Help, I think my dealer ruined my clearcoat

D

dmichael

New member
I bought a new car recently and there were scuffs/scratches on the front bumper cover, I didn't think the selling dealer would fix this since I noticed them the day after I drove it home. I took a shot and to my surprise, they said no problem, we'll take care of that for you. So they take it in and they end-up wet sanding it. most of the scratches were only in the clear coat, but one small one expopsed the black part of the bumper cover ever so slightly, and another tiny one was all the way through the clearcoat. All Other scratches disappeared.



The problem is the area where the scuffs were is now dull, the area is about the size of my hand. My fear is that they ate through all of the clearcoat and possibly even sanded the color coat. I don't dare touch it with wax or polish at this point.



I am hoping I never have to go back to that dealer again for anything including a possible fix for this incident because I feel they are incompetant.



Does this sound like they ate through the clearcoat, or does it just need to be polished or wetsanded with a finer grit to finish it off?



Thanks
 
~One man’s opinion / observations ~



Flexathene® Thermoplastic Polyolefin’s are manufactured from polycarbonates or polymer blends and are used for aerodynamic spoilers, bumper covers and wings. They are a very porous vinyl with a ‘flex-agent’ to ensure its flexibility and prevent ‘spider web’ cracking. I would not recommend using a compound or a buffer/rotary polisher on these type surfaces, as it will cause them to smudge/smear due its porosity and the softness.



~Hope this helps~



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*
 
I would take it back to the dealer just to see what their opinion is. It does sound like they either:



a. ate through the cc

or

b. did not eat through the cc but they did not polish out the haze left from the sanding
 
Thanks for the responses.



I took it to a bodyshop just now. I've used them in the past and trust them, he says they did not eat through the CC, and that is just needs a little more finishing, possibly only polishing with a fine cut will bring back the luster. He recommends starting off slowly because there is a sheen still there at certain angles. Its only dull if you look at it from a certain angle. Looks to me as if the wet-sanding stopped at say a 1500 grit and did not continue on to a 2-3000.



He also said it looks like the sanding was done by hand not by machine.



I thought about bringing it back to the dealer, but I'm afraid they'll do more damage than good. I figure its time for me to bone up on my polishing technique. I certainly will be more careful and err on the side of caution.
 
Do you have a PC?

Removing the haze should be similar to removing swirl marks....start with the less abrasive products first then work your way up to more aggressive as needed.
 
I have been thinking about getting a PC, I guess now would be as good a time as any to breakdown and get one. I have always been hesitant in the past due to my fear of causing irrepairable harm, but I have read many times here and other places that its near impossible to do if you follow the simple tips being offered on this site
 
As long as you start mild with the PC (speed and product wise) it's very difficult to cause harm. I just got mine over xmas and done a few cars and they all turned out fine.
 
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