dealer prep

[baza]

Im no detailer but do love the work these professional guys do. My question is would anyone else employ a pro for the day to do a protection detail on your new car or would you let the dealers have a go with a high probability of it being covered in swirls before youve even driven it.  I have had a bad experience from the dealer im buying my new gti from regarding a post service complementary wash it was given leaving it in a shocking condition. im going to unwrap my car myself and drive it out of the dealers without letting them anywhere near the exterior and taking it straight to a pro.

[mcmaddy]

I'm getting the detailer I use to go to Pulman sunderland and do the detailing. I've already told the garage under no circumstances are they to touch the paintwork!

[baza]

its not just me then, the salesman looked horrified when i told him i didnt want it cleaning. i had to send him an email so he had it in writing. are pulmans ok with a detailer coming in? sounds like something id like to do

[master_hayabusa]

Doesn't it have to be cleaned by the dealer so that you can check it for any scratches or dents? Otherwise the dealer could just blame the detailer if something was noticed afterwards?

[Ginge 35Edition]

Doesn't it have to be cleaned by the dealer so that you can check it for any scratches or dents? Otherwise the dealer could just blame the detailer if something was noticed afterwards?

I'd be careful for this reason too, they could remove the transport stickers etc and you'd be able to see any dents and scratches, then of the detailer finds any minor marks he/she should be able to sort it? If I go for a tornado red mk7 I'll be detailing it but I know the dealer wouldn't mind.

[mcmaddy]

at the end of the day it's my car and if I say don't clean it as I'm getting someone to do it properly then I would expect them to not touch it.

[Hawaii-Five-O]

Interesting post. Hadn't fully considered this point until now.

I may well ask my supplying dealer to leave it alone. I'll detail it myself when I get it home. Something to look toward to isn't it - a bit of cherished tcl.

Still haven't decided whether to clay it or not to start with. I mean how much contaminates would a brand new car have from the factory? Nothing a good wash and wax wouldn't sort out.

[p3asa]

Its probably a catch 22.
If you ask them to prep it and there are any scratches, dings etc then they will be liable.
If you ask them not to prep it and take it away and only notice a scratch / ding once its been detailed they will claim you could possibly have caused it!!

Although in saying that, if you did find a scratch who would you trust to sort it? Your friendly detailer or the dealer?

[baza]

Detailer all the way. The dealer would spray it over and make a balls of it for sure

[monkeyhanger]

I wouldn't discount the possibility of their being a ding or dent on your car missed by VW QC, I wouldn't even discount the possibility of the PDI missing it. A DBP Polo I bought from new at Colebrook and Burgess (now Silverlink Benfield) had a small crease in the metal around the front nearside wheel arch edge. The paint finish was perfect around the area. I only noticed it when I was giving the car it's first wash a week after pick-up. Took it back and they agreed that it must've been there from the factory and that they'd missed it at PDI so they were liable to put it right (i'm glad they didn't try to say that as i'd missed it on pick-up then it was my responsibility).

If you take the opportunity from the dealership to give your car a complete going over at PDI then anything discovered later which isn't an obvious manufacturing fault (like my issue was) is going to be on you to sort out.

For the amount of time a PDI takes, I was once suspicious that a car I wasn't allowed to collect for a week after it's arrival at the dealership had been damaged in transit and was being repaired. No-one admitted to anything, was just told that the salesperson was on holiday and it wouldn't be handed over until they were back.