mjb2124

I made the mistake of letting the Lexus dealership near me wash my car. This was during the winter when there was a good bit of grime on the car. Later that day after I had left the dealership, I noticed a lot of scratches on each side of the car and on the front (none on the top though). I can catch my fingernail in some of the scratches so my guess is I'll need these wet sanded. I contacted a local detailer and he said that since I could catch my fingernail on some of the scratches, they could probably minimize the scratches, but not completely remove them - they have not seen the car yet. It would cost around $450-$500.

What do you guys think? Obviously these scratches aren't as severe as someone keying a car, but do you guys think they can be minimized to the point that it will be tough to see them?

Here are 2 pics:

MelYW

Rule #1: Never let the dealer wash and dry your car.

I learned this the hard way. Dealer put a 3-4 inch scratch that was nail catching.

They had their bodyshop wet sand it out. For the most part you cant see it...only if you really look for it can you see it.

Rule #2: ALWAYS inspect your care before leaving the lot after the dealer has worked on your car.

In addition to the above, another time they put a major scratch in the plastic bezel around the gauges. They took care of it on the spot.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Yes, I think they will be able to get them out. I suspect that you might see remnants of some but definitely not all. Light colored cars might be more forgiving. Mine is dark navy.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

You should be fine

If I can bring my car from this:


To This:


Then that detailer should be able to bring it back to par. Mine were worse scratches AKA heavy brillo pad marks (courtesy of a "good" deed from my sister ). I also did not wetsand so make sure the guy knows what he is doing

mjb2124

Thanks guys.

Eyezack87 - What did you do to your car to bring it back? That looks very good!

MelYW - Yep, I learned this the hard way. I hated seeing all the sand and grime on my car in the winter so I let them wash it while it was in for service. I'll never make that mistake again and I'll be certain to look over everything VERY closely in the future. Next time I take it to the dealership I'm going to tell them not to wash it and will put a sign inside the car saying "Do Not Wash".

MelYW

"Do Not Wash" sign...smart...I am going to use that one next time I am in. Good luck with the repair work.

My belief is that a repaint is the last choice as so much can go wrong. Wetsand only if necessary as it is taxing on the clearcoat....though I have yet to see any reports of UV damage to the paint as a result of wetsanding.

jfelbab

I printed out several sheets of "Do Not Wash" and keep them in my glove box. I put two on the dash and hang one on the mirror when I take it in for service.

I think those scratches can be removed.

I'd ask the dealership what kind of retards they are employing to wash their cars. I'd hit them up for the cost of the detail. Ask the owner of the dealership to come out and look at the damage they caused and ask him if he really expects you to ever purchase another vehicle from him.

One HoT

iTrader: (5)

My local Lexus dealer is so smart, they use a industrial sized broom with soap to wash their cars...

Guitarman

Pervasive throughout the industry.

The dealer mindset, upon selling or servicing, seems only to be;
"move the product, the details don't matter"

I'm sure there ARE those in the car business to whom the details matter, right down to how and who washes their cars, but I dare say they are in the minority and difficult to find.

I agree with the others that you make your gripe well known to them, maybe sooner or later, they will rethink the whole thing. Probably not, but it can't hurt.

Best wishes

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

mjb2124- I detailed my car last year. Took about 25 hours due to the shape it was in. Also discovered that the Porter Cable could take out wetsand marks, got flamed for even saying that (lol?), then kept at it. Now I upgraded to a Makita to do it all faster. I pretty much maintain my cars and do my friends cars when they ask me to. Otherwise I just play with a test trunk in my backyard

Guitarman- I have never had any success with them not washing my car until I put a "DO NOT WASH" sign on all 6 of my windows and sticky notes on the door at my dealership. I sure hope everyone elses isn't as thick headed as mine were

nthach

The Lexus dealers here use higher-end car wash systems - I know Stevens Creek Lexus keeps their car wash machine and detail shop in immaculate shape.

The car wash machine at my job is a old Autec relic in need of a refresh - but it doesn't scratch cars badly, license plates however aren't as lucky.

Goolie

Not all Lexus Dealers are alike. Most use carwashes or use sudcontracters to clean their cars. They hire min. wage help that are not trained how to use the product they have. They are told to wash an go!!!! Then when you have a problem the have to send it out or to the body shop. If I was to do that I would not be their long. My boss is a clean freak!!!!! We do our work on a new car then he ckecks it before it's delivered to the owner . I have been working for him for almost 18 years. We want the new owner to really enjoy their new or used car. We all make mistakes one little rock can make a mess on clearcoat. Good luck

03 ES

i work at a toyota dealer and we use an automatic autec wash that scratches the hell out of the cars we wash in it....it also bends tags, rips tag frames off, rips fixed antennas out, and such....i never use the wash on my car, i just go to our detail shop and wash it by hand

Peter_95

iTrader: (2)

if dealer messes up, always bring it back, they will fix it!

Chris@GlimmerGlass

iTrader: (3)

such a shame to see Any update though? Are you bringing it in for the detail? Post some after pics if you are!! that price sounds reasonable for that job too imo.

Peter_95

iTrader: (2)

depends on which dealer....
a friend of mine worked as a porter but also washed customer cars at audi. He used to do a great job with car washes and took his time. So im guessing it all really depends on which dealer but most likely, most of them will give you a bad wash....