I am a new member with a 2011 Patriot that I purchased this summer. I was at the dealership last week, getting an oil change ( free coupon). They were kind enough to wash my ride, unknown to me. It was a nice sunny day here in PA, and I quickly noticed that my near perfect finish was severely scratched :mad:... The color is blackberry pearl, which you all know will show scratches, especially in direct sunlight. I can honestly say there were maybe one or two scratches in the finish prior to this washing,as I take my time detailing my cars ( ask my wife ...) to ensure that they stay sharp. Needless to say, I had to drop it off this morning for repair. Scratches were mostly in the clear coat, hopefully it is restored to its previous condition. The service manager stated they go through car washers like "water" (no pun intended), so keep your eyes open to this. As I, like others, do not want my brand new car scratched, especially by someone who obviously doesn't care. Luckily I didn't have to complain long to get them to fix it....

Welcome to the forums and glad to hear they are taking care of it! Post up some pics when you get a chance.

That stinks. The dealership damaged you paint system. I hope the same folks, "that they go through like water", are not the ones to fix it...

@ Murman, I thought the same thing. I was very clear to the service manager that I will not accept it if it is done poorly. There is no excuse for that..

Sorry about that. I too am very anal about my vehicles and spend a lot of time keeping them clean and in top shape. NO ONE but me ever washes and details my vehicles anymore( long story that didn't end well at a detail shop ). I have been in your shoes.

I absolutely LOVE my dealer but I will not let them wash my vehicles. Just won't let anyone. They know it and as a rule they keep me happy by doing as I ask. However, I about lost my mind one hot summer day 2 years ago when the moronic goth( punk? )lot boy washed my truck after he was told NOT to. I was about ready to tear him up good after he got smart with me when I saw what he did. The owner and service manager came running out and pulled me off him and calmed me down or he would have been dead.

Not only did he wash it after being told not to touch it( I think he just wanted to drive my truck )but he only half arsed rinsed it off. He then brought it out and let it sit in the sun with soapy water all over it. I saw it was wet from the waiting room so I went out to see what was up. As I went out he walked off and vanished. He came back about 5 minutes later( when I went after him )and was going to try and dry it; with a dirty towel no less??? :doh:

I started going ballistic about washing it to begin with after being told not to touch it and then leaving it in the sun covered in soapy water that spotted big time. I was fit to be tied let me tell you and he was just an mouthy little punk. Man I wanted to crush him like a bug. It was right about then the owner and SM arrived to save his sorry butt. :mad:

It took me forever to get the spots off and polish/buff out the scratches he put in it. Thankfully he didn't damage the custom vinyl graphics I had on the truck or I might have pounded him into goo. Now every time one of my vehicles comes in there is an automated entry by the computer on the work order in big red font - DO NOT WASH CUSTOMER'S VEHICLE! :D

The owner and SM both apologized to no end and I never did see the punk there again after that. I wasn't mad at them when it happened and don't blame them at all. The kid did it on his own after being told not to. I just wish someone had realized what he was doing and had stopepd him before he messed with my truck.

I picked up my Jeep last night, with little light left in the day I could not find any of the scratches. I checked it again today, in the direct sunlight, and still couldn't see any of the scratches. It looks very nice!! I am still pretty upset at it though, just due to the fact that the person that washed it, is totally incompetent; and how many other cars has he scratched up?? I have had my Jeep there numerous times and that was the first time they washed it. Like you NHPatriot, I never allow anyone to wash my vehicles..

If the paint system was not polished (only waxed) and you wash it with DAWN, the damage will reappear. A coat of wax will not solve the paint problem created by the dealership.

#1 I would never wash my vehicle with Dawn dish soap. #2 I feel that it would have been pretty difficult for them to cover up the amount of scratches that were in the clear. If they would have only waxed, I feel that I would have been able to see some of the scratches, as some of them were pretty large. I told them I wanted it buffed, and the service manager told me that they buffed it. I am taking his word for it based on the results. If the next time I wash it and the scratches become visible, then I guess I will be detailing it this spring...

I am glad to hear the dealership got it right this time. Did they tell you if they used a natural or synthetic product after they buffed your paint system?

Washing a vehicle with DAWN, prior to initial detailing, will provide a clean surface to build your finish system upon. Like you, I would not use DAWN for normal finish maintenance.

#1 I would never wash my vehicle with Dawn dish soap. #2 I feel that it would have been pretty difficult for them to cover up the amount of scratches that were in the clear. If they would have only waxed, I feel that I would have been able to see some of the scratches, as some of them were pretty large. I told them I wanted it buffed, and the service manager told me that they buffed it. I am taking his word for it based on the results. If the next time I wash it and the scratches become visible, then I guess I will be detailing it this spring...

Using dish soap to remove old wax, dirt, and grease prior to detailing is actually a very commonly used technique by body shops and detailers and it is a perfectly safe process. Don't do it when just washing but nothing wrong at all with doing it prior to waxing.

I agree with you guys completely. I just meant regularly.. Sorry if it came off differently. Well Murman, my worst fears were confirmed this morning. I went to leave for work, it had been raining hard in PA yesterday and through the night. Guess what, some of the scratches were visible again. These dealerships are really P#*$%^G me off. I was very hopeful that it was fixed, but I was wrong. I am at a loss. I already called to speak to the manager, waiting for a call back... Any suggestions? Very FRUSTRATED!!!

I have a way to deal with them.....first we need to do some shopping

1 fifty pound bag of limestone
1 better make it 2 rolls of Duct tape
2 shovels
3 sticks of dynamite
1 20lb propane tank (full)
2 ski masks
2 snickers bars
1 ham and cheese on a hard roll
1 order of cheese fries
1 reem of printer paper
1 bengal tiger
1 spare bicycle tire, inflated
1 can of shave cream, not the cr@ppy gel foam
1 roll birthday wrapping paper
1 pirate eye patch

Any suggestions? Very FRUSTRATED!!!

Get three quotes from auto body/detail shops. Request an appointment with the owner and present the quotes, stating their shop is not capable of correcting the problem. You could also ask the highend dealerships in your area where they take their problem children...

or, buy a Porter Cable 7424XP Polisher Combo (http://www.autogeek.net/poca74pofcop.html), fix it yourself and start a weekend detail business...

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2185_165765

Spoke with the manager a few minutes ago. He wants me to bring it back Monday. He said they will do it again, and he will make sure that it is done properly. I made sure to tell him that I will not accept it until it is done to my satisfaction, he agreed. It will be done free of charge again. I also made note to contact the BBB, that always gets them moving. I will not stop until the problem is corrected, even if it means consulting my attorney. My problem is not solely that my Jeep is scratched, as that was bound to happen, but their incompetence, and unwillingness to fix the problem right. I know that six hours with my buffer, rubbing compound, polish, and wax, and it would look like new. It is the principle of the matter. Thank you for your input...

Management /n/ unskilled labor without the labor.

Couldn't agree more. I will be dropping the Jeep off Monday. I also took your suggestion and will be contacting a couple local body shops for quotes, and taking that with me. Not sure if I will be able to do that before Monday as most places will be closed all weekend. But my first stop on Monday is the car wash...to check their work.
I will keep you posted, and thanks again for the info!

My son works at an import dealer, PT now that he is in college but FT for a year while he decompressed after high school.

(He is now their new car prep specialist, his OCD makes his sticker removal very thorough!)

Anyway, lot people:
This is a world inhabited by a strange crew...a curious mix of hustlers, folks who take the skill very seriously and kids passing through who can become one or the other.

If you can find a detail/wash/prep crew that doesn't use a pressure washer, doesn't use one of those brushes with a broom handle and DOES use the two bucket system while being paid a decent wage along with management providing some training and direction so as to minimize turnover...then I might let them wash my vehicle.

Good luck with that. My son's place of employment you start sweeping the lot, unlocking cars and such and only under direct supervision of the head detailer do you begin to vac out cars, lug supplies and so on. It takes a month or more and you have to show the right attitude before they let you lose on a new car or customer car.
Head detailer has been there since forever, turnover is low. They make all kinds of accommodations for his school schedule and pay him $13 per hour when he works. Pay all of them properly, matter of fact.

Reward? despite being an import dealer that is behind two other brands in national volume this dealership regularly, year after year outsells the big two in our area...in fact outsells most other lots on a regular basis, even the larger ones.

Its all about the service and the people you have delivering the service.