3 miles on the odometer and the paint is contaminated

[Nick McKees37]

My wife and I recently purchased a 2015 Subaru Outback. They didn't have a model on the lot configured the way we wanted it, so we had to order one. Fast forward 3 months and the dealership called us on a Friday to let us know the vehicle came, so we picked it up Sunday afternoon with 3 miles on the odometer. Fortunately the dealership listened to my request and did NOT wash it.

When we got the car home I gave it a quick detail. I was shocked at the amount of iron on the paint.

Just in case you're not up-to-speed on iron contaminants, here's a quick lesson:

Iron X by CarPro is an acid-free, pH-balanced iron remover that decontaminates auto paint and wheels. Iron X prevents the spread of iron-related damage to protect your vehicle from paint system failure. Your vehicle constantly faces unseen threats. Remove them with Iron X!

Airborne chemical compounds and ferrous (iron-containing) particles penetrate auto paint and create corrosive compounds that eat into the paint's sublayers. Detailing clay removes the particles but it doesn't remove their effects - corrosion may already be creeping under the paint's surface.

The only way to truly remove ferrous particles is with a dedicated iron remover like Iron X. Iron X opens up the paint's pores to release iron particles and to neutralize the caustic compounds that have developed as a result of the particle. In one step, you can eliminate the cause and its effects. Put an immediate stop to paint damage before it's too late.

Iron X is easy to use and you can see it working! Iron X is a clear solution in the bottle but it turns purple when it comes into contact with sintered iron particles.

Check it out

If I had to guess the iron contaminants were picked up during transport because of the cut line on the fender where the factory applied a protective wrap:

(brightness enhanced to show cut line)

Even if your car is new, you need to use Iron X! :dblthumb2:

Cquartz by CarPro Innovative Nano Coats

 

[Kamakaz1961]

Wow! Nice ride BTW

 

[Marc08EX]

Great photos showing how great IronX is.

Congratulations on the new ride Nick! Did you guys trade the Accord for the Outback?

 

[medicscott]

I learn something new everyday on this site. Thanks for sharing. You know what would be really interesting is on the same side of the vehicle hit half with clay first then the other half and the clayed half with IronX to see the effect the clay has (if any) on removing the iron contamination.

 

[Zubair]

Quick question, if a new undriven car has iron build up what is the point of deironing as it will no doubt have iron build up again in the next 100 miles or less or within a few days?

Also say you sprayed the iron remover and washed it off, if u spray again the areas that you just decontaminated will it turn colour again?
It just seems futile and unavoidable if a practically unused car has iron build up daily drivers will always be exposed and need a deiron every wash.

 

[Jrocket]

Congrats on the new car.


Love Iron X.. use it on my vehicle once a month.. Mostly Wheels.. but the paint usually gets it 2 - 3 time per year.

 

[SATracker]

I've detailed quite a few new cars straight from the lot with virtually no miles on them. How badly the iron returns depends on too many variables. I did my annual detail on a 2006 Accord, 84,000 miles and there was no iron denomination. Around the same time I did a 2014 Corolla, can't remember the mileage, and it had very minor iron decontamination.
I like Iron-X, great product.

 

[SamRothstein]

Sweet ride, we just picked up a '15 Outback at the end of March and love it! Here's me hoping you post some Outback specific tips

 

[J Cole]

Quick question, if a new undriven car has iron build up what is the point of deironing as it will no doubt have iron build up again in the next 100 miles or less or within a few days?

Also say you sprayed the iron remover and washed it off, if u spray again the areas that you just decontaminated will it turn colour again?
It just seems futile and unavoidable if a practically unused car has iron build up daily drivers will always be exposed and need a deiron every wash.

Well it would depend on how far the car was driven from the factory to the dealership. If it was something like 1,000 miles (no idea if this is realistic) then that would be equivalent to three weeks of driving.

BUT you also have to take into account that the car has absolutely no protection on it as far as LSP's go. So when you wash the car every couple weeks that already has an LSP on it less iron will accumulate on the paint since you're washing it off.

There's definitely a large advantage to at least checking your vehicle for iron contamination every time you wash. I've cleaned vehicles 11 months old where the damage from iron contamination was very visible and starting to turn a rust color.

The entire hatch of this Tahoe looked like this. Some spots not as bad and some were worse.

I'm not sure how long you have to let it go on for it to make it's way through the clear coat and to bare metal - but I don't want to find out either. rops:

 

[RDKC]

I can't speak to the normalcy of new car paint contamination but I can speak a little to travel and storage before they are sold.

Yours, being ordered, probably didn't sit for too long but cars sit on lots for months waiting on transport. After that, they travel thousands of miles to dealers at times. For example, if you buy a Claycomo, MO made F-150 new from the dealer, it could have taken that journey on the back of an open trailer for that nearly 2000 miles. They also transport via train throughout the US.

I'm babbling and I know next to nothing about paint contamination.

My point is that they aren't under ideal circumstances before they're sold as new and it doesn't surprise me much.

 

[jsgntulok]

Nick, you are going to really like your new Outback. My husband and I have 2 2015 2.5i Limited Outbacks. One is Ice Silver, the other Carbide Gray. Detailed the Carbide Gray today and applied Blackfire Crystal Coating. By the way, did you get Eyesight?

 

[oldmodman]

It's the delivery by railroad that really gives the paint a nice layer of embedded iron particles.
They come right off the steel wheels grinding across the steel rails.

I special ordered a 2003 Cobra in Yellow and when it arrived (with not being touched by the dealer at all) it was covered in little tiny red specs.
Since 2003 was before iron-X came on the market I had to use clay to remove them all. it took two days of pretty hard work to get them all off the paint. And naturally i had to polishn the brand new paint to remove the clay caused marring.

Now I use Iron-X on every car FIRST. And new or old, they all look like they are bleeding to death from the Iron-X removing so much in the way if iron contaminants.

 

[RDKC]

It's the delivery by railroad that really gives the paint a nice layer of embedded iron particles.
They come right off the steel wheels grinding across the steel rails.

I special ordered a 2003 Cobra in Yellow and when it arrived (with not being touched by the dealer at all) it was covered in little tiny red specs.
Since 2003 was before iron-X came on the market I had to use clay to remove them all. it took two days of pretty hard work to get them all off the paint. And naturally i had to polishn the brand new paint to remove the clay caused marring.

Now I use Iron-X on every car FIRST. And new or old, they all look like they are bleeding to death from the Iron-X removing so much in the way if iron contaminants.

I figured it'd be the trains. You'd get more carbon if anything over the road. I don't know much about trains though, I work truck freight, not rails.

Every time I've seen them they seem to have less covers when loaded on the trains too and it's a mostly open box. (I see them quite a bit when the trains block the road to work. I work next to the GM plant here.)

 

[rjd598]

Still amazes me the condition cars come from the factory

 

[TMQ]

Nick...
Congrats on the outback. I just picked mine up past
feb. Love it...
Question...what are your plans to protect the the black cladding on the lower sides, lower front and rear bumpers and the black top rails? Mine looks great and new looking. Concerns I have is later down the road when things start looking bit "aged"...
Tom

 

[Nick McKees37]

Wow! Nice ride BTW

Great photos showing how great IronX is.

Congratulations on the new ride Nick! Did you guys trade the Accord for the Outback?

Thanks guys. Yes Marc, we traded in the Accord. Gotta love Honda's resale value.

I learn something new everyday on this site. Thanks for sharing. You know what would be really interesting is on the same side of the vehicle hit half with clay first then the other half and the clayed half with IronX to see the effect the clay has (if any) on removing the iron contamination.

The clay would remove the iron particles that are topical (above the surface). Iron X excels at removing embedded iron particles. So technically the side of the vehicle that was clayed first would exhibit less "bleeding."

Quick question, if a new undriven car has iron build up what is the point of deironing as it will no doubt have iron build up again in the next 100 miles or less or within a few days?

Also say you sprayed the iron remover and washed it off, if u spray again the areas that you just decontaminated will it turn colour again?
It just seems futile and unavoidable if a practically unused car has iron build up daily drivers will always be exposed and need a deiron every wash.

Oldmodman hit the nail on the head:

It's the delivery by railroad that really gives the paint a nice layer of embedded iron particles.
They come right off the steel wheels grinding across the steel rails.

I usually decontaminate the paint (Iron X, clay bar/nanoskin mitt) twice a year. Unless we park the Outback next to a rail road track for a week, I don't think it will ever be this contaminated again.

Congrats on the new car.

Love Iron X.. use it on my vehicle once a month.. Mostly Wheels.. but the paint usually gets it 2 - 3 time per year.

I too use it on the wheels once every 2-3 months for a deep cleaning.

Sweet ride, we just picked up a '15 Outback at the end of March and love it! Here's me hoping you post some Outback specific tips

So far we're very fond of it, and trust me when I say that we drove EVERY SUV and CUV in the $20,000 - $30,000 price range and the Outback is by far the nicest.

You can most certainly plan on seeing more new car tips and tricks featuring the Outback. :dblthumb2:

Nick, you are going to really like your new Outback. My husband and I have 2 2015 2.5i Limited Outbacks. One is Ice Silver, the other Carbide Gray. Detailed the Carbide Gray today and applied Blackfire Crystal Coating. By the way, did you get Eyesight?

ostpics:

We passed on the Eyesight, but looking back I wish we would have gotten it.

Nick...
Congrats on the outback. I just picked mine up past
feb. Love it...
Question...what are your plans to protect the the black cladding on the lower sides, lower front and rear bumpers and the black top rails? Mine looks great and new looking. Concerns I have is later down the road when things start looking bit "aged"...
Tom

Great question, as the Outback is covered in acres of plastic trim. I'm going to do some testing this weekend to figure out which trim protectant works best. I'll be sure to take a couple photos and post an article.

 

[jsgntulok]

Here are a few photos of my Memorial Day weekend project - 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited, Carbide Gray. Not a photographer at all and do detailing as a hobby. This was my first time to use a coating. Overall, I am happy with the end result but there is still some learning to do. The hood and roof turned out great. On this sides there are some streaks which no one but me will notice. My guess is I didn't level the coating enough after application.

Meguiar's D111
Metro Sidekick
Meguiar's Medium Clay
ONR Diluted to clay lube
Flex 3401/ 5.5" Optimum Microfiber compounding pads
PC 7424/3" Lake Country Tangerine pads
Meguiars D300
Blackfire Crystal Paint Prep
Lake Country Applicator w/CarPro suede microfiber squares
Blackfire Crystal Coat
Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant
Mirror Glaze #40 for tire dressing

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[BitterGreg]

Any idea when the original and TRIX will be back in stock?