Was not going to have Dealer Prep but....

[Barnstormer]

I'm choosing to have the dealer prep mine. This will be the third Raptor I've purchased from them and the fifth truck (other two were King Ranches). All were prepped, cleaned and detailed fine, no issues. And this time, because it spent so much time at Ramp 59, I definitely want it cleaned and prepped before it leaves the dealership so I can inspect it thoroughly and document any visible problems before I drive off with it.

Supposed to be here sometime between the 20th and 26th. July order, October build, released and Ramp 58 December 23, in transit North Fork Southern, Rail Car #SER70115 December 31.

802A AG SCREW w/beadlocks.

Been so long now if it wasn't for this forum I wouldn't even think about it anymore. Sure miss my '14.

 

[ZaneMasterX]

Had to clean all the shocks off individually...now just have to keep it clean all the time....

Its a truck. Clean it but dont obsess over it, have fun and drive it.

 

[AdamsPolishes]

There are pros and cons to both answers to this often-asked question, and most have been brought up already in this thread.

To recap, it basically comes down Option 1, to not having the dealer prep the truck, and potentially missing assembly or transport damage during your delivery inspection. Option 2 is that they prep-clean the truck, so you can make a better inspection, but cause damage to the paint due to their inexperience, poor quality products, not caring.

I had this same decision to make for my '14 Raptor, and I was originally going to have them not do the prep, but was afraid of missing something. The way I made the decision was to inspect all the cars on the showroom floor for paint damage like swirling. Note that this inspection did not include the vehicles on the lot, which may have been washed dozens of times, and would thus have cumulative effects of poor care.

Since I found that the showroom vehicles looked good, I decided to have them prep/clean the truck so I could make a good inspection at delivery. I just made sure to let the salesperson know to tell the "detailers" to be careful and not add any swirls.

I also figured that even if some minor swirls were introduced by the dealer, it would be easy enough to do a quick machine polish to remove them, and this out-weighed the potential that there would be major damage missed during the inspection if the truck was filthy or covered in plastic, which can cost much more to fix (including re-paints), and the dealers typically do not want to fix cosmetic damage after it has left the lot.

Here is a thread I put together to help you take care of your Raptor:

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f209/adams-polishes-detailing-guide-45736/#post940136

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thanks
Dan

 

[u0104940]

So I've been going back and forth on this issue and after speaking with my dealer today and expressing my concerns it looks like I've decided to go back to having him do a full prep. He assured me that it will be prepped professionally and that any issues will be taken care of before delivery. I also mentioned my concern with the underside and some rust issues that have been going on and he said that they will take care of any rust that are on components that they should not be on.

Also spoke with my detailer today and he thinks the dealer prep should be fine, and anything minor is not an issue because it can be fixed before applying the sealant.

Finally getting excited as the truck could be here as early as Wednesday, but most likely this weekend. Only bummer is it will be raining here in SoCal from Thursday through Sunday. Was hoping to do a walk-around mid day in sunlight.