General: Am I being a moaning c%$&

[Peter86]

I had my axillary belt and tensioner replaced free of charge, job done fine but the wing was full of greasy finger prints. I would have thought they would have wiped that down myself. But on a another note they did the job free and I enjoy washing my car so that was that afternoon sorted for me.

[canis]

Originally Posted by Darlo 1

I do this job at a main dealer, sometimes we don't have the time to clean all the cars that come in, infact most of the cars that we have to clean are utter sh1ttips and the owners should be ashamed to leave their cars in that state, talking premium germanic brand motors where indicators are an optional extra according to most people. So next time the dealer does not clean your pride and joy don't moan or bitch about it just spare a thought for the guys like me who may be cleaning up to 60/70 cars a day that can make landfill tips look tidy.

Yep, this all mirrors my experience too. In collision damage, where a car might have it's interior exposed during the repair, I would clean up my own mess. In bodyshops dust is the enemy, certainly in the old days. But a valet for no good reason? No, it's a chargeable extra.

Courtesy does exist. I'd always ensure the car is returned in the same condition and repaired. But I don't see why cleaning out someone's trash ought be considered part of the job, and I've seen some horrors too. If they want to drive around in a rubbish bin, who am I to judge?

Besides, a valet is a full day of sheer hard work. A hoover out and wipe over is NOT a valet, and I hate whoever started the "free valeting" service, as it diminishes what is actually a legitimate motor-trade skill and deceives the customer.

[360beast]

Originally Posted by 4x4

When I've had warranty work done on a vehicle I specifically tell them not to wash the car as I don't want some spanner monkey scratching my paintwork

I'm a 'spanner monkey'

Perhaps you should learn to work on your own cars then rather than taking it to a garage for one of us monkeys to damage it. Great to hear you have tarred us all with the same brush though.

Oh and by the way, we are too busy swinging off the lifts and hitting things with hammers to valet cars.

[GreenBrick]

I took my Audi (don't panic, that is long gone, never again) in for a repair at a main dealer and they washed it better than I could have done, gave me a nice cup of fresh ground coffee and some biscuits.

Pity they still charged me £235 and the car was no better and the jet washing had leaked into the interior and made the carpets wet.

So watch what you wish for....

[Harvey1512]

I always see an outside clean as a bonus, never expect it. I keep the inside clean anyway, slightly geeky about that, and would make sure the outside was respectable although I wouldn't go to the bother of fully washing it before taking it in.

If you are getting a full clean each time then you would surely be paying for it somewhere in the bill. It is someone's time and effort after all.

[Welton]

When I first got my 4-year old S40 I used the dealers for servicing, one of my interests is car detailing and I have built up a lot of equipment and accessories to enjoy this interest and make the most of safely cleansing a car.

I always used to put a note right on the dash binnacle saying PLEASE DO NOT WASH.

Two things came into play here, one it would save the dealer time and two the paintwork wouldn't pick up unnecessary swirls or marks, the dealers facilities are not for making money out of cleaning cars...

I can understand the frustration of the OP having just the boot cleaned, it would look a bit odd but I would've been happy to have cleaned the rest when I got home and enjoy the new repair.

On this subject; don't people clean their own cars anymore? I know I'm the only one out of the 12 houses in my little street who cleans cars at home.

[Waynedance]

Can't say I see my neighbours clean their cars, there is only one who does so once in a blue moon.

Try to do mine and the misses car every 2 weeks or so.

[canis]

Originally Posted by Welton

On this subject; don't people clean their own cars anymore? I know I'm the only one out of the 12 houses in my little street who cleans cars at home.

No, they go to ex-petrol stations instead. The one near me is so busy they're usually spilling out into the road. Standing in the middle of the road with the jet-wash hose at full stretch. The traffic is often blocked while they are still using the "shammy"(sic). You can get this service for under a tenner, and they do clean cars, no doubt.

But it's not valeting.

Valeting is a very thorough clean, the idea is to get the car as close to brand new as possible. The attention to detail is extraordinary. Even the ash-tray slide runners, cleaned. Even the inside of the chair runners, clean. Even the concertina parts of the rubber which goes through the door pillars, clean. EVERYTHING is clean, as new. Brand new clean.

And it's a skill which is vastly underated.

[Markos01]

Originally Posted by Welton

I always used to put a note right on the dash binnacle saying PLEASE DO NOT WASH.

This is what I do when I use main dealers as there could be various people involved who deal with your car. I also add the main points I want looking at too regarding the service, but I do always ask that they don't wash it. Incidentally I once got my BMW back from a main dealer who'd done as I asked but their car park was a hang-out for seagulls and my car was covered in massive bird sh*ts!

[Harvey1512]

I do mine occasionally but there is a car wash in my town that is £2.50 and to be honest, that is good enough and cheap enough for me. It has more expensive options but they would be wasted. £2.50 well spent in my eyes as I get little enjoyment from washing my car.

The retired man next to me washes his car but I don't see any other neighbours washing theirs so I assume they are all car wash people as well.