My dealership sent an email offer for a full spring cleaning...detail and wax. Is this really worth it on a 6 month old car? What do they do?

 

Do not let a dealer detail. Do it yourself.

Yes waxing yourself is well worth it.

 

depends on the dealer...the store i work at now doesnt have a detail shop just a clean up facilty(wash,vacuum) however the last store had a full detail shop with guys that knew how to detail cars professionally

 

no time for dealer.....you can do it by yourself.....

 

I would not let the dealer detail my car when I picked it up nor would I let them do it anytime there after. Do it yourself and keep the paint nice. Remember who would be toweling your car, the lowest paid guy at the dealership...Yikes!

 

i totally agree, i would not let a dealer touch my car. If need be there are plenty good detailing shop out there. i always do my own however.

 

Never even let the dealership wash ur car! Do it urself or dont do it at all!

 

 

I don't understand why the discontent for dealership detailers.

I don't know about today, but when I was much younger I detailed at a few dealership body shops out of high school, and we took exceptional care of the cars. Personally, I’ll never pay the prices they ask at the various shops…as many have pointed out, if you’re physically capable, do it yourself. But after having work done, I’ve used the complementary car washed at dealerships before, and even talked with the senior jents to get insight on some techniques to remove things like rail dust (rust pits in paint), and several other solutions, only to find them a wealth of knowledge.

Grant it, not all detailers give a crap, some will certainly knock of moldings, and scratch paint...but come on, don't discredit the whole lot of them.

 

I will never let any dealer detail or even let alone wash my car. When I Nissan "detailed" my older Murano...it was swirl galore, and when they tried to fix it, it didn't get any better. Do a little reading on:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/

Great place for learning how to detail your own car, I'm gettin ready for a summer wash/wax/polish.

Cheers

 

Oh, you guys are talking about polishing the paint...I must have misunderstood.

Yeah, I'd never let anyone swirl up my paint. Very few people out there are skilled enough to do that job correctly. Sure, they produce a great shine, but in the right sunlight you can see all the track marks...

 

The dealership I go to is a pretty state of the art Nissan dealership. I would imagine they do a great job. Can't I take pictures of the car before I drop it, let them know I've done so and EXPECT a clean finish?

 

I got to walk back and watch them on a past owned car at a different dealership. When the detailer guy dropped the pad he was using to wax the car, then picked it up, wiped it on his pants and continued to wax, well that was the last time I had a dealership detail my car.

I could only imagine the grit, dirt, etc that he was scratching into my paint.....

When I do it, at least I know I care enough NOT to let that happen. Its my $ invested. Not his, so he only cared to do the job, get paid and go home at beer thirty.

 

Thats what I am talking about. It's not their car, it's no longer the dealerships car. It will be treated differently now that you own it. Not that they are going out of their way to damage it but there is hurry up for the next one factor going on and dropping a wax applicator on the ground is not going to slow them down.

 

Go in there and talk to the guy running the detailing booth. Tell him your concerns, and see how well he market's himself, and team. That's really the best thing to do. Be friendly, and certainly do your best to not be condescending.

Taking pictures can't hurt, but it's a tough case to prove if they try to tell you they still won't fix whatever you're complaining about afterwards. A few hundred dollars worth of a paint fix isn't worth getting a lawyer. And once you tell them you've taken pictures you'll probably **** them off, and find spit in your food (dinning joke). What you should do is walk around the car with the guy before hand, just like when you rent a car, and have him sign off that no additional damage will be there after the work on the car.

 

I don't want them touching my car at all.
Do it yourself.

 

There is a science to detailing a car that has morphed into a culture. Those that want to preserve the look of their car read up on what to buy and use. Attention to detail is very important.

But there are others whose urge to couch potato exceeds the desire to exert energy to maintain the look of their car. In this case, a professional detailer would be appropriate.

I cannot trust a dealer who offers detailing service. They hire the cheapest labor for this task. You get what you pay for. There are a lot of professional detailers who take their job seriously that would be a better choice.

 

Man, I am still cleaning the gunk they put on my brand new 09 Max. Both inside and outside! Never again!

 

I bought my 09 as Demo so I have decided for her first good detail to have a professional do it. Once he does a good decontamination of the paint and puts on a good wax and sealant I can take it over from there. Anyway it gives me more time to purchase the needed/wanted items such as a good buffer, pads polishes and waxes. Things the wife doesnt really want me to buy right now but will in a few months.