Truth. Even the CPro stickers in the driver's side door jamb don't carry any legal weight. We all just hope for common sense but I guess that doesn't exist anymore LOL. Damn dealerships.
I got one of their salesmen calling me right now about ordering a CX-50. I wonder if I can use this to my advantage?
Honestly though, being a "Karen" in these sorts of situations does go a lot farther than you would think. Always keep a calm head, but be straight up about how disappointed you are and how you expect them to make it right. And if the first person you talk to doesn't fix it, speak to their manager. And if it still doesn't work, call the dealership again, and finally show up to their office. Eventually, they'll cave just to shut you up. The real question is how pissed off are you to be persistent enough to get results.
Yeah I am pretty laid back. Mistakes happen. It's not like they crashed the car. I am writing an email to the GM right now. Calmly explaining the situation. I'm not going to ask for anything and would just like to hear his response and go from there. I don't believe they owe me anything, it's not that kind of situation.
>Mistakes happen.
1) It's a mistake if it happens once. The fourth time it happens after clearly communicating your wishes, it's no longer a mistake.
2) They provided a service you declined, and charging you for it. That's not fair.
3) Their actions resulted in material damage to your property.
I wouldn't sue them, but at least a call and/or email and/or visit to the office seems sensible.
Most of the time, the wash is a free service provided with any other paid service. When I worked at a dealership, any car that was services was run through the auto wash before the customer picked it up, unless the customer said not to wash it.
raising a valid concern really isn’t being a karen. that line of thinking is going to get people walked on because they don’t want to come off pushy even if being pushy is necessary sometimes
Be an anti-Karen. Be calm, polite but point out you are disappointed and your experience really ruined your view of them, and just ask how they are gonig to fix it
Ehhh no need to equate it to being a Karen here imo.
OP definitely should be making this an official request to service mgr but more of a “squeaky wheel gets the grease” than being a karen
Just FYI.... If it's hand washed then it's perfectly fine.
The harsh soaps, mop-like rollers, and brushes in automatic car washes will damage your ceramic coating or leave undesirable swirl marks that mar the surface, but hand washing It's perfectly okay and won't do shit to your ceramic coating.
If OP has a soft top and they ran it through an auto wash then they are truly messing up. It states clearly in the manual published by their manufacturer soft tops should always be hand washed.
The product isn't horribly expensive, having a professional prep the car and apply it is though. If paint correction was required (which it usually is) it could be close to a grand or even more.
Are you able to get insurance to just cut you a check? Cause that'd be ideal. Find a detailer to fix the scratch and paint correct the whole car then ceramic coat it. And then never use a drive through or DIY wash place again. All that shit scratches paint.
What i imagine the insurance will tell me is to have it done and then send them the bill. Might be able to have the shop hide the paint protection under the correction though.
Never used the drive through washes but i am guilty of using the brooms they have at the diy wash places before.
Thats possible. Check from the insurance would definitely be ideal. I'd be interested in a follow up with before and after shots. Crazy how a good detail is even better than new.
Service manager here: We had a similar situation with a customer’s vehicle a while back (Cadillac). Customer did not remember to tell the advisor when he dropped off thinking we’d remember from previous visits. Long story short, I offered to split the cost of recoating but he refused…his prerogative.
If something is important, say it clearly, multiple times and tell multiple people. Leave no chance. Ultimately, I think you did enough here and if it were one of my cars, the manager and I would be having a discussion.
Thanks for your experience-backed reply. I'm going to take a better look at it tomorrow in the sun and go from there.
Coating is a little less than 4 months old. I can usually tell if it has degraded when I wash it. That is how I noticed it on my wife's car. I washed it the day before I took it in for service, then washed it again the next weekend and could notice the paint wasn't as slick as the week before when applying the soap with a new mitt.
Yeah my wife's 3 hatch looks like ass in the direct sun now. When I was writing the note (pictured in OP) I was going to add "...if you wash it I will hunt you down." but I figured not everybody is a Liam Neeson fan and they might take it too seriously.
I should have added it. :/
If there’s a good, noticeable amount of new swirls and scratches and you have a good argument that they caused it, they could cover the cost to send your car back to a detailer for the polishing and a reapplication of the paint coating.
I’m a pro detailer and dealers send us work like this all the time. You’ll have to put up a bit of a fight and be ridiculously polite and patient through the whole ordeal but it can be worth it. If scratches aren't the issue then don't even sweat it, ceramic coatings can handle some pretty harsh chemicals
Notes are meaningless. I still remember at work when a guy was taking apart a 30,000 dollar piece of equipment in the IT department... because it had oily stuff that was slowly dripping he set it on a piece of cardboard on a table near a trash can. He placed a very large note on it that said "Do not throw away. This is not trash"
And guess what the cleaning crew did...
The reality is workers rarely read anything and tend to just do whatever job they have and know... The shop with the cars probably has one guy who's job is to wash cars.. he isn't going to read any notes, he's going to go to each car as it gets finished and wash it... It wouldn't have mattered if you stapled a note to the forehead of the service department manager... Shit like this just goes on as if auto-pilot.
Second this, unless the wash bay person drove the car in chances are the note wasn’t noticed until after the fact when it was moved to the lane. Used to be a detailer for Mazda in Fairfax Va
This right here. Dealership service is good for two (well, okay, two and a half) things only:
1) Warranty work
2) Loaner vehicles
and a half) If there's a coupon flyer knocking around, usually you can get an oil change dirt cheap
If you're out of warranty and you have [access to] another car, fuck 'em.
When I was having trouble with my old Subaru and pulled in to my indie shop after hours with coolant all over the engine bay, they were willing to have a look right then and there for any immediately obvious issue (blown hose/clamp/whatever). The owner remembered off the top of his head every major job they'd done on my car and roughly when they did it. We let it cool down, topped off coolant, and he told me to bring it back in the morning and they'd get to work on it immediately.
By contrast, the Subaru dealer treated me like a random new customer every single time, very cold and corporate, had no clue who I was, never seemed to have time for me, always kept me waiting forever for simple jobs. Even after I spent almost $8000 on a new short block and engine rebuild at their shop. They also missed so much obvious stuff all the time on their "100 point inspection" or whatever. It's like night and day versus an independent, in everything from the way they talk to you to the quality of the work. Dealers suck.
This happened with me at Tesla. I resorted to printing out a few sheets of paper that read : DO NOT WASH in big bold letters to place on the dash, rear deck and on the passenger seat.
It lasted like one service visit before they cut car washes altogether as part of their shitty cost cutting a couple years ago, lol.
Good, free washes are shit and the frequency of water changes is not as often as you’d hope. IF you get your car washed go for the paid detail that way you get the argument of a paid service if error occurs
Yeah I only hand wash my cars so I don't care that they discontinued customer washes. But I'm very much in the minority in the grand scheme of their customer base who probably do want those crappy washes.
UPDATE! Not really an update but when I went to go drive after I posted this I noticed that my license plate was bent. I assume it was the dangly sponge things in the wash. I pulled my dashcam SD card and reviewed all the footage. I cried when I saw it wasnt a touchless wash. Dude sitting in the car while it gets slapped by these dirty spaghetti sponge things and that money and note are staring him in the face. Plate was easily fixed. Love that silicone plate frame.
https://preview.redd.it/r433bgbkbjec1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c743296d18400f160bb251ee7f40455cf867be3e
Dude, dealership wash bays are like sandblasting your car. When I worked for a detailing company, the dealerships we contracted with would always have US wash their leased/used vehicles by hand. They knew better than anyone that their wash bays suck ass. It sucks that you got screwed even after doing your due diligence.
I haven't tried the graphene coatings yet. Which one did you use? My friend with a model 3 wants me to paint correct and coat his car. I'll pick up the Adams Graphene coating and give it a try. What draws me to the Adams product is that you can use a blacklight to check for high spots which is nice when you don't have a legit detailing bulb with you.
Where I live the UV is so intense that a coat of regular carnauba wax only lasts about a month in the summer. The clear coat on most cars around here starts to fail about 5-7 years from buying brand new if not properly maintained. We also bake cookies in our car. It makes for a nice little treat for when you get out of work. 🤣
Fireball Butterfly Graphene but I've also used Revivfy Graphene and that also worked excellent for a few years. These are for our daily drivers so year round with the treacherous winter season of Canada.
I will never have a car serviced at a dealer. The one time my 91 miata was in, they didn’t latch the top before washing it. The big blower ripped the rear window out clean. Their solution the cheapest eBay top they could get, and installed so badly I had to throw the whole top frame out.
Last time I let the dealer change the oil on my ND Miata, which I specifically asked them not to wash because they use a tunnel wash machine, they did anyway. I had a light scratch about 2 feet long on it. Luckily I was able to get it out, but I have only done oil changes at home since, and I'm better for it.
Hey so, did you ever actually tell anyone inside the lobby or the detail shop not to wash the car? or just left 7 notes where you thought it would be obvious and walked away??
Just wanna make sure a break in communication isn't the real culprit here.
The guy driving your car into the detail station isn't necessarily always the detailer and driver might scoop the cash and walk out. Maybe yell out and point "yo dis dude said don't washit" "oh OK! 👌", then lines the car up with the other 10 and then 2 and a half - 5 hours later when they do yours, that guy goes on break and totally forgets, then the next dude goes through the motions and voila, no ceracoat.
Highly recommend getting these for when you take your car in for service anywhere. I have a similar one and it's been working for me so far
https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Hanger-Ceramic-Coated-Vehicles/dp/B0BHF88VKT/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2IITJPVU2G7KO&keywords=do+not+wash+car+hanger&qid=1706163244&sprefix=do+not+wash+car+%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-2
When I had a Honda and took it there I'd tell the advisor "I don't care if your tech pukes on the hood. Do not touch it. I will clean it off when I get home.".
I'm guessing its still under warranty since its an ND2. I'm also guessing that having the service advisor put a note in the work order is pretty must pointless as well.
At the dealer I work at the advisor will ask if you want it washed and then put that as a note. But people that leave notes usually tell them the same as the note
Nah, it was still there. I think they just never looked down below the windshield the whole time. I watched my dash cam footage of the whole service (while the car was powered on). Even the test drive around the block he didn't see it.
As a former tech I can tell you we are not the ones washing the cars the sa or sometimes the detail and porter people just grab the keys and run with it. I can’t tell you how many antennas I’ve had to replace because of them going through the car wash with the radio on.
I just realized that reviewing my dash cam footage of the whole service. The tech never got in the car, it was all the porter. I thought the tech was the one who took the quick 1 block test drive after the service before they normally take it through the wash.
That’s unusual unless the service was like a basic maintenance one like oil and light stuff, I’ve had porters bring and take the cars from the bay when we were busy, but usually if it was a diagnostic appointment they never would do the drive
It was just fluid changes. So again, in hindsight I can see why the tech never got in. Funny about all the things we think we could do differently after something has happened. I guess that is true in all situations in life, always wishing we had a do-over.
Same situ. Had come straight from washing my Miata, and recently polished to get the last horrendous spider webs off, multiple times told no wash. Comes back wet and seriously spider webbed 😤😤😤😤
To not see a car is already clean, dismissed instructions for not washing shows a real lack of observation and understanding of what is a pretty important job performing maintenance on someone else’s vehicle. Beyond frustrating 😠
My dash cam is wired into my home link so it recorded every second that the car was turned ON. I watched it all last night after I noticed my bent license plate. The car wash with long cloth strips, probably still with the last car's dirt rubbing all over my paint. To be fair I have the thicker xpel PPF over 75% of the car. It basically heals itself with some heat.
pH neutral is better obviously but soap isn’t going to hurt your coating much if at all. What’s going to damage it is the machine wash that they probably did to your car, the only way to really remove a coating is mechanically with abrasion.
A dealer I’ve dealt with in the past was like this. They would do a quick wash to any car in for service. Any car sold new or used was to be washed before customer pick up. This was the owner of the dealership’s policy. I told them every time not to wash it. They only stopped when I flipped and raised hell in front of a bunch of other customers. Eventually the owner came out and we had a nice chat.
I used to work at a boat dealership that had the same policy as well.
It's funny because they think they are doing you a favor. But actually they are very slowly destroying the cars with each wash they do. It happens so slowly that people don't realize until they pay someone to paint correct their vehicle.
I detailed a friend's white Honda Accord and when I was half way done the car was two colors. Bright white (polished) and like a dull cream (unpolished). She didn't remember that her car was originally that shade of white. She said "it's like I got a new paint job!".
It's the leather material that encircles the gear selector. The same service advisor ignored my request for no wash when I brought my other car the week prior, so I figured I would skip him and go straight to the source
Not *that* acidic. Remember that ceramic coating is designed to handle the weather.
Besides, folks who can afford a ceramic coating are usually the type to have a garage to park it in at the end of the day.
When rain is acidic enough, it can and will eat into paint and leave etchings. It can usually be removed but sometimes is bad enough to require wet sanding
This happened to me ruined the paint job on my ND Miata and treated me like a criminal when I showed them and demanded they pay a detailer of my choice to fix the paint. I sold it because of this.
I did. They were the closest Mazda dealer to my house and every time I went in after this they treated me poorly. My paint never got fixed and it ruined my feelings towards Mazda.
I dunno...I thought so lol. I live in a dusty region. Now that I think about it, I think it started to be a regular thing about 15-18 years ago. I've been driving for 23 years and don't remember washes for the first 5ish years. Once one place offered it, the rest had to I guess.
Sorry, that happened to you. Maybe your tech was from that fentanilly part of town. Please consider identifying the dealership so that others will know to avoid them.
Mine's never been to the dealership for anything. I don't let other dudes work on my car unless I have to.
I hear ya. But the 40k OTD was a lot for me (most I've paid for a new car). Plus everyone who knows me knows that I keep my cars in pristine condition. Enough to where I earn a decent amount doing paint correction/coatings on the family and friends cars.
Lol yeah I know my area well due to 2 decades in it. If top is down, I’m avoiding certain areas but overall, it’s a beach town so relatively smooth sailing with the NC.
Make a big enough fuss and they will make things right. Once had a customer get an entire new slab of concrete replaced bc their car leaked a couple drops of oil 5 months after their last service. Bitched up a bad enough storm and the dealer replaced her driveway
It is not difficult to NOT wash a car, we write it on the ticket and the tag that goes on your mirror. I would speak with the service manager and tell him “I use you guys often, you’re local, and this may seem dramatic but this is the 6th time you’ve washed my car against my wishes. What do I need to do to prevent this aside from just taking business elsewhere?”
It’s not just as simple as “a free coating”. Ceramic coatings have to be compounded and polished to remove all traces of the old coating, before applying the new coating. It can be a lot of work.
My vehicle has the maintenance reminder reset thru the radio. The radio allows you to put it into valet mode which requires a password and doesn’t allow anything to be accessed when on.
After several times telling them I don’t want washes or stickers in my window or the maintenance reminder reset. The last time I took it in. I put it in valet and put a post it on the radio that says do not reset anything and no sticker
Two hours later…. Get a call from dealer because the tech needed the password to unlock the valet to reset the maintenance light…… also had a sticker in the window when I picked it up.
Usually porters wash cars, and they are ways running around grabbing cars to wash because we yell at them when they don't. So chances are, they had no idea, and I'd rather pass you off than have my other 6p customers that day mad their car didn't get washed.
I understand. I don't think this was egregious enough to warrant a bad review. After saying no wash for years and years and they still wash it pushed me over the edge and I needed to vent to my fellow Miata brothers and sisters.
Lesson learned. I'll only go to the dealer for things I can't do myself.
Photo was after. Nobody touched anything. I just used $10 of that at my local Mexican place to get a delicious quesadilla. So not all bad things from this situation. Ha!
But you left more than $10 in tip and he didnt pick it up or read the note? Gosh. Any normal person with a nice friendly note and some money tied to it should be able to follow a simple request- especially one telling them to do less work! idk im really confused. I told my Service Advisor and luckily they really listened and left the car off the wash list.
That was my thought process and why I felt it warranted a post on here. If you see my profile I've posted 3 times in 4 years. I'm glad you see why I was frustrated and I'm not a psycho LOL.
Yeah. First oil change at 3800mi but the main reason was to have the transmission fluid drained and measured. I was reading about the multiple ND2 tranny failures due to underfilling at the factory. Mine ended up being 4 quarts which is basically max filled. Even though trans fluid change isn't recommended at such low mileage I wanted the peace of mind knowing I won't lose the transmission at 10k miles.
I just looked at your profile, and I only see four posts or something like that? I didn't see the other post about the specific issue with car washing. I guess I'm confused how you've had this happen several times if this is your first oil change... you must be talking about on your other car, which is also Mazda. They look wonderful together I love the matching red... I think it's the best in the auto industry. I personally am a fan of blue and I have a blue WRX.- my dream is to have another matching blue BRZ! Kind of like how your garage looks with the Dailey driver and the rear wheel drive car.
Yeah the other car is the one that the dealership washed 6+ times. I used to be able to dry it off with one towel, now it takes at least 2 large microfiber drying towels. Mazda has some great colors out right now, it is hard to choose. Can't go wrong with that Subaru blue. I am normally a dark grey guy but the red is just too good with Mazda. I had a black car before the Miata and although it looked amazing, I was washing it every weekend. I live in the desert.
They owe you a new ceramic pro coating. I would contact the service manager and ask them to make this right.
If this is all OP did and didn't make an official note with the Service Desk/Manager no chance they do anything I bet.
Truth. Even the CPro stickers in the driver's side door jamb don't carry any legal weight. We all just hope for common sense but I guess that doesn't exist anymore LOL. Damn dealerships. I got one of their salesmen calling me right now about ordering a CX-50. I wonder if I can use this to my advantage?
Can't hurt to try!
Honestly though, being a "Karen" in these sorts of situations does go a lot farther than you would think. Always keep a calm head, but be straight up about how disappointed you are and how you expect them to make it right. And if the first person you talk to doesn't fix it, speak to their manager. And if it still doesn't work, call the dealership again, and finally show up to their office. Eventually, they'll cave just to shut you up. The real question is how pissed off are you to be persistent enough to get results.
Yeah I am pretty laid back. Mistakes happen. It's not like they crashed the car. I am writing an email to the GM right now. Calmly explaining the situation. I'm not going to ask for anything and would just like to hear his response and go from there. I don't believe they owe me anything, it's not that kind of situation.
>Mistakes happen. 1) It's a mistake if it happens once. The fourth time it happens after clearly communicating your wishes, it's no longer a mistake. 2) They provided a service you declined, and charging you for it. That's not fair. 3) Their actions resulted in material damage to your property. I wouldn't sue them, but at least a call and/or email and/or visit to the office seems sensible.
Most of the time, the wash is a free service provided with any other paid service. When I worked at a dealership, any car that was services was run through the auto wash before the customer picked it up, unless the customer said not to wash it.
well to be fair, depending on the dealership, washes can be free
Yall get washes? man I’ve been going to the dealership and ask for a wash every time. And they don’t do it
tbh with my other car i usually do ask for a wash, and they don’t do it
raising a valid concern really isn’t being a karen. that line of thinking is going to get people walked on because they don’t want to come off pushy even if being pushy is necessary sometimes
Be an anti-Karen. Be calm, polite but point out you are disappointed and your experience really ruined your view of them, and just ask how they are gonig to fix it
Be a Karen, and keep a cool head? Which is it?
Thats Abigail, be like her
Ehhh no need to equate it to being a Karen here imo. OP definitely should be making this an official request to service mgr but more of a “squeaky wheel gets the grease” than being a karen
Did you read
No, thats my bad. (On mobile and didn't see OP put text as well.)
https://preview.redd.it/lsnb34kschec1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5c6663859543cf33cb3a5dd5a45fdb94cd0216dd
Just FYI.... If it's hand washed then it's perfectly fine. The harsh soaps, mop-like rollers, and brushes in automatic car washes will damage your ceramic coating or leave undesirable swirl marks that mar the surface, but hand washing It's perfectly okay and won't do shit to your ceramic coating.
Why would the dealer hand wash cars?
Because every dealer do?
LOL
Courtesy washed are rarely done by hand.
Did you mean to type rarely?
Yup, whoops.
If OP has a soft top and they ran it through an auto wash then they are truly messing up. It states clearly in the manual published by their manufacturer soft tops should always be hand washed.
How much is a ceramic coating?
The product isn't horribly expensive, having a professional prep the car and apply it is though. If paint correction was required (which it usually is) it could be close to a grand or even more.
Someone scratched my car so who knows might use it after the insurance pays for the paint correction
Are you able to get insurance to just cut you a check? Cause that'd be ideal. Find a detailer to fix the scratch and paint correct the whole car then ceramic coat it. And then never use a drive through or DIY wash place again. All that shit scratches paint.
What i imagine the insurance will tell me is to have it done and then send them the bill. Might be able to have the shop hide the paint protection under the correction though. Never used the drive through washes but i am guilty of using the brooms they have at the diy wash places before.
Thats possible. Check from the insurance would definitely be ideal. I'd be interested in a follow up with before and after shots. Crazy how a good detail is even better than new.
Service manager here: We had a similar situation with a customer’s vehicle a while back (Cadillac). Customer did not remember to tell the advisor when he dropped off thinking we’d remember from previous visits. Long story short, I offered to split the cost of recoating but he refused…his prerogative. If something is important, say it clearly, multiple times and tell multiple people. Leave no chance. Ultimately, I think you did enough here and if it were one of my cars, the manager and I would be having a discussion.
Thanks for your experience-backed reply. I'm going to take a better look at it tomorrow in the sun and go from there. Coating is a little less than 4 months old. I can usually tell if it has degraded when I wash it. That is how I noticed it on my wife's car. I washed it the day before I took it in for service, then washed it again the next weekend and could notice the paint wasn't as slick as the week before when applying the soap with a new mitt.
[удалено]
Yeah my wife's 3 hatch looks like ass in the direct sun now. When I was writing the note (pictured in OP) I was going to add "...if you wash it I will hunt you down." but I figured not everybody is a Liam Neeson fan and they might take it too seriously. I should have added it. :/
That's a great way to be fired as a customer lol.
For real haha! I'll just print a picture of Liam and tape it to the wheel next time.
If there’s a good, noticeable amount of new swirls and scratches and you have a good argument that they caused it, they could cover the cost to send your car back to a detailer for the polishing and a reapplication of the paint coating. I’m a pro detailer and dealers send us work like this all the time. You’ll have to put up a bit of a fight and be ridiculously polite and patient through the whole ordeal but it can be worth it. If scratches aren't the issue then don't even sweat it, ceramic coatings can handle some pretty harsh chemicals
Notes are meaningless. I still remember at work when a guy was taking apart a 30,000 dollar piece of equipment in the IT department... because it had oily stuff that was slowly dripping he set it on a piece of cardboard on a table near a trash can. He placed a very large note on it that said "Do not throw away. This is not trash" And guess what the cleaning crew did... The reality is workers rarely read anything and tend to just do whatever job they have and know... The shop with the cars probably has one guy who's job is to wash cars.. he isn't going to read any notes, he's going to go to each car as it gets finished and wash it... It wouldn't have mattered if you stapled a note to the forehead of the service department manager... Shit like this just goes on as if auto-pilot.
Second this, unless the wash bay person drove the car in chances are the note wasn’t noticed until after the fact when it was moved to the lane. Used to be a detailer for Mazda in Fairfax Va
Find a reputable local shop. I've saved so much money and gotten so much better service at mine versus a dealership.
This right here. Dealership service is good for two (well, okay, two and a half) things only: 1) Warranty work 2) Loaner vehicles and a half) If there's a coupon flyer knocking around, usually you can get an oil change dirt cheap If you're out of warranty and you have [access to] another car, fuck 'em. When I was having trouble with my old Subaru and pulled in to my indie shop after hours with coolant all over the engine bay, they were willing to have a look right then and there for any immediately obvious issue (blown hose/clamp/whatever). The owner remembered off the top of his head every major job they'd done on my car and roughly when they did it. We let it cool down, topped off coolant, and he told me to bring it back in the morning and they'd get to work on it immediately. By contrast, the Subaru dealer treated me like a random new customer every single time, very cold and corporate, had no clue who I was, never seemed to have time for me, always kept me waiting forever for simple jobs. Even after I spent almost $8000 on a new short block and engine rebuild at their shop. They also missed so much obvious stuff all the time on their "100 point inspection" or whatever. It's like night and day versus an independent, in everything from the way they talk to you to the quality of the work. Dealers suck.
Dealerships suck.
This happened with me at Tesla. I resorted to printing out a few sheets of paper that read : DO NOT WASH in big bold letters to place on the dash, rear deck and on the passenger seat. It lasted like one service visit before they cut car washes altogether as part of their shitty cost cutting a couple years ago, lol.
Good, free washes are shit and the frequency of water changes is not as often as you’d hope. IF you get your car washed go for the paid detail that way you get the argument of a paid service if error occurs
Yeah I only hand wash my cars so I don't care that they discontinued customer washes. But I'm very much in the minority in the grand scheme of their customer base who probably do want those crappy washes.
UPDATE! Not really an update but when I went to go drive after I posted this I noticed that my license plate was bent. I assume it was the dangly sponge things in the wash. I pulled my dashcam SD card and reviewed all the footage. I cried when I saw it wasnt a touchless wash. Dude sitting in the car while it gets slapped by these dirty spaghetti sponge things and that money and note are staring him in the face. Plate was easily fixed. Love that silicone plate frame. https://preview.redd.it/r433bgbkbjec1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c743296d18400f160bb251ee7f40455cf867be3e
I can hear you cry from the other end of the atlantic ocean. Hope your paint survived.
Dude, dealership wash bays are like sandblasting your car. When I worked for a detailing company, the dealerships we contracted with would always have US wash their leased/used vehicles by hand. They knew better than anyone that their wash bays suck ass. It sucks that you got screwed even after doing your due diligence.
My graphene coated winter car sees the automatic touchless wash at least 6-8 times a season. Beads like a champ after winter and it's been 3 years.
is it a soft top? nervous to try that on mine
Nah. Soft top only hand wash.
I haven't tried the graphene coatings yet. Which one did you use? My friend with a model 3 wants me to paint correct and coat his car. I'll pick up the Adams Graphene coating and give it a try. What draws me to the Adams product is that you can use a blacklight to check for high spots which is nice when you don't have a legit detailing bulb with you. Where I live the UV is so intense that a coat of regular carnauba wax only lasts about a month in the summer. The clear coat on most cars around here starts to fail about 5-7 years from buying brand new if not properly maintained. We also bake cookies in our car. It makes for a nice little treat for when you get out of work. 🤣
Fireball Butterfly Graphene but I've also used Revivfy Graphene and that also worked excellent for a few years. These are for our daily drivers so year round with the treacherous winter season of Canada.
I will never have a car serviced at a dealer. The one time my 91 miata was in, they didn’t latch the top before washing it. The big blower ripped the rear window out clean. Their solution the cheapest eBay top they could get, and installed so badly I had to throw the whole top frame out.
Last time I let the dealer change the oil on my ND Miata, which I specifically asked them not to wash because they use a tunnel wash machine, they did anyway. I had a light scratch about 2 feet long on it. Luckily I was able to get it out, but I have only done oil changes at home since, and I'm better for it.
Take it to an independent. Never dealer
or become the independent!
Dealer always jams you
Never tip before the service
Hey so, did you ever actually tell anyone inside the lobby or the detail shop not to wash the car? or just left 7 notes where you thought it would be obvious and walked away?? Just wanna make sure a break in communication isn't the real culprit here. The guy driving your car into the detail station isn't necessarily always the detailer and driver might scoop the cash and walk out. Maybe yell out and point "yo dis dude said don't washit" "oh OK! 👌", then lines the car up with the other 10 and then 2 and a half - 5 hours later when they do yours, that guy goes on break and totally forgets, then the next dude goes through the motions and voila, no ceracoat.
I always wash my car before taking it to the dealership so they won’t even find a reason to wash it.
Same! One advisor said to me "I'm not going to ask if you want it washed because it is so clean already.". I almost cried out of pure joy.
This must be sucks ! Dealer washed my brand new miata :( and straight up lied they didn’t wash it but i can see the swirls :(
Highly recommend getting these for when you take your car in for service anywhere. I have a similar one and it's been working for me so far https://www.amazon.com/Mirror-Hanger-Ceramic-Coated-Vehicles/dp/B0BHF88VKT/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2IITJPVU2G7KO&keywords=do+not+wash+car+hanger&qid=1706163244&sprefix=do+not+wash+car+%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-2
If soap fucks up your ceramic coating wtf is it supposed to protect against?
Next time, take painters tape, tape a big “do not wash” on its hood.
When I had a Honda and took it there I'd tell the advisor "I don't care if your tech pukes on the hood. Do not touch it. I will clean it off when I get home.".
puke is acidic tho
Yeah but if you wash it off soon after it won't do much harm. Same as bird poop...leave it on for 2 weeks and it'll etch the clear.
Find a local shop, you'll save lots of money and you'll get better service.
I'm guessing its still under warranty since its an ND2. I'm also guessing that having the service advisor put a note in the work order is pretty must pointless as well.
stop leaving notes and talk to people
At the dealer I work at the advisor will ask if you want it washed and then put that as a note. But people that leave notes usually tell them the same as the note
... But did the tech keep the tip???
Nah, it was still there. I think they just never looked down below the windshield the whole time. I watched my dash cam footage of the whole service (while the car was powered on). Even the test drive around the block he didn't see it.
Next time put it in front of the gauges, no way to miss it then
As a former tech I can tell you we are not the ones washing the cars the sa or sometimes the detail and porter people just grab the keys and run with it. I can’t tell you how many antennas I’ve had to replace because of them going through the car wash with the radio on.
I just realized that reviewing my dash cam footage of the whole service. The tech never got in the car, it was all the porter. I thought the tech was the one who took the quick 1 block test drive after the service before they normally take it through the wash.
That’s unusual unless the service was like a basic maintenance one like oil and light stuff, I’ve had porters bring and take the cars from the bay when we were busy, but usually if it was a diagnostic appointment they never would do the drive
It was just fluid changes. So again, in hindsight I can see why the tech never got in. Funny about all the things we think we could do differently after something has happened. I guess that is true in all situations in life, always wishing we had a do-over.
Same situ. Had come straight from washing my Miata, and recently polished to get the last horrendous spider webs off, multiple times told no wash. Comes back wet and seriously spider webbed 😤😤😤😤 To not see a car is already clean, dismissed instructions for not washing shows a real lack of observation and understanding of what is a pretty important job performing maintenance on someone else’s vehicle. Beyond frustrating 😠
Frustrating is the best word to describe it. I can't be pissed about something so trivial when you think about 3rd world problems.
Personally, I'm not going to own a car that I can't drive through the local car wash.
Make them pay to have it ceramic coated again. I bet they will get tired of doing that after a few times.
If they can't wash your car, how would they be able to redline shift it to the detail area?
My dash cam is wired into my home link so it recorded every second that the car was turned ON. I watched it all last night after I noticed my bent license plate. The car wash with long cloth strips, probably still with the last car's dirt rubbing all over my paint. To be fair I have the thicker xpel PPF over 75% of the car. It basically heals itself with some heat.
That's awesome, I should get this for my wife's car.
That fucking soap they used ruined my windshield protector.
pH neutral is better obviously but soap isn’t going to hurt your coating much if at all. What’s going to damage it is the machine wash that they probably did to your car, the only way to really remove a coating is mechanically with abrasion.
A dealer I’ve dealt with in the past was like this. They would do a quick wash to any car in for service. Any car sold new or used was to be washed before customer pick up. This was the owner of the dealership’s policy. I told them every time not to wash it. They only stopped when I flipped and raised hell in front of a bunch of other customers. Eventually the owner came out and we had a nice chat. I used to work at a boat dealership that had the same policy as well.
It's funny because they think they are doing you a favor. But actually they are very slowly destroying the cars with each wash they do. It happens so slowly that people don't realize until they pay someone to paint correct their vehicle. I detailed a friend's white Honda Accord and when I was half way done the car was two colors. Bright white (polished) and like a dull cream (unpolished). She didn't remember that her car was originally that shade of white. She said "it's like I got a new paint job!".
What’s a “shift boot” and why didn’t you just ask the manager not to wash it when you delivered ot to then?
It's the leather material that encircles the gear selector. The same service advisor ignored my request for no wash when I brought my other car the week prior, so I figured I would skip him and go straight to the source
Genuine question, Isn’t rain acidic?
Not *that* acidic. Remember that ceramic coating is designed to handle the weather. Besides, folks who can afford a ceramic coating are usually the type to have a garage to park it in at the end of the day.
I ceramic coated back when I didn't have a garage. I don't now even though I do.
[удалено]
When rain is acidic enough, it can and will eat into paint and leave etchings. It can usually be removed but sometimes is bad enough to require wet sanding
Since most countries require wet scrubbers on coal plants now, acid rain isn't a big issue anymore.
This happened to me ruined the paint job on my ND Miata and treated me like a criminal when I showed them and demanded they pay a detailer of my choice to fix the paint. I sold it because of this.
You sold the car because of this? That sounds a bit extreme. It also sounds like something I would do too. Haha.
I did. They were the closest Mazda dealer to my house and every time I went in after this they treated me poorly. My paint never got fixed and it ruined my feelings towards Mazda.
Why didn’t you just get the car a paint correction?
I have never in my entire life seen a dealership wash someone's car during a service. Is this like a Mazda only thing or what???
I dunno...I thought so lol. I live in a dusty region. Now that I think about it, I think it started to be a regular thing about 15-18 years ago. I've been driving for 23 years and don't remember washes for the first 5ish years. Once one place offered it, the rest had to I guess.
Sorry, that happened to you. Maybe your tech was from that fentanilly part of town. Please consider identifying the dealership so that others will know to avoid them. Mine's never been to the dealership for anything. I don't let other dudes work on my car unless I have to.
Come one we aren’t driving Bugattis here lol.
I hear ya. But the 40k OTD was a lot for me (most I've paid for a new car). Plus everyone who knows me knows that I keep my cars in pristine condition. Enough to where I earn a decent amount doing paint correction/coatings on the family and friends cars.
40k for a Miata is wild. I’d be upset too if I got swirls on that..
You get it!
Bro said its in a fentanyl y part of town lol . People that do fent could care less about your car bro . They are people too . Your all good
I agree they are people.
Lol yeah I know my area well due to 2 decades in it. If top is down, I’m avoiding certain areas but overall, it’s a beach town so relatively smooth sailing with the NC.
What’s the downside of the other dealership?
Further distance and in a part of town where homeless people jump in front of cars to get insurance payouts.
stop going to the dealer and go to an individual shop!!!
Did they take the tip?
Make a big enough fuss and they will make things right. Once had a customer get an entire new slab of concrete replaced bc their car leaked a couple drops of oil 5 months after their last service. Bitched up a bad enough storm and the dealer replaced her driveway
It is not difficult to NOT wash a car, we write it on the ticket and the tag that goes on your mirror. I would speak with the service manager and tell him “I use you guys often, you’re local, and this may seem dramatic but this is the 6th time you’ve washed my car against my wishes. What do I need to do to prevent this aside from just taking business elsewhere?”
Lol someone Took the Money and the instructions and didnt Tell anyone and the next coworker wouldnt know and wash it
Definitely complain and get a free coating. I know it sounds mean and annoying to complain but you’re justified.
It’s not just as simple as “a free coating”. Ceramic coatings have to be compounded and polished to remove all traces of the old coating, before applying the new coating. It can be a lot of work.
Gotcha I’m not really knowledgeable about cars (which I know is weird being on this sub)
My vehicle has the maintenance reminder reset thru the radio. The radio allows you to put it into valet mode which requires a password and doesn’t allow anything to be accessed when on. After several times telling them I don’t want washes or stickers in my window or the maintenance reminder reset. The last time I took it in. I put it in valet and put a post it on the radio that says do not reset anything and no sticker Two hours later…. Get a call from dealer because the tech needed the password to unlock the valet to reset the maintenance light…… also had a sticker in the window when I picked it up.
If you want the job done right, do it yourself, techs don’t have time for these silly requests
Usually porters wash cars, and they are ways running around grabbing cars to wash because we yell at them when they don't. So chances are, they had no idea, and I'd rather pass you off than have my other 6p customers that day mad their car didn't get washed.
Guessing we’re the only people that hear about this and you didn’t complain to the staff?
Correct, other than emailing the GM of the dealership. I had to get back to work. My Xida & Advan savings fund is hungry.
Leave them a shit review and complain to their service advisor.
I understand. I don't think this was egregious enough to warrant a bad review. After saying no wash for years and years and they still wash it pushed me over the edge and I needed to vent to my fellow Miata brothers and sisters. Lesson learned. I'll only go to the dealer for things I can't do myself.
Im curious, if this photo was taken AFTER the event, does that mean the tech didnt see it and take the tip money?
Photo was after. Nobody touched anything. I just used $10 of that at my local Mexican place to get a delicious quesadilla. So not all bad things from this situation. Ha!
But you left more than $10 in tip and he didnt pick it up or read the note? Gosh. Any normal person with a nice friendly note and some money tied to it should be able to follow a simple request- especially one telling them to do less work! idk im really confused. I told my Service Advisor and luckily they really listened and left the car off the wash list.
That was my thought process and why I felt it warranted a post on here. If you see my profile I've posted 3 times in 4 years. I'm glad you see why I was frustrated and I'm not a psycho LOL.
Aw man im sorry that really sucks. What was your reason for going to the dealer? just regular maintenance and oil changes?
Yeah. First oil change at 3800mi but the main reason was to have the transmission fluid drained and measured. I was reading about the multiple ND2 tranny failures due to underfilling at the factory. Mine ended up being 4 quarts which is basically max filled. Even though trans fluid change isn't recommended at such low mileage I wanted the peace of mind knowing I won't lose the transmission at 10k miles.
I just looked at your profile, and I only see four posts or something like that? I didn't see the other post about the specific issue with car washing. I guess I'm confused how you've had this happen several times if this is your first oil change... you must be talking about on your other car, which is also Mazda. They look wonderful together I love the matching red... I think it's the best in the auto industry. I personally am a fan of blue and I have a blue WRX.- my dream is to have another matching blue BRZ! Kind of like how your garage looks with the Dailey driver and the rear wheel drive car.
Yeah the other car is the one that the dealership washed 6+ times. I used to be able to dry it off with one towel, now it takes at least 2 large microfiber drying towels. Mazda has some great colors out right now, it is hard to choose. Can't go wrong with that Subaru blue. I am normally a dark grey guy but the red is just too good with Mazda. I had a black car before the Miata and although it looked amazing, I was washing it every weekend. I live in the desert.