[franciscosss]

Hey guys, had my 328i for 2 weeks but got dirty from a 1,500 mile trip. So I took it to the dealership since they have a $14.99 hand car wash that they say is more like a service for their customers.

They did a crappy job, lots of dirt left everywhere and they made me wait 1.5 hour for that (I had made an appt.).

I wonder if an Autobell auto car wash would really hurt the car's finish. They say it's better than hand wash and I think it does a great job with my VW. At least better than the dealership.

[PlatinumEdition]

why would you let your dealer wash your car? they do the worst jobs, thats why when I take my car for service I tell them not to wash it because they dont even know how to do a simple wash

[Neema]

9 months i've had my car...........no one but myself has washed the car. Next weekend however, its getting detailed by John1c. And yea dude............dealer washes suck.

[franciscosss]

I'm so naive... I thought that, of all places, the one I could trust my new bimmer was the ones who sold it... If I go back it's only for my post-break-in oil change, but even that I'm considering not to do until necessary/free.

[ianbiz]

Save the pain and disappointment and do it yourself. Consider it "bonding" time with your car.

[franciscosss]

Originally Posted by Ethirtynine

Did you actually PAY to have the dealership wash your car?

Yes, but it was 2 weeks after I took delivery. I wish they had given me at least one free car wash, but you know, that's why they call them stealerships...

[franciscosss]

Originally Posted by ianbiz

Save the pain and disappointment and do it yourself. Consider it "bonding" time with your car.

I love my new car, but I'm too busy/lazy to wash it myself... I'm gonna try the auto wash next time. I guess I can get it detailed twice a year to repair any "damage" done by the car washes...

[ScheerSpeed]

i dont let anyone but myself lay a molecule of soap/water on my paint.

[Phil325]

yea i had a scheduled maintenance about a week ago and they washed the car. ....basically didn't look any different than when i brought it in (filthy). the wheels were "cleaner" but still had alot of dirt between the crevices etc. i will get it detailed so no worries. plus it was free so whatever, i let em do it.

[smog]

i made the mistake of letting the dealership wash my car when i brought it in for scheduled maintenance last month.. now im noticing the paint isn't beading as well as it used to. could they have somehow stripped my layers of zaino with their wash?

[franciscosss]

UPDATE: got a free hand wash from the dealership after I complained. I hesitated because you know, paranoid me thought they might scratch it to get even or something. They did ok this time, at least it's clean. I didn't see any noticeable scratches, but to be safe, I'll never take it back.

[Gearcraft]

Originally Posted by franciscosss

UPDATE: got a free hand wash from the dealership after I complained. I hesitated because you know, paranoid me thought they might scratch it to get even or something. They did ok this time, at least it's clean. I didn't see any noticeable scratches, but to be safe, I'll never take it back.

yeah. never have them wash you car.

dealer carwash= major NO NO.

also, when you bring your car in, dont just tell them you dont want a car wash, leave a huge note enough for them to see that you dont want your car washed. my SA is nice enough to put a big note on my car everytime i have my car serviced but i dont think all of them do that.

[nmulax]

Like everyone's said. Never have the dealer (or anyone other then yourself) wash it. Every once in a while, I'll take it through a touchless wash to remove some dust, but never something with the nylon brushes. It'll destroy your paint.

Like Gearcraft said. Tell your SA not to wash it, but also put a note in there. I dropped my car off for service this morning, and taped a piece of paper to the wheel with "DO NOT WASH" written with a sharpie. I do this everytime, and they've not washed it once.

[Hawkshaw]

I searched for "autobell" because I'm trying to find out what other people's experiences are like. There's a water ban where I live and we're not allowed to wash, but commercial car washes can operate.

Is Autobell safe for my finish??

[TK-421]

yeah dealer washes are terrible, i just say no before i give them my keys. its basically like going through a non-touch free gas station car wash

[AJerman]

Originally Posted by Hawkshaw

I searched for "autobell" because I'm trying to find out what other people's experiences are like. There's a water ban where I live and we're not allowed to wash, but commercial car washes can operate.

Is Autobell safe for my finish??

I'm fairly certain Autobell uses brushes. Find a brushless "laser wash". Just check out gas station's to see if theirs is brushless. Also, a lot of those hand wash places have one auto, and around here they are usually brushless.

[Sniz]

DONT LET THE DEALER WASH YOUR CAR!!!!

when I 1st got my car I took it into VOB in rockville, MD (a mistake I know) and asked them not to wash it, well they did. I then had to spend 3 hours polishing out the scratches and swirl marks.

Another time I had a softball hit my hood so I took it in to get a dentless repair.....told them not to wash it....they still did. 4 hours later I was still trying to remove the scratches.

They are unreal bad at washing cars.

[bolty]

On a related note; Never enter anything with a conveyor (track that pulls your car along). I learned this the hard way on my previous car. Theres a good chance that your wheels will get kissed by the cold hard tracks. Potentially leaving a gash, making you want to go home to cry to mommy.

[purplewidow]

no car wash will get your car 100% it takes way more than 1.5 hours to get all the bugs and crap off your car... one reason is it probably doesnt have a nice couple coats of nuba on her yet. also one run through a car wash is gonna remove 1500miles of bugs? are you nuts? get a proper detail.. it's the only way unless you do it yourself!!!