Had the misfortune of needing my 07 AMv8 serviced at an authorized dealer to fix a problem I could not. As my cats are on their last legs and secondary air injectors coding regularly, Tech refused to address issue that needed fixed until they proceeded to fix all faults. I can understand this but was never informed of their policy regarding this until after my car was there. My biggest problem is they washed the car and washed the paint from the one wheel and refuse to do anything about it! The wheel had it's fair share of stone chips (100k miles) but was still presentable when clean but is no longer. This is the dealership in Palmyra NJ. I will have a hard time buying anything there and I was considering, because of the mileage on mine and it is 10 yrs old. Will attach pics

 

Damn sorry to hear. Did you manage to speak to the service manager? Maybe escalate this to the owner of the dealership?

 

I'm surprised to hear FCK refused to help, a wheel refinish is not expensive, but I'm at a loss how you can wash the paint from the wheel?

 

Said they used only soap and water by hand, but it appears s tool was used.

 

Hopefully the pictures will show it.

I don't want any dealer [or anybody other than me] washing my car - cue Sheriff with a rant on dealer "detailing"

I specifically told Summitt Hills not to clean my car, it was clean when I took it in. I got there, they had cleaned it, and slopped some wax or something that was built up in every crevice of the PPF. They also "cleaned" the footpad and evidently tried to make it look good by putting on some tire or vinyl conditioner. What moron puts something slick on the pad that is supposed to hold your heels in place?!?! Service manager got a rag with simple green and rubbed it down 3 times before my heels wouldn't slide anymore. Pulled out with him in the car, testing the new clutch I barely jumped in it, ran 100' down the street with the *** end 3' out [to the passenger side], about 50' down I looked over and scowled "I think they got some tire black on my treads".

Of course when I got home I noticed light scratches on my front drivers wing over the tire, like, fancy stitching on jean pocket type scratching [it's the only thing that made sense] Like somebody was sitting on my wing, or sitting and having their picture taken. Of course I polished those out myself.

Yea, never let a dealer wash your car!

 

Discovered my gas cap does not open this morning. It was never an issue before, A recall issue they addressed while the car was there. I am now afraid of what else I may discover...

 

Man FCK really hosed this with you...I've never had any of my cars there for service but I would think that with the type of clientele they get they would take better care of the cars.

 

The door won't open? If so you have a manual release in the hatch behind the left panel. Mine sticks, you have to bend the arm a hair to keep it from contacting the body.

I don't remember that being a recall, the recall was the filler tube I believe.

 

I try not to have any dealership wash any car. I bring it there clean, but some times I forget to tell them not to wash. If they do, I make sure they remove any tire gloss before leaving. That stuff ruins wash mitts!

I don't mind them vacuuming the inside, but that it.

 

Last year Miller Motor Cars picked up my 14' V8V for warranty work and service.
Their one car enclosed transporter was impressive. More importantly their work and respect for my vehicle was the best I have ever experienced.

 

you say 100k on the car 10yrs of weather.looks like my old db7 wheels after 10 yrs..
the paint got so thin from washing and polishing over the years the under primer started to show thru. refinished them myself over the winter,wet sanding spray bomb and laquer. looked like new when i was done. don't think i would blame the dealer myself.

 

I am 100% positive that ANY dealer cannot wash a vehicle without causing damage. For anyone who allows a dealership to wash their car you have opted for the FREE OPTION called DISO. Dealer Installed Swirl Option. This is most prevalent on new cars even before delivery. Dealers just don't know how to clean cars and prevent scratches. The lowest paid person there does the work and they are under a time couch also. They also use degreasers like simple green and others to spray wheels and side skirts to help remove debris. But, if left too long they discolor the clear coat and cause damage. I use only soap and water and water soluble tire dressing. Dealers use silicone based.

Please go to Detailed Image and order their mirror hanging placard that specifically says DO NOT WASH. I have them in every car of mine, and have them given to anyone I run into with a nice car.

HO----- yes you called my attention to this You want to Know exactly where and how your front wing got those scratches? I do know.

Dealers at high end locations all have FELT backed vinyl covered fender covers. Some dealers have them all in one piece that covers the whole front. These are put on so the mechanic can lean across the fender/bumper/hood without scratching up those panels. In actuality what happens is a NJ customer drives through a dusty salty road to get their car to the dealer. Then said mechanic drops the covers on the car and works the issue. Removes, then car is washed and given to owner.

The FELT picks up dirt, sand, grime, particles etc..... just the same as a MF cloth does. However, those covers NEVER get washed. So basically the mechanic is transferring sand bits from car to car which scratches the paint.



Prevention-----BUY several 36" Micro Fiber Car drying towels. MAKE sure your car is spotlessly clean when delivering to said dealer. Provide the towels for them to use to cover the fenders. You are then verifying that the car is clean, towels are clean, so there is no chance whatsoever for a scratch to be introduced. Makes sure you get them in writing to say they will use them. Then not only make sure its written in big writing on the work sheet to NOT WASH CAR. One more thing, Specify you do NOT want the car outside overnight no matter what the circumstances are. IF they cannot abide by those rules, you can find someone else who will. FORD allows this on my 92' mustang 5.0 that is perfect condition. They don't like it, but they do make sure they follow my instructions.


All my cars are paint corrected to being 95-99% correct. So if a dealer were to scratch my car, it would take $500 or so to get it back to being correct, depending on how bad they marred it. If a dealer were to wash the car, it could cause $2k or so worth of damage. That is why I am so specific. You would be also if you just paid 2k to have the car paint corrected and the dealer ruins it.

I on average spend 50-75hrs total when I buy a car to get it right. Most of that time involves paint correcting the paint sections. That is more than typical, but since I have the skill and I am doing it, why not make it more than perfect. This winter once I move to DC, I will be doing just that on the DB9. I will be providing a complete walkthrough DIY write up for everything. I might preface this with a 7x part DIY Car cleaning tutorial in separate threads. Haven't thought that out yet.

If any member wants to see threads covering certain things, here is the place to put it.

 

I'd have to disagree, but only because I got a very good look at the scratching. It was from somebody sitting on my wing with fancy stitching on their rear pockets. I would wager on it.


This was my first service so did not know to make sure it was listed as NO WASH. On the pickup call he told me they would and I said absolutely NO, which means it was probably already done when he called.


Summit Hills service was in a separate location at the time while they were fitting out the service area at the dealer and the cars all sat outside unprotected.

 

I have two complete sets of wheels, and rotate them. one set is in better condition but both show normal wear. I don't want to be an *** but they should at least kick in $ 50 bucks towards the refinish.

 

Hey 007...sorry to read about fck...try contacting Steel Wings...Jon in Warminster Pa..

I had great results on servicing when fck refused to quote on work I wanted. These guys are busy as actually rebuild older AM cars...they did everything at fair rates.

Good luck