Scratches after service valet ?

[Gavin79]

Has anyone ever had problems with their cars being returned after main dealer servicing and valeting covered in light scratches (ie. only visible on close inspection) ?

I won't go into too much detail about mine as the dealers are offering to polish it, so depending how that goes the problem might be resolved ?

thanks for any views or thoughts

It's a contentious subjet......however, when my car was ever in for warranty work (with which they offered a valet) I always made the service advisor VERY aware that I didn't want the car touched after it had left the service bay.

[David P]

Same here, I always tell them NOT to wash it

[Nath316]

it depends on whether the dealer has their own in house people or if it is sub-contracted

a local garage to me used to have their own people and they did an excellent job, now it is a company that covers several garages and the standard is alot less

Originally Posted by David P

Same here, I always tell them NOT to wash it

......jet wash wands too near to the paint work, chamois leathers dropped on the ground and not rinsed out...ohhhh......I'm cringing just thinking about it

[David P]

Better safe than sorry is the way I look at it

Originally Posted by Nath316

it depends on whether the dealer has their own in house people or if it is sub-contracted

a local garage to me used to have their own people and they did an excellent job, now it is a company that covers several garages and the standard is alot less

I hate even leaving my car with a garage when work needs doing that I can't do......I've NEVER let anyone valet my car......but I'm a fussy, OCD kind of person

Originally Posted by David P

Better safe than sorry is the way I look at it

Agreed David

[Gavin79]

Thanks for the replies everyone, at least i know I'm not the only 1 with high standards. Im guessing it was jet wash lance too close I've. Never let anyonre wash it be fore, lesson learnt

[cas]

Sadly, you're definitely not alone

[Ralf S.]

I wonder how they can manage it. I mean when I was a young lad and before the OCD kicked in, I washed cars with Fairy Liquid using a scabby old sponge from the bottom of the garage workbench (brushed the old leaves and cobwebs off though) and then dried it with a tatty old chammy.. and even after years the beast was still reasonable (albeit with a lot of swirling, with hindsight).

You'd think in just one wash, given even a modicum of care, that it would be practically impossible to inflict any visible damage..? Weird one... Dealers/garages must use a special type of car shampoo..


Ralf S.

[finny05]

i do know the previous owner of Dodger,s car had a problem with a main dealership in Aylesbury.They serviced his car and when it returned it had a nasty scuff on the bumper! They of course denied all knowledge.If in doubt about the garage take some pictures before and make the service manager aware of the any existing marks, so he knows,s your on his case.When i worked in a garage some time ago,we were always warned about problem customers,s. Better to be a problem customer than have a car with marks on it!!

IMO, the damage occurs because many people just don't care anymore.
If you have a car 'valeted' (yeah, right) at a typical garage, the following happens:

'Valeter' takes your keys from the service board....then drops them on the floor, damaging the key plip finish.
He/she locates your car....which is rather close to the car next to it. You know what's coming....valeter opens your car door, and within the blink of an eye, he's scored 20 points by not just chipping the paint on your door edge, but by denting the other car's door in the process......he/she is doing a stirling job so far
Now, they 'drop' onto your seat bolster, sit there for a while, just to make sure that it's fully crushed, then they slide into the seat, and pull their feet in.......but not before making sure they have dragged their grit filled shoe soles across the sill trim.
At this stage, your seat and mirror settings will be adjusted beyond belief.....for no apparent reason
Right, so the car is started, and we're off to the wash bay.....yeah
The jet washer is fired into life, and a high pressure jet of water and soap is at last sweeping it's way across the paint work. After a minute or two, the valeter realises that one of the windows is open......hey, never mind..."it'll dry out".
Now, their mate strolls up, and the valeter enjoys a 5 minute chat, whilst standing in one position with the jet wash wand, unaware of the fact that it is doing it's best to remove the numerical badging that it is focused upon.

If you are LUCKY, the pain will now stop, your car will be left, and locked.
However, in most cases, your pride and joy has to endure the same half witted process, but in reverse, as it is taken to a parking bay.


Do I trust anyone with my car??......no!

[biggreenzebra]

I had a problem once where my pristine GTV returned from a service with a small dent. No quibble from the dealer whatsoever. They got Dent Devils in and you seriously cannot tell it was ever there. The dealer in question - Platts in Stoke. Had no hesitation buying my Giulietta from them as a result.