A little dealer frustration

S

Sheldon

New member
A little over a week ago I wrecked my one year old car in a parking lot head on collision. Fortunately, neither driver was hurt. The other car was able to drive away from the 10mph accident. My honda was not. Therein begins the story.



I have been dealing with a honda dealer to repair my automobile. In talking with the dealer over the last few days, the subject of washing and waxing my car after all the repairs to the front end were completed came up. I requested that the dealer not wash the car as I am extremely particular about the products and method in washing my car.



As the body shop person and I talked about products etc., the body shop person told me that my method of washing the car with Eimann Fabrik product, using a sea sponge, and a microfiber towel was a sure recipe for swirl marks. In over a year that I have had my car, it still does not have any swirl marks. I take great pride in the near show room finish of my car. Since owning the car I have only used Zaino products except for the Eimann Fabrik car wash. The car simply glows. I receive many compliments from the glow and questions about the product I use and techniques.



The more the body shop person talked the more skeptical I became. The clincher came when I was told that for $40 I could buy a car wash and wax system that would make water bead on my car. I tried to explain to the person that this already happens.



I have two questions:

1. Any advice for how to handle the body shop people? In particular what should I be looking for in terms of the repairs made? I'd still like the car to maintain a near flawless shine.

2. How long do I have to wait before I can Zaino the car's "dog house"?
 
biggest thing to look for is that they replace with new OEM parts (since it's a dealer that should't be an issue). the other is that they match paint well adn blend it properly. since the car is only a year old, it shouldn't be as much of an issue sicne the paint will all look fairly new, but on older cars its a bigger problem. check for overspray when you pick it up



I'd look at other cars they repair to make sure you like the work. IMO, there are better shops than the dealer for repairs. go to a pro that does this stuff you'll probably like the results better.
 
I would tell the Autobody guy to worry about the paint and body work, and I would worry about the detailing. They want to detail it, so the car is presentable to the customer on delivery. If you picked the car up with all the sanding dust all over it , you would probally freak. Also, if they detailed it, you might not see any imperfections that are there, but covered up. Remember, after they wet sand the trash outta of the paint, they WILL have to compound and polish the sanding scratches out. Just make sure they are not covering them, but truly removing them. My 2 cents. If you dont want them to wash/detail your car, make sure they dont! Make them SIGN a waiver requesting them NOT to. I would have it signed, in front of me, by the autobody manager, and the dealership manager, and if they dont follow your wishes, then go from there. Jason
 
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