Hey all, new to the forum and have found LOTS of interesting information! Sorry this is so long, but I need to explain the situation. The question is about the paint on my '11 Camaro 2SS. I purchased the car at the beginning of July, did the normal inspection at the dealer, and the car looked great. When I got it home to the garage however, closer inspection found acid rain etching and lots of "garbage" in the clear coat. Well, I took it back to the dealer and the compounded and buffed the top of the car to try to get rid of the fallout. This did not remove it, but just covered it up. When I got back home, I clayed the car and waxed completely. The etching is not as pronounced but the paint does still have garbage. I have been told that alot of the junk in the clear is due to the metallic (car is Silver). I have a Tahoe which has some of the same issues, but it doesn't look as noticable on Silver Birch Metallic. Everything can only be seen in the garage, no defects can be seen outside, especially in the sun. I know the sales manager and he told me that he could send it out and have the car wetsanded and buffed, which would be at an outside body shop. He told me that their shop doesn't have the capability to do the job to his satisfaction. So my question is would you let them wetsand and buff the car? Will this take care of the etching and smooth the paint?
Question about New Car Paint
- Thread starter crsr1
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silverfox
New member
- Oct 5, 2010
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I also have a new camaro. The absolute worse possible thing is to allow the dealer to touch the paint. In fact when I ordered mine I gave instructions that as part of the deal they don't touch the paint...period. They did listen to me thank goodness. Once you get your paint corrected to your satisfaction put some Opti coat on that baby and never look back. Congrats on a great car. An absolute pleasure everytime you strap in.
JonMiles
New member
- Jan 28, 2010
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Do you have any pics of the imperfections? Odds are that it does not need to be wetsanded. New cars normally have pretty good paint and any rain spots on them can normally be removed with mild polishing. Your best bet would be to find a good detailer in your area to take a look and give you a suggestion what to do. What grade of clay did you use? Also have you looked into a paint decon system?
Also, the dealer is not being truthful about the metallic being the problem. The metallic is not in the clear coat where the etching is found. The metallic is in the base coat and has nothing to do with etchings. Unless there were runs or variations in the base coat, then your problem is way more than likely in the clear which can be corrected with proper tools and technique.
Also, the dealer is not being truthful about the metallic being the problem. The metallic is not in the clear coat where the etching is found. The metallic is in the base coat and has nothing to do with etchings. Unless there were runs or variations in the base coat, then your problem is way more than likely in the clear which can be corrected with proper tools and technique.
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- #5
I believe the dealership used 3M Finesse It compound and then not sure of the polish when trying to remove. The spots seem to be type 2, and I really don't think they can be removed by anything other than sanding. The spots in the clear seem to look like someone took a needle and just poked around on the clear when it was wet. If I could get a good picture, I would love to so I could better explain. I wish I knew of a good detailer in my area, but can't seem to find one! I would love to get a professional opinion on my car, other than the dealer. My sales manager used to work for a paint shop, and the guy that he offered to send it to actually does some very high end paint jobs (some sold on Barrett Jackson). I would just love to have someone look at it and let me know if I have any other way of clearing everything up. Most people probably wouldn't worry about what I see, but I am VERY ocd and would like for it to be as nice as possible. I also think that for close to $40k, it should be better than it is. I really appreciate you guys and your help. I just want to make an informed decision because he told me that he would send it out on 8/21 if I wanted it done (he plans to send a couple of new ones to have them done also).
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- #7
Maryville, Tn.
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- #9
Thank you very much for your help! I will send him a message. I have had the sales manager and an owner of a completely different body shop both tell me that I would probably have to have it wetsanded. I would love to find an alternative! If it comes down to wetsanding, I may just have to live with it. I don't know if I can stand to have that done. The only plus if the dealership sends it out is that if they mess it up, then they have to fix it.
I agree. The garbage in the paint also sounds like a possible repaint. I know GM isn't know for good paint, but that sounds outside of their issues. Keep it away from the dealer and body shop. Get a good pro to look at it.
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- #11
It doesn't look really much different (junk it the paint) as my '07 Tahoe which came from the showroom floor. The silver birch on it just tends to hide it. I guarantee that I could find some of the same on any other Camaro out there. In fact, I went by the dealer the other night and looked at the other ones on their lot and some were better, but others were worse. Most of it is the lack of quality paint coming from ANY manufacturer these days. I can live with the "junk" in the clear, because I know that I can always have it wetsanded and potentially smoothed down. My main issue is the want and need to remove the few etched in spots. These aren't really that bad, and would happen to any car that is a daily driver. This car, though, isn't really a daily driver. I usually drive an old truck to work and will mainly drive this car on nice days.
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- #12
Here are some of the things I need removed or flattened out. You can see the etching which the dealer failed to buff out. Also, the little spec that looks like a pin hole. There are alot of them on the car, seems to look as if they are in the clear but you can't feel them.