Dealer ruined my new paint!

[Mike Phillips]

Dealer ruined my new paint!



Anytime I get questions via e-mail, a PM or a FB message I prefer to invest my typing time where

A: It's easier for me to share links, pictures and videos.

B: More people can read and thus benefit from the information. (no just one set of eyeballs


So I get an e-mail asking,


Just bought a 2013 Buick LaCrosse Touring . Here is the problem.. 1st it was Certified, but they'd never corrected any flaws, or even detailed the car. Then my new/used car got vandalized, so while they had it, they recommended someone to fix that. 3 weeks later got my car back, list wasn't finished, and they tore my front seat! Now car went back in, guess what ? 2 weeks later, windshield still isn't repaired, defective " bubbles at the top on both sides", you can tell it's getting worse, no manufacturer Representative has never been out to check it.. Now after all this, paint was fixed, someone buffed it out, and the car that has swirl marks all over it! Hate to say this, as I'm not easily bully, but they are! My 1st contract stated 1st payment due the next day! Plus more mistakes.. My fault as my new contacts weren't working. Can you advise? I've bought several car's though out my life, this beats them all !
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely and with care,
Michelle Meeks Salmonson



Note how they typed in one huge chunk of text like I just talked about in this thread?

How to fix new paint job with sanding and buffing?


People, that incudes me, won't work hard to read. Heck, people don't read now days anyways. If you want people to read what you write YOU have to make it EASY for them to read what you write and that means you need what is called WHITE SPACE separating thoughts and ideas in your text.

So to make what Michelle wrote above easier to read, I'll break it up a little using my [ENTER] key...


Just bought a 2013 Buick LaCrosse Touring .

Here is the problem.. 1st it was Certified, but they'd never corrected any flaws, or even detailed the car. Then my new/used car got vandalized, so while they had it, they recommended someone to fix that. 3 weeks later got my car back, list wasn't finished, and they tore my front seat!

Now car went back in, guess what ? 2 weeks later, windshield still isn't repaired, defective " bubbles at the top on both sides", you can tell it's getting worse, no manufacturer Representative has never been out to check it..

Now after all this, paint was fixed, someone buffed it out, and the car that has swirl marks all over it! Hate to say this, as I'm not easily bully, but they are!

My 1st contract stated 1st payment due the next day! Plus more mistakes.. My fault as my new contacts weren't working.

Can you advise? I've bought several car's though out my life, this beats them all !

Thank you for your help.


Sincerely and with care,

Michelle



Wow!

Sounds like a HORRIBLE car dealership. The first thing is never do business with them again and warn your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.


At this point you need to start taking pictures of the problems and then write down the date of the problem and the date the pictures were taken. You need to document these problems in a way that shows a time stamp. It's probably too late to time stamp and document some of the problems with the car and the dealership can always claim the problems didn't exist when they sold you the car.

So start documenting with pictures and dates the problems.

Next you might want to get an attorney to represent you. Find out what if any "Lemon Laws" are in effect in your city and state. If you're lucky, maybe you can simply give them the car back and run, don't walk away from this dealership.


If you cant get out of the car sale contract then to fix the swirls you can either do this yourself or we can help you to get a qualified detailer to help you.

One thing for sure thought - DON'T LET THE DEALERSHIP TRY TO FIX IT A SECOND TIME.


If they couldn't do it right the first time they cannot do it right the second time. I'll write a new article to explain why but please take my word for it have helping people for years with this same exact problem and that is dealerships don't have the trained staff, tools, pads or equipment to correctly buff out paint.

And if they couldn't do it right the first time they will not be able to do it right the second time they will just cause more damage.


To remove the swirls you're going to need to machine polish the paint only this time do it right. You can do it or we can help you to get a qualified detailer to do it, just let me know by replying to the e-mail reply I'm going to send you after I hit the [Submit Reply] button for this thread on the AGO forum or better yet, join the forum, (it's free), and join in this thread and talk/type directly to me.



Click here to join the AGO forum





Sorry to hear of your mishap with the dealership, this is the norm for car dealerships.

[Whitewater25]

Guy working at a dealership picks up a buffer & thinks he's a Detailer. Sad!!

[Mike Phillips]

Guy working at a dealership picks up a buffer & thinks he's a Detailer. Sad!!

Yep... it's called DISO

The Dealer Installed Swirl Option


I have an article on it here,


DISO = The Dealership Installed Swirl Option



Going to write a new article that documents her experience as well as so many other people's experience with this same problem.

What is the problem?

Besides the horrible record dealerships have for destroying paint, the secondary problem is when the dealership or even body shop hacks-up a paint job with swirls and then when the owner points them out and lets the dealership or body shop know this is NOT acceptable, the dealership or the body shop then asks for a second chance to fix their shoddy work.

And here's what I've always said, I've turned the problem into a questions and here's the question...


What's changed?


What has changed at the shop that NOW they can do it right?

Did the get a different person to do the work?

Did they get a different tool? For example did they get an orbital to do the work instead of a rotary buffer?

Did they get better products? You can't make paint look good with bad abrasive technology.

Did they get better pads?


OR

Are they simply going to repeat the same process, use the same person, same tool, same products and same pads ONLY this time... apply a glaze or thicker coat of wax to try to mask the swirls just enough to make the customer go away.


My experience is the second scenario.... and it never works. If fact, if they do repeat the process then what this does is it actually REMOVES more of the already precious thin paint as well as leaves the paint in the same condition, that is filled with swirls.

Dealerships get away with hack work because the majority of people that buy something from them don't know how paint is supposed to look or don't care how paint is supposed to look. So the dealership for all these years gets a free ride.

[Mike Phillips]

To Michelle,

Don't feel like you're the only one that has had their car hacked-up at a dealership, here's a full write-up I did for a guy that bought a BRAND NEW BMW 535i back in 2014 and ended up driving it from Tampa where he lives and purchased the BMW to Stuart to hire me to undo the dealership's hack-work.


2014 BMW 535i - Removing Dealership Holograms, Swirls and Scratches


IT was Love Bug season so I shared with him how to make a Painter's Tape Bra to protect the paint on his brand new BMW from Love Bug Splatter from the trip from Tampa to Stuart as it'a about a 3-4 hour drive.

Love Bug splatter will ETCH a hole or crater THROUGH the clear layer of paint on a car and if it does, the ONLY way to fix it is to repaint.


2014 BMW 535i - Removing Dealership Holograms, Swirls and Scratches







Full pictures and article in the link above.


Take heart, if you want to get the paint on your new-to-you car fixed we can help you.

[GSKR]

Terrible. I do get calls from bodyshops now and then.I usually turn down the work because there not in reality as far as what they think you're worth.Some are in reality and know what it takes as far as time and skill.Swirls and overspray is the worst combination and add a disgruntled customer who will critique your work when your finished.

[Mike Phillips]

***Update***


Haven't heard back from Michelle as of this post. My guess is she's busy dealing with the dealership.


I wish her good luck with getting a fair shake from the dealership...

[PaulMys]

Yet another reason for my big "DO NOT SPRAY, WIPE, OR WASH TRUCK" sign I tape to the inside of my drivers window when it goes to the dealer.

I tried "DO NOT WASH" once, and a kid there sprayed it with a hose to "get the pollen off".

In full sun, and it was an hour before I picked it up.

Pissed doesn't describe my state when I got there.

My truck looked like a metallic grey spotted leopard.