Body shop created paint swirls

[AdrenalineJunky]

I had my truck in the shop for repairs. Along with issues on the repairs themselves, I see that my pretty much swirl free truck is now covered in HEAVY swirls.

I have always used high quality cleaning products and taken many steps to limit damages from washing. I am furious to say the least.

I assume the only thing I can do is have the paint buffed? How many times can a factory paint job be buffed before the clear coat is too thin?

I have never done any buffing or wet sanding, I went as far as clay baring/waxing/basic detailing. I hate to damage the paint on this 35000 truck! Would it be wise to find a professional? (That in itself has been a issue for me... Everyone who details cars seems to not be a true professional at it...) Any people around Rochester,NY area? Id be willing to drive a little ways too.

Please help

[Mike Phillips]

I had my truck in the shop for repairs. Along with issues on the repairs themselves, I see that my pretty much swirl free truck is now covered in HEAVY swirls.


Sadly, we call this a "Horror Story", as in just another "Horror Story" as a result of taking your car to a body shop, dealership or some detail shops.

Sorry to hear of your bad experience.




I have always used high quality cleaning products and taken many steps to limit damages from washing. I am furious to say the least.


And the sad part is you can't take it back to them. If they couldn't do it right the first time they won't be able to do it a second time and the more they buff on it the more damage they inflict.




I assume the only thing I can do is have the paint buffed? How many times can a factory paint job be buffed before the clear coat is too thin?


At this years Mobil Tech Expo I wet-sanded the factory paint on this Impala Rental Car at least 3 times, (the entire hood), and then compounded and polished it. Never seen any black coming off on any of the pads. :D

Pictures from Mobile Tech Expo 2010 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/company-forum-news-headlines/22824-mobile-tech-expo-2010-a.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/816/MTE049.jpg








Would it be wise to find a professional?

(That in itself has been a issue for me... Everyone who details cars seems to not be a true professional at it...)

Any people around Rochester,NY area? Id be willing to drive a little ways too.

Please help



I'm positive we can help you find a "real" Pro to help you out... or if you want to fix it yourself we can help you with this also.



:)

[mcpp66]

I had my truck in the shop for repairs. Along with issues on the repairs themselves, I see that my pretty much swirl free truck is now covered in HEAVY swirls.

I have always used high quality cleaning products and taken many steps to limit damages from washing. I am furious to say the least.

I assume the only thing I can do is have the paint buffed? How many times can a factory paint job be buffed before the clear coat is too thin?

I have never done any buffing or wet sanding, I went as far as clay baring/waxing/basic detailing. I hate to damage the paint on this 35000 truck! Would it be wise to find a professional? (That in itself has been a issue for me... Everyone who details cars seems to not be a true professional at it...) Any people around Rochester,NY area? Id be willing to drive a little ways too.

Please help

I can totally sympathize with you on this. I pretty much got my Camaro back to the way I want it and now I'm so afraid of when the time comes to take it to the dealer for service. I can tell you this........I have no detailing experience whatsoever, and after screwing up my paint by inflicting swirls and RIDS I was able to fix them on my own. Everything I was able to do I did with the input and help from the AG staff and from fellow forum members. You're in the right place.

[Focus2069]

I would take it back to them, show the manager, then show him any pics you may have of it, swirl free....He will then say, well leave it with me we can fix it, you say no way, your paying for me to have a professional fix this. I will send you the bill.


I have learned (I work in the auto repair industry) that it is always best to have pictures of your vehicles before you drop it off at any shop. Cant argue with that.....

[MI Mike]

As others have suggested, I would also take it back to the dealer. If nothing is done, go to the manager. Take alot of pictures (documentation). You should also have it looked at by other shops, even another dealership. Get statements, etc. If the dealer cannot help you to your satisfaction (not theirs) and it is still under warranty you also have the option of taking it to binding arbitration or small claims court. The steps are covered in your owners manual. There are also video's out on the web regarding using binding arbitration, etc. I have a bad taste based on past experience with dealership.

If they screw it up they should be willing to repaint it. Just my two cents.

:dblthumb2:

[O.C.Detailing]

Wish we could drive up to Rochester, NY and fix it for you. :( If you're ever feeling squirrely enough and want to spend a day or two down here, I"m sure John (VR8) and I could fix it for you at a reasonable cost since you're an AG member. Good luck getting it right though. I'm sure there are folks up there who can help you out.

[AdrenalineJunky]

Sadly, we call this a "Horror Story", as in just another "Horror Story" as a result of taking your car to a body shop, dealership or some detail shops.

Sorry to hear of your bad experience.




And the sad part is you can't take it back to them. If they couldn't do it right the first time they won't be able to do it a second time and the more they buff on it the more damage they inflict.




At this years Mobil Tech Expo I wet-sanded the factory paint on this Impala Rental Car at least 3 times, (the entire hood), and then compounded and polished it. Never seen any black coming off on any of the pads. :D

Pictures from Mobile Tech Expo 2010 (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/company-forum-news-headlines/22824-mobile-tech-expo-2010-a.html)

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/816/MTE049.jpg








I'm positive we can help you find a "real" Pro to help you out... or if you want to fix it yourself we can help you with this also.



:)

Thank you for the support. Up to this point I have felt like I am the fool when it comes to having problems with the swirls.

Even the repaired areas that were freshly painted were covered in swirls. They claimed they even wet sanded/polished. Terrible!
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/MIKE649/Hemi/100_2934.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/MIKE649/Hemi/100_2939.jpg


I can totally sympathize with you on this. I pretty much got my Camaro back to the way I want it and now I'm so afraid of when the time comes to take it to the dealer for service. I can tell you this........I have no detailing experience whatsoever, and after screwing up my paint by inflicting swirls and RIDS I was able to fix them on my own. Everything I was able to do I did with the input and help from the AG staff and from fellow forum members. You're in the right place.

Nice to know there are others who can relate and know what I'm referring to. The truck went in for repairs on Dec 9th and I am now working with a second body shop to correct the non-quality repairs. Going on two months soon.... I have purchased several hundreds of dollars worth of basic cleaning products from AG and other places to limit this sort of thing. Now all the effort has gone to waste. They might as well used a floor broom and water only to clean the entire truck!


I would take it back to them, show the manager, then show him any pics you may have of it, swirl free....He will then say, well leave it with me we can fix it, you say no way, your paying for me to have a professional fix this. I will send you the bill.


I have learned (I work in the auto repair industry) that it is always best to have pictures of your vehicles before you drop it off at any shop. Cant argue with that.....

When I was presented the truck it was at night. I had to talk the manager to bring the truck inside under the lights for viewing. Due to the temp. change when the truck came inside it was covered with condensation. Making viewing conditions terrible and almost a waste of time. Besides noticing obvious body gaps and part quality issues, I was able to pickup on the swirls, fish eyes in the new paint and dirt specs under the new paint.

The managers response was wait a month to wax it and that will all go away. I told him I wish that were true but I know after detailing vehicles it simply is not and would require buffing and polishing for the swirls and wet sanding for the paint flaws. He then told me I don't paint cars so therefor I do not know.

To say the least he was un-willing to handle the concerns I had, so I took the truck and decided to take it up with the insurance company.

To make a long story short I then ended up dealing with the owner, who was not any more impressive than the manager. He told me the manager was fed up with me because I was high maintenance and fussy. (Who tells their customers that?) He said bring it back and we will see what we can do.. Fix the body gaps and wet sand the paint.. I let the comments roll off my back and cut my losses and agreed.

Picked the truck up for the second time and the body gaps did improve. The paint flaws also improved but the swirls were the same.

At this point I wouldn't take my truck back there if they offered to do work for free.


As others have suggested, I would also take it back to the dealer. If nothing is done, go to the manager. Take a lot of pictures (documentation). You should also have it looked at by other shops, even another dealership. Get statements, etc. If the dealer cannot help you to your satisfaction (not theirs) and it is still under warranty you also have the option of taking it to binding arbitration or small claims court. The steps are covered in your owners manual. There are also video's out on the web regarding using binding arbitration, etc. I have a bad taste based on past experience with dealership.

If they screw it up they should be willing to repaint it. Just my two cents.

:dblthumb2:

Thank you for your response. I am now attempting to work with what I believe is a quality body shop. They are a Cadillac and Hummer dealer who will take in any newer other brand vehicle for body work. I figure if they primarily work on high end cars they should be able to handle my truck. Time will only tell...


Wish we could drive up to Rochester, NY and fix it for you. :( If you're ever feeling squirrely enough and want to spend a day or two down here, I"m sure John (VR8) and I could fix it for you at a reasonable cost since you're an AG member. Good luck getting it right though. I'm sure there are folks up there who can help you out.

Well at this point I cannot locate any professional detailer in my area. The closest has been in Long Island NY. If anyone knows someone/place nearby please let me know. VA might be a little far, but if I were going around the area for vacation or something it would be a possibility.

At this point I would want someone to remove all of the swirls. Which are now over the entire truck and a fresh wax while they were at it. How much should I expect to pay?

(I had another truck that I took to a body shop that I used to use and the guy burnt my paint in a couple areas--)

[gewb]

I feel your pain and frustration. I wouldn't go back to them either - bite the bill and cut your losses. Try your insurance company but the few hundred dollars you'll spend might not be worth the probable increase in your premiums.

I see two viable options: hire a pro detailer to fix the problems or do it yourself.

You could post a request (plea) here on the forum to hire someone within 100 miles. My best guess is two days of work. On the same theme, you could hire someone further away and arrange for the work to be done on Saturday and Sunday - take a two day mini get-away!

Second option: purchase to tools and supplies you need and do it yourself. Here again my guess is the purchase vs hire options are about the same price. With sales / discounts you could get a Flex and pads, polishes, sealant for the price to hire.

Make the request post and wait at least three days for replies.

Regards,
GEWB

[Mike Phillips]

To make a long story short I then ended up dealing with the owner, who was not any more impressive than the manager. He told me the manager was fed up with me because I was high maintenance and fussy. (Who tells their customers that?)


That's horrible customer service. Put up a website documenting everything with pictures and list it in a Google index as a body shop business for your home town so anyone looking for a body shop will find your website. It's a little bit of work but can be done for $20.00 a year.



He said bring it back and we will see what we can do.. Fix the body gaps and wet sand the paint.. I let the comments roll off my back and cut my losses and agreed.


For years what I tell people is that if they couldn't fix the swirl issues the first time they won't be able to do it the second time, all they'll do is remove more of your precious paint and at the most, apply more glaze to fill and hide the swirls till you wash it a few times and they show back up.




The paint flaws also improved but the swirls were the same.


Vindicated. This is called a "Horror Story", it's what we call an experience like yours after working with a body shop, dealership or some detail shops



Well at this point I cannot locate any professional detailer in my area.


On the MOL forum I created a forum group just for members looking for and requesting a Pro detailing in their area, that way their post would have a specific place to be and wound't get lost among the myriad of posts on other subjects.

Best thing to do though is to start a "Dedicated Thread" with words in the title that will get the attention of the right forum members. The title of this thread won't work. For example,

Pro Detailer Wanted in BLANK, New York

and post it here, Off-Topic (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/off-topic/) or here, Show N' Shine (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/)

Wrote a little article on this topic here,

How to write a good title for your thread (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/introduce-yourself/20306-how-write-good-title-your-post.html)





At this point I would want someone to remove all of the swirls. Which are now over the entire truck and a fresh wax while they were at it. How much should I expect to pay?


I would charge around $500.00 to $600.00 for removing swirls and sealing the paint assuming it's a normal type truck. If this is a Hummer or something larger and more complicated then the price would go up. You should be able to find a Pro that has a known history on this forum or another forum that will do a professional job for between $300.00 and $600.00

If you're paying someone less than $300.00 for true swirl removal and it's taking less than 8 to 10 hours then you're probably not going to be happy with the end results.
[/QUOTE]



(I had another truck that I took to a body shop that I used to use and the guy burnt my paint in a couple areas--)


Anyone with a can a wax can call themselves a detailer. Here's what I've seen first hand over the years. Detailers that hang out and are participating members of an established detailing forum are smarter, much, much more knowledgeable than offline detailers.

Head knowledge turns into hands-on skill.


:)