Detailers at Body Shops

[h8dirtycars]

So my son's 2013 Dodge Dart had to have the paint repaired on the hood. Instead of repairing, they ordered a new hood, painted and replaced it. Yes it was warrantied. The dealer has a body shop on premises.
Anyway, I picked it up yesterday, and it was parked directly in the sunlight. The paint job was done nicely, black with no metallic. But right there in the sunlight, there were swirls on a brand new part that had just been painted!
Now, if I hadn't started here on AGO, I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it. But the knowledge from just reading the threads is invaluable.
Now, I know those who are reading this are probably going to wonder if I brought it up to the body shop manager. No, I did not, because I'm going to buy a DA polisher anyway and do the whole car. Another reason I didn't is because they probably don't have a detailer there and if they didn't have the attention to detail to see the swirls in the first place, why would I waste my time on something that they could have made worse? The swirls were probably instilled when they cleaned it after the paint and clear. And I know I'll get a survey via email soon, and will definitely bring it up there.
I guess the point of this post is, to make a short story long, and I'm assuming this, shouldn't body repairers know about this stuff? Maybe. I guess it depends on how much pride they have in their work.
Just a story to share.

[Jaretr1]

Most volume body shops, like at a dealership, dont have knowledgeable detailers. The swirls were probably from the wetsanding or final buffing via a rotary from a technician who just does not know better. Swirls are probably not even a defect in their eyes (since most cars are covered in them anyway). Ive polished a few cars for a body shop. They generally do not polish, they just put a glaze on and call it a day. They really do not know better.

Mike has commented on the forum many times on how he used to train body shops on polishing paint as they had no clue.

[fightnews]

What happened to the original hood? Just curious

[h8dirtycars]

I figured it was probably something to that effect.
Thanks.

[h8dirtycars]

What happened to the original hood? Just curious

The paint was bubbling on the front edge edge in a few spots. Years ago I think they called it paint cancer.

[AutowerxDetailing]

Unfortunately body shops don't have the time, nor do they get paid enough, to polish every single panel to perfection. I think the standard insurance allowance for de-nibbing, texture matching and "buffing" is like 20 mins per panel or something crazy like that. I've also heard that claims adjusters will regularly throw a fit for body shops wanting to add polishing to the invoice... shops really have to fight for every dime now-a-days just to make a proper OEM spec repair. It's ridiculous. Also, polishing fresh paint to perfection is sometimes very difficult because of how soft the paint is.

Doing it yourself, or paying for a professional detailer whom you trust to correct the finish, is definitely your best solution to get the car looking flawless.

[h8dirtycars]

Yes, I guess there's more to it than an individual worker not having pride in his or her work. A lot of variables to take into account.
Hopefully, learning enough here to correct it. The car needs a start to finish paint detail anyway.

[JKDesign]

I manage a collision shop at a dealership, and if it were up to me I would make it mandatory to compound and polish paint the correct way with the correct tools.

I actually managed to get a 21mm throw random orbit polisher for the shop, and I trained and showed the technicians how to use it properly. But alas, no matter what I try they are scared of the change and don't want anything to do with the machine and go back to there old habits with a rotary with a dirty pad (yes-i even purchased a grit guard pad washer for the shop and they don't want anything to do with that either).

Most collision technicians, whether they are paid flat-rate or hourly, are just there to get the minimum amount of repair required done to get the vehicle out the door per the estimate and to get jobs cycled through production as fast as they can. They just do not have that OCD mentality like most of us geekers! This is the reason why I moved my way off the shop floor and behind a desk: I was losing my passion for my craft, because I was not allowed to put my passion into my craft.

The other problem that plagues the insurance collision industry is the insurance companies themselves: as Nicholas stated above, we just do not get paid anywhere near enough and we are bound by their rules for many different reasons. At the most, insurance companies in my neck of the woods will pay .2-.3 hrs of labor for de-nib and polish per panel painted-that is 12-18 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At our dealership we sell Audi and Porsche. There have been a couple of occasions where I pulled myself out of the office and on to the shop floor to do the work myself when it came time to wet sand/compound/polish to keep specific customers happy and deliver them an as new or better than new finish. I spent numerous hours breaking my back for no reward, all because I failed to read the customers properly, and I also failed to properly explain how insurance claims work and and what the insurance companies actually pay for in terms of end results.

[fightnews]

Yes, I guess there's more to it than an individual worker not having pride in his or her work. A lot of variables to take into account.
Hopefully, learning enough here to correct it. The car needs a start to finish paint detail anyway.

Don't forget you got to wait about 90 days for the paint to cure I think

[h8dirtycars]

Don't forget you got to wait about 90 days for the paint to cure I think

Before machine polishing? As well, I obviously wouldn't have to clay and Iron-X, correct?