lungs414

Got the car detailed this week. I go to pick it up after beiing told it would be brought up fornt for me. And I see my car soaking wet and some guy wiping it down with a rag that looks to dirty to wipe your hands on after changing the oil. I told them I refuse to take the car like this and took the rag from him and gave it to the female service writer and asked how they could do this and she says I am to particular. I get in the car there are fingerprints all over the wood trim, the trim around the dial has spots all over it the back windshield wasn't even cleaned, but the rims looked great. I told her if she doesn't have them clean it properly I was going to cancel the Amex charges.I mean it was just horrible. She then tells me they won't release the car, can you believe this. I just got in it drove away while on the phone with Amex.

TDwayne69

I would never get my car detailed by MB, most of the time they contract the service out (to the lowest bidder). I remember when I went to pick up my car after I purchased it, they were suppose to put this protective compound on the car and detail it. Since it was night time when I picked it up, I didn't notice how much residue was still left on the car. I generally detail my own car, I have all the equipment and detailing products. This way I know it's done right and nothing is missed, but there are a lot of great detailing shops out there depending on where you are located.

Tony

lungs414

You are right about that. But with all the snow we had and a 2 1/2 year old treating the backseat like his diaper and the car in for a rattle noise I figured what the hell. Like I said I called Amex and cancelled the charge screw them at the least they won't get the full price. I also heard the weather report for NY and we are to get rain for the next 3-4 days, so what can you do maybe Noah and his arc will show up to.

skrontz

Based on my unfortunate recent experience when taking delivery of the S550, never ever let the dealer detail the car. Since you will have to take it to a professional detailer for a de-swirling job afterwards anyway, might as well do it right the first time. Refuse the detail and just have them remove the protective plastics and other materials.

epm1

How about sharing the dealers name so others don't have to endure bad service?

skrontz

I don't think the problem is specific to just some dealers. My dealer had tried to "make things right" and offered another free detail to correct the mistakes, but I wasn't comfortable enough to risk anoher possible disaster. Otherwise, I'm extremely happy with my dealer and don't want to taint this relationship. I just won't trust them with detailing my car, but then I won't trust most of the "professional" detailers either. I believe in getting what I pay for, so I go to a reputable detailer who charges according to the quality of the work performed.

K-A

Post the Dealers name if you could, I'm sure others would choose to avoid them if possible.

Blk04cobra1

It's really funny to hear some of these dealer horror stories. We do outsource our detailers, but they are basically "in-house". We have complete control over the outcome and if the customer isn't happy, we take it back there and make them do it again. To my knowledge, there have only been a handful of times that a car has been delivered "dirty" or not up to the customer's expectations. As for paying for an outside detail, I cannot imagine the service writer being that nonchalant when you came to pick your, especially when Im sure you paid the $200 detail bill.

skrontz

I'm sorry, but you don't have any control over the outcome unless you're willing to re-train the detailers. You can have them re-do the job over and over again (ruining the paint even further), but you can't make them to do it "right." Granted that my idea of "right" is substantially different from 90% of the customers (who only care that the car looked "shiny"), I'd much rather pay way over $200 for a really great job.

bigben320e

Very good suggestion. It is work, and takes some hours, but I get the results I am looking for by detailing myself. I definitely would not get it done through a dealer.

Dirty rags, dirty water...etc. No way would I accept that.

ghaffar23

Well said ppl...esp when you have a black MB, OMG, it pisses me off when I see ppl buy these cars and have no pride in ownership. While I don't have a new W221, I have a Obs Blk '01 W210 and my mom's Br Silver '04 W215. No one touches these cars except me. Because, like I've read in this thread, most ppl just like that the car is 'shiny'. I want to see my face like a mirror in the damn paint, smooth as glass, AND NO SWIRL MARKS. It takes quite a bit of work, an experienced hand, and lots of patience. That's why I also do all of my detailing myself. Let the town wonder who's doing our cars; our cars stay spotless.

TDwayne69

True it is some work, but if you enjoy driving a car that looks like you drove it off a display spot at a car show. Then it's well worth the time you spend and depending on how off you detail your car the amount of time spent compared to the initial detailing is greatly reduced. I normally pickup my supplies and equipment from Detailed Image, but there are a few other places out there as well. Also on their site, they have sections that show ways to properly detail your car.

Detailed Image
http://www.detailedimage.com/?utm_so...emplate-header