“Volkswagen destroyed my V-12 Tiguan.”
A man recently took his car to the dealership for service and forgot to tell them not to wash it. Now he says he regrets it and is warning others.
The Auto Stars (@theautostars) is a detailing and custom shop based in New Jersey. At first, his TikTok about the experience plays like a simple car-ownership tip.
“When you bring your car to service,” he says, “always make sure to tell the dealership to not wash your car.”
He explains that he forgot to make that request when he recently brought his vehicle in for service. According to him, the dealership washed the car anyway, and he says the result was visible damage to the driver’s side door.
In the video, he zooms in on the panel, pointing out marks running along the paint.
“Look at the swirls from one wash,” he says.
He emphasizes that the marks came from a single visit. “This is from one time. One time, somebody else washed this car, and look at the [expletive] damage,” he says.
The video ends with a broader warning. He advises viewers who want to keep their car’s paint “looking nice and perfect” to avoid dealership washes altogether.
Instead, he suggests taking the car to a professional detailer.
That recommendation led some viewers to question the motive behind the clip, since the account posting it belongs to a detailing business promoting its own services.
Nevertheless, it resonated. As of this writing, the video has garnered 19,300 views.
The answer to this question largely depends on how much you care about the condition of your car’s paint.
Many dealership washes are designed to move vehicles through quickly. Service departments often run dozens of cars through the same equipment each day. When brushes, towels, or mitts pick up dirt from previous vehicles, that debris can drag across the paint and leave behind the swirl marks drivers often notice afterward.
Those marks are the faint circular scratches that show up most clearly on darker colored cars. They are not usually deep damage, but they can dull the finish and make the paint look worn.
Technique can also play a role. Dealership washes aren’t always handled by people with experience in that department. That often means the focus is often speed rather than careful washing and drying.
Poorly maintained equipment can make the issue worse. Brushes and cloths that are not cleaned frequently may carry grit from one vehicle to the next. Even automatic wash systems can create light scratches if the materials are worn down.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that every dealership wash will damage your car. But if you’re especially protective of your car’s paint, you might want to decline the complimentary wash altogether and instead opt for hand washing your vehicle at home or taking your car to a professional detailer.
Even if the Auto Stars’ video doubled as promotion for his own shop, plenty of viewers jumped into the comments saying they had similar experiences at dealerships.
One commenter referenced a model directly. “Volkswagen destroyed my V-12 Tiguan,” they wrote.
Another viewer looked at the finish shown in the video and offered their own assessment. “That’s not hand-washed,” they said of the car that the Auto Stars showcased. “That’s sending it through a noodle slapper.”
Several others said they refuse to let service departments wash their vehicles.
“I would absolutely never let them wash it or take my car through a car wash,” one person said. “Not even my 16-year-old’s Kia. Never.”
Another commenter shared a similar approach. “I bought a new Tacoma in 23, yes, I know it’s a truck, but I still would never run it through a car wash,” they said. “Hand wash only.”
A few viewers took a slightly different view. Some said dealership washes can be fine if they are done carefully by hand rather than through an automatic system.
“Benz dealership only hand washes and details after every service,” one woman claimed.
Another person suggested a simple fix. “Should have told them to hand wash,” they wrote.
Motor1 has reached out to the Auto Stars via a direct message on TikTok. We’ll update this article if he responds.
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