*Warning! No diving!* paint appears very deep! *No life guard on Duty*

T

tldesigner

New member
... do a PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection)? I took delivery of my Cobra last April... I called repeatedly and requested [told] them NOT to detail the car... not to even pull off the shipping plastic that came from the factory!



Nothing could have been more enjoyable than slowly pulling off all that body protectant, removing the interior plastic and giving it its first wash....aahhhhhhh! The dealer was going to do me a favor by having some 17 year-old do the job in 20 minutes... I picked the car up about 4:00 pm and didn't finish with the wash till about midnight.



Am I the only one?
 
but i will next time...must have been cool dood...to do all that....pretty sure lots have done it here....man that must feel good!!!did he think you were a nut like others have posted...:p
 
What all is involved in pulling off the plastic? Is it hard, or does it come right off? Is there any residue left? Can anybody with patience and care do it, or is there special lubricants and/or equipment needed?
 
Ahhh... great question Chuck! I asked a co-worker who used to work at a dealership and knew about pulling off the plastic. He said what the body shop confirmed... pull as fast as you want... no problems! I, of course, made a slight ritual out of the process!



No chemicals or release agents needed.
 
Floni:



My salesman seemed to take it in stride... he indicated that most new Cobra owners are a little retentive. But by reading the posts on this great web page I realize that... I'm just NORMAL!!!!!!!!
 
Over on F150online I hear that a lot of guys do that when they order their Lightnings.



I really wish I could get an L.



Just started posting here so most people don't know me yet but you should learn quickly that I really want an L so expect to hear me complain a lot about not having a garage or an L. :D
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Andre' [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I love the Lightnings, you can do burnout all day long with one. :D [/b]</blockquote>
Chevelles, too! (yes, this was my car)

chevelle.jpg



In addition to not letting a dealer so much as wash your car, also insist that no dealer emblem be affixed to your car. They sure as hell are not going to pay you monthly to advertise for them.

I have a customer who writes into the contract (and makes the salesman and manager sign) "This contract is null and void if a dealer emblem is attached to the car upon delivery."
 
I told the Chevy dealer not to touch my '02 vette, just let me pick it up as is. They had to do some stuff like ensure that all the fluids were full and all the electronics worked. They also removed the plastic but I didn't mind that, actually. The only thing they did that bugged me was they used the wipers/washer to clean the windshield. The car was really filthy when they did this, but it didn't seem to scratch the glass.



They were pretty cool about it, and they also said that they were used to new vette buyers requesting this.
 
I just got my first brand new 2002 car. I wish I thought of not having my car detailed. When I first picked it up, I was so excited, the clover green speckle clear coat paint was so beautiful. I did not notice any blemishes what so ever. The paint job was perfect. It was a joy to look at.



I got it home and had to wash it the second day. I commute 100 miles a day to work, so the car gets dirty real quick. Anyway, the swirl marks began to appear. The first thing I thought was, what did I do when I washed it? I realize now it must have been from the dealer, because I did everything right. I got Meguire's Gold Class Shampoo and Conditioner and use a 100% cotton mitt and went gently.



On a different matter, I took the car to the dealer for a scratch that I was responsible for (or I should say my cat). I wanted to find out what they could recommend and what kind of products they use. I showed them the scratch. It was a hot and sunny day and the car was very hot. To my horror before I knew what they were doing, they threw some pink stuff on the front hood and started to rub. Before joining this forum, I would not have thought anything was wrong with this. I few weeks ago, I thought polishing and waxing was the same thing. Anyway, I told the guy what are you doing? He replied, taking the scratch away. It was some pink stuff that he did not know what it was. He said it came in gallons and they use it on all the cars. The front hood looked great and you know the rest.



Tom
 
"i dont know what it is but we use it'...and doesnt even feel bad about making that statement....can you imagine him saying..wll its a new car and we're helping u by putting this stuff on that we have no idea what the hell it is....................friggin unbelievable....:mad:
 
Darbh, a very cool member on this forum, made a good name for himself by being one of the first individuals here to post substantiated ways of how to inform the dealer/manager to not wash a car upon delivery.
 
SVT01 - If you had mentioned this last month, I would've told the dealer to not do a PDI on my car as well. Good idea. :up
 
I tried it the way SVT01 did it (on a previous new car of mine), and it was a lot of fun "bonding" with the car by taking all of the plastic off and doing the first detail.



On my latest new car though, I decided to visit the dealers detail shop and have a look around. I met the guy who does all of the detailing, asked a lot of questions, and looked over his work. He had all of the right answers, and in fact he details a car better than I can. So, I ended up having this guy prep my car. I drove home in a spotless car that had two coats of fresh wax!



I'd have the dealer prep the car only if you REALLY trusted them to do the job right.
 
Floni - towels, dealer instructions, and, when forced to, reluctant manners coach. Oh, and detailing maniac.



PS -- Hi friends -- My absence has not been by choice and do esnot reflect any lessening of my affinity for you and this group. I have been out of town and then, when I returned, I was mucho busy. I will be checking in now and then.
 
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