Buffing with the Grain!?!!?!?! Dealership troubles

**Dcox9** · 09-12-2013, 12:56 PM

While I was using a rotary buffer at a dealership, one of the detailer`s came up to me telling me to stop buffing with the grain! I looked at him like he had ten heads, then asked him to explain this. He said " I was buffing against the grain, the way the car is painted is the way your supposed to buff the car, and that causes swirls." Baffled and taken back by this, I proceeded to show him a cross-hitch pattern making sure you don`t miss anything. Then proceed to take my swirl finder light and reveal a swirl free finish. After he inspected it thoroughly and couldn`t find a swirl! And he still said that I was buffing wrong.

So In the end of the day he was just a guy with a buffer!

Has anyone ever heard of such crap? Or I`m a crazy?

**Todd@RUPES** · 09-12-2013, 01:26 PM

I have heard some of the worst advice ever from body shops and "professional" detailers. I am a very analytical person who wants and tries to understand the why`s of everything. I am not sure how a conceptual person could ever think what you were told or some of the stuff I have heard.

**colinpd137** · 09-12-2013, 01:34 PM

Lol, was the cars body made out of wood? One of the most made up ignorant things iv`e heard in awhile.

**mrclean81** · 09-12-2013, 01:51 PM

I`ve never heard that particular one, but I`ve heard a lot of crap like it over the years. Any time you do work at a dealership or body shop, your gonna get those guys who think they know it all and try to school you. On occasion you might learn something from an old school body man, but not from many dealer clowns. Ive worked in dealerships off and on for 8 years and have seen the ignorance first hand.

**Todd@RUPES** · 09-13-2013, 12:20 PM

The gentleman from New York who used to import Nanoskin (years ago) once told me that you CANNOT use a DA to sand & that swirl marks were caused by dust from driving, not washing or buffing.

**colinpd137** · 09-13-2013, 02:07 PM

"Wood grain grippin"

**Ronkh** · 09-13-2013, 02:34 PM

mebbe, just mebbe if I saw a "grain" in paint I would buff with it........... but alas as I age my eyes are not as good as they used to be

the guy who told you that sell acrylic conditioner by chance?

**Smack** · 09-13-2013, 08:10 PM

Never heard of that before. Thanks for sharing a laugh.

**0inDetail0** · 09-14-2013, 05:34 AM

A lot of dealership`s have bad detailing departments. I`m not saying they are all bad or do not have skilled detailer`s they are about volume.
I have one dealership by me that deals in high end cars only. I have met the owner several times. I used to do printing for him years ago. We run into each other time to time. I swing down there when I see they have a new car I would like to go see. He let`s me walk around and sniff the new cars out. Something nice to do on a Saturday afternoon. He always says hello and his sales people know I`m just there to drool so they leave me alone. I always see varied quality of work coming off his lot. If I`m buying a Ferrari or Aston Martin from you that thing better be spotless. I have seen cars costing 100k and over swirls and all in the paint after a "detail" at his place.