Pictures: Free! Dealer installed swirls:(

**LEDetailing** · 09-11-2017, 11:40 AM

Earlier this year a co-worker got a 2009 Cadillac CTS. I told him that I would show him what a black car should look like.

Long story short. I took around 2 hrs perfecting the driver's side quarter panel. If I remember correctly, I used Griots Garage correcting cream on a GG MF cutting pad via my Rupes 15 MkII, I followed that up with a couple of polishes until I settled on Carpro's Essence. The quarter panel was 98% defect free, minus some RIDS.

Fast forward to yesterday. My coworker drops off his car and he settles on a one-step polish. Neither of us wanted to tackle (financially or time-wise) the two-three step polishing this CTS badly needed. I immediately do a walk-around of the car and notice this beautiful sight. I immediately call the co-worker and ask him what happened. He tells me that with in the last week or two he brought his car to get serviced at the dealer. He tells the service writer not to wash the car, the service writer questions him. The co-worker got the car home and noticed the swirls. I think the reason he didn't question the dealer is because the rest of the car is a swirled out mess. I guarantee that these swirls are fresh because I had just looked at this panel on his car a few weeks prior at work and admired how swirl free the finish remained. The co-worker is only using touchless car washes.

So I guess the lesson to be learned is to place that "Do not wash" placard on the dash or rearview mirror. I will post some pictures of the finished results to be posted later today or tomorrow.

**Hammer77** · 09-11-2017, 11:58 AM

That is horrible, but your co-worker got the right person for the task at hand! I am always firm with my dealership not to touch mine, by now they know me, but I still stress it a couple times while I am there. They even told me they don't wash unless the customer asks because the had problems in the past. At least they are honest.

**TTQ B4U** · 09-11-2017, 12:47 PM

Same thing happened to this Toyota 4 Runner I 22PLe'd just a few weeks back. When i did it, the vehicle was beautiful and only needed a very light polish as it had less than a few miles on it. I saw him at Cars and Coffee and it is swirled just as badly. He texted and told me what happened and is in process of working it out with the dealer who also mis-torqued his wheels and tore up the finish on them badly. He's looking to get a new set of wheels and full detail/coating out of it all.

**fly07sti** · 09-11-2017, 01:10 PM

This sux. Whenever anyone takes there car in for service, have your service writer write "Do Not Wash" on your work order and intial it. Other wise, you're SOL.

**evo77** · 09-11-2017, 01:19 PM

Just curious why it took 2 hours to complete only the quarter just to get 98% clarity? Is Caddy paint super hard? I'm just trying to imagine all the effort even with super slow arm speed and it not being perfect much sooner.

**Kamakaz1961** · 09-11-2017, 02:06 PM

Sorry to see this! But you brought her back to life!

**LEDetailing** · 09-11-2017, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by pdqgp

Same thing happened to this Toyota 4 Runner I 22PLe'd just a few weeks back. When i did it, the vehicle was beautiful and only needed a very light polish as it had less than a few miles on it. I saw him at Cars and Coffee and it is swirled just as badly. He texted and told me what happened and is in process of working it out with the dealer who also mis-torqued his wheels and tore up the finish on them badly. He's looking to get a new set of wheels and full detail/coating out of it all.

Not so bad in the end if you get the detail/coating job again. I'm joking

Very frustrating. I used to wash cars at my dad's used car dealership and all I ever used was cheap Zep soap and a bone shaped sponge. I couldn't scratch a finish if I tried. I was always careful and would always work with a clean sponge. I even remember re-washing cars twice if they were exceptionally dirty.

I must have been one of the early adopters of the Grit Guard. I have no idea when the parts rep. brought the Grit Guard in to show me, but we bought one and my dad still has it. I'm guessing somewhere around 2000-2003ish is when we got it.

**LEDetailing** · 09-11-2017, 02:55 PM

Originally Posted by evo77

Just curious why it took 2 hours to complete only the quarter just to get 98% clarity? Is Caddy paint super hard? I'm just trying to imagine all the effort even with super slow arm speed and it not being perfect much sooner.

I kept getting marring with the different polish/pad combinations I was using. I'm guessing it was the pad, I was using maroon Buff and Shine low pro pads. Then I finally used Essence with a red jeweling pad. Bingo, that stuff is magic.

My percentage was probably off. The finish was like a mirror/glass I guess maybe it was 100%. The percentage thing is too subjective. I need one of those gloss/DOI meters so I can quantify my finishes. I actually really do need to get a paint depth gauge first

**evo77** · 09-11-2017, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by LEDetailing

I kept getting marring with the different polish/pad combinations I was using. I'm guessing it was the pad, I was using maroon Buff and Shine low pro pads. Then I finally used Essence with a red jeweling pad. Bingo, that stuff is magic.

My percentage was probably off. The finish was like a mirror/glass I guess maybe it was 100%. The percentage thing is too subjective. I need one of those gloss/DOI meters so I can quantify my finishes. I actually really do need to get a paint depth gauge first

Ahh ok, makes sense about the pads.

Yeah I figured 98% was near perfect with some visible marks still present most likely from deep rids.