JL and Karl go to the BMW dealer...wow.

JL was in Raleigh today getting some work done on his 330xi at the big BMW dealer in Raleigh. We decided to meet up for lunch, and go to Majestic Solutions and spend some money, while he waited for the work to be completed.

When we got back to the BMW dealer, his car was nearly ready, but not quite, so we walked around the lot, looking at the cars. There was a brand new Z4 there, the new one with the metal folding hard top. Pretty car. LOTS of 3- and 5-series, both new and CPO used. At least one 6-series on the lot too. Also present was a Rolls Royce, whatever the top of the line one with the suicide rear doors is called. There's a Rolls dealer in the same building.

Know what they all had in common? They all looked horrible.

There was one dark red 328i that had what JL called the "Hologram Package" on it. It was the worst of the group, but they were all pretty bad. Seriously slack work on wheels. Bad bird poo etching. Some of the cars looked like vinyl LPs they were so badly swirled. Poor touch up work. You name it, it was there, and on a lot where the cheapest car I saw was a used 3-series for $24K.

I know it's pretty common for dealers to have substandard "detailers" on staff, but what surprised me was that *every single car* had major defects. Most of it was stuff that's easy to fix.

Never mind the brand new Rolls Royce (there's a Rolls dealer in the same complex) that had its driver side front fender speckled with tire dressing sling...all the way to the top of the fender. :shead:

It made me want to find the sales manager, offer him a free correction on one of the cars, and see if I could get a contract gig or something. Surely they don't think those cars look as good as they could...

 

I would offer them nothing for free. :hmph:

:shead:Maybe you could take or mail some before and after photos of cars you have already corrected to the Service Manager, Used Car Manager and the General Manager.

 

Well while we were in the Service Managers office waiting for them to finish up on my car Karl and I conviently started talking detailing and he inquired if we detailed. I told him I did on the side but Karl did it for a business and with Karl being from that area he asked if he had any business cards. When Karl went to his truck to get the cards I told him how good Karl was and he said he thought he would have some business for him. Hopefully he does and Karl gets the BMWs in Raleigh looking like they should!

 

When I was getting my VW serviced down on Wake Forest Rd it was the same deal. I actually talked to their "detailer" or I should say kid with a bucket and sponge. It made me want to go home change and come back and show them the proper way. Now I am no pro, but I do know what is right and wrong and the proper ways.

 

At least try to offer to the Rolls dealer to do some work.

Just thinking, obviously the holograms are imparted by a retard with a rotary, but most of the swirls probably come from one guy who opens in the morning walking around with a dirty MF and a bottle of QD to clean the cars up.

 

I didn't mean to start this thread as a "should I try to get some work at this place" thread, but heck, maybe I should. Obviously, I'm hoping the phone will ring some from leaving some cards with JL's service guy (who is super nice BTW). But going directly to the dealership's management...I'll have to think about this. Maybe it's an angle I should consider.

Anyway...

We saw one of those guys! While we were in the service guy's office, JL pointed out a 3-series that had clearly just been washed, yet the wheels were still a wreck. On cue, a guy with an aerosol can of "something" and a dirty rag shows up and wipes down the wheels. I said to JL, "I wonder how many times he's dropped that towel today?"

 

More like when was the last time it was washed. Seen them around as well, I just cant help but want to say something to them. I know if I went up to any of them and said something they would pay no attention to a 22 yr old, and they will just flip out or something saying have you been doing this for X years.

 

i hope you guys repeatedly reminded your service adviser not to wash your car!

I keep nagging my SA about it. He gets it after I said I detail a lot haha.

Guys, I wouldn't worry about the BMW washing places too much. I know they don't care. My firend works there and he knows how to detail properly, but he just doesn't care about those other cars.

 

I was at a BMW dealer last weekend (maybe getting a used 3 series as a beater) and was appalled at the condition of the cars.

 

Do it Karl! That's great he inquired about your services, there's nothing wrong with doing new car prep as long as they pay you what you ask. And then they can upcharge your "special service" however much they want, it's a win-win for the dealership and you IMO.

 

This will be your problem,the guy that wipes them down each day, if you can't teach him the proper method all your hard work will be shot in 24hrs.:thud:

Or how many times he has wipe off the paint with the same rag:giggle:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When I take my customers cars in for service I tape a index card on the center of steering wheel that states>>>"DO NOT WASH CAR" works everytime:hmph:






I hope this multi quote comes out right^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:yikes:


***Crap, I screwed up on my answer to you krschultz......You'll have to read between the lines :giggle:

 

Actually all BMW dealers have their own detailers that they offer. I've heard they're no good, but they will pay for a detailer that you find yourself if you complain enough.

 

Very True^^^^^^^^^^^I get calls from the Mercedes, BMW & Volvo dealers when they have a hard to please customer.They all know how anal I am:yikes:

:shead:However its really not the detail dept. that does the damage, its when you have it serviced and they give you that FREE Courtesy Wash....You know the kind.... where they use either a Broom or a Bag-o-Rocks :giggle:

 

Go walk around ANY dealership. They are pretty much all the same. They either hire kids with no idea or their is an old guy thats been there 25yrs and cant see too well anymore and coz they dont want to sack the guy give him the role as a detailer. I use that term VERY loosely as they are yard washers not pro's. Thats why im so busy these days. i only do commercial yards and will top 400k this year becuae we do them RIGHT, use premium products and the cars are presented well. Not only that, the yards get more $$ for them and profit from the services too. We dont advertise at all and would get new yards ringing us every week. Best thing is now we are permanantly onsite at a few, dont pay rent and saved a heap on overheads too.

We used to do BMW but down under they are viewed as a premium brand and they think they are way better than they are. Cars come off trucks scrached and they always look to the detailers as scapegoats regardless of what is done. Plus they are tight arses and want to pay less to do a 5 series than we get to do a lancer. Soon told em to jam it as we are busy enough without wanker dealer anagers giving staff hell.

 

My BMW dealership sends me flyers twice a year advertising their detailing service. I had them detail one of my BMWs, three BMWs ago, and it was pitiful. Probably got what I paid for, $129.

Karl, if you trust the dealership, why don't you offer to detail one or two cars and have them agree to pay you your fee if the car sells within two weeks. That way you can prove that your services have value to them.

I am pretty sure if I were in the market for a BMW and walked up and down a lot of Used & CPO 3-series or 5-series and saw one that just stood out from all the others, that is the one I would buy. I would assume, probably wrongly so, that the car was so well maintained because of its appearance.

Oh, and tell the on-staff detailers not to touch the car with a rag. Up here the dealers use a portable power washer with a filter to spray them down and let them air dry.

 

I recently had a similar situation...My neighbor/friend is a Porsche service advisor and was told to do whatever it takes to make/keep his customers happy..therefore hiring me to do his detailing due mostly to the fact that the sales dept. was covering up the in house detailer to the point where service cust's vehicles were pushed to the side. Long story short, I detailed for them for just over a month before my neighbor went to the owner to get a check signed & when owner asked what check was for my neighbor was told to stop using me. Owner said "in house" only. My neighbor told him what was happening and why he started using me & owner told him to give cust's free detail if they are skipped etc. My opinion still is poor decision on owners part but then again I dont own 7 dealerships...to me was a win-win for him because I also charged less than they do & was told by neighbor & other execs there at dealership that cars looked better than in house guy...oh well...there loss.

 

This dealer told JL and me that they in fact did not have detailing services available for customer cars. "We only do a wash and vacuum and the windows - I get customers all the time asking if we have someone who can detail their car properly." Words to that effect. That's when he asked me to leave him some business cards. It's not clear to me how this could be true, given the badly hologrammed state of some of the cars on the lot, but that's what he said.

Busy place though, that's for sure. I forget the exact numbers, but I think he said they do something like over 60 appointments per day average. There were cars in and out of the place all afternoon. Hopefully a couple of them will take a card home.

Back to working on my own two vehicles for a little while...

 

Wow, that really is a GREAT business opportunity then.

 

If this is the case, I would say your in like flinn. If it ever starts to come to fruition then maybe you could get a Banner that says "Dirty Cars Enter Here" or "Ask About Are Detail Service" and hang it above the Service Doors.The Mercedes Dealer has 1 hangin here(Memphis)

 

Man I miss working for BMW... Hmm maybe I will have to look into Raleigh next lol. I have worked at 4 dealers 4 states, in NJ our detailers were great, 2 bucket washes, sheepskin mits, 3m and meguiars products, collinite 845 wax, FL 1 out of 11 detailers knew what he was doin, TN they were not so good, Charlotte their work was ok. I am at Nissan now and the detailer that does more then waxes knows what he is kinda doing lol. I know of some dealers that sublet their nicer cars out