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

[Hacksaw]

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

This is the sort of garbage the FTC's CARS rules would have prevented. It would have prevented "...two common types of illegal tactics consumers face when buying a car: bait-and-switch tactics and hidden junk fees." But after it was adopted and was going to go into effect last July, the NADA filed a lawsuit and got the Appeals Court to strike it down on an administrative technicality.

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[LLL1990]

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

Washing it is supposed to be done as part of the pre delivery inspection. If the truck is dirty they and you can miss damage that may be concealed by the dirt. This is also how they're supposed to check to make sure the paint quality is good and there is no discoloration between body panels.

Damage found prior to delivery should be corrected or at least disclosed to the customer. However, if you take delivery and bring it home, the dealer is no longer responsible for any damage you may find when you wash it yourself. The dealer can claim the damage could've have happened after you took delivery and not during transport or when they had possession of it.

 

[20Toyota4Runner25]

You are 100 percent correct, but I have been in the OP shoes a couple times too many.

 

[Vincenzo]

I do not trust ceramic coating. It is a coating and not like wax. While it might look good at first. What are the consequences as it wears? It will do just like a painted clear coat.

 

[tomter]

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

As long as people keep paying it or going along with it, scummy dealers will keep saying it’s “mandatory”. If they want a sale, it’s not mandatory! Check out caredge.com

 

[tomter]

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.

Most ceramic jobs are two days. Costs can range to around $3,000 but will only last 3-5 years maybe. Personally I used a ceramic wash and ceramic detailer spray instead and it works great. The car repels everything. Rain, snow, bugs. They simply wash right off. It’s great. Check out Chemical Guys products and always use the two bucket method…always. They also have these cool strainers that go in the buckets to separate out the dirt. I’m happy I didn’t do the ceramic coating but yes, NEVER have a dealer do that and never pay for “their” dealer addons. Never.

 

[kayleighk116]

How much should it cost to have 4 Runner ceramic coated? I am in the NE and want to have it done (by someone reputable), but not sure what a decent cost will be. ?

My Trailhunter is coming with the PPF so will that be an issue when having ceramic coating put on the vehicle? Thinking I probably should have skipped the PPF and just had the whole SUV ceramic coated.?

 

[kayleighk116]

Most ceramic jobs are two days. Costs can range to around $3,000 but will only last 3-5 years maybe. Personally I used a ceramic wash and ceramic detailer spray instead and it works great. The car repels everything. Rain, snow, bugs. They simply wash right off. It’s great. Check out Chemical Guys products and always use the two bucket method…always. They also have these cool strainers that go in the buckets to separate out the dirt. I’m happy I didn’t do the ceramic coating but yes, NEVER have a dealer do that and never pay for “their” dealer addons. Never.

I have been looking at the Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced for a DIY job. Did you use a strip wash like Adam's before applying the coating or just washed it with a good vehicle soap?

Thinking about using the strip wash first, then hand wash with a vehicle "shampoo" then applying the ceramic coating.

 

[tomter]

I have been looking at the Adam's Graphene Ceramic Coating Advanced for a DIY job. Did you use a strip wash like Adam's before applying the coating or just washed it with a good vehicle soap?

Thinking about using the strip wash first, then hand wash with a vehicle "shampoo" then applying the ceramic coating.

Since it was just a couple weeks old, it didn't need stripping. I used a ceramic wash from Chemical Guys and a ceramic detailer also from Chemical guys. The stuff is outstanding. My truck beads like crazy, so do the tires. You can go four weeks and the truck still pretty much looks like it was just washed even after rain, driving around, etc. I also use the two bucket wash method a separate mits just for washing, separate towels just for detailing, separate ones for tires, windows, dash, etc.

 

[TrdProGirl84]

II’d NEVER let a dealership touch my 4Runner OR a car wash. No was. Lesson learned I’m sure!

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