New Car Detailing

D

dmehak

New member
When my new car arrives from the factory I'll be asking the dealer not to wash or wax it. I'm looking for opinions on what steps I should take to detail the vehicle for the first time.



So far I'm thinking:



1. Wash & Dry

2. Clay

3. Seal

4. Wax



I would assume I can skip polishing and glazing because the car is brand new? Any advice would be appreciated.



Thanks.
 
If you are lucky enough to actually have the dealer follow your instructions, no, you shouldn't need to polish anything. Bear in mind that sometimes there is some spot touchup done on the paint line, but it should be done well enough that you won't need to fix it.



Going back to the dealer...it is SOP for them to wash cars...so you need to minimize the time that the car is at the dealer, try and keep tabs on the build date, expected arrival, and check back often...they may want to wash it to check for shipping damage, etc. They will think they are doing you a favor by washing it with a floor broom and drying it with dirty rags that they lay out on the floor to dry.
 
Five Star said:
tell them to leave the wrapping on it, that way you know they didnt touch it
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Yeah.



If they remove the film or otherwise do any cosmetic prep, you can't be sure that a new car won't need polishing. If they take the transit film off they pretty much have to wash it or do *something* to remove the residue. I let the Mazda dealer remove the film from the MPV and they scratched it pretty badly in a few places (this lead to a discussion with the owner's son about why I patronize another dealer for my Audi stuff ;) ). I learned my lesson...next time I take the film off myself.



Bill D had the right idea when a family member bought a new Benz- he took his stuff to the dealership and removed the film there. That way they could see that any paint issues existed upon delivery (thankfully there weren't any). If you take the vehicle with the wrap on and discover problems, you might be SOL unless you have a good relationship with the dealer (voice of experience...a '95 Cadillac STS :rolleyes: ).



BTW, AutoInt's New Car Prep is a great solvent for the film residue (it's specifically made for new-car cleanup) and generally handy stuff to have around anyhow.



I know it sounds like a huge hassle and that people worry about looking weird, but I'd prefer that over having a messed up new car.
 
dmehak said:
Will washing the car remove the residue left behind from the transit film? Or is it not strong enough?
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I hesitate to generalize, but on mine some of it was tenacious and did require solvent. Think of it like a Post-It...the usually peel right off but sometimes you can get glue residue. I sometimes wonder if sun exposure/etc. has something to do with it :nixweiss



I bet a general-purpose solvent like a bug & tar remover or something similar would work but I've never tried it as I've always had something more appropriate on hand.
 
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