New car and there are light scratches in the paint!
#16
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
I also have an Obsidian car, and unfortunately i didn't tell them to not detail it prior to me picking it up. I brought my car to the detailer to get opti coated when it was only a couple days old and it didnt look that bad and was quoted a pretty fair price for 1 step paint correction and applying opticoat.
Well the next day i get a phone call the next day saying that apparently the dealership packed the car full of fillers and glaze and the there are a lot more swirls than originally expected. Luckily for me I only paid the price we originally agreed upon but it ended up needing 2 step paint correction and almost 12 man hours to get it looking pristine.
I'm hoping that the opticoat will act as a much harder clear coat that combined with proper car washing will eliminate future swirls.
Well the next day i get a phone call the next day saying that apparently the dealership packed the car full of fillers and glaze and the there are a lot more swirls than originally expected. Luckily for me I only paid the price we originally agreed upon but it ended up needing 2 step paint correction and almost 12 man hours to get it looking pristine.
I'm hoping that the opticoat will act as a much harder clear coat that combined with proper car washing will eliminate future swirls.
Irony of this is because I told my dealer not to detail the car which they didn't but sales guys states they usually compound the car to remove all the scratches so by me telling them not to detail it I think I saw more swirls! LOL! I have to believe they are doing something at the factory that may be causing this perhaps during final clean up before they ship.
Last edited by SonyHome; 01-12-14 at 08:50 AM.
#17
Lexus Test Driver
Thread Starter
I also have an Obsidian car, and unfortunately i didn't tell them to not detail it prior to me picking it up. I brought my car to the detailer to get opti coated when it was only a couple days old and it didnt look that bad and was quoted a pretty fair price for 1 step paint correction and applying opticoat.
Well the next day i get a phone call the next day saying that apparently the dealership packed the car full of fillers and glaze and the there are a lot more swirls than originally expected. Luckily for me I only paid the price we originally agreed upon but it ended up needing 2 step paint correction and almost 12 man hours to get it looking pristine.
I'm hoping that the opticoat will act as a much harder clear coat that combined with proper car washing will eliminate future swirls.
Well the next day i get a phone call the next day saying that apparently the dealership packed the car full of fillers and glaze and the there are a lot more swirls than originally expected. Luckily for me I only paid the price we originally agreed upon but it ended up needing 2 step paint correction and almost 12 man hours to get it looking pristine.
I'm hoping that the opticoat will act as a much harder clear coat that combined with proper car washing will eliminate future swirls.
Thanks.
#18
I don't think it was anything dealer did since they told me they didn't detail the exterior per my request. I was just shocked how much swirls and light scratches a brand new car had.
Since I wanted to opti coat I used polish from optimum called Hyper Polish. It seem to work good to get the light scratches removed. Our process was to polish, wipe with water or ONR then dry using high quality microfiber towels.
#19
There is not a certain amount of times you can do paint correction. It depends on how much clear you had to remove each time in order to correct it. The only way to know this is by using a paint thickness gauge (i don't own one). I just know Lexus is notorious for having a very thin soft clear and having already done a two step correction on the car i am not risking removing anymore clear. Paint correction is VERY time consuming and my GS is a lease so i am just learning to live with it and not be so OCD about the paint condition.
#20
Driver School Candidate
First of all it is a base coat clear coat paint. If the car looks like that the day you picked it up I would bring it back immediately. There's no way I would accept a car with any amount of scratches on it if it is really a new car. I bought my LS used over a hundred thousand miles and had it professionally detailed twice. Both times it looked worse than when they started. that's when I decided to wet sand and polish the car with 2500 3000. The car looks 90 % better but under fluorescent light you can still see light scratches. I would make the dealer either correct the problem or replace the car. That should never happen on an 80 thousand dollar car.
#21
First of all it is a base coat clear coat paint. If the car looks like that the day you picked it up I would bring it back immediately. There's no way I would accept a car with any amount of scratches on it if it is really a new car. I bought my LS used over a hundred thousand miles and had it professionally detailed twice. Both times it looked worse than when they started. that's when I decided to wet sand and polish the car with 2500 3000. The car looks 90 % better but under fluorescent light you can still see light scratches. I would make the dealer either correct the problem or replace the car. That should never happen on an 80 thousand dollar car.
Last edited by BOBFSPORT; 01-12-14 at 10:12 PM.
#22
Driver School Candidate
I was simply replying to the earlier post saying that it was some kind of special paint with the clear mixed in with it. It is a two-stage paint with a black base coat and a clear coat over it. That is where the scratches are occurring in the clearcoat. Bottom line for a new car it shouldn't have scratches off any kind. I can't afford a new one. All I can afford is a high mileage used one. This being my third but they're great cars with any amount of miles.
Last edited by Black Moon; 01-12-14 at 10:39 PM.
#24
I was simply replying to the earlier post saying that it was some kind of special paint with the clear mixed in with it. It is a two-stage paint with a black base coat and a clear coat over it. That is where the scratches are occurring in the clearcoat. Bottom line for a new car it shouldn't have scratches off any kind. I can't afford a new one. All I can afford is a high mileage used one. This being my third but they're great cars with any amount of miles.
#25
Auto Detailing Master
iTrader: (2)
The misunderstanding probably branches off of the fact that Toyota still uses single stage paint on some of their plain colors like white, black, and red... I know this to be true for their trucks, but am not sure about all vehicles. FWIW, single stage paint does not have 'clear mixed in'... there is simply no clear coat. It is an entirely different paint process.
You are correct in stating that OB (and all modern lexus paint) is in fact a base coat - clear coat system. For those who do not understand, it simply means that the color paint is sprayed (base coat) followed by a clear coat to protect the color coat and make the surface glossy.
In general, it is a great rule of thumb to NEVER allow the dealership to touch your paint. It only takes one wash to cause a lot of damage that will be expensive to repair.
When I go to the dealership, I place 2 signs on my dash, and one on my center console that say "PLEASE DO NOT WASH CAR".
I also remind the service manager that it should not be washed.
I have an article coming out on the Detailed Image Ask- A-Pro Blog next monday (1/20) about a Lexus IS that was washed at the dealership and the paint was trashed by one simple wash. I'll post a link to the article when it is published.
As far as detailing a new car... in my experience, most new cars (not all, but the vast majority) will require a full service just like a used car that is in decent shape. This means a thorough wheel cleaning, wash, decontamination (IronX & clay), polish, and protection. I have yet to see a new car that could not benefit from at least a fine finishing polish, and clearly all of them need to be properly protected.
Paint coatings are the best way to protect your vehicle. Opti-Coat is a fine product and is readily available to consumers so any DIY detailer can get a hold of it and use it. I prefer the CQuartz Coatings and offer CQuartz Finest as a premium coating option. The CQuartz coatings are perfect for owners who will still maintain their vehicles to the highest level, while OC may be more suited for an owner that simply wants the car protected and may wash it occasionally. In any case, no paint coating is bullet proof, and the vehicle should still be properly maintained. Proper washing and drying is crucial in maintaining your paint and minimizing wash induced marring and swirls.
Let me know if you've got any questions
-Zach
You are correct in stating that OB (and all modern lexus paint) is in fact a base coat - clear coat system. For those who do not understand, it simply means that the color paint is sprayed (base coat) followed by a clear coat to protect the color coat and make the surface glossy.
In general, it is a great rule of thumb to NEVER allow the dealership to touch your paint. It only takes one wash to cause a lot of damage that will be expensive to repair.
When I go to the dealership, I place 2 signs on my dash, and one on my center console that say "PLEASE DO NOT WASH CAR".
I also remind the service manager that it should not be washed.
I have an article coming out on the Detailed Image Ask- A-Pro Blog next monday (1/20) about a Lexus IS that was washed at the dealership and the paint was trashed by one simple wash. I'll post a link to the article when it is published.
As far as detailing a new car... in my experience, most new cars (not all, but the vast majority) will require a full service just like a used car that is in decent shape. This means a thorough wheel cleaning, wash, decontamination (IronX & clay), polish, and protection. I have yet to see a new car that could not benefit from at least a fine finishing polish, and clearly all of them need to be properly protected.
Paint coatings are the best way to protect your vehicle. Opti-Coat is a fine product and is readily available to consumers so any DIY detailer can get a hold of it and use it. I prefer the CQuartz Coatings and offer CQuartz Finest as a premium coating option. The CQuartz coatings are perfect for owners who will still maintain their vehicles to the highest level, while OC may be more suited for an owner that simply wants the car protected and may wash it occasionally. In any case, no paint coating is bullet proof, and the vehicle should still be properly maintained. Proper washing and drying is crucial in maintaining your paint and minimizing wash induced marring and swirls.
Let me know if you've got any questions
-Zach
#26
I had one question about your professionally detailed car. Was/Is there any scratches beneath the opti-coat when you got it from them? Just wondering if perfect finish is something you can expect if the professionals do it since I struggled a lot with keeps scratches off even after getting it polished to mirror like finish.
Thanks.
Thanks.
The reason for the minor imperfections though is that i only paid $550 when it should have cost me $800. The detailer i went to was great and didnt charge me for the extra work because during the first inspection of the car a lot of the swirls were hiding underneath the dealerships glaze they put on. For what i paid i am very happy with the results. Depending on what you pay the results will vary, if i had paid the full $800 i would have expected a perfect finish. Here is the link to the pictures of my car after it was done.
http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/Mr...ient%20Gallery
The Black IS250 is mine
#27
picked my Obsidian F Sport this past Saturday (11 Jan) and the paint had swirls already. I forgot to tell them to don't detail it at all, just peel off the plastic but too late. Anything will swirl the clear coat.. Opti Coat looks sweet!
#29
Auto Detailing Master
iTrader: (2)
Check this article out: How To Properly Wash and Dry a Car
The small investment in tools and products now will save you a lot of time and money in the future!
#30
Auto Detailing Master
iTrader: (2)
For those of you who don't know, I am a professional detailer. I spend quite a bit of time fixing mistakes caused by inexperienced/untrained dealership 'detailers'. I warn a lot of people on the forum to avoid dealership washes at all cost, however a lot of people ignore my words of caution because they don't see how a simple car wash can really damage your paint. This also goes for automatic washes and 'full service' washes as well. IMO there is no substitute for a proper hand wash.
Anyway, I wrote this article to share the story of a fellow 2IS owner and CL member that had to deal with the terrible wash techniques used by most dealerships. This owner is a very proud detailing enthusiast and loves maintaining his swirl free finish. Although he asked the service adviser not wash his vehicle, they did anyways and caused a tremendous amount of damage.
Lexus refused to cover the entire cost of the damages, so the owner was forced to pay hundreds out of pocket to fix the damage that the dealership caused. All of this from ONE improper car wash.
^Paint condition after dealer wash
Please Read the Full article here: The Real Cost of a Cheap Car Wash
As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
-Zach
**mods: please do not move to detailing sub-forum. I think this needs to be seen here as many members do not visit the detailing section! Thank you!**
Anyway, I wrote this article to share the story of a fellow 2IS owner and CL member that had to deal with the terrible wash techniques used by most dealerships. This owner is a very proud detailing enthusiast and loves maintaining his swirl free finish. Although he asked the service adviser not wash his vehicle, they did anyways and caused a tremendous amount of damage.
Lexus refused to cover the entire cost of the damages, so the owner was forced to pay hundreds out of pocket to fix the damage that the dealership caused. All of this from ONE improper car wash.
^Paint condition after dealer wash
Please Read the Full article here: The Real Cost of a Cheap Car Wash
As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
-Zach
**mods: please do not move to detailing sub-forum. I think this needs to be seen here as many members do not visit the detailing section! Thank you!**