Hologram Swirl installed by Dealer ... HELP

acunje

New member
XMT Meguiars G110 Intermediate Swirl Remover Kit with FREE BONUS!



I was wondering if this would be an ample kit for removing a dealer installed holo-swirl on my car. Is there a better one or different compounds that you all would suggest?



I would rate the holo at light.



What happened was they washed it for delivery... and i noticed it was scratched to hell...drop it off so they can fix it...picked up yesterday...and they used CILAJET on it with a buffer and a newb apparently to buff out scratches and introduced a lot of holo on the hood and rear right fender



let me know what my options are...i dotn know how comfortable i am with the stealership trying to fix it again : (



~Andrew
 
acunge- Welcome to Autopia!


 


For some reason I'm not seeing the specific kit you're referring to when I click on your link...but the Meguiar's polisher is OK (I'd prefer the Griot's myself though).


 


Generally, polishers like that work better with 5.5" pads than with larger (i.e., 6") ones.


 


Sometimes holograms are surprisingly difficult to correct, even though they're generally pretty shallow.


 


Heh heh, note all those qualifiers ("generally" and "sometimes"), it's hard to predict specifics.


 


But IMO you're being smart by not letting the dealership touch it any more.  Don't let them wash it again either, like when it's in for service.


 


If the "XMT" part of the kit you mentioned is Pinnacle, I haven't used it and I forget who makes it for them.  I'm currently a big fan of HD brand polishes due to their incredibly user-friendly nature.  Buying the wrong stuff can lead to significant frustration, so I'd sure want to get some feedback from others before spending the money on the XMT stuff.  But as for the polisher itself, yeah...the Meguiar's or the Griot's.  Oh, and avoid dimpled pads, get flat ones. 
 
Meguiars M100 and their MF cutting pads generally make short work of buffer trails and will still leave a pretty good finish, one usually easily handled by something like HD Polish or Optimum Hyper Polish with a foam polishing pad. 


 


General rule of thumb: dealers suck at anything detailing related. 
 
Acunje


You are not the first , nor will you be the last to have dealer-installed swirls/holograms/paint damage.


 


There are recent post about this very subject and if you scroll down through them you'll see there are a number of things  you can (or should) do:


 


1) DO NOT attempt to fix the problem your self. It's not your fault for it and any attempt by you to do so will remove the dealer's liability


2) Get an estimate from an Autopian -approved professional detailer to fix/rectify the problem.


3) Consult the dealership manager and show them your problem. Take a friend or significant other so you have a witness to what was said. Explain why and what went wrong. Show them your estimate from the professional detailer. Do so in a calm, courteous, professional manner. Any outburst (although rightly justified) will get you nowhere!


4) Ask them to pay fully for the professional detailer's costs. If this is balked at, you may need to "negotiate" a cost-sharing arrangement, which is more likely to happen.


5) If this fails, report them to local Better Business Bureau in your area. (Did you check with them BEFORE you bought a car to see if there were any similar claims against it?)


6) IF the dealer is reluctant to cost-share and wants to do this in-house at its dealership (which is most likely) kindly refuse and start at Step 3 again. Be persistent and persuasive.


7) NEVER walk out and say " You can talk to my lawyer, then" Legal cost  and waiting for court dates will far out-weigh getting it done by a professional detailer in the first place.


8) IF you do want to incure the cost of retaining a state bar-licensed lawyer, bring that person to the dealership with you. Customers with lawyers in negotiations cause dealer managers to realize you are serious about resolving your problem.


9) If you go to court you are likely to lose you a part of your monetary claim (damages+ legal fees+ personal time lost). Courts and justices are more likely to side with tax-paying, people-employing businesses than with you. It's a sad fact of justice and you do not want to experience that harsh reality first-hand. Justice may be blind, but it does not bite the hand (too hard) that feeds the system (more money than you).
 
Lonnie said:
 


 


9) If you go to court you are likely to lose you a part of your monetary claim (damages+ legal fees+ personal time lost). Courts and justices are more likely to side with tax-paying, people-employing businesses than with you. It's a sad fact of justice and you do not want to experience that harsh reality first-hand. Justice may be blind, but it does not bite the hand (too hard) that feeds the system (more money than you).


Have to disagree with this one. My brother successfully sued a body shop that trashed his truck with shoddy work after a hail storm. 3 times in, 3 times out and it was worse each time. He ended up suing the body shop and when the judge handling the case got wind of the owner trying to sell his business with a pending lawsuit, he intervened and voided the sale. My brother ended up winning $10k. Lawyer fees were 40% but with the $6000 he was able to trade his truck in on a new one and still come out ahead. 
 
Scottwax:


Your brother either had a very well documented case against the business, a very good lawyer, or both. The amount of the settlement states this case was not a small-claims (usually under $500) issue.The fact that you are an excellent witness/expert in the field of vehicle appearance speaks volumes in itself. You did not say if you were called into testify and appear in court on your brother's behalf, or if you gave your brother any advice that was entered in as evidence to support your bother's claims.


Regardless, your brother's case is well taken, but I believe it to be the exception rather than the rule in business justice when customers take small businesses to court, no matter how right the customer may be.


 


As a general rule in ALL major court cases, anyone who acts as their own lawyer without representation by a state bar-licensed lawyer has very little chance of winning their case before a judge. Most judges were lawyers at one time and the legal fraternity is very close in "helping" each other out. The act of someone showing up in court without legal representation to avoid lawyer fees does not sit well with a court justice.


 


Both of these "observations" were from a business associate who went to court representing himself in a claim against an asphalt paving company that botched a driveway job at his home residence. In an off-the-record, casual meeting conversation with a DA (district attorney, not to be confused with dual-action) he was told by the DA that he was fortunate to get the half-settlement he was awarded for the reasons mentioned above. I, like most Autopians who will read this post, am shocked that this was considered "justice" within our legal system.


 


My REAL intent of this and previous posts is to have customers resolve their problems with small business through  "professional-approach" negotiations on their own with the business owner or manager. Unfortunately, most customers think that resorting to the legal system is the ONLY way to resolve their problems. It should be a last-resort method and the financial outcome is not guaranteed, regardless of how right a customer may be.
 
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