OMG, need help! lookit my hood!

D

debaser330ci

New member
Well folks, this is what happens when you let some incompetent fool use a buffer on your dark colored car (my bmw is "sapphire black").

swirlyhood2.jpg


I parked under a tree during a hard, driving rain, and when i came out, i had tree sap spots ALL OVER my car. this was right after i got it (zaino was on order) and it had NO WAX on it at all. i tried everything to get the sap off myself (alcohol, over the counter sap removers) but even though i got it off the surface, it appeared to be etched into the clearcoat. nasty.

after having no luck getting it totally off, i decided it needed "professional" help and i took it to a local guy who was *supposed* to be pretty good. well when i picked the car up, it looked great! no more sap! but after the next rain, this is what i found. if you look close you can see where he went up and down and up and down the hood with the buffer, leaving vertical "streaks". trunk and roof look the same, too. near as i can figure, after he finished ripping up my paint, he sprayed some silicone spray on the car to fill in the swirls (it was also cloudy that day, further masking the damage).

i'm at a loss at what to do now, so i'm turning to the experts (you guys!). what happened here? is this called "buffer burn"? the surface feels nice and smooth, and the scratches/swirls are super super fine (you can't tell one "scratch" from another when you look close). i've heard good things about 3m hand glaze and swirl remover. will this stuff work on this kind of damage? i would even consider going to another detail shop (in NJ) but only if it comes HIGHLY reccomended by NUMEROUS people.

one other thing to consider. i have my zaino now, and i want whatever i do to fix this to be compatible with the zaino....
 
Typical, know it all untrained detailer.



Used a cutting pad and something like ProGold or other.



The only concern is if he removed more than .3 mil of clear.



Would need an ETG gauge to determine.



Take a rotary, lambs wool pad, at 1200 rpm, keep it fairly flat to the surface and a mild polish, doesn't make to much difference which kind, just a clearcoat polish and work them out.



Then switch to a fine foam polishing pad and the same material and do it again.



You will not remove enough additional clear to cause concerns.



Then take time with the polish and a PC and foam for one more working of the clear.



Clean it off with IPA and check it, if looks good , seal it up.



Just keep in mind, just because someone calls themself a detailer or has a sign hung up doesn't mean jack squat.



Look for a Trusted Professional Detailer next time, they have training and understand what can and can not be done.



Sorry about your luck, but as said, if the clown didn't remove excess clear, it can be made right and will be fine.
 
Since your Zaino order is on the way, I would first try several coats of Z5 allowing proper curing time(if you see no difference after 5 coats then you may need professional help). Hopefully you will get it from someone better than the first guy you tried. Good Luck.

If you look at the before and after pics here, you will see that there is still hope before going to more abrasives.
http://www.geocities.com/yell00itr/TL3
 
Those look way too bad to me to fill with Z5. I'd go with trying to fix them. Two of the ones on the left side of the hood look nasty to me. But then, it could just be the angle and the light.



If you really cannot feel them at all, do exactly what Ron says. First though, I would try to mooch a ETC gauge and someone who knows how to use it. If your guy removed too much clear, I would want evidence of it before you start anything. That way you can pursue whatever recourse you may have against him without the defense of "it could have been fixed before the owner messed with it."



Like you, I would be seriously :mad:
 
Zaino Z-5 is good, but not that good...it won't touch those marks. I also suggest you follow Rons instructions to a "T" and you'll be able to salvage your paint. Its a hard lesson to learn, but Ron is also right just because someone calls themselves a detailer doesn't mean crap.



BTW, Welcome to the Forum, and good luck with your project. Post some pics when you get it done and let us see the final results.
 
If I knew where you are at, might have someone around that has a gauge.



They are so simple to use it is scarey, but they are around $600 for one that reads from a steel substrate(ETG-I), and the one that will read aluminum and steel is over a $1000. (ETG-II)



Want some really big numbers, try to get one that will read from a composite, over $20,000 and you have to recalibrate after each reading.



Technology, ain't it wonderful!!!:cool:
 
....is that anywhere near you?



after reading some of the comments here i think i'd like to have the paint measured and verified before i start doing anything, just in case i need to take some action against this "detailer" (though i despise the court system).



i'm also interested in getting anyone's reccomendation on a GOOD detailer anywhere in new jersey that can fix this. i've always taken care of my own cars, but i've never used a buffer before, and i'm DEATHLY afraid of wrecking my car (that's why i took it to this bozo). it's just the way i am. if someone else messes up my car, to me, it's not as bad as if i did it myself. *shrugs*.



i'm hoping after this gets fixed i'll not need to buff it again, so any investment i would have in buying a buffer and supplies would sort of be wasted.
 
I would go back there and kick the guys .....well....ok.....I guess you can't do that....LOL



Go demand your money back and show him what he did!



I am located in NJ and would be willing to take a look at your paint and see what we could do. Let me know.



DETAILKING
 
You are in luck having DetailKing in your area.



To reinforce what an earlier poster wrote, you need to document the damage before you do anything to the paint. Get pictures, clearcoat debt measurements (by an independent person, with a written report) and an eyewitness examination, preferably by a professional in the automotive paint/painting/buffing field and you need to send a letter of complaint, by certified mail, return receipt requested, laying out the damage and your claims and a demand that he pay those claims.



Don't do anything to the paint until you have sent the letter, you have documented the damage, and he has an opportunity to see the damage. You don't want him to be able to claim that your repair work caused the damage OR, if your repair work does handle the damage, well, you will have no evidence of the damage.
 
There was a really great detailing in Jersey who is a TPD and had a gauge, but was Canadian and moved back 3 months ago.

Take a look on www.autoint.com and click on Find a Detailer, there are some listed in Jersey, contact them and ask if any know of someone who has a gauge.

A word of caution, sometimes bodyshops will have a "banana gauge" named that due to the way it appears, it is mechanical or the worst is the little "pen" style magnetic gauge that sells for $20 and is only good for seeing if the bondo is more than 10 mils thick.

These gauges will not be accurate, nor can you photograph the readings. (see the photos of mil readings on the site under the Tech Tips section.

We are in Cincy and I do not have an east coast trip planned for the next couple of months.

Just had a brain storm, email me direct as don't wish to create a concern for a friend who runs the BMW NA body repair program. He might agree to take the measurements for you if you don't bug him to death and talk his ear off since he is a stroke at BMW NA.
 
DB330,



What ever happened?? The same thing happened to my car essentially. I pretty much stole your script(that is, go to a 'pro' before messing it up) and got the same problems. Im debating whether or not to re-clear coat after small claims court...

Let me know!!



Still waiting to wake up from this nightmare...

JTS
 
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