Removing A Swirl Mark

[Scott M]

I just took delivery of an 07 G35.

I was leaving a store the day after I took delivery and my car just happened to be sitting in just the right light that I found a swirl mark. It's on the rear pillar, between the rear window, and rear door.

I asked the dealer not to detail the car, but with them installing the 3M film before delivery, they cleaned the car anyway.

Anyways, I have called them and they are happy to take it back and work on it, but I'm afraid to let them touch it again.

They're also not willing to accept the bill for a second party to correct the problem.

I have sent them pics so they know what the issue looks like.

They have agreed to allow me to attempt the correction myself.

If I am less than happy, they will take it in and buff it out, free of charge.

They're also 75 miles away, so it would be nice to try and correct it without the unnecessary mileage/fuel.

So... will a little rubbing with Scratch-X take care of this?

Rubbing in straight lines? Figure-8's?

I need some advice here.

I know Zaino Z-5 will hide it, but I want to correct it and not just mask it.

I can only see the swirl in the sunlight, and with MA's weather, tomorrow is my only day this week where I'll be able to work on it.

Note:

The "J" looking thing is just a lightpole reflection.

[SW03ES]

Thats a bigger problem. Those are rotary holograms and I'm positive they won't be confined to that section of the car. As the wax or glaze they used at the final step to seal the car wares off, they're going to be ALL over the car.

The car needs to be machine polished again. You can either buy the tools neccissary to do it or pay a competent professional to do it. Expect $150 or so. I would lean on the dealer HARD to get a check for that, having them re-polish is only going to make it worse...

Check out www.autopia.org

[Scott M]

Thats a bigger problem. Those are rotary holograms and I'm positive they won't be confined to that section of the car. As the wax or glaze they used at the final step to seal the car wares off, they're going to be ALL over the car.

The car needs to be machine polished again. You can either buy the tools neccissary to do it or pay a competent professional to do it. Expect $150 or so. I would lean on the dealer HARD to get a check for that, having them re-polish is only going to make it worse...

Check out www.autopia.org

Ugh, thanks. :cries:

Do you suggest "Dawn"ing the car to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with?

Will Dawn take the glaze off, bringing me back to the clear coat?

[mburnickas]

Thats a bigger problem. Those are rotary holograms and I'm positive they won't be confined to that section of the car. As the wax or glaze they used at the final step to seal the car wares off, they're going to be ALL over the car.

bingo. Looks like either pads (foam or wool) where dirty, poor user/operator or poor prep.

[mburnickas]

Do you suggest "Dawn"ing the car to get a better idea of what I'm dealing with?

Will Dawn take the glaze off, bringing me back to the clear coat?

I would just use a polish, since it will do the samething as Dawn. It is not a big deal really.

[Scott M]

It is not a big deal really.

Well, I'm bummed.

The car has 170 miles on it, and I'm sick over this.

I'm trying to work with the dealer.

According to some of the guys on a G forum, this dealer has one guy on the detailing team who's a complete expert, and is only usually used on the higher end cars (these guys also sell Porsche, MB, BMW, Lexus, Bentley, Etc)

I have a request in to have this guy repolish the entire car and if they are unable to correct it, I'll have an outside pro do it.

I also plan on asking for his ID.

I don't need them sending out some guy named Gus, claiming to be Jon, just to give me what I want.

I called around to the local places with good reps, and I was quoted $355- for a full polish.

Hopefully, the dealer can take care of it.

Worst thing about it is, they don't seem very appologetic.

Thanks for the advice guys, it's truely appreciated.

I'll post ya's with how this all turns out.

[mburnickas]

Yea, it sucks on a new car. The last thing you want to do is mess with it. At least it is not forever.

But you could fix it by hand (hard) or machine (easy).

Based on the pics, he is no expert. Hell, I have not done that since my first year on my makita rotary. I will say this, Lexas has soft paint compaired to Porsche for example.

[SW03ES]

Honestly, don't be bummed. Almost all car dealerships do this to cars and had they not prepped it you'd have had to detail it yourself or have it detailed. Rotary holograms are very light and easy to remove. Not a big deal really, you either get a PC or something and some pads and fix it up yourself or hire a pro to do it for you and have him maintain the car on a regular basis. When I owned my detailing business I got cars fresh from "dealer prep" all the time, some more messed up than that.

DO NOT have him repolish the whole car. He will just do that again, thats a sign of lacking skill and improper use of pads, speeds, and products. Also, don't rush to trust the guys on the G forum either. It is possible the dealer has a good detailer, but to be honest the dealer can't afford good detailers. good detailers make $50-70 an hour. A lot of people on car forums don't know a whole lot about detailing. They push Zaino over there? Thats usually the first sign.

Go on Autopia and ask in the professional section who to go to, they can refer you properly. Or, take it as an opportunity to get some detailing supplies if you're interested in that.

[Scott M]

Thanks Steve.

I worked on the car for about 5 hours this past weekend and as of right now, it looks fantastic.

I don't know if the swirl is gone, as I need direct sunlight to detect it.

I'm in NE, and the weather has supplied us with no sunlight for almost a week now.

Anyways, the dealer has agreed to correct the issue. I have sent several shots to them and the conditioning manager has reviewed them. He says it's no big problem, and that I can be present when the do the work.

If I'm unhappy, I can have the work done somewhere else, at their expense.

$355- was the lowest cost I got, but that was a complete polish, not just the one section.

It was also a quote over the phone, without seeing the car first.

When the sun decides to come back (Friday, hopefully), I'll give it another look.

If it's looking good, I'll cancel the dealership's appt.

What's with Zaino... you don't care for it?

Just curious, cause I thought it was held in high regards and recently dumped $100+ on the Ultimate kit (LOL)

It's easy to work with and leaves a great finish, IMO.

Is it garbage?

[Scott M]

Well, I just heard back from the dealership.

They trace all work on the cars by VIN # and they were able to track down exactly what happened with my car.

The car, when it arrived to the dealer, had a small surface scratch in that area so the car went in for work.

The person who did the work used the wrong pad, which caused the swirls seen in the pics.

That is the only area of the car that was touched by a machine.

They have agreed to work on the car and correct it, and if I am unhappy, I can have it done elsewhere, and they'll flip the bill.

[backwoods lex]

$355 sounds like a very high quote on that one. If for some reason the dealer does agree to pay for it, I'd shop around.

It would be nice if you could get the dealer to pay for it (citing incompetence), do the work yourself with a PC, and pocket the cash ($355=a new PC + lots of pads + lots of microfiber +lots of car care chemicals).

[Scott M]

$355 sounds like a very high quote on that one. If for some reason the dealer does agree to pay for it, I'd shop around.

It would be nice if you could get the dealer to pay for it (citing incompetence), do the work yourself with a PC, and pocket the cash ($355=a new PC + lots of pads + lots of microfiber +lots of car care chemicals).

$355 is high, but like I said, that was a complete polish and not just the one section.

It was also a quote over the phone, without seeing the car first.

He recently had a MB come in with it's finish in pretty bad shape.

Car was purchased used with only 6,000 miles in it, and the complete polish was $355.

I'm sure that once my brand new car with one simple swirl was seen, that price would come way down... but the quote was simply a price over the phone, without being seen.

I'm giving the dealer it's one chance to correct the problem, since I have in writting (email) that they will cover the cost of having it done elsewhere if I am unhappy with the outcome.

Works for me, I suppose, as long as I don't have the same meathead working on my car.

No, I want a whole new meathead. B)

[SW03ES]

Good luck!

$355 to outrageous for a machine polish BTW...

[Cherokee_Outlaw]

Scott.... oh Scott... You went with the G!? :chairshot:

lol how is it?? It looks Sharp!! what did you get on it?

Congrads on getting A CAR!!

[Scott M]

Scott.... oh Scott... You went with the G!?:chairshot:

lol how is it?? It looks Sharp!! what did you get on it?

Congrads on getting A CAR!!

Ya, I know... I went with the competition. :cries:

I still love the IS350 but really wanted something in AWD.

The IS250 lacked in the power dept, and then the 07 G came out and caught my eye.

It's AWD when I need it, but full RWD when I don't and I have to say, it handles fantastic.

I guess I made the right decision.

I went all out... got every available option.

My only complaint with the IS was the backseat, and I just caught news that the wife is expecting again.

So, I'll have my daughter who will be 5 when the baby comes, which means 2 kids in the back seat when not in Mom's MDX.

The G's backseat is certainly bigger.

Still love the IS and I visit this forum all the time.

This is by far one of the best I've found.... Informative, friendly, and all are welcome... even us G owners. :whistles:

BTW, the swirls are gone.

I worked it by hand and it's now flawless... never letting the dealer touch it again. LOL

[SW03ES]

My only complaint with the IS was the backseat, and I just caught news that the wife is expecting again.

Congratulations!

[Scott M]

My only complaint with the IS was the backseat, and I just caught news that the wife is expecting again.

Congratulations!

Thanks!

Due on Jan 1, but I asked the wife to pop it out a few days early.

I could use the tax break.

[SW03ES]

LOL!