Picking up a new car

H

Hitman

New member
Quick question:



When I pick up my brand new car (which is black, btw), I don't want the dealer to prep it..... I want the exterior paint untouched. The cars are delivered with white plastic across the hood, roof and trunk.



Should I be so anal about the dealer not prepping it? If so, any tips on making sure that they don't touch it?



I only ask because I've seen brand new cars leave the dealership with swirls/spider web scratches.
 
Here's what you say:



"I want the vehicle delivered to me unprepped, you can remove the plastic etc and do the pre-delivery inspection, but DO NOT DETAIL IT. I understand that you are directed to detail it by the manufacturer, and my CSI questionaire will state that it was detailed to my satisfaction"



Car dealerships are so resistant to allowing a car off the lot undetailed because if the customer isn't satisfied, it can come back to haunt them in the form of the CSI survey. The secret to making them not touch it, is to tell them you understand this and you'll state that the car was spotlessly clean.
 
Yep! This thread comes up regularly. Do a search on "new + car" and you'll find some helpful tips ... and :( some sad horror stories.
 
I would let them remove any protective films or coatings and wash it only, so you can do a complete finish inspection prior to taking delivery.



First we only buy cars from a dealer which has a policy of disclosing ANY post production/transit or lot repairs and usually eliminate ALL vehicles which have had any damage. I say usually because on my wifes car we were told that a dent doctor type company removed a shallow hood depression on her car; there was no evidence of any irregularity in the area worked on. We make it very clear that, there will be no dealer indentification on the vehicle, and that the deal is contingent on my pre-delivery inspection.



Have never, ever had a problem, and our cars are always parked very far away from all others.
 
I prepped my new car myself a few months back. dealer was very cooperative, even let me put the new car inspection sticker in the window. My car is black also and it is a great joy to have a swirl free, (temporarily) absolutely perfect finish. My car was washed only and when I got it home I washed it and cleaned and sealed the paint. It was such a pleasure! Hope to be able to do it again many times over. Interestingly, I never received my survey; just something from JD Powers which had nothing to do with my dealer.



Best of luck with prepping your new car.
 
Hitman said:
Should I be so anal about the dealer not prepping it?
Click to expand...
Yes. Absolutely. Unequivocalbly. :D Welcome to Autopia - it sounds like you have the right attitude! :xyxthumbs



Great post by GoodnClean. :up
 
So guess what happened? I went to pick up my car, and they did not detail it as promised. But they did drill two holes in the front bumper for the plate bracket, which I specifically told them NOT to do!!!



Sales guy said that the tech did a normal pre-delivery inspection and that he didn't know that I didn't want holes in my bumper.....whatever...idiots.



But then came the kicker- the back of the car had a whitish looking mark on the back bumper. It looked to me like the type of mark that happens when the plastic is bent. In other words, I think they had the back of my car pressed against the front of another on their lot. I asked if they could fix it, and they said, "but I thought you didn't want it cleaned up?"



Uhggg. No, I didn't want it cleaned, but I didn't want it damaged either. After letting their detail guys attempt to fix it, and a 30 minute discussion with the sales manager, I walked out without a new car. I refused to take delivery of the car.



Now here's where I need some opinions---



I originally was buying a black car, which I ordered more than 3 months ago. After this mess was all over with, the sales manager offered to give me a new one coming in in 2 weeks which is identicle in every way, except that it's silver.



Well, I debated long and hard about choosing between silver and black in the first place, so getting the silver car wouldn't really bother me. Then again, my last 3 cars were all silver. I love the "hi-tech" look of a silver car, and the way the car always appears clean, not to mention that silver tends to hide imperfections like swirls etc... But I also realize that you can't beat black for the awesome reflections, depth etc...



I'm far from a professional detailer, and I promised myself years ago that I wouldn't buy another black car after owning one, but I'm torn.



What exactly does it take to keep a black car in top shape? I know all about chenille wash mitts and microfiber towels and stuff, but I just want to get an opinion on what I'm really getting myself into here... If it's not TOO bad, then I'll just wait for another black one. Otherwise, I'm gonna go with the silver.
 
Hitman,



I am sooooooooooooooooo sorry to hear about this disaster!



What I feared may have happened with my new car happened to you.



You are absolutely right to refuse delivery of the car. I would put this dealer on the black list!



What an incredibly frustrating and time consuming ordeal!



I probably would've vomitted. ( But that's just overboardly obessive me)



You really want to continue to bother with this dealer? I know you'll have to wait for a long time all over again, but I would've lost all faith in them.



In short, all i can say is if you do not want to do some kind of detailing on a black car *everyday* to keep it looking its best and minimize siwrls, micro scratches, etc, I would recommend the silver.



I really hope all does work out well for you in the end. Please keep us posted.



Best of luck,



Bill
 
What a crappy experience. Sorry to hear that. IMHO, if you are looking to find out which is easier to keep in top shape, I have one word - SILVER!!!
 
Hitman- OMG, so sorry to hear about this!! I can only tell you what *I'D* do. DON'T TAKE THE BLACK CAR!!! I'd turn it down over the front plate holes alone. Ohio "requires" them. I say "no sale if you do it" and I stick to it. No holes in my cars unless they come that way, on all of them, from the factory. And that white mark, that's DAMAGE. I'd also refuse the car over that. You're probably talking paint work to fix it. As Bill D. suggested, any way to just work with a different dealer? Man, buying a new car is supposed to be FUN!



On silver vs. black, I've owned a LOT of black cars. Always said "I'll always own black" etc. Now almost all of my cars are silver and I LOVE it. Honestly, you probably won't be able to keep a black daily driver nearly as nice as a silver one no matter WHAT you do. With black, a lot of capable detailers just have to resign themselves to a level of imperfection that they really don't like (I know, a lot of Autopians are exceptions to this...but still). If you haven't lived with a black car for a year or so, you really can't imagine the difference (and that's NOT a slam!). It'll eat your life.
 
I am sorry to hear your horror story. What car manufacturer was it? You did the right thing and refused delivery. I am waiting for my car to arrive in the states. It is currently in route. I am also worried about what the dealership will do to the car. I think you should go with silver. My last to cars have been silver and they are easy to maintain. This time I changed and ordered silver grey. I hope I made a good change in color!
 
Wait a minute; don't work with the dealer because of a kid in the lot porter division, or the truck driver, or maybe someone in the port or at the rail head damaging the bumper?



The guy was right to not take delivery, but the dealer is trying to make him satisfied.



Every now and then we have a customer ask to not have a car detailed. We don't detail it. It's pretty simple, like GoodnClean says. Most of us are car guys, if not Autopians, and we understand. But that survey's pretty important to the sales people. Bonuses and mfr incentives are tied to it.



Tom
 
I totally agree with Accumulator on the black car issues. I still have my 93 black Maxima and for the sake of my mental health I've learned to live with some imperfections I can't remove on my own. Still looks better than 99.9% of the cars out there.



Detailing is supposed to be a fun hobby for me so I know I'll eventually sigh when the new Audi gets a few ( hopefully less) imperfections.



I view having a black car as a great way to experiment with different polishes, waxes and sealant in addition to improving my skills to see what "formula" ultimately works best.



No matter the color, definitely have fun and please continue to keep us posted.



Regards,

Bill
 
Thanks for all the sympathetic responses.



I admit that I was angry over the holes drilled into the bumper, but I can certainly understand how it "slipped" thru and got done anyway...



And as for the damage to the rear bumper, yeah, I know it's gonna require painting... that's why I refused the car.



But the dealer is trying to do the right thing, so I'm willing to still work with them. I dunno, I might just take the silver car coming in the next couple of weeks.



BTW, the dealer is my local Infiniti dealer.



The car is a G35 coupe, just like this one:



kimster7604.jpg




Now, I might end up with one that looks more like this:



phr34k01.jpg




Hopefully, those pics will work. I don't know if you can attach images here....



Damn, those are sexy cars:)
 
Wow Hitman, sorry to hear about the misfortune!



I agree with Mosca, the dealer is trying their very best to rectify the situation. Doesn't sound like they were combative with you or anything. I definately wouldn't blacklist the dealership.



Personally, I love the G35 coupe, and I think it looks fantastic in silver. Infiniti's silver is gorgeous, darker than traditional. I think it looks great.



I labored with that decision too, silver vs the black garnet (which is almost black, when the sun hits it it turns metallic burgundy) for months and months. Finally, I got the garnet just because Lexus' silver isn't spectacular (too tan I feel). I was very afraid of detailing the dark car too, but its honestly not that bad. However, its close to black, but not black. Black is probably a good deal harder.



Here's what I personally would do. Call around to some other dealers, ask if they have that vehicle in stock. if they do, then your dealer may be able to barter for that car. If not, then I'd take the silver one, but I'd ask for a couple hundred bucks off the price for my trouble.
 
Silver is my favorite color by far for vehicles. Not only because it is easy to detail and maintain, but because I just think most cars look the best and the classiest in silver. As has also been mentioned, Infiniti has a great silver color too, and believe me there are many variations of silver among the different manufacturers.



That silver G35 in your pic looks much better than the the black one to me, maybe it is just because the wheels are detailed better.



Bucky
 
Hitman,



DO NOT TAKE DELIVERY ON ANY VEHICLE YOU ARE NOT 100% SATISFIED WITH! It's your money! If the dealer has problems with that, escalate it up to Infinity Customer Service and explain your issue.



Second, Since I own a new Lexus SC430 and it's got the low profile, do yourself a favor.... ARMORGLOVE the car! Within 15 days, mine got stone chipping!



Go with whatever color your really want! You have to drive it and look at it, not us!



If the dealer is such an A-hole, take your business elsewhere AFTER you contacted Infinity CS to insure you get a vehicle that is not damaged, not preped, and no holes unless a written request is delivered from you to the dealer. They can help you in securing a better quality vehicle from another dealer and FAST, as they do not want to loose your business!



The current dealer will loose any hold-back from Infinity if you move your sale from dealer A to Dealer B, but all in all, it's Infinity that gets the sale.



A good site to check out is carbuyingtips.com for all scams and info on dealer tricks.



Bottom line: You are paying for a new vehicle, unblemished or adulterated. No sense in bickering, just get what YOU want PERIOD!



Call the Customer Service, get a written or emailed resolution from them, present it to the dealer and go get the car.



Regards,

Deanski
 
I see no evidence that the dealer has been an ******* at all, in fact he seemed to understand 100% when Hitman didnt want the black one because of the damage, then offered the silver one because it came with the same equipment.
 
Well, Hitman's getting what he wants and all's well that ends well. And they DID try to work something out (as well they should, they're in the business of selling cars).



Yeah, it's sorta unfair to hold the dealer responsible for the bumper damage but you gotta hold SOMEONE responsible and the dealer is the customer's "primary contact". They get the grief on such things. No, that doesn't make them an [expletive]. Again, it's good that they worked something out. Plenty of dealers are NOT this good; it bodes WELL for the future. All in all, I think things are gonna turn out just fine for Hitman, and that's what really counts.



Where the dealer DID really mess up, *IMO* is the bumper hole issue. Stuff like that ONLY "slips through" when someone screws up, and they should suffer the consequences of their actions. THEY will just forget about it if the car is accepted, while the Autopian will possibly be bothered indefinitely (THAT car looks SO much better with no front plate!). If a car is REFUSED over it, the dealer has motivation to NOT make THAT mistake again, if it ISN'T, why care about some guy's not wanting a front plate?



Yeah, I *DO* get all revved up about this stuff; I hold others to the same standards I set for myself. As I said, BUYING A NEW CAR IS SUPPOSED TO BE *FUN*. If someone spoils the fun, there should be consequences. SO many posts recently about some dealer/mechanic/etc. spoiling the fun.........
 
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