Thinking of not having dealer wash REWB prior to delivery and take straight to detail shop

[Motorcat]

2021 REWB due to be delivered in March. Talked to detail shop and they do this often. Car goes from dealer to them for its first wash. They quoted $600 for wash, minor paint correction and apply one coat Ceramic Pro.
My car is not a daily driver and is stored inside. They recommend one coat in this case. Depending on how dirty the car is, I may at least spray it off at a car wash while taking delivery to see if there are any scratches etc.
Any suggestions about doing this.

 

[ChargerChallenger]

Sounds like a good plan and yes the Dealers usually FUCK it up. I purchased a brand new GT500 by accident being it came in while I was waiting for my Special ordered one a year ago to the date LOL. Yes hard to believe I picked mine up a year ago and glad I did since my special ordered one due to the Covid crisis never came in. And yep sure enough the detail idiots used a truck brush (only thing I can figure out) to clean her. The scratches on the rear spoiler are huge and since I did not know when the car came in it was available I didn't critique it to not be washed. And yep look at my rear spoiler.

 

[BULL]

2021 REWB due to be delivered in March. Talked to detail shop and they do this often. Car goes from dealer to them for its first wash. They quoted $600 for wash, minor paint correction and apply one coat Ceramic Pro.
My car is not a daily driver and is stored inside. They recommend one coat in this case. Depending on how dirty the car is, I may at least spray it off at a car wash while taking delivery to see if there are any scratches etc.
Any suggestions about doing this.

I'd take it to them as you've planned, except I'd take it home first and wash it first myself.

Do the Iron-X thing, etc.

Don't let somebody else be the first.

 

[Motorcat]

Those scratches would upset anyone

 

[why2kmax]

The only bad thing is if you dont let them clean and prep the car you will have no claim if there is any damage to the paint in shipping that you happen to miss under all the rail dust and dirt.

My car was molested twice, first by the original dealer and then by the dealer I bought it from. Someone somewhere burned a half inch line of paint on the edge of the gas filler opening. Rather than let them "fix it" I just told them leave it be, so it didnt get any worse and touched it up myself with dr. colorchip. Worked out well enough. Paint correction and ceramic fixed the rest. Car turned out beautiful.

 

[Motorcat]

I agree, going to get some advice from the salesman on that subject. He has been good to work with. Happens to be owners son.

 

[Slowpoke387]

I myself wouldnt be afraid. I've purchased three late model Challengers since 2015 and havent had an issue with any dealer incurred scratches. Three different dealers too. And like Why2 said, you have zero recourse if your detail guy finds a factory defect. People are overthinking things imo.

 

[B5Cat16]

I would let the dealer clean it. Then you'll have the opportunity to look the car over VERY carefully. Once that car hits the street, you'll have no recourse regarding scratches, chips, etc.

Then you can bring it to your guy for the correct way of detailing a car.

 

[Hayabusa]

I wouldn't let the "detail" guys at any dealership wash my car but I have mental issues with paint and appearance . Haven't had a car come in so filthy I couldn't see major issues. If they are minor my paint correction guy handles it and there are always imperfections.

The lot guys at a typical dealership will scratch the crap out of you paint. You'll end up paying for more labor hours in paint correction.

Bull is spot on with the initial cleaning being more than a wash. Decontamination with IronX is one of several steps required after delivery.

Just my experience creating a strong opinion. I do enjoy a crazy beautiful result, especially for a car that isn't a daily.

Don't forget to budget for PPF and deflectors (ZL1 Add Ons or one of the other makers), particularly with your widebody, or the work you have done initially will be a dinged up mess.

 

[Tsubahog]

Talk to your Salesman and make sure they know how you want the car presented to you - for example, don't mount the front license plate bracket and no Dealer decals. I have never had a problem including a 15 Hellcat and a 19 Redeye.

My Redeye arrived end of December 2019 (in NJ) - Dealer rinsed it off - called me and said “there’s a dent in your passenger door, come look at it - you might not want to take delivery”. I got down on my knees, put my glasses on and moved my head around to get a reflection to show the “dent”. Hardly noticeable and to heck with not taking delivery. I would never have seen it unless the Dealer pointed it out. Dealer used his Paintless Dent Guy to tease the tiny dent out at no charge, of course.

Car was detailed and perfect when I took delivery.

 

[Motorcat]

Thanks for all the suggestions and related experiences. My delivery "plan" is still a work in progress.

 

[Magnified]

lol, take all your cleaning supplies and a tank of RO water to the dealership and wash it yourself....

I fine tooth comb it usually but let them do the first wash. They F it up, they fix to my satisfaction or let me take to my body guy and pay for it when I'm done. If your detail shop is worth anything they will do a full prep on the car before touching it with the quartz. I'm kind of messed up - I really like the car to be perfect, but I'm not going to freak out over it if its not. Nor will I let it dominate and overshadow other more important things in life. So I'm conflicted.

 

[B5Cat16]

If you're spending that kind of money and can't even get your brand new car cleaned "without scratches", you may want to look into switching dealers. They may not be the top detailers on the planet, but your car should be put into your hands dirt free, scratch free, blemish free, swirl free, ding free, etc. From that point forward, paint corrections and coatings can be looked at if you so choose......

 

[Speedy!]

Never let the dealer wash the car, ever. They can still do the PDR on it to make sure there's no damage, etc just tell them DO NOT wash it you'll handle that yourself. Will save you many hours of polishing/paint correction and expense.