Dealership car Detailing question
 

So I went to a Subaru dealership to check out a white pre-owned BRZ with 15k mileage. There was a few scratches on the car and it wasn't in showroom condition. The manager and salesman said that they will detail and fix the car before selling it to me. I asked them, do you guys do that after or before I purchase the vehicle? They said you have to leave a deposit and then make the vehicle look new again. I felt a little skeptical at this point. What if I am not happy with the results?

Is this normal? Shouldn't they detail and clean the car up before the appointment date?

Personally I wouldn't want any dealership to detail a vehicle. Better to have them go to a professional of your recommendation. Most dealerships will go over it once with a rotary and throw tire shine that will sling over the place.

The official Subaru dealership should take care of the scratches and dings at there expense.

I'd take it to a reputable detail shop. I know how dealerships 'detail' their cars.

Can you tell me more about that?

So when I used to detail cars 7 or so years ago, we were located in a GM dealership (our boss rented part of it out for his detailing business). The problem with dealer washes (from what I have seen) is there is that the employees just don't care.

They would bring a dark vehicle that had been sitting in the sun all day into their wash bay, throw some soap on it and quickly hose it off. Problem with that is the paint it still hot from being in the sun, and if you do a poor rinse job, you will see soap residue. If the car was really dirty they would use a soft(ish) bristle broom on the paint. I have even seen them do that on cars that came out of the body shop with fresh paint.

When the customer finally came to pick up the car, they usually had the car parked in a poorly lit or shady area (apparently to keep it cool for the customer) but what it really does, is hide all the scratches. Then when the owner realized a few days later they would say 'nope it was perfect when you picked it up'.

Seeing how your car is white, it naturally hides swirls. My guess is the would wash it, through some wax and tire dressing on it and call it a day. Also make sure you do a through inspection before you pick the car up. My parents just bought a black ATS4 coupe and the day we picked it up, I was inspecting the car and noticed this..
http://i616.photobucket.com/albums/t...1/DSC_0655.jpg

"Wow I don't know how we missed that on the PDI" I do, you didn't do one.


Sorry for the rant, its just been my experience that dealer washes are brutal.
When you finally get your 86, have fun with it! They are great cars :)

Many like to install swirls and water spots. many new cars on the lot are swirled to hell because of they way they wash. The general public doesn't have the attention to detail to care, but some of us do.

Some dealerships deal with an outside detailing company that they bring in for detailing that is not the same from the people just washing the cars. They very well could do a good job. That is what happened when I found my new car had a scratch when I was picking it up.

if your from NY around the City area.. if you get the car,
Bring it to Detailer's Domain, they do some of the best work IMO!

I say put down the deposit and on the condtions of the sale say you will only take it if it has been restored to your liking. They have to refund the deposit anyways if you dont like it. Just dont sign anything just put down a small deposit and let them fix it up.

Let me sum it up for you:

Their "Detailer" will wash the car with a dirty rag, then mask any imperfections temporarily with a polish which will eventually do more harm to the paint. The dealer tried to pull the same shit with me when my brand new car had swirls from their wash upon delivery, I said no thanks.

You WILL have to get it color corrected by a professional, which can run an average of $50 an hour for a total of 8-12 hours. There IS no way around this.

I think i'll pass up on this one and wait for another deal. I don't wanna leave a deposit because I dont trust these guys, even though its a subaru dealership.

To be clear, a color correction will make the paint like new, if not better from the factory. However, some scratches may be too deep.

I would recommend finding a detailer who can point out how dealerships take care of scratches. The money isn't there for dealerships to ensure a swirl free finish. This coming from anywhere from Honda to Ferrari, a quick search online will prove this. Finding a dealership with a real detailer is few and far in between.

Once they have your money, they don't give a shit. If they truly want your business, they need to detail it properly before you give them money.


Remember, all their incentive to go the extra mile goes out the window once they have what they want (your money). This rings true for most things in life I've found.