pabarile

When I picked up my ILX a few weeks ago at night, I didn't notice the residue left on the front of the hood from the white wrappings that were on the car. I brought the car back to the dealer a week later, and they did indeed remove the residue, however, they also waxed the car. It looks fine in soft lighting/non direct sunlight, however, on a bright/sunny day, you can see some swirl marks on a few body panels, which most likely came from when they waxed the car and used a dirty buffer pad/towel. Since the car is a darker color (fathom blue pearl), its probably more noticeable than if it were a more forgiving color such as Silver Moon.

I contacted the salesman and he asked me to bring the car in so they can take care of it (i'm assuming they would compound it out). However, at this point should I'm not sure I want them to go near the car with another buffer pad; I'm kind of a little weary about letting them apply anything else onto the paint for fear of them possibly damaging something else or introducing more swirl marks.

Any opinions on whether to let them fix it or try to find a reputable detailer (or try it myself)? It's not bad per say; I'm just let down that the car is only a few weeks old yet some swirls were introduced onto the paint.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

DO NOT let the dealer detail dept touch your car. they may make it worse. find a reputable detailer or even a local enthusiast that is into detailing to help you out. all they maybe do is put on some glaze with fillers in it to cover the swirls only for them to come back weeks later. at that point the dealer will blame you for inducing the swirls.

if you want to go at it yourself, you could learn how to use a dual action polisher and get them out yourself as well.

the dealer detail guys...rarely care the way a really anal owner would about their car paint. i've seen the water that gets wringed out of the chamois they use

also...DO NOT let them wash your car after service. auto washes...swirl central.

AnyaBoo

I hope you didn't pay for anything. The only thing is if they damage it, they usually have to fix it right or face serious consumer problems. You can always be present during the process...that usually puts them on their toes. Let us know what you decide.

pabarile

Yeah, I'm leaning towards not letting them do anything else.

pabarile

No, I haven't paid for anything. This place offers complimentary washing/detailing for owners, however, if they aren't going to be careful, then I'm not that interested any longer in taking them up on their offer!

The damage isn't bad per say, and it has to be in direct sunlight to even notice it on certain parts of the car. I'm sure it would come right out out pretty easily with compounding.

I was thinking of being present if I decided to let them try, or, at least asking them exactly what they plan on doing (like TLTriGirl said, they need to do it properly and not just apply a glaze), but, if i don't stay who knows if they'd do it right.

AnyaBoo

Agree. If you didn't pay them then no harm done going to someone else to get it done right. I also agree that being present after things go wrong makes a world of difference. Even though it isn't very visible, I would be just as mad.

Colin

This is a tough one for sure. If you are really particular, you're probably better off doing it yourself. Plan B would be to get a professional detailer to do it. Plan C would be taking it back to the dealership. I tend to be pretty pragmatic about this sort of thing. Understanding that (eventually) such swirl marks will appear on virtually any dark colored car, I'd probably try to work them out myself. Remember that clear coats are very thin, it doesn't take a lot to damage it.

Colin

I would add to this, the slight amount of "adhesive residue" that builds up on the edges of the white shipping plastic is easily removed. If anyone else reads this, a "bug and tar" remover will do the trick with no force required. Or, you can use what I use, a simple cleaner/wax combo that removes the residue and waxes at the same time. In a perfect world we should all expect "perfection" on our expensive purchases. However, in the real world, nobody cares about your car as much as you do. This is why I was saying (above) that I would probably do it myself. Only I know what is "good enough" for my personal standards.

pabarile

Yeah I just didn't realize how easily it came off, and I figured i'd let them remove it since they should have removed it better in the first place.

If the car was 5 years old, i wouldn't care nearly as much. and even though the damage isn't bad, I'm just irritated that its only 3 weeks old and wasn't caused by me! It was almost 8 years since getting a new car, so I haven't really been as anal retentive for a while as I am now. The darker color doesn't help as well; i can see everything on the surface now (the last car was silver, which seemed like it could go all winter without looking dirty, even though it was filthy ha).

So yeah, from now on when i bring it in for oil changes/service, I'll tell them please don't wash/wax the car. I'll just do it myself.

Update: I emailed my salesmen and said i'm very hesitant to let them attempt to remove the swirl marks. He replied with the following:
I'm thinking i might let them try and make good on it before I go spend my own money. If they don't remove them to my satisfaction, then i'll have to pay for it anyway (which i would have had to do if i don't even let them attempt). But i might be pleasantly surprised? Maybe? ha. Anyone think this is a bad idea (some had mentioned they wouldn't let the dealer touch the car)?

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

ask how they would get rid of the swirls and what products they use.

Colin

Every store is different, but we have one guy on staff who used to own his own detailing shop. I would trust him to use the proper equipment and technique. If you can get this sort of assurance, I see no reason not to go ahead with letting them give it a try.

Rocket_man

This has happened to me twice. The first time was back in 2000 when I took my 2-week old 3-series to the dealer to have the keys programmed. They gave the car its first wash and scratched the holy bejezzus out of the car. Swirl marks everywhere. I was livid, especially after waiting over 3 months for the car and spending what even today was a lot of money for the car. We went back to the wash area where they apparently just hire any kid off the street. He was washing all the cars with an old dried up leather chamois. Every car was like mine. The service manager and sales manager wouldn't let me leave until we agreed to a plan. I think they even put it in writing (that was back in the days of needing perfect service scores). They gave me a 5-series for a week and brought in a detailer. He buffed out the swirls and put a protective coating on with a 5 year guarantee. Yeah kind of hokey, but I never had a problem with swirl marks in the future

Acura did the same thing to my TSX. This time I used my own random orbit buffer, a light polish, and a yellow/green and white pad to get the swirls out. Followed by polymer top coat with a black pad. It looked better than new.

Personally I always ask the dealer not to wash the car but I've found that many times it is habit for them. I haven't had a problem since, but if it happens again I'd take it out myself. Dual Action polishers (I have a Maguires G110) don't have the power to cause the kind of damage that a rotary polisher can do if not handled properly. They are pretty safe. When used with a lite polish and the right pad it is pretty safe for the finish, but removing the swirls does take a tiny amount of the clear coat off.

You don't need anything as abrasive as a 'compound' but a lite polish with the right cutting pad will do the trick. Compounds are for deeper scratches and are usually followed up with a polish.

You may want to consider the Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 as a protective top coat. Or if you choose to have the dealer fix the paint ask them to have it installed. I've seen some great reviews on it and want to try it myself. It is not a wax or sealant but an actual clear polymer that bonds to the paint and is good for a long time. Search on Youtube for examples of application and results.

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.ne...-coat-2-0.html



You might want to consider something like this...

pabarile

Just wanted to give an update. I asked the detailer at the dealer how they were going to remove the swirl marks and he indicated they'd use a polish. So i let them do it and the car looks good, so I'm happy.

I forgot to ask them to install the plates though. I'm not quite sure how the front plate installs (i hope its not by drilling a hole in the bumper!) from just taking a brief glance at the bracket.

Trentimus

terdonal

Glad they fixed it to your satisfaction.

piguo1

I was so happy when I noticed there were no front bumper license plate holes. However, when they delivered the car they had already drilled they license holder into the front bumper. In CA front bumpers are mandatory so they literally drilled two holes in it.

Also I noticed a couple of weeks later that the canvas in the ceiling had a large brown splatter. I have not eaten or drank anything other than water in my car yet, so I know it wasn't me. I also found brush bristles stuck in it like they tried to clean it up. I'm going to bring it up when I take it for the first service, and I really hope it comes off.