dealership ran through car wash - need help

[mike_va]

We've always babied the paint and applied griots premium carnauba paste wax. The finish was perfect.

However...despite two requests to NOT wash (on two different days) ...the dealership ran it through their car wash.

>water spots all over the hood
>obvious brush marks on the back of the car (i.e. dirt missed, which is what made me think that they washed it)
>purple leaf stains on the silver trim from being left under a tree

They agreed they washed it by error and will do whatever is needed to correct it (up to $200, at which point they will detail it themselves)

A friend has recommended a local detailer, a few options noted from the website attached. I've looked closely at it inside yet.

Anything I should look out for or be aware of?

[mike_va]

options on the detailer's website:

[Tobster3]

I feel your pain! I have personally experienced this when a BMW Dealer that I do not regularly use put my car through a car wash when I specifically told them not to and then had some buffoon dry it with a cloth with what must have had rocks in it! My car had 1,200 miles and was PPF & Ceramic on day 1. They ended up paying close to $2,000 for paint correction and new ceramic after I raised hell!

[Tobster3]

Oh yeah, I have these now and hang them from the mirror when taking the car to the dealer.

[B58-M340iX]

Originally Posted by Tobster3

Oh yeah, I have these now and hang them from the mirror when taking the car to the dealer.

I need me some of those!

[dudley@07726]

I ask for hand wash only. My BMW does hand washing. My MB does not. My CLE53 AMG is a cloth cabriolet. I am especially careful with that.
And so, I decline a car wash.

[John in VA]

Where in VA? Who is the detailer?
I see you benefitting from a hand wash & possible machine polish of areas affected. I'm sure the 17-item detail list is >$200 but the dealer shouldn't be on the hook for that whole suite of items.

[86Zed]

Yes they failed to follow your explicit instructions, but no the resultant "damage" looks fairly innocuous. Is there evidence of serious swirl marks, scratches, or damages to previously installed ceramic coating or PPF?

Even the most attentive at home washing can leave a few swirl marks over time with repetitive actions or old towels. Accept the dealerships apology/compensation, get a nice hand wash & detail, and move on.

[DocL]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

...Even the most attentive at home washing can leave a few swirl marks over time with repetitive actions or old towels. Accept the dealerships apology/compensation, get a nice hand wash & detail, and move on.

Exactly. It's not like the dealership wrecked the car. It's happened to me a few times. My car is ceramic coated it really didn't cause any issues. It's not worth the stress and worrying about it.

[Phizzzle]

Oof, that's hard to look at but at least they're compensating you for it. A good detailed can have it looking new again.

[mike_va]

Originally Posted by John in VA

Where in VA? Who is the detailer?
I see you benefitting from a hand wash & possible machine polish of areas affected. I'm sure the 17-item detail list is >$200 but the dealer shouldn't be on the hook for that whole suite of items.

One my coworkers had recommended the place, I'll PM you with the name.

I drove over there today, very nice facility and people. Their initial estimate was $750 for machine polish and paint sealant (not the whole list). I'm mainly trying to get advice on how to get it back to how it was.

The main apparent issue is that there is a million water spots (hood roof doors etc).

I may try a hand wash tonight on my own and see how it goes. The spots did not wipe off with a damp rag.

At least it is not as bad as others have experienced with dirty towels.

[mike_va]

Originally Posted by Phizzzle

Oof, that's hard to look at but at least they're compensating you for it. A good detailed can have it looking new again.

That is encouraging. The quote today was a lot more. The dealership also offered to detail it themselves if the estimate was more than 200. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet.

[mike_va]

Good news: I tried washing it and the leaf stains on some of the spots came off.

Not so good: there are still some weird spots on the hood and the roof. Not my area of expertise.

[John in VA]

The hardness of their water & the brutal sun/heat we've had may require a polish to remove some spots. There are water spot removal products (or vinegar from the pantry) that you could try. See my PM.