Remember the scratches in hood and trunk that were due (in part at least) to mechanics using them as writing surfaces and shelves?

I took the car to my detailer, AJ's Auto Detailing in San Jose CA (Coleman and Taylor). Albert manages the technicians, and I trust him to say what I need, and not to oversell his services. I go here because they are the only folks I visited that use the best materials and methods. They do MUCH better than I can do myself, spending hours and getting a sore back.

I showed him the scratches, and asked for a mini-detail ($35, an ultra-careful and detailed washing and touch-up). I said, if it needs polishing and waxing, please go ahead.

For the first time in the years I've been going there, he came back after the wash and said "we need to polish the deeper scratches" which meant a wax, $90. I said sure. I also finally convinced him that the clearcoated wheels should also be waxed.

The car came out looking perfect. I couldn't see any scratches on a 2 minute inspection in the sun, neither the deep ones nor fine spiderweb scratches. There is never a hint of streakiness or swirl marks, or even drops of water, when they are done.

If you go to AJ's, you can see Laurie or Albert with any unsual requests, or just tell the front office girl (forgot her name) what you want... they do a great job. They also will stand behind any damage that might accidentally occur. Also, I leave all my knick-knacks and never have lost a thing (employees are long-timers, not car-wash grunts).

I'll post pics to this thread tomorrow if I can. But you'll see... nothing. Just perfect. I forgot to take "before" pictures.

As for my feedback to the service department, I think I'll play it by having a conversation with the right guy in service management, not too high, not too low. I'd rather just give feedback than be a complainer or finger pointer, and I think that will have the best result.

I'll leave it up to him to volunteer paying for the wax job. It wasn't expensive.

Most of my complaints are so small or intermittent that we can't diagnose them, but they're still helping me track them down. I was invited to go into the bay and chat with the mechanic, who was quite detailed, and certainly took much better care with the car's appearance. He even talked me out of having the dealer wash the car... they do a good job, but use the same pad from car to car, and may not be cleaned enough.<ul><li><a href="http://www.ajautodetailing.com">http://www.ajautodetailing.com</a></li></ul>

 

That's why I bot the Silver, so you can't see any of the scratches...

 

who can take care of our cars the right way! Once the hood is done (next week!) and the paint cured I may give them a try!

 

I'm exasperated by the fine spider web-like scratches, even though I've followed all of the recommended wash and dry procedures since new. I can get them out by using Meguiar's One-Step Cleaner Wax, but next time I wash they're back. I finally figured out that the Meguiar's just fills the scratches, it doesn't polish them out.

As for your detail job, did they actually polish out the scratches (particularly the spider webs) or simply fill them? The true test, I guess, will be whether or not you see them again after your next wash. PLEASE let us know, OK?

Thanks.

- Mike

 

I hate to see what damage was done.h

Cute little kittie prints don't belong on my paint!

 

Got to give props where they are due. But they didn't dust the dash, which also happened at a high-brow hand car wash recently.

 

... I take the car to AJs for the washes, too. They never get too bad because they use microfiber towels and gentle sprays and all the right tricks.

The deeper scratches they polished out. I'm not sure if they did the whole car (probably not, as Albert is very conservative to avoid cumulative damage).

 

Notice no scratches in the hood any more!

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