Capitol Subaru washed my car. Paint marred.
 

The detailers at Capitol Subaru in San Jose put swirls all over my paint after bringing my car in for warranty service. I'm not sure if this belongs here or if there is already a dealership yea/nay thread. I could really use some advice on the matter.

A little backstory. In my spare time, I've run a home business detailing cars for the past four years. This past Sunday, I found the time to complete a full exterior detail on my BRZ and also apply a permanent paint coating (similar to Opti-Coat). The paint was made flawless with absolutely zero swirl marks remaining. The coating can only be removed by polishing it off the paint. This was a 12-hour job, and I would charge my own customers accordingly.

Yesterday, I brought my BRZ to Capitol Subaru for them to check out some possible warranty issues and to have the first oil change (~$49). I requested that my car not be washed for fear of the detailers marring and scratching my paint. The service advisor said he would write my request on top of the work order. They had to hold onto my car for service, and I got a loaner vehicle. After I left the dealership, I shortly returned because I had forgotten an item in my car. After retrieving the item, I discovered that my car had just left the detail center, and it was covered in swirl marks.

I asked the service advisor why my car was washed against my request. The service advisor nonchalantly suggested the detailers failed to notice my request on the work order. He tried to reassure me by telling me their "detailing professionals" would fix it by "buffing it out with microfiber cloths" and that it would be "hand-washed to remove the swirls". I didn't want them to make the problem worse by having "detailing professionals" putting in more and/or deeper scratches than they already have done.

I want my paint back to the condition it was on Sunday. Ideally, I want them to foot the bill to have it detailed by either another detailer of my choosing or my own business (if possible - not sure if I have a leg to stand on).

How should I proceed?

Same thing happened to me when I took my car to Livermore to replace my taillights. I specifically told them not to wash the car either because I also had it opticoated. As I saw them drive the car out, the tech got out and finished wiping off the car. Paint was marred everywhere, swirls on every panel. I tried to get them to reimburse me the cost that I payed to have the car detailed and they of course didn't agree with it. After multiple visits and calls they proposed that they can detail the car for me and supposedly get the paint back to what it was like before. At this point I was more fed up and decided not to let them go anywhere near the car again.

Sorry. That sucks.

When I purchased my car from Carlsen Subaru, I emphasized that I didn't want the car to be prepped, and that I wanted to take the car as is. They did offer to put gas in the tank and pull the plastic off the wheels, which I had no problems with.

When i went to buy my BRZ the "detailing" guy was cleaning off the dust from all the cars in the showroom including the one i bought. He was using a california duster the completely wrong way and used the same microfiber (mostly dry) to do all 8 cars. I asked him to skip over my car since i'd be driving it home that day.
Didnt even let them take off any window stickers or clean anything once i knew i was getting that car.

Hand wash to remove swirls hahahaha stupid people . Sorry you went through this dam dealerships lol

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OP, sorry to hear you're in this situation, hopefully the dealer will resolve it to your liking.

A bit off-topic, but I used to have a black IS350, and whenever it went to the dealer for warranty work or service I'd grab a sheet of paper and a black Sharpie and write "do not wash" in giant letters, then leave it on top of the dash once I arrive at the dealership. This was particularly effective to pass the message along, sometimes the SA doesn't communicate effectively, or small handwriting gets over looked, etc but a sign is hard to miss.

The sheet clearly had the Do Not Wash instruction on it at the top. The dealership failed to see that and washed it anyway, ruining the paint job.

They absolutely should cut you a check to have it fixed or do it yourself, and the service adviser shouldn't have brushed you off like that.

I got my car just recently opticoated. Look for Andrew M. He does opticoat jobs for about 750+ in belmont.

well worth it.

Thanks dude. The service advisor probably didn't know the difference between swirls and squirrels. I wouldn't have normally gone to a local Subaru dealership to have my car serviced, but I had to because my airbag light had turned on.

Thanks for the good wishes. I doubt they will do anything to remedy the situation. That is a good suggestion to leave a sign for future visits. I had thought about it, but I mostly hear of other dealers in this area that actually make the effort to fulfill the customer's requests of not washing the car. I thought my paint was going to be safe. I was so wrong.

I appreciate the referral, but I have been running a home business detailing cars for the past four years. I have always worked on my own paint. He certainly charges a lot more than I do, but connoisseur detailers who know the level of their quality will charge appropriately. $750+ for paint correction and coating at a high level of quality is very fair to me, depending on the car. I should raise my own prices for paint correction and coatings...

sorry to hear of your woes. sounds like you need to escalate the situation to the service manager and if need be the general manager of the dealership. The service advisor doesn't seem to be able to understand the magnitude of the problem. I'd tell them pretty much what you have posted already here. And see if they would be willing to pay you for your time or otherwise compensate you for the effort you are going to have to undertake to repair the damage.

as an aside... I thought the opticoat or whatever it is you are using, is supposed to protect the paint and be more resistant to scratches? I mean that is what it is marketed as being good for. If it isn't good enough of a coating to be able to protect the paint against an occasional "bad" dealership wash or whatever, well... I'm just not sure it is worth the effort then, especially if you are saying it takes 12 hours to apply this stuff. :iono:

Asking the exact question as this guy, possibly you being a detailer can answer it... I though the goal of Opti-Coat was to protect swirls on paint and clearcoat and that I wouldn't have to worry about them if I washed my car ...

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The ceramic/nano coating is supposed to protect the paint, but it can only do so much when you are careless and too rough with it, like taking it through an automated wash. The main job is for it to protect the paint against the elements, ie. acid rain, bird droppings, bugs, contaminants that normally bond to the surface of paint, etc.

It may reduce the chances of inducing swirl marks into the paint when washed and dried normally and with care, compared to washing and drying without the coating. The coating does not ensure 100% protection - it would only reduce the risk. It is still a very thin layer on top of the clearcoat.

Let's say the swirl marks caused by the dealership are only in the coating. The paint may still be fine underneath, but I still see swirls in the coating. That is still what really bothers me.

Sucks man, I bought my BRZ from Capitol Subie. Was gonna let them wash it but opted out of it at the last second... just make a case with them and they will likely (try to) fix it for you

Before and after pics, and an explanation of what transpired and how it constitutes "damage". Most people, and in this case even the service advisor, aren't familiar with paint care/detailing. It will take a while to explain to him about the condition of the exterior before you took it in vs. after after they marred it.

Explain to him that after their treatment of it initially you have zero incentive to let them touch it again to try to fix their egregious mistakes. It's laughable to think that any car dealership (except perhaps Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc) really truly knows anything about properly detailing cars.

I would provide an invoice of the detailing service you had done to the car and ask them to reimburse you for that amount so that you can have it re-done.