Dealer disaster need advice

H

Hawkeye_TDI

New member
Hello all,

I have a delimea and I need advice.

I took my M5 to the dealer for some work. When I brought it in I specifically asked the NOT to wash it. Well, they did, and they really messed it up. Swirls everywhere.



To make matters worse when I confronted them, they said that washing a car would not cause swirls. ell. don't you know I let them know that they were dead wrong!





Here's my problem. They have offered to detail my car for me at no cost. Today I talked to the detailer, who says he has been detailing cars for 30 years. He wants to hand compound the car with a fine cut compound, and use some wax that I have never heard of. He said he NEVER uses a machine. The problem is that he insists on waxing it. I told him I was a Zaino user and did not want wax. I only wanted him to remove the swirls. But he insists that it should be waxed.



What do you guys think? Should I let him wax it? Or do you think he's going to just fill the swirls with a glaze and then cover it with a wax? I think he said the wax was made by "car bright. Ever heard of this?

I plan to visit the shop tomorrow and talk with him some more. This way I'll have a look at his environment.



Oh, one more thing When I asked him what towel he uses to remove the wax he said, and I quote " a real soft one" When I asked him if it was a MF or cotton, he said "it's cotton I think, and it won't marr the finish."



The more I think about it the less I like it.



What do you guys suggest? I know I could do it but I don't have the time to dedicate to the right job.



HELP!:confused: :confused: :confused: :bow :bow :bow
 
If it was my car, I'd do it by myself. Why take anymore chances? If something goes wrong what will they be offering you? a new paint job?
 
My professional opinion , it sounds like he is going to hide the swirls thats why he has to wax it. I have done plenty of cars where I was asked not to apply wax do I like doing it know but if thats what the customer wants.



With a comment like a real soft towel , he's one of the most unprofessional detailers I've ever heard. At least he could have said 100% cotton , heck when I'm asked what towels I use I give my clients the complete run down , 100% cotton for dirty work , 70/30 mircofiber for everything that touches the paint.



Don't let this guy or dealership touch the car , find a profesional detailer and make them pay for it. Why your at it order some new zaino to replace what was on your car , there is no reason you should have to re-Zaino at your cost.



Hope everything works out , btw nice car!:xyxthumbs
 
Don't let them detail it. Chances are they will do more harm than good and you will have more problems to fix. There would be no point in waxing it since your a Zaino user.



Ask them what full detail costs, when tell you ask the dealership to cut you a check for that amount. :up
 
LOL! sounds like my problem. I told the dealer not to swirl the paint when they were putting the clear bra on. They put the clear bra ontop of swirls, grrr. They claim they were already there. Will fight it later this week.
 
If he doesn't use a buffer, and he doesn't have arms like Scottwax, you'd better stay away.



If he does have arms like Scottwax, you probably don't want to argue with him. :eek:



Seriously, I would just cut your losses and bring it home and do it yourself. Even a half assed job by you would be better than what they can do.
 
I'm with detailbarn. It sounds to me like he's going to throw on some glaze and then put wax over it so the hiding/filling properties will hopefully last a few weeks before they re-appear. Then you can't say they didn't remove them and they'll tell you YOU did it or something. Well, maybe I'm reaching here, but I can see this happening.....



I get this impression also partially because it sounds like he's going to do it by hand, and his response to your question if it was MF or cotton is worrisome. If you're being so specific and obviously educated about the fine points of detailing he should have had a better response than "cotton I think" :eek:



I think the brand he mentioned is actually called "Car Brite", it sounds familiar. Try running a search here for that....



If I had an M5 (:bow) I wouldn't let them touch the car again and just slave over it one weekend at a time. Like SRL said, I would get them to write me a cheque.





PS: One other detail that really bothers me is this: Is this a detailer who works for the same dealership that washed your car? How can it be that their car washing people do so badly and right next door is a self-proffessed "experienced" detailer??? Makes me go

:hm
 
He evidently hasn't learned much in 30 years of detailing, that's scary IMO. You would think he'd at least know the composition of what he buffs stuff off with. Not very professional.



Best of luck to you.
 
Guitarman I could not agree with you more. What the heck has this guy learned in 30 years. he will never remove the swirls whithout a high speed buffer. We do more black vehicles than anyone in the area. We charge an additional $39.95 to our regular polish price when there are a ton of swirls. We guarantee 95% of all swirls to be removed, not hiden.
 
Drive that M5 as fast as you can away from that dealer, and write a letter to BMW of North America. Some BMW dealers detailers are AWESOME (BMW of Manhattan, for example, they use top of the line products and MF's, etc.).



Ask the moron if he is AUTOPIA certified. Come to think of it, that's a great idea. Let's start something like AST Certified Technicians for detailing, where detailers have to pass certain competency tests to gain the AUTOPIA Certified patch.



I'm going to start a thread on that...
 
Thanks everyone for your responses. You have all confirmed my fears. I will ask them for compensation instead.



Thanks again! you guys are the greatist

Bruce:bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow
 
jcattarulla is right BMW has great customer service, maybe you are just at the wrong dealership but if you hit up the corporate office with your claim you should get compensated. You have proof that they washed your car when you asked them not to and you did this because of your fear of swirls. You also got the wrong answers from the detailer, there is no way you can trust him with a hyundai let alone an M5. You should be able to get compensated for a full detail including compounding, might be worth it to take a ride to Staten Island (NY Detailer) or Jersey (Detail Barn) and get it right, I am sure they could provide a written estimate that you can submit to BMW. If you love your car with Z you should have your car that way.
 
I guess I have 30 years experience myself. I helped my Dad wash his cars when I was 5, and 30 years later I am still washing cars.....



PLease do yourself a favor and take care of it yourself. Take as many pics of the swirls before you remove them. BMW should compensate you somehow....
 
jcattarulla! Thats a great idea!! :up :up One day, Autopia will become the authority for detailers everywhere, like the BBB! Can't wait to get my patch! :D
 
thomasfl said:
jcattarulla is right BMW has great customer service, maybe you are just at the wrong dealership but if you hit up the corporate office with your claim you should get compensated. You have proof that they washed your car when you asked them not to and you did this because of your fear of swirls. You also got the wrong answers from the detailer, there is no way you can trust him with a hyundai let alone an M5. You should be able to get compensated for a full detail including compounding, might be worth it to take a ride to Staten Island (NY Detailer) or Jersey (Detail Barn) and get it right, I am sure they could provide a written estimate that you can submit to BMW. If you love your car with Z you should have your car that way.
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I have heard good things about NYD. Does he use Zaino?
 
Some time ago, I had to repair a rear door on my M5. The dealer did a mess as some unskilled one machine- polished the car. I could complain, but I though it was easier to get my PC and 3m compound and solve it my self. Two hours later, my BMW was flawless.
 
rcwaldo said:
I guess I have 30 years experience myself. I helped my Dad wash his cars when I was 5, and 30 years later I am still washing cars.....
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LOL i found your reponse quite humorous! thanks for the laugh
 
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