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Dealer paint issues (scratches, swirls, spiderwebs)

phxhess

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I have been having issues with the paint repair on my vehicle since we took delivery on August 17th. When I purchased the car I found the deal online and negotiated the deal before going to the dealer. I arrived to find the vehicle completely dirty but they said they would clean it so I did the test drive and moved forward. Upon delivery, it was 8pm and dark so the car looked perfect. The next day I saw the imperfections in the sun and called the salesperson. He assured me it would be taken care of.

Long story short, they have tried twice to fix the issues and have made it worse. Before taking the second time I had the customer service team and salesperson verify what they would do to the car. They said they would be doing a full polish. When I picked up the vehicle, it was covered in dust, and when I got home, all of the paint issues were still there.

I pursued BBB and Ford Motors directly, but I'm wondering if anyone else had any similar issues. Quote from detailers range from $400 to $800 but I've never worked with a detailer before. Any help or comments are welcomed.
Thanks!
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Coconut

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This is actually a very common issue. The vast majority of cars being sold are white, silver and grey so these "dealer installed" swirls aren't as noticeable. New cars from the factory have nearly flawless paint. They get filthy dirty during transportation and are covered by a thick layer dust and grime when they arrive at the dealership. The very first wash is what causes all the swirls, and subsequent washes just makes it worse. They probably only have one "detail" guy or worse yet an automated car wash since they have to wash dozens of cars a day. The guys are trained to wash the cars a fast as possible using the cheapest soaps and towels available. Drop a towel? No problem, just pick it up and reuse it. Spray down the car first to knockoff most of the dust? Who has time for that, just go to town on it.

It's good that your dealer is willing to work with you on this. When they said they'll do a "full polish", they are basically going to sub it out to a cheap local detailer to do it, to the tune of about $60-120. That "detailer" will do a very quick 1 step polish using a huge rotary and use a wax with a bunch of fillers to hide all the new halograms he just put on.

You need to take it to a good detailer. A full paint correction costs ~$350-600 which involves a thorough 2 step or 3 step if the swirls are deep.
 

GT Pony

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Dealership lot boys don't know how to wash cars without scratching them up. My black GT had tons of scratches in the paint from the dealer washing it. I just rubbed them all out myself, which was a total pain to do.

A good detail shop should be able to make that car look really good if they know what they're going.
 

webelevy

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+1 for the comments from Coconut. A good detailer will give you a mirror shine. To see what's possible, go to the autogeekonline.net forum. Tons of examples of paint restoration as well as detailed accounts of the processes used. Good knowledge to have when talking to the dealership or a detailer.
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