Bad experience buying my 2008 RDX w/ Antonino Acura. Said they would clean the car before I picked it up and since it was an hour away, dark and wet when I picked it up, I assumed it was clean. Brought it back to fix the headlight and detail the car (since they did not at all) and they had it for a week trying to get the water spots off of it which they had to wet sand and buff the paint to do (and did a TERRIBLE job) but couldnt get it off the windows. They SAID they tried buffing the windows but I dont know if I believe them.

Does anyone know what to do in this situation? The water spots (acid rain? calcium deposits?) are SO bad on ALL of the windows. The sales manager at Antonino suggested having my insurance replace all 9 windows () or trade the car in (). The spots look TERRIBLE! I have tried vinegar and toothpaste. I am going to try the Clay Bar for Glass tonight and someone suggested alcohol and window cleaner that I'll try too.

 

I work in a body shop n yes its possible for ur windows to be officially stained, but the clay bar wont work, i would prepsol or paint thinner n maybe windex with a blade see if that works out, if not try buffing the window urself n see what happens !!

 

If you can drive 1-2 hrs to Detailersdomain, I'm sure Phil can have a look for you. but I had luck with Duraglos Nu-glass plosih

 

Duragloss Nu-Glass if that doesn't work use #0000 steel wool with soapy water as a lube.



Sometimes acid rain etc will permanently etch the glass and it can't be corrected ..

Did they say when the deal was being made that hey would resolve the water spot issue? If so its thier responsibility. Why should your insurance pay?


You say they did a poor job of wet sanding & buffing? How so? This statement scares the hell out of me ... Wet sanding can make the clear too thin and have clear failure down the road. Same with buffing .. did they buff out the sanding marks or did they use a heavy glaze on it and your going to see a lot of marring once the glaze washes/wears off. <-- once that happens they will be saying you caused the marring your seeing after the glaze is gone.

 

What I don't get is how Acura itself can sell me a Certified car with permanent etching on the windows.

 

No... what I don't get is you bought it that way , logically you would wait till they removed it to finalize the deal. The Certified part in my understanding is mechanical.

Usually dealer detailers aren't much more than detail hacks ... Soon as you try anything the onis is on you .. take it back.

 

When I test drive it, it was dirty. I told them I didn't want it until it was clean and the swirl marks were removed. When I picked it up after work, it was dark, seeing as the dealer is an hour away. The car was also wet so I didn't see the spots til the next day. I tried to give it back and they said I couldnt. Te certified info they gave me is that the warrenty doesn't cover body but it does mean it was thoroughly inspected or any imperfections including scratches chops or scratches in the glass.

 

can you post up some pics of the windows? im curious as to how severe/noticeable the damage is and how they could try to brush you off with all of those excuses

 

Pictures arent that great. Def. looks way worse in person. I tried to get a picture of the TERRIBLE buff job but it didnt really do it justice. I'll try tonight, I almost cried when my BF had a flashlight on it.

 

That is just inexcusable. The good thing is...the paint swirls and marring can be fixed. The glass...I don't know enough it about to offer any advice.

I'm not sure if a lawyer would be the thing to do....but you might get one and force the dealership to replace all of your glass.

 

Just talked to the GM at the dealer and he pretty much said the same thing as the asshole manager. He said that they can try to get the spots out of the windows but it sounds like Acid Rain and if they cant get it out then there is nothing that they can do. They certainly wont replace the glass and there is no law stating that they have to. He said I would have to go through the Lemon Law process but wouldnt get anywhere because its not mechanical or a safety issue.

 

Totally worth over $20K right?!

 

After I sent the pictures to the GM, he said he was going to look into ways to remove the marks. He found some sort of chemical made by RainX that was supposed to work. I brought the car in yesterday and the loaner they gave me was locked out of the radio and nav and the code they had doesnt work so I had a quiet and confusing hour drive him.

Spoke to the service manager today and asked him if they repainted my rear bumper when it was in the last time. He told me it was. I am outraged that they wouldnt inform me or ask me if I wanted my bumper painted. They specifically said "the car wont be done today because there is a spot on the rear bumper that they arent happy with". Not once did they say that they were repainting it. I asked him, "isnt this something I should have known about?" he said "yes...". I noticed because my BF is a powdercoater and has an eye for imperfections. They painted over dirt and smudged the paint while it was still wet. Black car = sticks out like a sore thumb.

 

Hope you get resolution

 

This is a late reply, and you may have already resolved your problem, but ...

If the problem is really acid rain, then the glass is etched, and there is likely nothing that will correct the problem. BUT ...

if the problem is really water spots, as in deposits ON the glass, then there are two things that might work.

1) GM (General Motors) had a part number for a Bon Ami CLEANING POWDER about 10 years ago, but it is no longer available through GM. However, it is simply Bon Ami Cleaning Powder. DO NOT confuse the CLEANING POWDER with the CLEANSER. The CLEANING POWDER is available from my local Tru Value Hardware store for about $2 a can. You need to read the label carefully, as indicated by the following comments.

The Bon Ami Kitchen and Bath Cleanser, according to the label, contains feldspar, calcites/calcium carbonate [limestone]. The package lists the types of surfaces it recommends the product be used on. Window glass is not on the list.

The Original Bon Ami Cleaning Powder contains only feldspar and soap. This product's package specifically lists instructions for using it on glass and mirrors.

You can also call the manufacturer if you like:
Faultless Starch/ Bon Ami Company
Kansas City, MO 64101-1200
+1 816 472 4987
+1 800 821 5565

2) A stronger but relatively safe product is NO TOUCH AUTO GLASS STRIPPER GS8(12) #808 7710 from ACE Hardware. This product will remove silicone products such as RAIN-OFF, and wax, oil, and other difficult to remove substances.

I paid $8.50 for a small bottle two years ago. I think I had to have it special ordered to my local store, but you can also purchase it from the ACE online web site.
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Perhaps one of the two products above will help with your problem. If so, I would be interested in your feedback on their use.

 

“Removing Water (Spots) Marks” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ml#post1448627

I hope the information in this article is of some help to you. If you have any further questions please let me know

 

Everything they did didnt work. My friend gave me some Novus and that worked. http://www.novuspolish.com/ Its a 3 step process and it got most of it off.

 

Oh -- and they NEVER got me my touchup paint that was promised when I purchased the car either. Seriously -- worst deaership EVER.