# Oily substance on car after purchace **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [September 3, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143 "2021-09-03T12:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Benz2017](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/benz2017/32/25958_2.png) [@Benz2017](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Benz2017)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/1 "2021-09-03T12:17:48Z")
Good morning everyone, I am new here. I came here to as a question about detailing practices of car dealers. I have bought many cars over the years and noticed that some cars I bought had an oily coating all over the car. It’s like they put armor-all all over the car when they wash it before delivery. What is this and why do they give me a car covered in oil. I have had this on some cars but not all, at high end dealers and low budget dealers. I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 12:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/2 "2021-09-03T12:38:17Z")
> [@michaelagrowe\_177032](#): > > What is this and why do they give me a car covered in oil. When you got a vehicle with this problem why did you not ask the dealer and have them clean it ? I really don’t know what you are referring to because I have never had ’ oil type coating on a vehicle ’ . ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/3 "2021-09-03T12:51:33Z")
> [@michaelagrowe\_177032](#): > > It’s like they put armor-all all over the car Inside or outside? Inside…it IS like Armor-All. Dealers use it to makes things look “shiny and New” which some buyers like. It does NOT come off easily. If it is on the outside…same thing… makes the car look shiny. It should wash off rather quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Benz2017](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/benz2017/32/25958_2.png) [@Benz2017](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Benz2017)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 1:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/4 "2021-09-03T13:00:18Z")
Inside and outside. I guess I understand wiping it down inside to make it look shiny (which I hate shiny interiors unless its supposed to be shiny like lacquered wood) but having that in the wash is nasty. But since dealer detail is no where near my level of clean, I’ll just have to clean it the right way. I also noticed on a car that I bought a long time ago this coating and after I washed it, revealed scratches that I didn’t see on the lot. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/5 "2021-09-03T13:08:32Z")
> [@michaelagrowe\_177032](#): > > revealed scratches that I didn’t see on the lot THAT right there answers your question as to why they do that! It temporarily covers up those things. ---
**Author:** ![Benz2017](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/benz2017/32/25958_2.png) [@Benz2017](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Benz2017)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/6 "2021-09-03T16:37:53Z")
I’m glad the car I bought has no major flaws now that the rain has washed most of the oil away. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/7 "2021-09-03T23:30:02Z")
My guess, they use some sort of solvent type cleaner. The solvent must not be evaporating completely, & leaving a little residue. Pine-sol for example is a solvent based cleaner. In my experience PS doesn’t leave an oily film though. And PS isn’t typically used to clean cars. Another possibility is they are re-using the cleaning water. Oils from prior cleaning jobs are then transferred to your car. ---
**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 11:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/8 "2021-09-03T23:35:03Z")
there was a shady used car dealer years ago that my uncle told me about. he would rub tranny fluid all over cars that had a faded paint to make them look shiny. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/9 "2021-09-03T23:37:32Z")
How old is this car? ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/10 "2021-09-04T03:07:11Z")
Detail shops (both private and dealer operated) have a plethora of products designed to go on easy, provide a shine, and last long enough to sell the car… Odds are the substance is something like this; and there are many variants. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/6/d/6dd63286e17ca851a172879bf55a8d203072e917.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/11 "2021-09-04T03:09:44Z")
I guess I have less problem with this, compared to the $300 “paint sealant” dealer options. ---
**Author:** ![Benz2017](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/benz2017/32/25958_2.png) [@Benz2017](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Benz2017)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 1:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/12 "2021-09-04T13:12:27Z")
Ah something like this could be it. ---
**Author:** ![Benz2017](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/benz2017/32/25958_2.png) [@Benz2017](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Benz2017)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/13 "2021-09-04T13:13:34Z")
1. I don’t know why they put that stuff on it, After I took it to a car wash to get it clean and rub all the oily stuff off, there was nothing on the paint to hide. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/14 "2021-09-04T13:23:11Z")
> [@Benz2017](#): > > I don’t know why they put that stuff on it, Well , apparently it helps sell vehicles and I guess you did not notice it during the test drive and looking the vehicle over. I have never heard of anyone else saying their new or used vehicle purchase came with oily stuff on it . ---
**Author:** ![Benz2017](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/benz2017/32/25958_2.png) [@Benz2017](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Benz2017)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/oily-substance-on-car-after-purchace/179143/15 "2021-09-04T13:40:15Z")
Ya know, I should have took some pics of it.