<rant>

ok, so i went in last week thursday to get my driver's seat track/rail replaced under warranty. that was all fine and good, except they forgot to completely put the seat together (there was a felt strap that wasn't properly buttoned down inside)...

but that's not what pissed me off. every time i take my car in, i make sure to tell them NOT TO WASH THE CAR. its always specifcially stated on the work order.

well, they decided to wash the car. now my car has severe swirls on the trunk, spoiler, rear quarter panels, bumper (which was freshly painted a month ago) and a variety of long scratches all over the car. its so severe, you can actually make out the stroke pattern that was used to wash the car!

i left a voicemail with the service manager so we'll see what they say. i only saw it yesterday cuz it rained non-stop from thursday-sunday morning. i'm SO pissed its not even funny.

</rant>

 

GRRRR. I feel your pain.

If you specifically told them not to do anything like that, and they ruined the finish (when you say "scratches" I presume you mean it broke the clearcoat and maybe even the paint),... they ought to pay.

 

Acura dealers often cross the lines because their cars sell themselves and people WILL come and buy/service vehicles at the dealerships. I get all the maintenance done either at home or at private shops with a good reputation.

 

its not down to the base coat but it definitely is deep into the clear coat. the swirls are nice and shiny and glistens in the sun - indications of deep cuts in the clear.

just got off the phone with a service manager. i guess he doesn't want me as a customer or something cuz he started to give me all kinds of excuses. he said they wash 60 cars a day, use clearcoat safe products and that one wash can't cause scratches/swirls.

i asked him if they use the two-bucket method for washing, he said he doesn't know what that is.

dude kept trying to interrupt me while i spoke over the phone. i really don't get where they get their attitude from.

i can tell you with absolute confidence that most if not all lexus dealers do not treat their customers this way. my friend with an IS250 gloats all the time...

anyway, i'm taking the car back this afternoon after work so he can 'inspect' the car. i fully expect them to say they didn't cause the swirls, or that i have to use their in-house detailer, which i refuse to do.

 

so i heard some of the funniest things i've ever heard today.

first of all, turns out the service manager is a decent guy, just rough around the edges a bit.

what amazed me tho is that the head detailer basically says that the paint is *suppose* to swirl, scratch, and have "wash marks". that its impossible to take it out and that if he used polish or compound he'd be taking off too much clear coat. that even factory paint will have "wash marks" despite brand new from the factory. he then rattled all the training he went through and said its industry standard is understood that you can't take out "wash marks", only cover them. "wash marks" is apparently their definition of running wash mitts with sandpaper on them cuz that's what my car looks like right now - they claim that that is unavoidable.

... so how do you explain the absence of "wash marks" on the freshly painted rear bumper? i've washed the car how many times after the dealer repainted my rear bumper and i had ZERO scratches, swirls, "wash marks". in fact, that was how i was gauging my car wash technique - if any defects showed up on the paint, i've been wash the car all wrong. but nope, i had ZERO paint defects after the washes i did.

i'm so flabbergasted i dunno what else to say. they want me to bring the car back so they can "detail" it. i think i'm gonna' turn that offer down...

 

Well, take detailed pictures and let them give you the detailing that's necessary to restore it. If not you could try taking them to court (which is a LOT more expensive for them than giving you a $100 detailing job), but if they've offered to rectify the matter, a judge may not want to give you what YOU want.

I'm not pointing fingers, but your preception of "attitude" might've been a reaction to your own tone. Just my .

I think my next car will be a Lexus. I like their interiors, and I keep hearing too many stories of how good the service is.

 

This 'head detailer' is out to lunch. My job is detailing cars and I know how swirl marks and scratches from the wash brush are created. (well, doesn't everybody?) The good news is that the paint can be restored to look like new. Scratches from a wash brush are generally not too deep into the paint and are fairly easy to remove, despite how it looks.
I remember seeing my car at the Acura dealer after getting some work done and the doors in sunlight looked holographic from the wash they did. It didn't concern me too much as I knew it needed a polish anyways.

I suggest letting them fix their mistake first at their own detail shop. I would just do it for you but I see you're in Hawaii.

 

The paint is 'supposed' to swirl? Did you ask them if the mechanics are also supposed to NOT follow directions when you tell them not to wash it?

I always hose the car off real real good before washing. I think the swirls come from the dirt that is on the car when it gets washed... OR from a dirty (unacceptable) brush.

Here's what I'd do now... WATCH them service your car. I do. And when they go to wash it, just say "stop." I usually sit and talk to the mechanics about what they're doing and what's up with my car while they service it (without being a bug). For example, we put my rims on the centrifuge TOGETHER and watch for bends. It'll never hurt to watch, and you can make sure they don't do things you don't want them to. Hopefully, they let you in the garage at your dealer though.

To me, its like a kid at the doctors... the parents are always right there when the doctors are working on the kid... right? Well, so am I. haha

 

Too bad you were not closer to where I get my tsx serviced-your opinion would change. Not good-excellent service.

 

We can't all be buddy-buddies with service managers, so our experiences vary.

 

Dealerships certainly vary. I have 2 Acura dealers close to me. I went to the one to have my Integra serviced (years ago) and while washing it, the "wash guys" stole all my change from the ashtray and took one of my centercaps. I had them buy me a new centercap and didn't bother asking for 2.50 or however much in change they stole. I remember the service advisor giving me a hard time about how the centercap must've already been off the car prior to me bringing it in. Uhhhhh....no. Then there was the time they decided to not tighten the lugnuts on my right rear wheel after rotating the tires. Of course it took me going down the highway at 70mph to realize their mistake. Thankfully the wheel stayed on, but that, combined with their response to the situation made it easy to never go there again!

The other dealership I go to (with my current MDX) is leaps and bounds better in regards to service and attitude then the other. Regardless, I still request that they don't wash my car because I don't want swirl marks etc, that I know will occur if they wash it. But in terms of service, attitude, etc. this dealer outshines the other big time.

Makes the decision on where to take my car fairly easy....

 

When I first met this service manager he was a service advisor-6 1/2 years ago. Never would bring our cars to a dealer for regular service-only warranty work. We needed some done and he waited on me. He went out of his way and gave me a loaner car so they could figure out what was wrong. He introduced me to the tech that would be working on my car. The car had a bad transmission-replaced under warranty. I then continued going to him for service. He became the acura service manager 4 years ago and we became very good friends. I am not a big fan of the acura dealer near me in Wilmington.

 

nah. the service manager is a big buff white guy with a BOOMING voice. over the phone it can come across in antagonistic tones. once you meet the guy tho you realize its his voice more than anything else.

i have consistently heard nothing but good things about almost all lexus dealers. acura on the hand seems to have a wide range of dealers - decent, ok, good, don't care, bad, etc.

it doesn't help my cause when there is ONE dealership on the island... i therefore need to tread carefully since my car will have to go back should there be any warranty repairs or anything like that. believe me when i say hawaii is no place to burn bridges.

the service advisor/manager is working with the detailer of my choice to work something out. i should be getting a call hopefully tomorrow about their decision... btw, i will be going to trendy auto salon. you can see his work here :https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-photograph-gallery-127/last-pics-year-703140/

 

Wow. I love what that detailer did to your car. Really. Inspires me to use some spring weather to rejuvenate my car.

I've found that sometimes little thoughtful "thank you" measures to service people go a long way. I took my auto back to the AAA servicemark here in NC recently, as the oil was spotting in my garage. Turns out the crush washer was failing, so the dude put in a new one ... and was able to do it without having to fill up with new oil (which I hadn't brought along). No charge; was no doubt a pain in the butt to do first thing on a cold morning. Next day I dropped off a free lunch card and a coffee club card with a free latte on it for him. The guy earned at least that.

So in your case, if the service manager pays for a detailing at your salon of choice ... a couple dozen hot fresh donuts or bagels dropped off will help them remember you as someone appreciative ... should you need their sympathy for a later warranty repair. Just an idea.

 

that's actually hawaiiantsx's car in the pix. i'm going to the same guy that did that. haha. i'm looking forward to my car looking better than showroom condition! (btw, the head detailer said their showroom cars all have the same "scratches" and "wash marks" that show up under florescent light...)

i hear what yer' saying. i do that with the tire place i regularly go to since i know the manager there. they scratched up my aftermarket wheels on my suv when they fixed a puncture. since it would've costed them $500.00 or so to replace the wheel, they instead agreed to service rendered that would amount to $500.00. since i ended up getting "free" service from them for a while, i always bought them beer and manapuas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manapua).

if acura comes through, beer and manapua will be on the way as well...

 

When I bring my tsx for service I bring them homemade cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter or oatmeal raisin) It is my way to thank them for the excellent service. They do appreciate it.

 

ahahah thats way too much. i would just pay them and leave unless you have established a good relationship with the workers there



oh yeah, i stopped bringing any of my cars to the dealership now. out of the 3 times i got an oil change done at acura, 2 were overfilled and one time they left a huge black smear on my white integra. I had to buy rubbing compound, polish and wax to get rid of it. i do everything that i am capable of myself now.

dealerships are our enemies

 

Update: just got a call from my service advisor. they are going to cut me a check for the amount estimated by the detailer. as far as i'm concerned, this saga is now done and the dealership is outta' the doghouse. for now.

my service advisor is a good guy so its all good. now that i also got some face time with the service manager, hopefully i can get a decent relationship going with them. like i said, hawaii is too dang small to burn bridges. its in everyone's interests to make nice.

once i get my car detailed, i'll post pix! can't wait!

 

I probably know most of the workers by name and they know me. I, therefore, get excellent service. Want respect, give it.

 

I used to love the dealership I bought my TSX from, but they either got new ownership or changed out the service department staff, because I stopped getting the same people I used to speak to when I called there. They used to be very mod-friendly (the service managers were enthusiasts who built + tracked their cars in their spare time), but the last time I called up to ask if I could still get my free oilchanges done there now that my car was lowered with a kit, the guy on the other end of the phone flipped out and kept going on about "not responsible, may damage your car, warranty voided, aftermarket parts" etc... I said F him and went to Valvoline. Been going there ever since. No more dealership for me.

 

They do the same whit to me, every time I ask the dealer not to wash it, they wash it. Not only do they put swirls all over the car, but they put some rank perfume in the car. Last time they did it, I got an allergic reaction to the scent..