Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

[xebola]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

There is no way the car would have left the factory with paint like that. The semi-trained monkeys at the dealership did the damage. Wait. That's not fair to monkeys.

LOL, but I can't really blame the guys that did this. I don't even think that they are even semi-trained, or given the right tools. Hey it took a lot of work to do that much damage.

What angers me is that the higher-ups who took a look at it just didn't care.

I am certain that because of their negligence, ignorance, and arrogance, that this will just keep on happening.

[Setec Astronomy]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

Apparently the salesman bragged that they spent three hours prepping it. It was three hours too long.

He called the sales manager at the dealership and told them that the car was badly scratched. The sales manager retorted by saying that technically he shouldn't have qualified for the VIP pricing that he received. How is that relevant? The guy basically said "You didn't pay enough for the car so it's OK that we wrecked the finish." How do you like that?

So my friend parks his car in direct sun. A few guys from the dealership come out to look at it. I am not sure of their positions or rank. One guy did all of the talking. He said "Yeah I see swirls in a black car," in a tone that implied "what do you expect." Apparently this is their standard.

He acted like...we were just being difficult.


My assessment of the paint is as follows:

To remove these defects it will require #83 followed by #80 as well as some special attention in various spots. I'm pretty sure this will set it straight. But I shouldn't have to 83 a brand new car, should I?

As others (and yourself) have said, this is pretty much par for the course for dealers. They are either uneducated or don't see proper washing etc. as having the requisite bang-for-the-buck. As Superior Shine said, everyone wants to pay bottom dollar, rather than extra money to have the car handled properly.

I bought a leftover last year that had been used as a "line demonstrator", so I'm not sure how many washes they did to it (BTW, even a car that has never been driven except off the truck may have been washed many times in the dealer lot, many DO send a crew around to wash the cars in the lot, particularly the ones more in the front, this can be a hose-off and dirty towel wipedown). Like STG, I did a thorough walk around (on an overcast day), checking for damage. I did see a couple scratches in lower areas, and a couple bird etches that I thought would be permanent, which I was willing to accept for the "leftover" pricing. No dings though, and I didn't see any swirls (except on the taillights...I should have thought about that a bit more). I specifically forbade them to wash the car (although they thought it was ok to wash the wheels, apparently). I don't know if it was the overcast, the color, or perhaps they had glazed the car, but I brought it home in the evening, gave it a wash and it looked fine. However, the next day in the sun, I saw this:


The bird etches polished out, the swirls didn't (well, the light ones did, but there were more deep ones than light ones). Next new car will be "new" with the plastic still on.

In response to your recent postulates, I think that swirling a black clearcoat car is too easy to do, for anything to really change. Cars get a lot of dirt on them in transit, when they have no LSP on the paint. All it takes is one careless wash after to get what your friend did. The people who do the new car prep at the dealer are low on the totem pole and are not retained, so even if they did manage to properly train their prep staff, once high school graduation comes, they would have to start over again.

[DaGonz]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

That's a good point, but I think we already do. What is that dealer prep fee? That is usually a few hundred bucks. I think this dealer pays someone minimum wage to rub on your car with some filfthy rags for a while and then charges you a few hundred bucks for it.

Now I know that these cars need a certain amount of work right off the truck. I just wish dealers like this would stop doing things to make the paint worse.

At least in my friends case he can get it fixed for free. So I guess it's not so bad.

Excuse me for screaming in caps here, but...

DO NOT PAY A DEALER PREP FEE!

This is a pure BS charge that puts extra $$$ in the dealership's pockets.

The dealers are paid a holdback fee, usually 3% of MSRP that is supposed to take care of "dealer prep" . For most cars "dealer prep" is taking trhe plastic off the seats, installing the wheel covers/hubs, attaching the antenna, filling the fuel tank and having their "new car prep" people doing the swirl-o-matic wash and quick holographic buff.

There's a "stealership" in the area that not only tries to charge you for "dealer prep" but also a "lot charge" for "keeping the vehicle washed and waxed prior to delivery"... yeah, right...

[xebola]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

...and having their "new car prep" people doing the swirl-o-matic wash and quick holographic buff.

Yeah he knew about dealer installed swirls but just dropped the ball on that one. He said he won't even let them take the plastic off of his next car. So the lesson is learned. Of course that's a few years down the road.

[xebola]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

Just to follow up.

I finally got a chance to correct that paint. I have not seen it in the daylight yet but the owner called me this afternoon and he is totally thrilled. He looked at it on the roof of a parking garage. His eye is much more critical now than when he bought the car.

That long scratch in the hood is gone. As is the one on the trunk lid. I'm going back weekend after next to try to tweak it out.

I think I got the swirls comletely out and about 95% of the linear stuff. It was tough. There was so much different stuff on it that every panel seemed like a test spot. It took me forever but I learned a lot, had a lot of fun, and got a really cool Ipod which rocks.

Thanks to everyone here. I couldn't have done it without you.



It still needs some work but I think it's gonna turn out great.

Thanks again.

[PorscheGuy997]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

Wow, that is true eye candy right there!

[Blaze]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

Wow, nicely done!! That's quite a change from those initial pictures!! And congrats on your new Ipod too!

[benhui86]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

o hey you have a brat!! awesome!! take pix!

[HagFan]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

Maybe a "show and tell" trip to the dealer would turn them around, save other customers similar headaches--those that notice-- and maybe give you some detailing business.

[xebola]

Re: Dealer Installed Scratches - Prepare to Cringe

Hey thanks for the kind words. I would like to take it back to the dealer to show them.

I think it's gonna look pretty good but I haven't seen it in sunlight yet. I have 2 Brinkmans, but you guys know it's just not the same. We will probably have to live with a few of the deeper scratches but they are at least toned way down.

That Brat belongs to my friends brother, although I might buy it from him. The first thing I will do is take that ill fitting cap off. I know that it needs new brakes and who knows what else.

Regards