Car detailed, ppf applied, and 1000's of scratches

[Darvetis]

Took my brand new Mazda3 to the detailer to get micro scratches and swirls removed from the paint (courtesy the dealer prep bozos). It looked beautiful when the detailer was finished with it. Brought the car home, and early the next morning took it to another company to have a paint protection film installed.

Picked up the car later that day, and again, it looked so nice in their parking lot. Decided to show the car off to a few people at my company, a few miles away. Parked the car, this time pointed in an east west direction, in direct sunlight.

Exited the vehicle, and my jaw dropped. 1000's of scratches all over! I immediately took it back to the company who installed the clear bra. They said they hadn't washed the car, and denied touching area where many of the scratches appeared.

I went back to the detailer, and he said it looked like the car was wiped down with a microfiber towel. Of course, there is a chance the car wasn't buffed out enough before taking it to the ppf company, but who knows for sure what happened?

The majority of the time, the car looks great, I only see the scratches when the sun is hitting the paint at a certain angle.

Here are a few pics:

Went back to talk to owner of detailing shop, and discuss my options. What he said next threw me for a loop. Basically, he told me any time you wipe a freshly detailed car with a microfiber towel, it's going to put more scratches back into the paint. Even a brand new towel will do it.

Got the line about "being in the business 20 years" and "telling me the God honest truth."

I may not be an expert with auto detailing, but I have detailed my own cars with high quality microfiber, and never managed to put countless scratches in the paint after wiping it down.

What do you think?

 

[Heisenberg]

Some cars have soft paint and will certainly mar/scratch if you wipe them down with a dry towel or something.

However, this is not even close to being a universal rule and I have used plenty of microfiber that wouldn't cause damage like that just from wiping a car down. Unfortunately you're going to have two businesses pointing the finger at the other one on whose fault it really is.

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

I hate to say it, but if you want to keep your car looking new, you may have to do your own paint correction. There are many videos by Mike Phillips in the "How too Section"
Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides

My suggestion is to start off with a Porta Cable 7424xp, some Lake Country Pads and Pinnacle Swirl & Scratch Remover; Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish and your favorite LSP. Once you learn the techniques, it won't be a daunting task, and you wont have to take your car to a detailer everytime (wait! I just talked myself out of work... LOL).

You'll learn the art, enjoy the process and have the confidence that you can fix just about anything. That way, you can enjoy your Mazda and drive it!

 

[Ticktwo]

I think this is what makes it so hard to find a quality detailer.

Just because one has a polisher and can apply it to a car does not mean one is a detailer.

 

[Joe@NextLevelDetail]

Did you have to pay for that "detailer" to polish your paint.

Also how long did he have it for.

Bottom line is dealer buffing they do 2 steps in 1 hour its the most bull crap polish you can imagine.

A decent job takes 7-10 hours of polishing and I doubt that detailer took that time on your car.

So the answer to your question is that detailer never took them out in the first place.

You learned a lesson next time a flashlight inspection light will be of great use.

The sun is the ultimate judge of a paint job finish .

 

[PhillySwirl]

I have a Black Mica Mazda 3 as well. I have small swirls that I am nearly 100% sure came from snow brush over the winter. I'll be doing my own complete detail in the spring when I get my hands on a Griot's garage 6in Dual action polisher. I'll be curious to see if I experience similar micro marring after the complete detail is done after a while.

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

I think this is what makes it so hard to find a quality detailer.

Just because one has a polisher and can apply it to a car does not mean one is a detailer.

Lets not be so quick to point fingers. If the detailer went over the car with a finishing polish or AIO, there would be to many oils for the MF to cause that marring. I could see if the PPF installer was using inferior MF, soap & water solution along with IPA that could cause swirls when wiping off the over-spray.

1.) was the PPF installed at a Dealership or at the PPF shop?
2.) Did you watch them do the install?
3.) Were they careful? Did they use grade-a mf towels? were they in a rush?

They are in the business to get many cars done in one day. They are probably not OCD about getting the over-spray off. Their job is to get the PPF on and get on with the next car. During one install I stopped the installer from wiping over-spray off the car and told him I'd take care of it.

If done at the dealership, they mostly stick the PPF guys in a bay in the body shop. While a body guy is grinding and sanding on a car next to you, the PPF guys is spraying soapy water and wiping with MF. Then cleaning up all the over spray with the same MF towel.

Lastly, as pointed out some Japanese auto manufactures have soft clear. If not using the proper MF towel (i.e. Gold Cobra) any dust or dirt will cause marring. Days after doing a Honda Fit (with a paint measurement reading of 88 to 90 over most of the car) and tinted clear coat, I noticed every swipe of even a Gold Cobra pre-treated with Pinnacle Chrystal Mist caused micro-marring.

The swirls in your photo are not that bad and can be easily removed with Pinnacle Advanced Finishing Polish or Menzerna SF4500 with a LC white 5.5" or 4" pad and a PC 7424xp.

The initial investment in some quality car care products may not be a bad idea if you are wanting to maintain a swirl free finish. I'd imagine it snows in your location? Snow clearing alone will introduce more marring. So in the spring, you'll be needing paint correction again. Time to become an auto-geeker!

 

[Darvetis]

HA, yeah, the detailer got paid! They had it around 5 hours.

Luckily, I have my own GG DA polisher, and thanks to the videos/ articles on this website, know how to use it. I've detailed my Toyota a few times over the years, and never managed to put scratches like that back into the paint with my microfiber.

Overall, the car does look way way better than it did when I picked it up new from the dealer. However, when the detailer told me that all microfiber (even brand new) will put scratches in paint, I realized they didn't know what they were talking about.

I believe the company which applied the clear bra may have caused damage, and of course that is also what the detailer is telling me. But who knows for sure? They are an independent shop which only does window tinting and ppf application. I've used them before for window tinting, and they do quality work. If I have them tint my windows, I'm going to insist they don't wash the car!

 

[Joe@NextLevelDetail]

HA, yeah, the detailer got paid! They had it around 5 hours.

Luckily, I have my own GG DA polisher, and thanks to the videos/ articles on this website, know how to use it. I've detailed my Toyota a few times over the years, and never managed to put scratches like that back into the paint with my microfiber.

The car does looks way. way better than it did when I picked it up new from the dealer. However, when the detailer told me that all microfiber (even brand new) will put scratches in paint, I realized they didn't know what they were talking about.

I believe the company which applied the clear bra may have caused damage, and of course that is also what the detailer is telling me. But who knows for sure? They are an independent shop which only does window tinting and ppf application. I've used them before for window tinting, and they do quality work. If I have them tint my windows, I'm going to insist they don't wash the car!

How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking and what did he tell you he was going to do

 

[Darvetis]

How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking and what did he tell you he was going to do

$150 for an exterior detail:

Exterior Wash
Clean wheels and dress tires
Remove all tar and sap
Clay bar the surface of the paint
Compound buff to remove oxidization and light scratches
Polish buff to remove swirl marks and restore maximum shine
Wax exterior paint for protection against the elements of travel and weather
Wipe door jambs and exterior cracks of wax and dust from buffing
Clean the exterior windows/ sunroof
Wipe clean running boards tail.

 

[wasodetail]

Took my brand new Mazda3 to the detailer to get micro scratches and swirls removed from the paint (courtesy the dealer prep bozos). It looked beautiful when the detailer was finished with it. Brought the car home, and early the next morning took it to another company to have a paint protection film installed.

Picked up the car later that day, and again, it looked so nice in their parking lot. Decided to show the car off to a few people at my company, a few miles away. Parked the car, this time pointed in an east west direction, in direct sunlight.

Exited the vehicle, and my jaw dropped. 1000's of scratches all over! I immediately took it back to the company who installed the clear bra. They said they hadn't washed the car, and denied touching area where many of the scratches appeared.

I went back to the detailer, and he said it looked like the car was wiped down with a microfiber towel. Of course, there is a chance the car wasn't buffed out enough before taking it to the ppf company, but who knows for sure what happened?

The majority of the time, the car looks great, I only see the scratches when the sun is hitting the paint at a certain angle.

Here are a few pics:

Went back to talk to owner of detailing shop, and discuss my options. What he said next threw me for a loop. Basically, he told me any time you wipe a freshly detailed car with a microfiber towel, it's going to put more scratches back into the paint. Even a brand new towel will do it.

Got the line about "being in the business 20 years" and "telling me the God honest truth."

I may not be an expert with auto detailing, but I have detailed my own cars with high quality microfiber, and never managed to put countless scratches in the paint after wiping it down.

What do you think?

They used poor technique

wasodetail

 

[wasodetail]

$150 for an exterior detail:

Exterior Wash
Clean wheels and dress tires
Remove all tar and sap
Clay bar the surface of the paint
Compound buff to remove oxidization and light scratches
Polish buff to remove swirl marks and restore maximum shine
Wax exterior paint for protection against the elements of travel and weather
Wipe door jambs and exterior cracks of wax and dust from buffing
Clean the exterior windows/ sunroof
Wipe clean running boards tail.

Maybe just a Polish and sealant would have been a better approach

wasodetail

 

[mrbtd]

Almost looks like the car was heavily swirled and most were removed during the polishing and what is left over is from poor technique or not being aggressive enough.

 

[GenesisCoupe]

$150 for an exterior detail:

Exterior Wash
Clean wheels and dress tires
Remove all tar and sap
Clay bar the surface of the paint
Compound buff to remove oxidization and light scratches
Polish buff to remove swirl marks and restore maximum shine
Wax exterior paint for protection against the elements of travel and weather
Wipe door jambs and exterior cracks of wax and dust from buffing
Clean the exterior windows/ sunroof
Wipe clean running boards tail.

That is CRAZY cheap for all that work..Think it's time you find a new detailer..

In regards to your comment from earlier with wiping "polished" paint with a microfiber, he is in a sense correct.. Think of it this way; you go to the dentist and get your teeth whitened. Now you go home and immediately scrub them with a harsh toothpaste, and your teeth are hurting due to sensitivity.

The paint must be protected after a polish to "seal".

However, a wet or moist microfiber towel should NOT have done such harsh damage.

 

[jrs1418]

It looks like not all the swirls were completely removed. I've done Black Mazda3 a few mos ago, and the paint is actually pretty hard. I was only able to get about 75% correction from a 2 step where usually i can get closer to 90%. But that car was a DD with hard water spots, not a brand new one like yours was. I'll assume that more swirls should have come out on a brand new car with a 2-step correction.

Also, MF's CAN SCRATCH. I dont know what u guys are talking about, but if there's anything on the surface, even light dust, and you wipe it off with a dry MF and no lube, you can leave behind swirls right away.

Another note: Don't PPF installers have to clean and degrease an area before they apply for proper adhesion?

You should have had the PPF installed first, then the car detailed. IMO you did it backwards. I always recommend my customer get any tint or PPF done before they bring it to me, not after.

 

[DapperStyle]

MF will do that to a car is when it's been used multiple times across multiple cars and therefore has particles of dirt embedded in it.

 

[LSNAutoDetailingLSNAutoDetailing is verified member.]

That is CRAZY cheap for all that work..Think it's time you find a new detailer..



In regards to your comment from earlier with wiping "polished" paint with a microfiber, he is in a sense correct.. Think of it this way; you go to the dentist and get your teeth whitened. Now you go home and immediately scrub them with a harsh toothpaste, and your teeth are hurting due to sensitivity.



The paint must be protected after a polish to "seal".



However, a wet or moist microfiber towel should NOT have done such harsh damage.

Agree!!! You get what you pay for.

 

[tdekany]

That is CRAZY cheap for all that work..Think it's time you find a new detailer..

That is what you get in Portland - more detail shops than you can count but none of them know how to paint correct.

The OP was also uninformed so it is somewhat his fault for not researching for a pro detailer. I'd love to know which hack he talked with.

 

[parttimer]

You guys crack me up and offend me all in one post. I charge $120 for a one step on a car like that. Can I charge $250 for it? Yep, and never work on a car.
As for the order, I'd want my paint corrected before ppf is installed locking in the paint condition.

 

[tdekany]

You guys crack me up and offend me all in one post. I charge $120 for a one step on a car like that. Can I charge $250 for it? Yep, and never work on a car.
As for the order, I'd want my paint corrected before ppf is installed locking in the paint condition.

If you were to read the OP, he did take the car to a full time detail shop to remove the swirls, not just to get a 1 step. So I am not sure where you get the idea that we offended you. Did you do the work? Are you in Portland?rops:

He did have an incompetent shop "correct" the paint before applying the PPF.

PS: I really doubt that the PPF guy would wipe down the whole car, especially one that was just detailed.

Now, can an installer swirl the paint? Of course! They ALL (every one that I have visited) use Costco towels. But why would they wipe down the whole car? They don't do work they don't have to. Im the MAN