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Old 04-13-2002, 08:40 PM   #1
wieger54
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Member#: 5137
Join Date: Mar 2001
Angry Dealership messed up my clear coat! Really long....

I’m a proud owner of a MY01 Blue Ridge Pearl Subaru Impreza that I purchased December of 2000 from North park Subaru here in San Antonio. Everything has been fine with the car and the service that I received until recently and except for an incident before this. I pride myself on how my car looks and try to take great care of it. About a month ago I took my car in to the Service department to get a regular oil change. The days before it stormed real badly so my car was pretty dirty. After the oil change I picked up my car and noticed that there was a clean spot on the driver side front fender like somebody leaned up against it. I didn’t think really anything of it at first and drove it home. After getting it home and in better light I noticed that the driver side front fender had four small vertical scratches. They all were the same length and distance apart. The reason I didn’t notice them at the service department was because of the huge over hang above my car. I called up the service department and talked to *****. He said bring it in and they’ll have a look at it. I washed my car and took it back on my next day off. I meet up with ***** and showed him the scratches. He went and got Kevin A***** and pointed it out to him. We all agreed that they were small and could be buffed out. So they took the car and got the driver side front fender buffed out. I examined the fender and noticed the small scratches were gone. I drove it home and noticed something wrong with my hood now. It looked like that there was something on the driver side edge of the hood. Upon further investigation I could tell that it was a result of the buffer they used to buff the fender. I called ***** again and informed him of my findings. He said that just bring back in and they’ll look at it again and see what they could do. So I brought the car back in and showed him. He said that he could see what I was talking about. Plus it didn’t help matters out that it was overcast that day. ***** said that he’ll show it to his guys that buffed out the fender and see what they say. ***** told me that the guys couldn’t see what I was talking about. Of course they all couldn’t because none wants to admit that they messed up. ****** advised me that they just waxed the hood. I thought to myself that wasn’t going to get rid of the problem. I looked at the hood and I could see the over buff anymore. Remember that I’m looking at my car under an over hang so it’s hard to see anything. I had the car for a about a week or so and then it rain again. The car was dirty again so I took it on my day off to wash it. After drying my car I made a startling discovery. My hood had serve swirl marks. This was really noticeable and not just to me. It looked like someone used an electric buffer to apply the wax and to buff it out. So the next day I got off I took it back to the dealership. I parked my car outside the overhang in the sunlight so it was easier to notice. Trust me there wasn’t a cloud in the sky that day. I went back to ***** and pointed out the swirl marks on my hood to him. He said that he couldn’t see them and went and got Kevin A. Kevin said that he could see them also. I told him how can you guys not see them they’re so obvious. He said what about the rest of the car there’s swirl marks all over. I told him that those swirl marks are very minuet compared to the very noticeable ones on the hood that you guys left. Then he started attacking me trying to accuse me of trying to get something out of them. He said that we buffed out the scratches you said we did, then waxed your hood, now this what’s next? I told him that I wasn’t trying to get anything, but get my hood fixed that you guys messed up. He said that he would call his body shop manager and see what he says. After arranging a meeting we drove my car over there. I showed the manager Buddy ***** my hood and told him the events that lead up to this. The first things out of his mouth were those are swirl marks. And continued on saying that more than likely they were caused by the electric buffer when they waxed my hood. The funny thing is I never said anything about an electric buffer. Kevin A. just stood there quietly and never spoke up in defense. So Buddy continues on saying that it was just excess wax build up from before and that the buffer put swirl marks in it. He says that it needs to go to a detailing shop and have the wax removed etc. He even demonstrated with the edge of his finger nail that he could leave scratch the excess wax. I almost flipped out at this point cause the night before I stripped the wax off the car. I kept my cool though and figured this guy has been doing this stuff for years and know what he’s talking about. After all Buddy is the only other guy affiliated with the service department to notice the swirl marks. It wouldn’t be a good idea to tell the only guy on my side he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. So we set up an appointment for the car to go to the detailing shop that Buddy uses all the time. I come in the next day drop off my car and pick up a rental. Two and a half hours later I get a call from Kevin A. He said that the car looks great and can’t see anything else wrong with the car. He even stated that they did the rest of the car also. I didn’t know what to think at this point. I was like cool for a second then I was like oh no. After I got back to the service department I checked out the car in the sun. The hood look a hundred times better than before and the rest of the car looked great also. So I drove back home feeling pretty good. Had a bunch of people stop and check out my car. Even my friend that noticed the swirls said that the car looked pretty good. But something in the back of my head was telling me something is not right. I noticed they waxed the entire car. I figured that I’m going to have to remove the wax and see what the clear coat really looks like. So that night I spent a couple of hours washing my car. After drying it I noticed some small swirls but that was it. It was hard to tell anyways because I did it at night. The next day I started to get ready for work. I looked outside at my car and noticed the swirls are back again. I flipped!! They weren’t as bad as before but the were still on the hood. The next day I walked up to my car and the sun hit the side just right. There are swirls all over the entire car now not just the hood.

So what should I do? I'm going to talk to SOA on Monday about it. I'm going to go to the detail shop and find out what exactly they did also.

I put ***** because I can't remember the guys name right now. Sorry about the grammar and what not. I wrote this when I was really pist! I took pictures of the swirls also. I hope they turn out. I'll post them as soon as I get them scanned.

mike...
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Old 04-13-2002, 11:32 PM   #2
wieger54
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 5137
Join Date: Mar 2001
Default

Damn that post is long!! Here I'll sum it up for people.
Dealership scratched paint.
I show dealership.
They try and fix problem and make things worse. (The hood)
I show dealership again.
They can't see problem and try to cover it up with wax.
I noticed they put swirl marks in hood from waxing it.
I show dealership yet again.
They think I'm trying to scam them some how and pretend they don't see the very noticeable swirl marks.
We both agree to get a pro's opinion.
Pro agrees with me and sees swirl marks.
Pro comes up with a solution and take it to detailing shop.
Detailing shop does hood and rest of car. (I just wanted the hood done)
I wash car and begin to notice swirls everywhere.
Me's mad and don't know where to go from here....

So that's my question......NOW WHAT?

mike...
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Old 04-14-2002, 03:24 PM   #3
merchgod
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Member#: 15294
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: DFW, Texas
Vehicle:
2002 WRX
WR Blue

Default

I don't understand - they waxed it and didn't remove the wax? Sounds like a pretty crappy detailer. I think you are going to have to bite the bullet on this one - you left the last time saying how great the paint looked and then the next day had the issue with the swirl marks? I understand why, but it is going to be hard
to convince anyone of your story. You would probably be better off asking around to find the best detailer in your area and just paying for it yourself rather than let them use the same detailer and have them possibly make it even worse.
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Old 04-16-2002, 05:10 PM   #4
mhbrown
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Member#: 12537
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Vehicle:
'02 WRX Sportwagon
WR Blue Pearl

Default

The detailer probably didn't wax the car at all. They likely used a glaze like Imperial Hnad Glaze. These products are like makeup for a car. They fill all the scratches and swirls and imperfections. Lasts about as long as makeup, too. (Use it whenever you are selling a car -- it will look great for a few days!)

I'd fix this myself if I were sure that the clear wasn't damaged on the hood edge. To determine this take the car to a really good body shop with a paint thickness gauge. the guys there will be able to tell you what you have to work with.

To fix it yourself, invest in a Porter Cable random orbital polisher, some foam polishing pads and some 3M abrasives. From least to most abrasive Swirl Mark Remover, Perfect It III Machine Glaze (not a filler, I know, names too confusing), Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. The Porter Cable doesn't generate enough heat to burn through the clear, so go at it. For techniques, etc, check out www.autopia-carport.com.

If the clear is damaged, make the dealer pay to get it fixed at the body shop of your choice.
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Old 04-16-2002, 06:28 PM   #5
wieger54
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Member#: 5137
Join Date: Mar 2001
Thumbs up Update!

Here's an update!!
I contacted SOA and told them the whole story. They said that I needed to talk to the General Manager. So I call up and ask to speak to him. They ask if I spoke to the Service Dept Manager. I told her that I had a run in with Kevin A. She told me that he's just a foreman. So she put me through the PR guy for the dealership. I told him my whole story and that I contacted SOA and got a case number. He said that he'll have to contact Kevin A. and get his side of the story. I was like great now he's going to take Kevin's word against mine. So this morning I got a phone call from Mike the real Service Dept Manager. He told me that he got the whole story from everybody and needs to see my car. I told him that I'll bring it in during the afternoon. I go and wash my car the best I can. The only problem is it's cloudy outside. This sucks cause the swirls only show up in direct sunlight or late at night in the parking lot lights of Wal-Mart. (or some other big parking lot for that matter.) I even took pictures again of the new swirl marks. So I take it back to the dealership. I finally meet Mike the Ser. Dept. Manager. One of the first questions out of his mouth is "Do you hand wash your car, and if I fix your problem will you keep doing so?" I told of course I hand wash and plan on doing so. He was happy to hear that. He told me that he wish we would of met earlier. He said that he's sorry that I had to go through what I did. He saw all the swirls that I pointed out when the sun came out. Said that he can have the guy over at Lexus fix it. He even went on to tell what exactly the guy is going to do with what products and even the name of the buffer. I was pretty happy that Mike is going through all this trouble for me. Mike ensured me that the guy is a pro. He even said that he'll throw in a 3M towel for free. Pretty cool huh?

Oh that guy *****. His name is Tim. I met him again today. He said that he saw all the swirls that Mike saw. I don't believe him one bit. Cause the swirls now are a little bit harder to see than the huge ones that were on the hood before. That was on a sunny day also. I think he's more of a yes man than anything else.

Kevin A. wasn't there at the dealership. Mike told me that he was on vacation. Maybe cause I ratted on him for verbally attacking me. Maybe not....

mike...
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Old 04-16-2002, 06:37 PM   #6
wieger54
Scooby Specialist
 
Member#: 5137
Join Date: Mar 2001
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by mhbrown
The detailer probably didn't wax the car at all. They likely used a glaze like Imperial Hnad Glaze. These products are like makeup for a car. They fill all the scratches and swirls and imperfections. Lasts about as long as makeup, too. (Use it whenever you are selling a car -- it will look great for a few days!)

I'd fix this myself if I were sure that the clear wasn't damaged on the hood edge. To determine this take the car to a really good body shop with a paint thickness gauge. the guys there will be able to tell you what you have to work with.

To fix it yourself, invest in a Porter Cable random orbital polisher, some foam polishing pads and some 3M abrasives. From least to most abrasive Swirl Mark Remover, Perfect It III Machine Glaze (not a filler, I know, names too confusing), Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. The Porter Cable doesn't generate enough heat to burn through the clear, so go at it. For techniques, etc, check out www.autopia-carport.com.

If the clear is damaged, make the dealer pay to get it fixed at the body shop of your choice.
I did a lot of reseach on the subject of swirl marks. I'm a "if you want something done right you gotta do it yourself" type of guy. I'm thinking about gettin that buffer. I heard it's the best out there. If I do get one though I'm goign to buy a hood at a junk yard. So I can perfect my skills whitout a worry. I've checked out that site last night. Pretty cool stuff! I thought they used a wax cause Tim said they did and when I washed it beaded up. Hopefully everything will be over with soon.

mike...
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Old 04-16-2002, 06:49 PM   #7
shippy1
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Member#: 7070
Join Date: May 2001
Default I feel your pain

I know what your going through, I got a call today from Don Miller here in Madison telling me they have to redo the paint job on the driver side rear door. They scratched it through the paint last week while in for service. They said the didn't like how the paint matches. So what are they going to do to make the second job better? I know it will be noticeable. I am so pissed about this. I hear the silver paint is difficult to match closely too. That will help me sleep tonight. I am not going to accept it if it looks bad. I better get going because my girlfriend is going to pick me up from work. I love not having a car to drive!!! Dealership's suck!
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