Don’t let the dealer detail or even wash your new car

[brumey]

I picked my 4R up a few days ago. I got to see it as it was just removed from the truck. It was a bit dirty but closely looking at the paint and taking a video, no dings or scratches.

They then took it to the detail dept to clean, prep and apply the mandatory $700 ceramic coating. The whole process was less that 1.5 hours to complete so, how good a job did tey do???? Spoiler alert, it was awful. Lighting in the new car bay was terrible so you could not see anything.

I have scratched on the hood, roof and probably other places. I have water spots under the ceramic crap they applied.

There was even greasy hand prints in areas on the car.

So, I called and they said let us fix it. Yea right. I would not trust those guys to do anything. Sales guy wants to make it right.

What do you suggest I do beyond removing the ceramic and getting the scratches fixed by a reputable company.

Very disappointed and I have only inspected about 25% of the vehicle.

 

[Rellims]

I was washing mine the other day and noticed paint swirls like it was washed in an old school auto wash with swirling brushes. I've only hand washed it but maybe it was the brush in the hand wash. Either way seems like the paint is a bit delicate.

 

[CORMC]

no answers ...but why is the ceramic coating mandatory?

 

[Rellims]

no answers ...but why is the ceramic coating mandatory?

It's a dealer policy thing.

 

[brumey]

I guess I could refuse it but paying $700 is the mandatory bit. Its just another dealer scam.

 

[CORMC]

It's a dealer policy thing.

Interesting, it is not on the "out the door" price sheet I signed when I reserved the truck.

 

[The_Dark_Knight_Forever]

I picked my 4R up a few days ago. I got to see it as it was just removed from the truck. It was a bit dirty but closely looking at the paint and taking a video, no dings or scratches.

They then took it to the detail dept to clean, prep and apply the mandatory $700 ceramic coating. The whole process was less that 1.5 hours to complete so, how good a job did tey do???? Spoiler alert, it was awful. Lighting in the new car bay was terrible so you could not see anything.

I have scratched on the hood, roof and probably other places. I have water spots under the ceramic crap they applied.

There was even greasy hand prints in areas on the car.

So, I called and they said let us fix it. Yea right. I would not trust those guys to do anything. Sales guy wants to make it right.

What do you suggest I do beyond removing the ceramic and getting the scratches fixed by a reputable company.

Very disappointed and I have only inspected about 25% of the vehicle.

Hey Brumey! I'm really sorry to hear that about your brand new 4Runner. I'm sure you're very unhappy about it & you should be! I'd be totally sick over it.
I'd get hold of the General Manager & demand that they refund you the amount of money it will cost you to have the issues corrected at a professional service provider. I'd not let them have another chance of doing more harm than good considering the Techs there couldn't do the job correctly the first time. If they won't pay you for the damages then you might take the legal route & take them to small claims court to recover some money. If you financed through Toyota, you can also try writing a strongly worded email to Toyota's corporate big whigs & tell them you refuse to carry full coverage insurance on the vehicle due to the dealership's incompetency & that you want either a different 4Runner or the deal undone. (I had a similar situation happen to me in 2003 at a Dodge Ram dealership & an email explaining what happened & refusing to carry full coverage insurance on the truck undid the deal & I got my trade in back. It was a blessing in disguise because I then stumbled onto a slightly used '03 Tundra with 17,000 miles for $17,000 + TTL which I immediately snatched up. I've been daily driving the very same Tundra to this day & it has 348,400+ miles & still going strong.)

 

[Rellims]

Interesting, it is not on the "out the door" price sheet I signed when I reserved the truck.

Not all dealers do it, only some add on these things as a part of their policy.

 

[The_Dark_Knight_Forever]

Not all dealers do it, only some add on these things as a part of their policy.

Yep...and it's a total cash grab. Most of the time there are “Techs” there putting the products on that don't have professional training & they simply don't care about doing a quality job & taking their time because they are being rushed by management to get to the next vehicle. That's why I've clearly stated to my salesman that I do NOT want anyone modifying or applying any products whatsoever to my incoming 4Runner. I don't want it washed or detailed & I don't want window tint installed or anything else that isn't on the vehicle when it arrived. I also don't want any plastic or protective materials removed from it before I arrive to accept it unless absolutely necessary to complete the pre-delivery setup.

 

[Drewbice]

It's a dealer policy thing.

I specifically had them remove this from the agreement.

 

[dc503]

Sigh.

Sorry you had to deal with that. I'm not even a detailing maniac, but this always drives me crazy, senseless etching/scratching/swirls annoys the hell out of me. I'd try my hand at having a reputable detail shop quote a light paint correction and seal/ceramic coat it, then see if the GM of the dealership may agree to it or any form of compensation. I'd expect light correction and a low cost sealant/ceramic would be $1000ish I'd hope.

Compensation or not, depending on how much time you're willing to invest, I'd also consider it DIY if you're into detailing. I have the tools and material to do it, but if they're willing to pay...

 

[brumey]

Thanks. Good suggestion. I am mulling over just doing it myself.

 

[DustyLens]

My concern would be if they put some sort of coating in it before I remove any badges I want to remove.

 

[timelapse]

Sorry to hear this. That’s a horrible way to start things off with your brand new truck. What color did you get?

I had a similar situation with my black ORP. I told the dealer (in advance) that I did not want any type of detail or wash after delivery from port.

To get the best deal, I chose a dealership 4 hours away. Upon arrival, they had just run it through their automatic car wash. It’s black and it now has scratches with only 3 miles on it. Nooooooo.

I took count of a handful of scratches from their wash. I brought it up with the manager and wasted an hour. They tried to make it right by offering to buff them out, but their detail guy claimed he didn’t have the right tools. Another big red flag.

I almost walked from my deal, but I was already getting under MSRP with only a few port add-ons (floor mats and cargo cover). I decided to buy it, drive it home and deal with the scratches later. It’s a black truck and it’ll get dirty and scratched from normal wear and tear. Doesn’t make it any less frustrating since I had specifically required no wash or detail.

Bottom line, I’m always skeptical of car dealers. Toyota isn’t any better than the others. Gives me hesitation to let them do the free Toyota care oil changes knowing I can do them myself and ensure it’s done correctly with the best possible oil. On my 5th gen, almost every issue I had was the result of incompetence by Toyota dealers. Stripping skid plate bolts, overfilling oil, etc. I just started doing all my own service to remove myself from these headaches.

Best of luck finding a resolution to your situation. I’d guess most high end detail shops would charge well over $1k for a proper paint correction to fix things. Plus ceramic done right really should be $1500+ for the highest grade product and professional application. That’s a 1-2 day job.

 

[20Toyota4Runner25]

Dealership did not touch ours. I brought her home for the wash and detailing. Don't trust them.