[1991sphirem240i]

Hello all.

I have a 2023 sapphire black m240i

I recently had my car 2 step paint correction with xpel ceramic 8 year coating done. I had xpel ppf on the front hood and bumper only. The rest of the car is just ceramic. The car was essential show room quality. Paint was absolutely perfect.

Today I had my 20k service at the dealer ship and I specifically said DO NOT take it through the automated brush wash.

Well the idiots did. And absolutely ruined the work I had done which cost me roughly $2600.

I am absolutely livid. I immediately told the service rep and my sales rep and showed them. None of the managers besides the used car manager was there and I spoke to him as well.

I have to wait till monday to speak with the GM and Service manager because its Saturday and they weren't there.

I took videos of my car outside the dealership for proof and my sales rep is backing me up... but still.

Its incredibly frustrating and I want them to pay for it to redone by the same shop.

What do you think are my chances of getting this resolved? I will not accept them "fixing" it. I will not be happy unless the professional xpel shop who did it fixes it.

TLR

Dealership took car through automatic brush wash when specifically told not to. RUINED 1month old ceramic coating and paint.

Now I have to try and make them pay to fix.

UPDATE

I got a quote from my detail shop and went to BMW they agreed to pay for the repair no questions or push back. Although its annoying they stood by their work and are taking care of the problem. Overall I am pleased with the experience and I will be having huge NO WASH signs from here on out. Thanks everyone!

[1991sphirem240i]

This was my car right after getting the paint correction and coating. Back in august this year. The was happened earlier today at the dealer ship...

[Tobster3]

Hey, I’ve been in the same situation.

My usual dealer did not have the differential fluid (if I remember correctly) for my 1200 mile break in service for my G80 M3 which was PPF and Ceramic the day I bought it. As I had an appt, my usual dealer called around and arranged for me to take the car to another dealer not that far away.

On arriving and checking in, I told them do not wash the car. Service went fine and when it came time to pick up the car it was raining heavy as hell so I did not notice anything.

The next day which was a Sunday, the first thing I go to do was wash the Car as it was my weekend warrior and I typically would not be driving it in the rain and noticed the swirl marks everywhere, I was so frickin pissed! I couldn’t do anything either with it being a Sunday.

On Monday at 8am I roll up and ask to see the Manager, he can tell I’m still pissed although I was respectful, my voice was certainly raised and other customers were looking around. He checked the notes on the file and it states do not was the car.

Ultimately, I took my car back to the Detail shop that did the PPF and they invoiced BMW $2800 which was paid in full.

Stand firm and make them pay!

[John in VA]

Take a look through previous posts - another owner had a similar issue & was able to get the dealership to take care of him.

[TimmyTurbos]

Best $10 you can spend!
https://www.amazon.com/Double-Sided-...s%2C134&sr=8-2

I would have come unglued. I would have been prepared to camp at the damn dealership until someone came to discuss this. No way I would have paid for anything and walked away.

[1991sphirem240i]

I dont know why the do not listen to us when we say DO NOT WASH THE CAR.

Yes I am heading there tomorrow and hoping they pay without fuss to have it done again. And I will not accept one of their "guys" to do it. I want it redone at the professional xpel shop I originally had it done. I will also be making sure everyone hears the conversation incase it goes south. Its a HUGE show room and one of the biggest dealers in the state.

Glad it worked out for you and they stood by their mistake.

[1991sphirem240i]

Originally Posted by Tobster3

Hey, I’ve been in the same situation.

My usual dealer did not have the differential fluid (if I remember correctly) for my 1200 mile break in service for my G80 M3 which was PPF and Ceramic the day I bought it. As I had an appt, my usual dealer called around and arranged for me to take the car to another dealer not that far away.

On arriving and checking in, I told them do not wash the car. Service went fine and when it came time to pick up the car it was raining heavy as hell so I did not notice anything.

The next day which was a Sunday, the first thing I go to do was wash the Car as it was my weekend warrior and I typically would not be driving it in the rain and noticed the swirl marks everywhere, I was so frickin pissed! I couldn’t do anything either with it being a Sunday.

On Monday at 8am I roll up and ask to see the Manager, he can tell I’m still pissed although I was respectful, my voice was certainly raised and other customers were looking around. He checked the notes on the file and it states do not was the car.

Ultimately, I took my car back to the Detail shop that did the PPF and they invoiced BMW $2800 which was paid in full.

Stand firm and make them pay!

Glad it worked out for you. Still sucks to go though.

Hows your paint holding up? Im also worried about a second 2 step correction and the longevity of my clearcoat now...

[Westside Guy]

A good portion of the $2600 you spent was for the PPF installation which should be ok. Before you speak to the service manager and GM go over to your shop Ruby Star tomorrow and get a written quote from them for removing the old ceramic, removing those scratches and then apply a new coat of ceramic and give that quote to your dealer.

Out of curiosity, which BMW dealer did you go to?

Exactly who at their service center did you give the instruction not to wash your car? If it was your service advisor make sure that he backs you up and confirms your instructions.

Insist that this work be done at Ruby Star, your PPF shop in Hallandale Beach. Under no circumstances do you allow your dealer to do this themselves!!!

I also had allover Xpel PPF and ceramic coating put on my car at a great shop near the one you used in Hallandale Beach and if you need a second quote for the dealer send me a DM and I will give you their contact information. My shop only deals in high end vehicles, does quality work and his quote to fix this may be less expensive.

I leave nothing to chance, whenever I arrive at my dealer I always do the following and recommend that you do so in the future:

I have the people that handle the vehicle intake at my dealer put a "NO WASH" sign on top of the dash where it can clearly be seen from outside the car. My dealer always have them printed out and available to place inside the cars when you first arrive as this is a very common request at dealer service centers. I do not leave the check-in counter until that sign is placed inside my car.

Then when I sit down with my service advisor the first thing I do is instruct him to put that same "NO WASH" instruction on his work order and confirm it appears when he gives me a copy of the paperwork. If it is written on his work order you then have written documentation in case they screw up and wash your car. Some dealers can do a hand wash but don't use PH Neutral car wash products that you need to protect the finish of your ceramic coating. Don't allow them to do a hand wash if it is offered you.

I also purchased a sign on Amazon to hang on my rearview mirror that has the same "DO NOT WASH" instruction written on it in both English and Spanish which TimmyTurbos suggested we use.

[silvermanor]

Ceramic coating is snake oil. They did you a favor.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by silvermanor

Ceramic coating is snake oil. They did you a favor.

The OP was requesting our help and your post added nothing of value to this conversation!

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

The OP was requesting our help and your post added nothing of value to this conversation!

And ignorant, to boot.

But on the topic, were I the OP I would politely and calmly speak to the Service Manager and explain the issue, as well as the remedy (i.e. paying to have it re-done) that you expect. If he's unwilling or unable to address the situation to your satisfaction, ask to speak to the General Manager, and explain the situation. I'd also be sure to be polite and calm with him/her as well. Don't make it personal; more flies with honey and all that.

Now, if after speaking to the GM you don't receive the remedy you expect, then I'd escalate to angry customer mode, speak to BMW corp., consider a small claims, etc. But given that they're clearly in the wrong here, I'm guessing that if the dealership is at least halfway decent you won't have to

In fact, this is really a way for them to make a bad situation good. They clearly screwed up, which obviously isn't good, but completely owning it and making it right goes a long way towards building customer loyalty. We all screw up sometimes – everyone knows that – but the real test is how we respond. Taking ownership and responsibility for mistakes builds trust, so long as you don't repeat the same mistakes over and over.

I hope they do the right thing, OP!

[eliphil]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

The OP was requesting our help and your post added nothing of value to this conversation!

Very polite response I would call him wise ass

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by 1991sphirem240i

I recently had my car 2 step paint correction with xpel ceramic 8 year coating done. I had xpel ppf on the front hood and bumper only. The rest of the car is just ceramic.
[...]
Dealership took car through automatic brush wash when specifically told not to. RUINED 1month old ceramic coating and paint.

First of all, sorry to hear about your troubles. Getting dealer stuff to pay attention to custom instructions is always a challenge.

Second of all, I trust you've cooled off over the last two days and realized that your paint is not ruined. In all likelihood, ceramic coating did its job and the remnant may merely need to coating re-applied. No big deal.

Originally Posted by Phillies8008

Now, if after speaking to the GM you don't receive the remedy you expect, then I'd escalate to angry customer mode, speak to BMW corp., consider a small claims, etc. But given that they're clearly in the wrong here, I'm guessing that if the dealership is at least halfway decent you won't have to

This is a 2-3 hours of labor problem, with maybe $500-150 in chemicals.
And no, BMW NA will not be on your side for having dealer do as 99% of the customers desire - get the car washed after service.

Seek the remedy, but don't blow it out of proportion!

a

[Three Stents]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

The OP was requesting our help and your post added nothing of value to this conversation!

go look at all his other posts......very condescending.

Do dealers handwash or does your vehicle go thru a car wash?

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by Three Stents

go look at all his other posts......very condescending.

Do dealers handwash or does your vehicle go thru a car wash?

It depends on the dealer, when I first purchased my Z4 and before I put PPF and ceramic coating on it, the guys at mine did a handwash and I always gave them a nice tip. 👍

If a dealer will do a hand wash you need to ask if they have PH neutral products which is recommended when you have ceramic coating on your car. 😉

[MJBO]

The amount of effort it seems to require to "protect" ceramic coating makes me questions why people bother with it. Either PPF the whole car, or accept that scratches are likely on a black car and washing it will be a PITA.

That said, I have encountered this issue with my wife's G01 X3 a few years ago in Black Sapphire that I specifically asked and noted on the intake form I did not want washed, as I'd had my detailer do a proper detail the week prior.

The dealer proceeded to "wash" maybe 3/4 of the car, and swirl the crap out of it in the process.

I went straight in to the service manager, and they sorted it out with a full detail at their cost, and brought it back to looking as good as when it was detailed prior.

In your case OP, I would be getting a quote from the shop that did the work and take that in when you speak to management at the dealer. A lot easier to push them for your desired resolution when there is a clear document with a price tag on it, rather than a general "fixed by the shop that detailed/coated it".

Also OP you say that the work you had done cost $2600, presumably that cost included the PPF you had installed? I'd assume that's a significant part of that figure.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

English and Spanish

Eh, seems silly. Do you really have a concern that someone at the dealership, even if they are natively Spanish speaking, doesn't know enough English to understand the words "Do Not Wash"? My guess is that if there are any native Spanish speakers doing the job, they're giving you a really hard eye roll at putting it in both languages.

[kster]

At the local Porsche dealership, when I ask for no wash, they do hang a card from the rear view mirror. I wish all dealerships would do this, it's very effective.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

Eh, seems silly. Do you really have a concern that someone at the dealership, even if they are natively Spanish speaking, doesn't know enough English to understand the words "Do Not Wash"? My guess is that if there are any native Spanish speakers doing the job, they're giving you a really hard eye roll at putting it in both languages.

Try moving to the Miami - Fort Lauderdale area of Florida and you’ll understand why the added precaution of having bilingual signage is necessary.

The people that handle the incoming cars at my service center do not work for the dealer as they are outsourced. They are the same people that handle tasks like washing the cars and several of them are not fluent in English. Better safe than sorry!

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by MJBO

The amount of effort it seems to require to "protect" ceramic coating makes me questions why people bother with it. Either PPF the whole car, or accept that scratches are likely on a black car and washing it will be a PITA.

That said, I have encountered this issue with my wife's G01 X3 a few years ago in Black Sapphire that I specifically asked and noted on the intake form I did not want washed, as I'd had my detailer do a proper detail the week prior.

The dealer proceeded to "wash" maybe 3/4 of the car, and swirl the crap out of it in the process.

I went straight in to the service manager, and they sorted it out with a full detail at their cost, and brought it back to looking as good as when it was detailed prior.

In your case OP, I would be getting a quote from the shop that did the work and take that in when you speak to management at the dealer. A lot easier to push them for your desired resolution when there is a clear document with a price tag on it, rather than a general "fixed by the shop that detailed/coated it".

Also OP you say that the work you had done cost $2600, presumably that cost included the PPF you had installed? I'd assume that's a significant part of that figure.

All it takes is washing it the right way, which almost no dealership is going to care enough to do. The truth of the matter is that 95% of customers don't really care about swirl marks, etc., so the dealership has no real motivation to hand-wash a car correctly (or at least what most of us consider to be correct). On top of that, it looks like they took it through an automatic wash, which is even worse. Ceramic coatings aren't particularly difficult to take care of, you just have to care enough to actually wash in the recommended manner.

I agree that having a solid figure from the detailer to fix the issue is the way to go. I don't think it's unreasonable for the dealership to want to know what they're dealing with, rather than essentially agreeing to writing a blank check.

And yeah, the answer to really protecting paint is PPF, with ceramic over that if you prefer. But that's kind of neither here nor there if the dealer ignored the OP's request.

[Phillies8008]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

It depends on the dealer, when I first purchased my Z4 and before I put PPF and ceramic coating on it, the guys at mine did a handwash and I always gave them a nice tip. ��

If a dealer will do a hand wash you need to ask if they have PH neutral products which is recommended when you have ceramic coating on your car. ��

Honestly, it's just easier to not have them do it. I doubt few, if any, people in the dealership knows what a PH neutral product is, much less if they actually use one. This strikes me as the kind of question that's going to get a head-nod regardless of what the actual answer is.

If you're exacting enough to specify the PH levels of your soap, you shouldn't be letting anyone outside of professional detailers (and obviously yourself) wash your car.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

Try moving to the Miami - Fort Lauderdale area of Florida and you’ll understand why the added precaution of having bilingual signage is necessary.

The people that handle the incoming cars at my service center do not work for the dealer as they are outsourced. They are the same people that handle tasks like washing the cars and several of them are not fluent in English. Better safe than sorry!

Yeah, perhaps then. I did live there but decades ago.