Cleaning

[Ruissimo]

You kept an AWD Passat for 10 years? How many miles? What do you think the dealer will give you for it?

79k miles. As for what I "think"... man, that's a tough question - I hit a deer in November. The ordeal meant I went without a car for 52 days (!!!) and two body shops later, I've decided I'm just done with it.

I guess it depends on what shows up on the carfax (or equivalent) when the dealer looks into it. This is what it looked like:

That... turned into $6,500 worth of repairs ($500 of which was my deductible).

So... if the bodyshop(s) / insurance wrote "structural damage" or "significant damage" or anything like that, I am not expecting much of an offer, and may just hold onto it, try to sell it privately, or SOMETHING.

Insurance told me they wouldn't total it 'cause used car prices are high, my mileage is low, and it didn't hit the "total loss minimum".

What do *YOU* think they're gonna offer me? KBB says $4,697-$5,772 on a trade-in, $6,197-$7,422 private sale...

 

[TJPark01]

What do *YOU* think they're gonna offer me? KBB says $4,697-$5,772 on a trade-in, $6,197-$7,422 private sale...

What the book says and what the market says are two different things. The market says that this is a 10 year old VW with a lot of miles on it. Which means from a dealer perspective the opportunity to sell a car like this for profit is narrow. The dealer will offer you $500-$1000 for it then sell it at an auction.

 

[Ruissimo]

What the book says and what the market says are two different things. The market says that this is a 10 year old VW with a lot of miles on it. Which means from a dealer perspective the opportunity to sell a car like this for profit is narrow. The dealer will offer you $500-$1000 for it then sell it at an auction.

Hmm... you think 79k is a lot of miles? The car looks mint; the interior is super-clean, and now the outside and engine bay match the inside. If they offer me $1,000 for it... I'm not gonna trade it in. And I plan on visiting multiple dealerships in the area if what I'm hearing isn't to my liking.

I guess we're gonna see what happens... thanks for giving me a heads-up on what's coming though.

 

[TJPark01]

Hmm... you think 79k is a lot of miles? The car looks mint; the interior is super-clean, and now the outside and engine bay match the inside. If they offer me $1,000 for it... I'm not gonna trade it in. And I plan on visiting multiple dealerships in the area if what I'm hearing isn't to my liking.

I guess we're gonna see what happens... thanks for giving me a heads-up on what's coming though.

In absolute terms for a 10 year old car, no it's not a lot of miles. But the older a car gets, the harder it is to sell. I've gone through this same scenario several times as I buy my cars and typically keep them for 10+ years. You are much better off trying to sell it yourself. Also, negotiate the price of the car first, then tell them you have a trade. If you tell them you have a trade first, they will try and incorporate the trade into the deal and it's never in your favor. EVER.

 

[Gurkha]

Would have to agree with TJ, dealers are generally not interested in cars that are more than 5-6 years old. A private sale is best for an older car.
I also tend to keep my cars 10+ years, so I speak from my experiences.

 

[Ruissimo]

In absolute terms for a 10 year old car, no it's not a lot of miles. But the older a car gets, the harder it is to sell. I've gone through this same scenario several times as I buy my cars and typically keep them for 10+ years. You are much better off trying to sell it yourself. Also, negotiate the price of the car first, then tell them you have a trade. If you tell them you have a trade first, they will try and incorporate the trade into the deal and it's never in your favor. EVER.

Yeah... I know. That's my plan exactly. Once I settle on the car, and they know I'm ready to drive it away, I tell them about the trade. If the offer is ridiculous, I'll walk away, and they lose a sale. Guess it can't hurt to try.

Thanks again.

 

[TJPark01]

Yeah... I know. That's my plan exactly. Once I settle on the car, and they know I'm ready to drive it away, I tell them about the trade. If the offer is ridiculous, I'll walk away, and they lose a sale. Guess it can't hurt to try.

Thanks again.

The only flaw in your plan is that if you are happy with the new sale portion of the deal and you walk, then you have to do it all over again someplace else, and they may not have the color or optioned car that you want.

 

[Ruissimo]

Meh... there are five dealers in my area with black R Specs (at the moment).

I'll drive 50 miles for a grand or two LOL

 

[Ruissimo]

(Sorry to have hijacked this thread... I'm done with this little sidetrack, I promise).

TJ... sold my car today. Filled out a form on autotrader.com, found a local dealer (half a mile from my office). He looked at it, asked me how much I wanted, and I told him:

"You tell me how much it's worth. I know what KBB says it's worth. I also know you're not gonna offer me that price."

He came back to me with, "I'll give you $5,000".

I told him, "Okay... let me talk it over with my wife and I'll probably be back later." I did. He then mentioned my car was a "cash on hand sale", which I took to mean he could easily flip it on his own lot. This was NOT an autotrader "buying center", by the way - he was listed as an autotrader "trade-in center". I'm sure he saw $PROFIT$ in it.​

Regardless... there's a $5k check burning a hole in my pocket. R Spec.... FRIDAY!

=== BACK ON TOPIC ===

I think I'm gonna clay the new car on Saturday, and then I was planning on using the Mothers step 2 polish and then apply 3 or 4 layers of Liquid Glass on the car (one on Saturday or Sunday, and one a day afterwards). I read on another forum that one can actually lay Mothers Wax *OVER* the Liquid Glass applications if one wants...

TJ, your thoughts? I don't have a VIN (nor a build date) as I haven't picked the exact car/dealer I'm buying from yet. But I assume the car has sat on the lot for a little while, plus at the port, and at the factory, etc.... I don't think I'd be doing harm to the paint by approaching it this way. Thoughts?

Thanks, as always!

 

[TJPark01]

@Ruissimo

Nice work. 5k is about right. The dealer will probably make a couple grand and everyone is happy. My friend and I have a joke about how every car no matter how nice it started out to be, as long as it's taken care of in a decent manner will end up being worth about 5k.
As far as new car prep goes, your plan of attack is about right. Do you have a DA? The paint on this car, like most new cars is very hard and tough to polish by hand. Here is what I did with my new BMW...

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/my-new-car-prep-process-bmw-550/

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[Ruissimo]

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-Pro/my-new-car-prep-process-bmw-550/

That is INSANE, and yet totally not unexpected, coming from you. I can definitely appreciate the hard work... and the page is already bookmarked for reference.

I do not have a DA. Can I get it all done without it? Maybe with some elbow grease - time... I do have...

 

[TJPark01]

That is INSANE, and yet totally not unexpected, coming from you. I can definitely appreciate the hard work... and the page is already bookmarked for reference.

I do not have a DA. Can I get it all done without it? Maybe with some elbow grease - time... I do have...

Considering how hard modern clear coats are it's impossible to polish a modern car by hand. I mean you can do it, but it depends on your expectations. I have multiple DA's so my expectations are at show car levels. I also look at the paint under certain lighting conditions that most people don't have access to or care to bother with.

even brand new cars are delivered with a lot of marring and swirls:

 

[Ruissimo]

I was going to ask the dealer NOT to prep the exterior of the car... would that help at all? Or was it polished at some point prior to delivery to the dealer?

 

[TJPark01]

I was going to ask the dealer NOT to prep the exterior of the car... would that help at all? Or was it polished at some point prior to delivery to the dealer?

depends how long it's been sitting at the dealer. The car is usually wrapped in all types of plastic when delivered to the dealer. When the dealer gets it, he preps the car which includes washing it. If the car sits for a while, they hire some dude to wash all the cars, and he has to wash a lot of them, he's going for speed and efficiency not delicacy.
So yes, telling the dealer not to wash the car will help, but it may have already been fooked up already. Regardless, you still need to prep the car once you get it because it's been in transit and subject to weeks on a boat across the pacific ocean and probably on the back of a trailer for a couple more weeks, depending on where you live.

 

[briando]

i got a place here in town advertising a 199.99 special to detail any car, looking at taking my Genesis there, good deal? bad deal? hold out for more??

 

[TJPark01]

i got a place here in town advertising a 199.99 special to detail any car, looking at taking my Genesis there, good deal? bad deal? hold out for more??

Depends what "detail" means.

 

[Ruissimo]

Be very careful - read all available reviews of this guy's work on the web (if available) - if not, that might be a bad sign too (as in the guy is too new, hasn't been in business long, etc). Find someone who knows first-hand of someone reputable in your area. I lucked out and found someone near me who does outstanding work. A couple of friends of mine have had work done there, and the reviews online are also stellar.

TJ... you might actually know Kevin - he frequents some of the same forums you do!

He did THIS LITTLE NUMBER, as an example.

Anyways - I have negotiated a price for my r spec - picking it up Friday from the dealer. I specifically told them NOT to touch the exterior, and to NOT put a front plate bracket on the car. He didn't have a problem with the request, of course.

I'm driving FROM the dealer straight to Gotham Auto - Kevin cut me a great deal on a full exterior new car prep and full tint. Sad news is... I don't get to see her 'till Saturday.

Since I don't have a DA anyway... I'm gonna give him a chance to wow me. I might still throw on a couple of coats of Liquid Glass on Sunday... just 'cause.

 

[TJPark01]

Since I don't have a DA anyway... I'm gonna give him a chance to wow me. I might still throw on a couple of coats of Liquid Glass on Sunday... just 'cause.

I have seen his work on Detailed Image so i'm sure he'll do a good job. All you really need to do is the maintenance. Once a car is prepped and parked indoors, the work is pretty minimal. I would suggest reading up on Autopia, Meguiars online or Autogeek online. Once you gain the knowledge and experience, it makes keeping your new baby clean much easier as long as you're willing to buy some chemicals and tools. Be careful though or your garage may end up looking like this:

 

[Ruissimo]

Be careful though or your garage may end up looking like this:

NOW you tell me! It has already begun...

 

[TJPark01]

then it turns into this...