Body shop hack job

[bolplyr1]

Hey everyone, shadetree detailer here. Try to keep the paint on our cars nice and shiny, swirl free. I use a safe and effective PC 7424 with unbranded pads and PRO products ( DUZ-ALL, TROUBLE SHOOTER, PRO GOLD, SATIN CREME AND THEIR PASTE WAX ) when it`s time to make them really pretty.

The single stage Volvo is quite easy to maintain. Wash, clay, wash, apply wax and it`s done for the next 6 months.

The 03 Altima has proven to be a PITA. Side panels ( fenders, doors and quarter panels ) are cake. The hood, roof and deck-lid are the problem areas. Plus, the wife will get a bug and take it through the local sandpaper wash if she feels I`ve taken too long between washes.
Below is work I did to the hood ( you can see how bad the paint is ) using the PC starting with a yellow pad and the troubleshooter. Didn`t quite cut it so I switched to a clean pad and hit it with one pass of the DUZ-ALL then back to the troubleshooter and finished with the PRO-GOLD.
You can see where I had taped off two sections.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_5710.jpg

After hitting it with the PRO-GOLD
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_5714.jpg
You can see how hazy the hood is toward the center. The roof and the decklid are in the same condition.

now, we got rear-ended a few months ago and the whole rear of the car was repainted including the rear doors. Car has only been hand washed since then and no polishing or waxing has been done. I noticed these bad boys after the second wash. Not just side panels, whole car.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_7620.jpg
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_7617.jpg

Obvious hack job by the body shop and the wife won`t go back due to other instances. Now, whats the best way to tackle this using my current product line? Are the any recommendations for different product?
This is downright ugly and I cringe when I see it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[mrclean81]

I used Pro stuff for a long time but never used Troubleshooter or Duz All. Are there better products out there? ABSOLUTELY. Are they simply a must have to correct this? No. The swirls are pretty bad and to work with your current product line for the most part your going to need to start out with some light - medium compound such as Megs Ultimate Compound from Wal Mart. I dont think either of your Pro polishes will touch those swirl marks. Your going to notice an unbelievable difference just from that because your going to be using a PC and not a rotary so the body shop`s swirls will be gone just from re-compounding. All you will have to deal with is the very slight marks your PC might make with the compound, and any of your polishes should take care of that easily. Make sure and use a good polishing pad with them. Then seal or wax and your good to go. Just make sure to clay first. Always clay first...

[ca.detailchick]

Im familiar with some of Pro products and agree the Duz all and trouble shooter probably wont have enough cut to get these out as these are more paint cleaners than polishes. If you have "clear cut " that may do it.

Meguiars 205 may work as well , or step up to the above mentioned megs ultimate compound.Good luck and sorry that shop did that to your car! :)

[BIOLINK]

I have taken a few cars to body shops in the past couple of years and specifically asked them if they were going to polish. I also asked them to restrict polishing to the spot of the repair. One recent fix I had was on 2006 Audi which I had previously polished with Menzerna SIP and PO85RD. My work looked great but their work came back with heavy orange peel and sanding marks. Instead of going back I decided to tackle it myself. I sanded the orange peel with 2000 and polished all of their work with a combination of a few Meg polishes I have. It didn`t feel right with me fixing their work, but taking it back seemed like a gamble after seeing what they are capable of.

You should be able to remove the trails they left with the PC. I hate it when they do that. It`s like they don`t look, or care.

Good Luck!

[Dtrick.22]

I`ve had my fair share of cars sent to me after the body shop did quite a job with the buffer...I really don`t understand, do they not see them? Do they not care? Do they think it is normal?

[Old Pirate]

The single stage Volvo is quite easy to maintain. Wash, clay, wash, apply wax and it`s done for the next 6 months.

I find all those single stage paints one has to be on top of to keep the oxidation off.



I would just get the Meg`s Ultimate Compound or get the Meg`s M105 and M205 (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/meguiars.html) from our the Autopia carcare store (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/)here with some of the Lake Country Hydro Tech pads (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/dual-action-orbital-polishers.html) and work on one panel at a time. These will do the job for you, if your going to wet sand then maybe getting a rotary ( from someone or buy one used ) with some wool pads will help also after any wet sanding, but you might get them off with a DA like your 7424 PC with these products.
Taking it back there might just do more damaged then good IMO.

[Todd@RUPES]

I`ve had my fair share of cars sent to me after the body shop did quite a job with the buffer...I really don`t understand, do they not see them? Do they not care? Do they think it is normal?

I think its like the result of a couple of different scenarios, but it usually boils down to one point: speed.

Most body shops have to turn significant volume in order to make profit, likely because insurance companies keep reducing the amount they are willing to pay for repairs. Unless the body shop is in a premium market, they have to be willing to play by other rules (think of insurance companies telling doctors which procedures are allowed...).

So a product rep comes into the body shop and shows them the newest, fastest way to buff a car. As long as the finish looks okay (usually in UV light) quickly (and the product saves time) then its a done deal. Things like swirl return or a `not perfect` finish are usually the last thoughts. Also many `painter`s helpers` (usually the guys buffing the paint) have no idea about filling product, are paid little money, and told they need to move X amount of cars a day.

[jjpcali4life]

Todd hit the nail on the head. Body shops are pressured by insurance companies to get cars done at a certain cost and speed. If the body shop takes too long the insurance company may threaten to not pay for part of a rental car and force the shop to instead, or down grade a body shop if its a DRP ( Direct Repair Provider). Also, the person doing the cutting and buffing is given the least amount of time, so they may not have the luxery of doing extra washes, alcohol wipe downs, and pulling the car in the sun to inspect for holograms. At a lot of shops the person doing the cutting and buffing is just a carwash guy with a rotary thrown at him, or even a old school painter who hasnt learned anything about compounds and polishes since the 70`s.

[Iomcamaro]

Dang I hear so many bad stories about body shop hacks. I guess I`m just lucky that my dealer is a higher end dealer. They actually do a decent job and use a porter cable to polish the cars.

[ca.detailchick]

Not all bodyshops are hacks .

Ive worked in several bodyshops( years ago) and we never put out jobs that looked like that nor down the road looked like that after washings .

I always checked my paint work in the sun to make sure everything was right.

Its true you are rushed and expected to keep up a fast face just like most places of employment.

I used to come back and catch up on my work after the shop closed and work into the wee hours of the morning when verything was calm and peaceful.

Maybe my area is different but we have several decent auto body shops here . If your getting work that has alot of orange peel or buffing swirls that is inferior and unacceptable work.

The worst thing in my area are these mobile guys who are cropping up everywhere are doing horrible paint work and overspraying the entire cars , doing blends when they should paint the whole bumper or panel . Fish eyes, runs , dirt in the paint ect ect......

Terrible paint work is also coming out of the dealerships, no surprize there!

[Rocket]

Wow that is a pretty bad job by the shop. I agree with Todd fast and quick is what a lot of shops go for. I took my car in to the shop to get my hood fixed from a roofer dropping something on it while working on our house. They did a great job and while I was talking to one of the owners we spoke about insurance companies wanting to pay the bare minimum.

[bolplyr1]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I`ll be purchasing some of the MEGS 105 & 205 along with a few more pads to get this corrected. Looking deeper into the paint job I can now see all of their sanding marks. Horrible.

[bolplyr1]

Back from the dead this post is as a little update is needed. Have been quite busy lately and I finally got around to putting down some elbow grease ( wool pad, rotary and a light clearcoat cutter ). followed this up with the DA and paste wax.

This is what I started with on the deck lid.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_9002.jpg

After wool pad/rotary followed by the PCDA


http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_9006.jpg

Here is some more nasty stuff from the deck lid.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_9003.jpg

After rotary/PCDA
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_9005.jpg

Hood is proving to be troublesome with the same combo so I may need to go much more aggressive. During shot provided. The after were not quite as good as the decklid.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_9011.jpg

The roof. This is the last part of the nightmare. This will be tackled this coming weekend. This is basically what the hood looked like when I started.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e175/bolplyr1/Altima%20paint%20May%202010/IMG_9016.jpg


My hands were full this weekend.

[Todd@RUPES]

Holy thread bump and welcome back! That looks SOOOOO much better, thank you for sharing! :bigups:yourrock

[Nizmo]

Hmm, that oxidation look on the deck lid must be something with Nissan`s. Well, actually looks more like a mass collection of waterspots. The hood on my Nissan Frontier is developing a spot just like that. Guess I gotta get used to this soft paint.