Shop repaired car, messed it up...

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bcwyatt26

New member
So my car has swirl marks and a friend who details says they burned the clear on a couple edges on the hood. The shop told me they just need to wax it, but the paint will be damaged if they wax it too soon, have to wait 3 months. The guy is totally BSing, gotta figure out how to deal with him. Also want good info on how it should be repaired.



Swirl marks are from a buffer messing it up, right? Can't get out by waxing? And how do you burn through the clear, and how can you fix it?
 
If they burned through the clear, it needs to be refinished. There is no repairing it.



"Waxing" does not remove swirls or scratches. Sounds like you got hacked by some hacks at that body shop.
 
Yeah, that's what I figure. It's a big shop, used them before and they have good reviews, I don't know if they got a guy on my car who is learning or they think I won't notice or what. I'm mostly trying to make sure I deal with the guy the right way to get it fixed. I want to know what to say when he tells me they'll wax it and the swirl marks will be gone.
 
I'd go back, act very friendly, not confrontational at all. Ask them about it again, just say you are concerned about it. Take a few pics in front of their shop with it. Then ask what they plan to do about it. If they offer to repair it, cool. If they still want to wax it, just ask them to write a written invoice for 3 months out stating the areas of concern and their plan to repair. Once you have that invoice/letter, LET THE HOUNDS LOOSE!
 
The guy who buffed the car was inexperienced. You should not have swirls from buffing. (And why was he buffing a freshly painted panel? Was the paint quality poor?) Swirls are caused by one or a combination of operator technique error, too aggressive of compound, too harsh of pad or dirty pads/towels.



The burning happened because the operator over-buffed an area where the paint was thin. (Or too thin from the application.) This is probably mostly his fault, but some blame could be placed on the painter as well.



Do some research, get the terminology down and approach them with a well thought out list of concerns backed with proper knowledge. You paid for a quality job, I assume, and the results are less than so. So the ball is on their court to fix it.



As mentioned, go back there with a business (not emotional) attitude and sort it out. Most of us have been in this position before and we know the frustration. Good luck. Keep us informed.
 
What area are you in? Was this an insurance claim? Why was this shop selected?



Bottom line (fact) - the shop did a faulty job on your car and they are making excuses in hopes that you will not pursue it further after waiting. There is no reason why the finish delivered to you can't be in pristine condition. Go back there and DEMAND they fix this or give you 100% of your money back.
 
Thanks for comments. Insurance job after accident damage, referred by dealership and ins. Co, and once before they did minor work that I was happy with. But yes, I think they rushed the job and hope I won't notice or demand they fix the crap. The guy was really friendly and we kinda shot the shlt, so now he is trying to stay all friendly and disarming. I need to just approach it right and get it done. Again, thanks for the info.
 
FYI: If your insurance company refers you to a shop, they are on the hook for making sure the vehicle is returned to 100% Pre-Loss Condition. They stand behind it.
 
Well it looks like it is going to be done today and they corrected all the problems. The guy said they couldn't do anything about the used/scratched/swirled headlights, but I said well I don't know what you are going to do, but they don't look like they did before the wreck. He asked my ins.co. and they authorized getting brand new ones. Same thing for a couple other small parts, so it looks good and yes, ins.co. seemed to do right.





They fixed the swirl marks and the hood looks like the marks are gone. He said it wasn't burns, and they didn't repaint it, so maybe it was something else, I don't know. There was a chip in the wheel too, and that is fixed. So it all looks good, not sure why they didn't do it right the first time, but they fixed it so I guess they kinda did their job.
 
Make sure you wash it with Dawn to verify they didn't just fill the swirls. Anyway, glad you got it sorted out.
 
Cool cool, I like this advice. If I wash with Dawn it will strip the wax, yes? So I will have to put it on again after?



And the guy at the shop showed me the products they were using on my car, said they always use 3M. I've heard that is good... is it?
 
3M makes some good products, but most are filler rich. Yes, you should re-wax with something after a dawn wash.
 
That's correct. Dawn will wash away wax and reveal the bare paint surface. If there is a wax with fillers, used to disguise swirls, it will wash away. Yes, you will have to re-wax. No big deal.
 
There were marks in the hood, like lots of fine scrathes in a strip down the edge of the hood, my detailer friend said it was burns in the clear where the paint is thin. They said that wasn't it and they are gone. Not sure what they did but the marks are not there anymore. I will wash with dish soap and see what turns up... if the swirls come back they are going to be mad at me I'm sure when I show up for a third time... hahahaha
 
bcwyatt26 said:
There were marks in the hood, like lots of fine scrathes in a strip down the edge of the hood, my detailer friend said it was burns in the clear where the paint is thin. They said that wasn't it and they are gone. Not sure what they did but the marks are not there anymore. I will wash with dish soap and see what turns up... if the swirls come back they are going to be mad at me I'm sure when I show up for a third time... hahahaha
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I understand about the swirls. what im asking is did they repaint the hood to begin with, not after the second time you took the car back.
 
Oh got it. No, there was no damage to the paint on the hood... well not on the outside - the hinges/clasp got bent and they painted the inside... maybe they blended it when they painted other parts? I don't know.



So if 3M has lots of filler then maybe I am going to reveal some swirl marks with Dawn, huh?
 
bcwyatt26;1510399]Oh got it. No, there was no damage to the paint on the hood... well not on the outside - the hinges/clasp got bent and they painted the inside... maybe they blended it when they painted other parts? I don't know.
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I was wondering because you don't want to wax a freshly painted car/panel until the clear has fully cured.



So if 3M has lots of filler then maybe I am going to reveal some swirl marks with Dawn, huh?
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Depends on what exactly they used and there process, but yes if oils where not properly removed or they used something with "fillers" it will mask swirl marks.
 
How long is it recommended to wait for the clear to cure? The guy said I shouldn't wax it for 3 months or I'll ruin the finish.
 
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