So, I went to the dealer yesterday to check out my straight-off-the-truck 335i coupe and it was featured smack in the middle of the showroom floor. With the showroom lights shining directly over the car there were swirl marks and water spots all over the car. The car is metallic graphite black, is this to be expected and unavoidable? Should I insist that the car be professionally detailed before picking it up on Saturday? Thank you for the input.

RW

Yes. This is unacceptible. If you don't you will regret it later.

Have them re-detail the car. This should not be a problem for them to do.

The car came right off the truck and was driven straight onto the show room floor? I have never seen that happen.

My dealer did a good job preparing my car when I picked it up. I didn't know better back then. I would never let a dealer touch my car as far as detailing it. When it goes in for service I have my SA write in big letters "DO NOT WASH" on the service sheet.

I have walked into my dealership and seen new cars on the floor that scared me. Swirl marks all over the place.

The car came right off the truck and was driven straight onto the show room floor? I have never seen that happen.

My dealer did a good job preparing my car when I picked it up. I didn't know better back then. I would never let a dealer touch my car as far as detailing it. When it goes in for service I have my SA write in big letters "DO NOT WASH" on the service sheet.

I have walked into my dealership and seen new cars on the floor that scared me. Swirl marks all over the place.

Apparently it came from Mobile, Alabama and I don't know how long it sat there in the elements,etc. They just shipped it last Friday and yesterday it was in the showroom.

Apparently it came from Mobile, Alabama and I don't know how long it sat there in the elements,etc. They just shipped it last Friday and yesterday it was in the showroom. OK. So the dealer did clean it. If you are not happy don't take deliver until you :D.

Next if you don't already have, get good detailing supplies. What a HUGE difference this will make in keeping your car looking great. All kinds of threads on detailing a car floating around here.

Last thing. Have fun with the new member of the family. :buttrock

The car came right off the truck and was driven straight onto the show room floor? I have never seen that happen.

My dealer did a good job preparing my car when I picked it up. I didn't know better back then. I would never let a dealer touch my car as far as detailing it. When it goes in for service I have my SA write in big letters "DO NOT WASH" on the service sheet.

I have walked into my dealership and seen new cars on the floor that scared me. Swirl marks all over the place.


I would never let the dealer detail the car either!!!! I have owned cars for many years and never once did they need detailing i.e. polishing. That stuff removes a layer of paint and on a brand new car that's sick. I would not buy a car like that PERIOD. I too never let them even wash it. Buffing causes swirl marks that look like shit in the sun on a dark color especially. Good luck

i agree with bandit. I would tell them you will hire a professional detailer to come in and take care of the car and THEY will fit the bill. their detailers do not care about your car and use brushes to wash your car and dirty rags. trust me, i know. i used to sell cars and walk back there to hurry them up with the "detail" and this is how it went down.

So, I went to the dealer yesterday to check out my straight-off-the-truck 335i coupe and it was featured smack in the middle of the showroom floor. With the showroom lights shining directly over the car there were swirl marks and water spots all over the car. The car is metallic graphite black, is this to be expected and unavoidable? Should I insist that the car be professionally detailed before picking it up on Saturday? Thank you for the input.

RW

Absolutely, the car may have seen the outdoor lot at one point, where they get wet, dew or the hose. If they then dry the car, those calcium particles within the water will cause many swirl marks, especially if they are using those large chamois often used by dealerships.

As stated, do not take delivery of this until the problem has been solved. A good detailing can remove the swirls a couple of different ways. Either by buffing out the swirls or applying swirl fill.

I think what happened is some rookie at the dealer washed your car incorrectly. If there was dust or layered dirt on the car when it came off the truck, this could have been the problem.

I always rinse heavily before putting the wash mitt on the surface. I also use two buckets of water, one to wash (with soap in it), the other to rinse the wash mitt before dunking in the soap bucket again. A rookie just uses one bucket and is adding dirt into the soapy water ever time he dunks the wash mitt. The other mistake is not having enough water on the car and using a foam spong.

This is a great car, get if fixed!

If treated, is the car predisposed to reveal its swirl marks once the treatment wears off? I just spoke to one of the managers at the dealership and he promised that the car would be "professionally detailed" before I pick it up on Saturday. I just have a feeling that when I show up and look at it in the sun those damn swirl marks will still be there!

Depends on your dealer. My car was picture perfect and glass shiny when I picked it up. Unfortunately they don't stay looking that good for long and I don't have much time to detail it so swirls start to occur etc. What the heck, I don't mind these little things that much as I do not have OCD and the car still drives all the same, i.e. GREAT.

The people here amaze me.

You wouldn't believe how dirty we get some of our new BMW's. They come with all kinds of dirt/glue/shipping adhesive all over them and can be just disgusting.

When i picked up my 335i coupe from the dealer, it was shining like glass, and detailed to perfection. I checked every square inch of the car before i left and didnt find a swirl mark, tape mark, etc. If i had found anything i would have had them redue it until it was perfect.They had that car looking like it was about to be entered in a show with there reputation on the line.

By detailing I meant polishing the exterior paint with a buffer. I just don't think a new car should need buffing or polishing. I don't think BMWNA would approve of that. The glue, tape etc.. can be removed in less damaging ways. Other cleaning, by hand, I'm okay with. Hope the car looks great.

By detailing I meant polishing the exterior paint with a buffer. I just don't think a new car should need buffing or polishing. I don't think BMWNA would approve of that. The glue, tape etc.. can be removed in less damaging ways. Other cleaning, by hand, I'm okay with. Hope the car looks great.
You'd be surprised what some new cars need - Mini Coopers are the worst.

Again though it's on a car by car basis.

Exactly - when the cars arrive you'd think it would be perfect, but it is all scuzzy because of shipping wrap and adhesive.

Simply put, your dealer just sucks in their detailing department. Mine was also glass-smooth (see pics in other post) and covered with a light wax. I have taken it to a small body shop that sucked though for a tiny dent repair, with small swirl marks "oh, those are impossible to avoid on black." Only if you are bad at polishing.

No swirl marks on mine -- just use proper washing / drying techniques. I wouldn't buy the car off the lot if it looked like that; at a minimum ask for several hundred discount so you can just get it properly detailed (swirls can be taken out as long as they are still in the clear, as I had to do after my suboptimal body shop experience.) I assume there are actually no paint dings?

they fix it or you walk away
my .02