Acid rain/ water spots on newcar

[MONSTERMATT]

dealer says on the day to pick up the car that it has acid rain or water spots on the paint , and they will fix them, so now we wait to see , now upon closer look the stainless steel trim has the spots the worst and with a light they are noticeable in paint too, if they can fix this then whats the way to go? make em keep the car? suggest a body shop? I would hope they will know what to do as a dealer but nothing ceases to amaze me who ppl are involved. thanks

[AutowerxDetailing]

I would refuse delivery of the vehicle if the water spots are so severe that they can't be removed with a chemical decontamination process.

If you allow the dealer to attempt to repair the damage the inexperienced and untrained detailers at the dealership will likely remove so much clear coat that it will lead to premature paint failure down the road. OEMs have certain paint film removal guidelines that are acceptable when repairing damage via wet sanding and polishing. Most dealer service departments are not even aware of these guidelines. If too much paint is removed during the repair process a significant portion of the beneficial qualities in the top layer of the clear coat (UV resistance, scratch and abrasion resistance, chip resistance, etc.) are also removed. You are also left with thinner clear coat that you won't be able to polish many more times in the future to repair future defects and maintain a glossy appearance.

If you are fine with the dealership attempting the repairs I would, at the very least, have them print out the technical service bulletin (TSB) that outlines PRECISELY how they are supposed to repair the defects. The TSB should spell out the exact procedures they are allowed to perform while still maintaining the paint finish warranty for your new vehicle. I would also make the dealership provide an extended warranty to guarantee that the water spots will not come back in "x" amount of time. This is important because if the water spots have penetrated deep into the paint film matrix it may look like they have been removed after polishing; however, deeply etched water spots can resurface when the paint expands under heat like on a hot day.

[AutowerxDetailing]

Here is an example of what a technical service bulletin would look like for a 1995-1998 Mazda (this was the easiest one to find with a quick Google search).

MPVClub.com :: Mazda MPV TSB details

This is the most important part of the TSB:

4. Polish the paint surface if necessary.
CAUTION: When attempting to affect a repair by buffing, polishing, or color sanding, do not remove an excess of 0.3 mil of paint film or refinishing will be required. Use of an electronic mil gauge is highly recommended to insure control of paint film removal.

[k20trick]

dealer says on the day to pick up the car that it has acid rain or water spots on the paint , and they will fix them, so now we wait to see , now upon closer look the stainless steel trim has the spots the worst and with a light they are noticeable in paint too, if they can fix this then whats the way to go? make em keep the car? suggest a body shop? I would hope they will know what to do as a dealer but nothing ceases to amaze me who ppl are involved. thanks

Dont pick up! if you have to then get a warranty on paper. If its severe you probably will never remove it 100% only diminish the looks of it. Every car has this issue somewhere, you probably dont see it unless under a light inspecting the paint.

Who knows maybe they'll get lucky and it'll remove with light polishing, however if its severe and they really need to remove a lot of clear its not worth it.

Honestly most people dont even know and will never notice it.

[Gam]

I've got the same issue on my new car. I've got stains on the hood, roof and rear compartment door. The dealer was very surprised to see them when i showed them all the contaminated areas. I spoke to Mike about this and it seems like what we have are leaning towards what is called imprint rings. The paint specialists that came from the head office of our dealer are suggesting the use the DA polisher to remove these spots. I seem to be left with no choice but to take their word that since the contamination is on top of the clear coat, the use of the DA polisher will not remove the clear coat. Can anyone share their thoughts on how effective is the DA polisher in removing these contamination's please.

As added protection for me, i will request from the dealer that they put to paper an extended warranty guarantee on the paint. Just in case is the paint fails within 3 years. Or should i extend it to 5 years?

I'm not sure if regular waxing will help me protect the paint after they conduct their removal of the contaminants.

Appreciate any insights anyone can share.