mudhog79

When you picked up your truck after ordering it did you let the dealer clean it? How well did they do on not adding tons of scratches and swirls to your paint? How was your paint when you get it home? I am going to be pick up my 17 Oxford White Sport Lariat in a few weeks and i am on the fence if i want them to wash it or just do the first wash myself.

Martian

You'll get answers ranging from "I have the dealer's detailers do it" to "I have them contract it out to a good detailer in the area" to "nobody touchin my paint but ME."

tuflehundon

And to add to this statement. The biggest variable is going to be the dealer themselves. It's going to vary from dealer to dealer.

mudhog79

Yes you are all probably right! If someone work I g that day doesn't care I guess it could be bad. How dirty are the vehicle when delivered? I plan to decontaminate the paint, wash, clay, polish and coat the truck when I get it either way.

Merlin

If that's the case...then DO NOT let them touch it!
Make sure they understand that "DO NOT WASH" is very important.

I'd let them peel off the protective shipping plastic wrap and that's it.
Dealerships do not care at all about wash induced swirls or a bad buff job.

I have seen bad wash DISO on almost every "brand new" vehicle I receive.
I have seen vehicles covered in holograms with less than 30 miles on the ODO.

You might get lucky and, in the back, behind the curtain, is a real detailer that cares...
...but I doubt it! To be safe "DO NOT LET THE DEALERSHIP WASH YOUR VEHICLE EVER".
This is even important later when you take it in for service...let them know "DO NOT WASH".

Jimbo Jones

Yeah I'll echo Merlin and say don't let them touch it if you are going to put it through a full detail yourself. No one is going to care more about your paint than you are.

Merlin

Thank you.

Dealerships do not care. Their one goal is to sell vehicles. Make it shiny!!!
It doesn't matter if the vehicle is 5k or 500k they don't care about detailing.

It's ready if...the paint is "clean", carpet vacuumed, windows clean and...
...the rubber has so much "tire shine" that they look like four glazed donuts.

Filter

I got mine used, but they buffed it. Wished they never touched it, it had holograms on EVERY panel. A few hours with some rubbing compound and a good sealer made it look new again. But what a pain!

chickenwire

I'll summarize my take on this subject. My niece took her very first job in high school at a car dealership as a "hydro-technician" - washing cars.

She'd never washed a car before in her life.