[Pylon]

I didn't believe the Dealer Swirl Option would be an issue until I got my brand new car today. For those of you that are like me and say, ahhhh it should be fine, think twice, call the dealer before they prep the car and ask them to do NOTHING.

[nikku]

Yeap it does happen. Emphasizing to the dealer that a prep is strictly a no no is a very good idea. Even though I told my dealer not to prep they thought they were doing me a favour by actually doing it. They added swirls that I definitely did not feel was a favour

[Pylon]

OUCH!!!! What did you do about it? Live with it? Detail it?

Originally Posted by nikku

Yeap it does happen. Emphasizing to the dealer that a prep is strictly a no no is a very good idea. Even though I told my dealer not to prep they thought they were doing me a favour by actually doing it. They added swirls that I definitely did not feel was a favour

[munna]

That happened to my car too. I refused delivery until they repolished the entire car.

[Pylon]

Hmmm... I dunno if I would trust a dealer with polishing the car. Anyhow, I don't know if there is anything I can do now. I already took delivery on the car.

Originally Posted by munna

That happened to my car too. I refused delivery until they repolished the entire car.

[Andy M]

Dealerships tend to hire a lot of guys who are just out of high school and detailing new cars to save up for college.

My friend works for one of the body shops that only does high end cars. He's had to repaint many BMW's because the dealership detailer burned through the bumper with the machine polish!

I had a bunch of fine scratches on my trunk when I picked up my car. Looked as though the detailer finished his work, washed the car, and WIPED the car instead of patting it dry or using air to dry it.

[BMW_11_22_08]

What about denying a wash on service trips, too? I don't believe they buff anything, but if you're concerned with a dealership you might want to consider it.


Edit: So how much is the dealer swirl option? Does it come with a scratched interior, or is it just specialty paint work?

"2009 E92 BMW 335i (AW|Coral Red Leather|M Sport|Navi|Audiophille|Dealer Swirl)"

[Pylon]

So far I have not noticed any scratched interior but I'll keep looking. Oh well, lesson learned. I'll just enjoy my car now and get it professionally detailed one day by a reputable local company. I'm not going to bother going back to BMW but I will let my SA/Salesman know my displeasure.

Originally Posted by BMW_11_22_08

What about denying a wash on service trips, too? I don't believe they buff anything, but if you're concerned with a dealership you might want to consider it.


Edit: So how much is the dealer swirl option? Does it come with a scratched interior, or is it just specialty paint work?

"2009 E92 BMW 335i (AW|Coral Red Leather|M Sport|Navi|Audiophille|Dealer Swirl)"

[Craig@SupremePower]

sorry to hear..

[munna]

Originally Posted by Pylon

Hmmm... I dunno if I would trust a dealer with polishing the car. Anyhow, I don't know if there is anything I can do now. I already took delivery on the car.

Yeah - i was a bit apprehensive about that also. But they did a really good job. Virtually 0 swirls after they were done. I've had it for about a month now, and i've washed it 4-5 times myself. Still looks as good as the day they polished it

[pander5]

Thanks, Pylon, for reminding us how important it is to remind the dealer at EVERY pre delivery visit or conversation NOT TO EVEN WASH IT! While munna's experience is not the norm we can all be reminded of how important it is to make sure they do not do anything to it when they receive it but give you a call to say come and get it.

It took me 4 times to impress upon my sales associate the importance I place on receiving my new BMW in as close a condition as when it left the factory. Yes, 4 times and each with progressive and increasing emphasis on that issue. The first 3 times he insisted on the abilities of their "detail" staff and he was incredulous that I didn't even want them to wash it.

The final convincer was when I borught him out to the showroom floor and made sure he saw and understood the swirl marks in a Z4M Coupe - black. I proceeded to tell him it didn't leave the production facility like that and they most likely didn't get "installed" by the VPC! I further dropped the trump card that the dealer would suffer GREATLY on the customer service survey if they so much as spray it with water and attempt to dry it off. That seems to carry a great deal of weight with my dealer.

It paid off. When they called to say it was ready for pickup it was filthy. To the other 2% of the customers like me (and us here) that can relate, I was absolutely thrilled and gave them all 5's on the after sale survey! I made it a point to thank my sales associate and extend my appreciation.

I want to be the only one to install then remove the few swirls my car obtained after about 2 years of ownership!

[Pylon]

LoL yeah. Pylon installed swirls I can live with for sure. Anyhow, I'll let the SA know not to wash my car on all services. Luckily my car is white so it's much harder to tell.

[John 070]

I dunno if people are still ordering their cars (i.e. wait 2 mos), but if the car is taken from the lot, I don't feel I'd want to avoid dealer prep. If there were something defective about the delivery, I'd simply refuse the car and cancel the transaction. I would not want to spend my own time and money doing something that's part of the dealership's responsibility. If they can't do something like properly prep the car, what kind of dealer are they anyway?

I understand that if I waited 2 mos. for the car, it's disappointing to not go home with it. But still the only thing I would tell them is don't put their decal anywhere on the vehicle.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by pander5

It paid off. When they called to say it was ready for pickup it was filthy.

That sounds funny because as you can imagine, most owners would be p****** to find that upon delivery of a new car! LOL

[nikku]

Originally Posted by Pylon

OUCH!!!! What did you do about it? Live with it? Detail it?

Since I detail Pylon. I just detailed it.

[pander5]

Originally Posted by John 070

If they can't do something like properly prep the car, what kind of dealer are they anyway?

Answer - typical dealer.

Dealers don't focus too much on the "cost" side of washing and detailing their inventory because they satisfy the huge majority of customers who don't see swirls and minor paint damage like we do. They simply see it as clean and shiny. Case in point - the brand new Z4M on my dealer's showroom floor under the lights.

[Andy M]

Originally Posted by pander5

Answer - typical dealer.

Dealers don't focus too much on the "cost" side of washing and detailing their inventory because they satisfy the huge majority of customers who don't see swirls and minor paint damage like we do. They simply see it as clean and shiny. Case in point - the brand new Z4M on my dealer's showroom floor under the lights.

FYI, a lot of dealers don't even know what swirls are.

Fiancee and I were looking at an Audi A3 for her (no not BMW cause she thinks Audi is more comfortable). I was looking at this A3 in the dealership and going "you know, you guys have a scratches on the front lip of that car and also swirls on the hood?" The SA looked at me and went "what's a swirl?"

If dealerships have trouble detailing their show cars properly, how do you expect them to detail your car properly?

If you know how and you have the time, do it yourself.

[toymaker]

Dealer never prepped my car thank god.
I wash with Dr. Bronners and than I use Menzerna FML.
Connolly Hide Food on the inside.
Looks nice. No swirls. Thank you dealership for not washing my car.

[jopa489]

Originally Posted by BMW_11_22_08

What about denying a wash on service trips, too? I don't believe they buff anything, but if you're concerned with a dealership you might want to consider it.

I always respectfully emphasize to my SA that the exterior of my car is not to be touched when it goes in for service. I bring it to them spotless and tell them it was just professionally detailed (by me of course!). I've also heard of some people even leaving a sticky note in the car to remind anyone who enters not to wash it. The last thing I want is the hard work of maintaining my cars properly to be totally disregarded by the dealer running it through their horrible tunnel wash. Nor do I want some hack with a rotary and industrial-size bottle of filling glaze touching the paint.

Unfortunately learned this the hard way when our new JB X3 was delivered with swirl marks and holograms from improper buffing back in 2004. Every car since then has been delivered to me with the exterior untouched.

Much like pander5, I need to re-emphasize this every single time with my CA when getting a new car (and SA when scheduling service). Over the years, we've purchased quite a few BMWs from the same CA (and I consider him a friend) but nobody seems to grasp how unprofessional swirls on a new car - especially a $40-90k BMW - look.