View Full Version : Just shows that even pro`s cant do it all!
Detailing NY
08-26-2002, 03:21 PM
Well i hate to say this but it looks like i finally met my match with a car. I was detailing a Lexus IS300. It is black to make things even worse.
The owner said that it is all scratched up. I looked around the car and found what seemed to be water spots and a few hundred minor scuff marks, from a automated car wash:eek:
I washed, clayed, compouned and the scratches were all gone but these little water spots were all over the hood, roof & trunk.
I clayed again using clay magic red bar and they still would not come out. I used 3m perfect III compound and a rotary and they still would not come out.
The customer was watching me the entire time and could not understand why i could not get this spots out of the paint. My next step was to wet sand this hood, but i really did not want to and the owner did not have time to wait for me to do this.
When the owners friend came to see the car, he told his the owner of the car out loud "oh, look he cant get the spots out either" It seems that they took this to another local detailer as well and they could not get the spots out.
But i was told i did a better job and the car looked alot deeper!
Does anyone have any idea what the hell these spots could be? I have never seen this before and i have been detailing for around 11 years. My guess is that these marks are in the clear coat and will not come out unless i wetsand, and who knows if that will work.
I told him to go back to the dealer and have them check it out. and of course the dealer will say a detailer did this, but he cant say i did it as i had him sign a vehicle check in report showing all the water spots and scuff marks on the veh to cover my @$$.
:nixweiss
Detailing NY
08-26-2002, 03:29 PM
i forgot to mention i also did the abc wash and used vingear like Jman said in a prior post.
nothing worked.
imported_RIC
08-26-2002, 04:34 PM
The problem is you don`t know what caused these spots and it appears that the owner is unaware of what caused them. They might not be ordinary water spots or they may have etched so badly nothing could un-do the damage.
They could be some residue from a harsh chemical that inadvertently got on the paint.
Sounds like wet sanding is the next option or a new paint job.
What year Lexus is it??
JAGOWNER1981
08-26-2002, 05:34 PM
Originally posted by RIC
The problem is you don`t know what caused these spots and it appears that the owner is unaware of what caused them. They might not be ordinary water spots or they may have etched so badly nothing could un-do the damage.
They could be some residue from a harsh chemical that inadvertently got on the paint.
Sounds like wet sanding is the next option or a new paint job.
What year Lexus is it??
Well the IS300s first came to the US in the summer of 2000 as a 2001 model. So they haven`t been out all that long.
HellrotCi
08-26-2002, 07:32 PM
My wife`s `97 Catera has the same water spot problem. I`ve tried quite a few products on them for the last 2 years and have given up. I bought a 10x photographer`s loupe to get a closer look. The edges of some of the worse spots have actually pitted the clear coat. You have to be at the right angle and the lighting has to be just right to see them. I went by an automotive paint supply shop to see if they had any suggestions for a fix and wet sanding was their only solution.:nono
Turns out middle TN has an acid rain problem from the Nissan plant which is only 10 miles away. I never gave acid rain much thought since this plant is only about 20 years old. I figured newer manufacturing facilities would have had a ton of environmental controls placed on it to keep the air clean. I guess jobs won out over the environment.
BradE
08-26-2002, 08:24 PM
NYD,
It sounds like the problem is too deep for correction. Acids from Bird Bombs or etching from water spots get very bad when exposed to oxygen and water. Since this car is black it likely got very hot forcing the problem very deep into the film build. I have seen this type of thing before, a bird bomb etched so deep that you would literally have to removed the entire film buid of clear to remove it, they can get that deep. When they are that far into the film build there really is not much you can do with it.
Tell the customer the problem is deeper than .3 mil into the film. Thus the only option, without causing premature clear failure, is refinishing.
Scottwax
08-27-2002, 12:56 AM
I`d have to agree with Showroom. With everything you have done, it sounds like the water spots have etched the paint too deeply to be removed. It could be he works at a plant that has some fallout issues or he has been parking it next to his lawn sprinklers since it was new (and it could be up to 2 years old), and the hard water combined with drying in the direct sun on a black car has simply ruined his paint beyond the normal detailing fixes.
Are you sure the problem is in the clear coat and not in the base coat? I detailed a black Cadillac DTS a few years ago and the base coat was deteriorating under the clear coat-almost looked like bleach spots. Obviously, there was no way for me to remove them and she ended up getting the dealer to repaint the car since it was only 6 months old.
imported_donavin629
08-27-2002, 05:17 AM
I have these same marks, but only on my hood. I`ve clayed, used 3M Fine Cut twice, 3M SMR many times, AOI, vinegar, etc and I haven`t been able to get them out. They`re only noticable from certain angles and correct lighting though, so I`m ok.
TurboCat
08-27-2002, 05:24 AM
Originally posted by HellrotCi
Turns out middle TN has an acid rain problem from the Nissan plant which is only 10 miles away.
You must live in Murfreesboro (or as we called it in college, Murfreesboreme)! I lived in M`boro / Nashville for around 8 years.
Do you ever go to Buster`s on Broad Street? They have the best hamburgers in the ENTIRE WORLD. God I miss that place!
:up
shirtman
08-27-2002, 06:16 AM
I too have had similar problems with a 2001 Civic that has had the clear coat etched. It has to be some sort of chemical that got airborne and was rained onto the car. I have never seen anything like it, but it is sure that I will see it for some time..... I have tried everything short of wet sanding to get those darn things out! :mad:
Jeff
BumpersPlus2
08-27-2002, 02:59 PM
Hey NY, I wouldnt wet sand that new of a lexxus, unless I had no other option. Has the person contacted the dealer? Other lexxus owners? Maybe their is a recall?(doubtful). Sometimes, people think we can fix any problem with a high speed and a water hose, especially if someone they know or trust, says Oh , That will buff out! Jason
clint
08-27-2002, 04:31 PM
how much would just a new clear coat be i wonder..
-I can`t forget- 9/11 is my birthday..:rolleyes:
mercedesfanatic
08-27-2002, 07:02 PM
Ok, I`ve read all of your posts since I`ve been a member of this board, and if you can`t fix it, IT CAN`T BE FIXED!
tkr128
08-27-2002, 07:34 PM
My sister had this problem with her used 92 Civic. Someone hit the car and totaled it! No problems with waterspots now! :D
safetyman2010
08-27-2002, 08:44 PM
Has none of the "professional" detailers on this forum actually never encountered acid rain etching before? I mean really, anyone with an ounce of training should be able to diagnose this problem. Alas, most cases are far too deep into the film build as earlier stated by Showroom and thus not fixable. Check out this link to see a good example of acid rain damage. http://www.autoint.com/black%20panel.htm