Letting the dealership wash your car?
 

I heard this from a friend and I'm sure it is certainly true to an extent, but when you let the dealership wash your car on delivery, is it likely that they'll do a half-*** job and possibly leave swirls? I'm concerned cause I'm getting a black G and swirls are easily seen on black/dark cars. I sure as hell don't want swirls on my brand new car. My friend suggested that I should tell them not to wash it for that sole reason. Any feedback?

As with anything...the only way you know something is going to be done right is to do it yourself. If you are worried about swirls, tell them not to wash it, take it home, and do it yourself. Problem solved. :)

Do dealerships really do that bad of a job on washing cars in general? or is this like uncommon cases?

Yeah, that's what I'm planning to do. I thought if people had good experiences with Infiniti's car wash, then might as well let them do it. But deep down, I think I can't trust them enough. I've always been very anal/paranoid with other people touching my new "toys." I think I have OCD. lol

what comes around goes around.. funny how this very same question was brought up back in 2003 while we waited for our cars to come in.

i had a black on black 2003 gc... dealer washed it.. looked great.. no problems what-so-ever! Though.. the dealer did put the front plate bracket on even though i stressed not to!

This is not just an Infiniti issue; it applies to all car car Dealers. Before I picked up my Porsche in May, I told the Dealer to not wash my car and the salesman agreed with my decision. Keep in mind that the prep guys at Dealers are typically paid at or near the minimum wage. They will wash many cars each day and use the same cloths to wash and worse yet to dry the cars. Drying a car with a dirty cloth will instantly add swirls or even scratches.

I use to own an '05 G35 coupe and the biggest problem that I had with the car was the durability of the paint. My car was black and it looked gorgeous, but it seemed that I was always picking up new scratches. I live in the country and of course there are often some tree branches or twigs on the roads, and when I rode over them even at low speeds, they would scratch the paint.

So bottom line is that I would be especially careful with a black G37, and would certainly not have the Dealer wash it. Also make certain that you have lots of microfiber towels for drying your car. My experience is that you can keep a black G looking great, but it will take a lot of care.

Congratulations on your purchase.

In a word, YES!

Young Jedi, you have so much to learn. This being your first car, and the fact that it's a gift, you probably don't have the "emotional equity" that us older guys have in our cars. Don't take that as a slam, but it is probably true; the majority sourced from you being young.

I never let the dealer wash my car. Even if they do it by hand, they usually don't do a very good job drying it, this leaving swirls, or worse dreaded water spots.

I wash my car once a week, sometimes more depending on the bugs I pick up on the commute, and religiously wax it once a month. I never park anywhere close to the door of a store. Actually, I'll take the wife's car for any runs to Home Depot or my local bike shop. I don't do the mall.

Is that to say I am right? In my warped mind, of course, but in reality no. It's your car, and you need to decide how you want to maintain it.

Growing up, my next door neighbor had a string of Porsches - 911 Targa, 911 Carrera, and a 928 (yea, I know I'm showing my age!). That guy ruined me for life! Before meeting him, I didn't even know what a door ding was. Now I live in fear of them, and cringe at the sides of the wife's new MDX. Stone chips drive me crazy, and we won't even mention windshield cracks from stray rocks.

Just curious - have you ever washed a car? Not trying to be an a$$, but I'm curious. You are blessed to have successful, affluent parents who care enough about you to purchase an incredible car. I assume you are a great kid.

The reason I ask is that it's all about passion. Different things concern different people. Some guys refuse to let anyone touch their cars, not even for routine maintenance; i.e. oil changes, tire rotations, etc. I'm passed that stage due to time constraints and yes, being lazy.

However, I still enjoy taking the time to wash my car, wipe down the leather, and put a good coat of wax on it. Cleaning the windows,well that still sucks! :) There's a lot to be said for accomplishing something that results in immediate gratification.

So, decide how far you want to take the ownership experience. There's no right or wrong answer.

Good luck, and post some pics of that Slate Blue beauty when it cames in (today???)

gurney

I got a Black G37 and they did wash it and they also polished the car with car wax. There were some spots were i could see the wax has been polished completely, but it didn't look like they really washed it to good, maybe only with water. i could still see dust and dirt on the car

and they also wash the car after every service job. i was told by the salesman

i certainly dont go to the same extreme as some of you do.. i have so little free time i'd much rather spend that time driving the car on the weekend or playing with my young son or flying my airplane or or or or or. I do give it the occasional bath at least once a month but life is short and spending a few hours every weekend just isnt at the top of my priority list. I tend to clean as i go.. stopping by the touchless car wash on my way to work every few weeks.. then as i said.. once a month give it a good bath and vacume. Maybe every few months i'll pay to have my car waxed. I'm no less enthusastic about my car than the rest but it's all about your priorities. I dont want my sons only memory of me growing up as that guy who spent all his time hunched over in the driveway cleaning the car.

black cars are manageable but show dirt early on. I do recall that it took months before my new black 2003 g coupe started to look dirty.. and thats with it sitting outside (no garage at the time). The orig clean/wax the dealer did worked just fine.

Where I went today they where washing some. G37 looked like they knew what they where doing they hand washed them and where waxing them. Looked very clean and no swirl marks. The car I went to test drive. I noticed a little scratch on the right fender might have been form transportation but who ever buys that car better make sure that they fix it.

If it were me personally, I wouldn't let them wash it. But in reality though, whether they wash it or not, you are going to get swirl marks. Infiniti's paint is quite soft and it doesn't take much to put swirl marks and spider webbing on your paint. If you are serious about keeping your BO paint in great shape, I would highly recommend getting a PC and a quality polish like Poorboys SSR products or Menzera's 0106FF.

Help me out here Garnet, what is a PC?

Thanks,

gurney

likwidfuzion

It all comes down to how anal are you. :dunno:

Like Canuk said the verterans here have seen this before and there have been cases where the dealership was instructed not do anything cosmeticly, only mechanical.

As we have seen with one anal who cleans the inside of his exhuast tips with qtips.... if you get to that point it's time to up the meds ......:bowrofl:

Canuk - Round II from the noobs is going to be phun :D

Grats on your new whip bro. It's all good.

PC = Porter Cable. It is a random orbital buffer and a detailer's main weapon.

Here is a pic of some of the supplies, including my PC, that I use to keep my G lookin' new.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...G35/G35006.jpg



And here is an example of what it can do for your paint. This was a customer's car that I did a couple of weeks ago.

http://g35driver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170973