire dressing on. I basically said, "knock yourself out." They really aim to please but do not understand the nature of the request.

They all know me by now and do not wash my car, but they do not know why I do not allow it. Usually, they make comments that my car is the most beautiful car to come into the dealership and doesn't need a wash anyway... they do NOT know why that is. They know there is something different about it, but they do not know that the difference is mine isn't swirled.

The service manger once asked me, "What wax do you use?"

I said, nothing really special... Just Meguiar's Nxt Tech 2.0, Ultimate Liquid/Paste... He responded, "Have tried some of those Meguiar's products and they don't look like that... what's your secret?" I responded, "my secret is a swirl-free finish."

One time it was dirty when I took it in... probably had a week or two worth of road grime... and they asked about three times to wash it. I refused and they were completely befuddled. They were like, "normally it is so clean."

The whole time I am thinking... I would rather just have to wash it than polish the whole thing with Meguiar's or Menzurna prodcuts again.

**SYMAWD** · 05-11-2015, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by S2K

So it's not just the dealership, the factory and the shippers will trash your car too.
I polished most of the swirls and scratches out but some I just had to let go, I didn't want to sacrifice too much clear coat on it's first polish. Thought I better leave some for later down the road.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...rl-option.html

**SameGuy** · 05-11-2015, 09:09 PM

I really didn't think they'd try to wash my clown car at the MB dealership last week so I didn't mention it or hang my CQuartz "Do Not Wash" mirror hanger.

When the car jockey brought it around front after the alignment, he apologized that they didn't wash it because I had a "ripped roof". I gasped, then realized he meant I had left my glass rear window unzipped when I came in (it's a custom aftermarket glass window to replace the folding vinyl one, so they naturally had never seen one). They did manage to acid wash my CQUK-coated wheels, though. Grrrrr.