It is often all too easy to consider an automatic car wash, full service car wash, dealership car wash, or other types of ‘quick & easy’ washing services as a means of saving some time in your busy schedule.

 

This article will focus on the miserable experiences one person faced after a simple dealership wash. The owner is a detailing enthusiast who takes great pride in maintaining his vehicles to the highest standards. Whether you work on your own vehicles, hire a professional, or you are a professional that has the pleasure of working on other people’s vehicles, you know it takes a lot of time, money, and dedication to keep the paint in nearly flawless condition.

 

He made a trip to his local dealership to have a factory recall taken care of. As usual, he made sure to remind the service consultant that he did not want his car to be washed, and made sure this was noted on the service work order. In fact, I was told that he politely asked three different employees not to wash his car before he handed over the keys to his car and made his way to the waiting area. Can you guess what happened next? Yep – they washed his car anyway.

 

So you might be thinking, “What’s the big deal? They just washed it.” I will allow the image above to speak for itself.

 

I think the owner described it best when he told me “countless hours of work were destroyed in less than 10 minutes”. Aside from the hard work that he dedicated to maintaining his paint before the dealership got a hold of it, he had to go through an immense amount of work just to be partially reimbursed for the damages. That free or ‘cheap’ quick car wash could cost you hundreds of dollars, many headaches, and a long struggle when it is all said and done.

 

If you really care about your vehicle, it is not difficult to maintain it on your own. You can always give us a call to get some advice on how to DIY, or you could get us to do it for you.

 

If you want to help avoid the same fate at your dealership, a visual reminder is a great idea. A "Do Not Wash" rear view mirror hang tag is a great product to keep in your car. Simply store it in your glove compartment and attach it to your rear view mirror when you visit your dealership or other service establishment to remind them not to touch your vehicle’s paint.