Sadly, we call this a "Horror Story", as in just another "Horror Story" as a result of taking your car to a body shop, dealership or some detail shops.
Sorry to hear of your bad experience.
And the sad part is you can't take it back to them. If they couldn't do it right the first time they won't be able to do it a second time and the more they buff on it the more damage they inflict.
At this years Mobil Tech Expo I wet-sanded the factory paint on this Impala Rental Car at least 3 times, (the entire hood), and then compounded and polished it. Never seen any black coming off on any of the pads.
Pictures from Mobile Tech Expo 2010
I'm positive we can help you find a "real" Pro to help you out... or if you want to fix it yourself we can help you with this also.
Thank you for the support. Up to this point I have felt like I am the fool when it comes to having problems with the swirls.
Even the repaired areas that were freshly painted were covered in swirls. They claimed they even wet sanded/polished. Terrible!
I can totally sympathize with you on this. I pretty much got my Camaro back to the way I want it and now I'm so afraid of when the time comes to take it to the dealer for service. I can tell you this........I have no detailing experience whatsoever, and after screwing up my paint by inflicting swirls and RIDS I was able to fix them on my own. Everything I was able to do I did with the input and help from the AG staff and from fellow forum members. You're in the right place.
Nice to know there are others who can relate and know what I'm referring to. The truck went in for repairs on Dec 9th and I am now working with a second body shop to correct the non-quality repairs. Going on two months soon.... I have purchased several hundreds of dollars worth of basic cleaning products from AG and other places to limit this sort of thing. Now all the effort has gone to waste. They might as well used a floor broom and water only to clean the entire truck!
I would take it back to them, show the manager, then show him any pics you may have of it, swirl free....He will then say, well leave it with me we can fix it, you say no way, your paying for me to have a professional fix this. I will send you the bill.
I have learned (I work in the auto repair industry) that it is always best to have pictures of your vehicles before you drop it off at any shop. Cant argue with that.....
When I was presented the truck it was at night. I had to talk the manager to bring the truck inside under the lights for viewing. Due to the temp. change when the truck came inside it was covered with condensation. Making viewing conditions terrible and almost a waste of time. Besides noticing obvious body gaps and part quality issues, I was able to pickup on the swirls, fish eyes in the new paint and dirt specs under the new paint.
The managers response was wait a month to wax it and that will all go away. I told him I wish that were true but I know after detailing vehicles it simply is not and would require buffing and polishing for the swirls and wet sanding for the paint flaws. He then told me I don't paint cars so therefor I do not know.
To say the least he was un-willing to handle the concerns I had, so I took the truck and decided to take it up with the insurance company.
To make a long story short I then ended up dealing with the owner, who was not any more impressive than the manager. He told me the manager was fed up with me because I was high maintenance and fussy. (Who tells their customers that?) He said bring it back and we will see what we can do.. Fix the body gaps and wet sand the paint.. I let the comments roll off my back and cut my losses and agreed.
Picked the truck up for the second time and the body gaps did improve. The paint flaws also improved but the swirls were the same.
At this point I wouldn't take my truck back there if they offered to do work for free.
As others have suggested, I would also take it back to the dealer. If nothing is done, go to the manager. Take a lot of pictures (documentation). You should also have it looked at by other shops, even another dealership. Get statements, etc. If the dealer cannot help you to your satisfaction (not theirs) and it is still under warranty you also have the option of taking it to binding arbitration or small claims court. The steps are covered in your owners manual. There are also video's out on the web regarding using binding arbitration, etc. I have a bad taste based on past experience with dealership.
If they screw it up they should be willing to repaint it. Just my two cents.
:dblthumb2:
Thank you for your response. I am now attempting to work with what I believe is a quality body shop. They are a Cadillac and Hummer dealer who will take in any newer other brand vehicle for body work. I figure if they primarily work on high end cars they should be able to handle my truck. Time will only tell...
Wish we could drive up to Rochester, NY and fix it for you.
If you're ever feeling squirrely enough and want to spend a day or two down here, I"m sure John (VR8) and I could fix it for you at a reasonable cost since you're an AG member. Good luck getting it right though. I'm sure there are folks up there who can help you out.
Well at this point I cannot locate any professional detailer in my area. The closest has been in Long Island NY. If anyone knows someone/place nearby please let me know. VA might be a little far, but if I were going around the area for vacation or something it would be a possibility.
At this point I would want someone to remove all of the swirls. Which are now over the entire truck and a fresh wax while they were at it. How much should I expect to pay?
(I had another truck that I took to a body shop that I used to use and the guy burnt my paint in a couple areas--)
