Ultima Paint Guard Plus leaves white spots on a 09 Challenger decal

Why would you even be silly enough to tell the dealer. I would just drive the car in and say the decals are messed up and you dont know what happened. If they say it was from you washing the car say that's all you ever did, wash the car.....am I not allowed to wash my own car? Show them Meguiars soap.



Dont even tell them, just go in and play dumb and they will be more likely to change them. Or you could be honest and give them a route to shove it to you.
 
You could play dumb but they are not stupid either. What most people have tried has been tried many times before, so I give it a 1 in 10,000 shot that the dealer covers it under warranty
 
Honestly; it's all dependent on the dealer. If you know of a good one and go in and say all you ever do is bi-weekly hand wash the car with Meguiars soap and the stickers got a little funky. Tell them you hoped on a Challenger fourm and asked around and other people use the same soap and they never had issues. Tell them you think it is the sticker and see what they say.



It wont hurt and if you keep things simple you will have a chance. Dealers right now are trying to cut costs but at the same time make people happy. If they see it as some b.s. stickers to keep you happy...who knows, maybe it will help.
 
advs1 said:
since the cost is so high to replace them. maybe he can go through his insurance. i have a great relationship with several body shops, they would file a claim. if his deductible is say $500, you pay it and save $300 bucks. it shouldnt raise his rates since it was not his fault and should fall under the vandalism category. not that you vandalized it, but more because its just cosmetic
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If I ever had a vendor damage my car and suggest something like that they would be on the receiving end of a swift kick to the ***. It`s not the customer`s fault, or his insurance carriers responsibility to foot the bill for damaged caused by a contractor that performed the work on the car. :rolleyes:
 
ShineShop said:
It`s not the customer`s fault, or his insurance carriers responsibility to foot the bill for damaged caused by a contractor that performed the work on the car. :rolleyes:
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Technically, it's a covered loss and *could* be claimed under the owner's insurance company. The insurance company would then investigate and go after(subrogate) the responsible party. I'm not advocating this either, because it could potentially raise the person's premiums. I think the manufacturer needs to get involved and get their opinion on the matter.
 
David Fermani said:
Technically, it's a covered loss and *could* be claimed under the owner's insurance company. The insurance company would then investigate and go after(subrogate) the responsible party. I'm not advocating this either, because it could potentially raise the person's premiums. I think the manufacturer needs to get involved and get their opinion on the matter.
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It should never even be mentioned to use the customer's insurance. This is why detailers need to carry their own insurance policy like any respectable business. If the threadstarter doesn't have insurance then shame on him in the first place and he'll have to suck it up aqnd pay out of pocket which is probably what he would have to do anyway being that it is such a small amount that making a claim wouldn't be worth it after the deductable. **** happens in business and it sucks but sometimes you just have to suck it up and pay and move on.
 
I agree with your point totally, but fault or not, their personal auto insurance carrier would pay if a claim was made. I'm speaking out loud in case no one stepped up to the plate and the customer was left on their own.
 
Is it just there at the front of the hood? Looks like rock chips in the decals to me that some wax filled in.
 
Rather than searching for someone to blame, implement a solution.

And those of you recommending fraud and deceit should be ashamed.

If you're a professional then I assume you're insured, is the solution hard to grasp?
 
NSXTASY said:
Rather than searching for someone to blame, implement a solution.

And those of you reccomending fraud and deciet should be ashamed.

If you're a professional then I assume you're insured, is the solution hard to grasp?
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Sadly this is an extremely common problem with the detailing industry :wall
 
The thread title makes a claim that the product leaves white spots on a car, but we can't be sure that it was the product that caused it. Nobody has contacted Dodge (or investigated any owners, enthusiasts, or forum specific to this vehicle) to see if there have been any other (non ultima) complaints about the problem. Ultima has never had this complaint before as noted in the post.



It wasn't stated how well and detailed the pre-inspection of the vehicle was (I know I've personally slacked in this area before). The dealer most likely would have waxed the car (using brand X wax), right?



Ultima is just a sealant, right? It's not the new optimum brand coating that stays on for years--it's a (clear) sealant and can be removed. We're talking about a sealant being left on the decal. Is the decal really ruined?



Have you tried a soft toothbrush or KAIO?



You could spray some UPGP on an object such as glass and see if it dries clear or white.



Good luck on removing it. I'd definitely give it a few more cracks before paying for it. Hey, if it is the Ultima, it might even fail before it is replaced.
 
I'm not a professional, but I guess at this point it looks like any suggestions may help. What about using Black Again? It works on Flat Black surfaces, and removes the odd discolorings.



I mean at this point it might be last result, but you caould try on a little test spot that wouldn't be nearly as noticable.
 
looks like your not the only one to notice these spots on the decals... people at meguiars online are having similar problems... this should easily be covered under warranty. unless in the challenger owners manual they boldly state "do not appy anything on faux CF"
 
As I posted before, I believe this should in fact be covered under warranty by Dodge. Ultima is a clear sealant and can NOT dry to a white color. even if heavily applied it will streak and haze over but a simple wipe down with a MF or a QD is all I've ever needed to "level" it out. Yes I am a professional, yes I am insured, but NO I WILL NOT pay for a dealer/manufacturer defect in workmanship. I believe it is defective and it was a case of "wrong place wrong time" kinda thing, the detailer was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got blamed for this.



To many variables to really point the finger at who is to blame, but I do know this:



Ultima DRIES CLEAR when applied properly(or hazes and streaks when heavily applied)

The way the warranty is worded it is covered.



I wouldn't pay to have the decals replaced, its a warranty issue, and IME and IMHO its not a detailer mistake.



My 2 cents again ;)
 
I'm not going to go back and reread this entire thread, but obviously the WOWA sealants have some sort of solvent carrier that evaporates. Isn't it possible that said solvent damaged the decal? Whether that makes it a defective decal is another issue.
 
@Setec - Thank you, good point....



If it was ultima then I agree either the detailer or Ultima should step up here and foot the bill for the new decals. However if its not some solvent carrier issue that caused the damage to the decals then I say its a warranty issue....Either way really the way the warranty is worded its still a warranty issue (right or wrong its warranty covered).



There really are to many variables to try to place blame on either one party involved in this disaster, Its unfortunate, its a bad turn of events and more importantly it potentially damages the OP's reputation (although not much if he foots the bill regardless).



I personally have never had this problem with ultima spotting, it could be something specific regarding THESE dodge decals, but who knows, If infact there are other issues maybe other dodge forums will have the answers?



?? Doesn't Superbee have a superbee (no pun intended, those cars have decals) and I believe he used Ultima on it? No issues there I dont think.....To late for me to look for the thread I am thinking of....G'Night.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I'm not going to go back and reread this entire thread, but obviously the WOWA sealants have some sort of solvent carrier that evaporates. Isn't it possible that said solvent damaged the decal? Whether that makes it a defective decal is another issue.
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It's possible that it could be a solvent issue, carrier issue or another ingredient that simply dried in the recesses of the decal. My understanding is that that particular decal isn't totally smooth. Ultima isn't clear in the bottle and thus it would stand to reason that it doesn't dry 100% clear either.



I think the best policy would be to not take a risk by waxing over Challenger decals-regardless of brand being used.
 
The client with the Challenger just called me for another detail, and I realized that I forgot to update this thread.



After a couple of conversations, Autopia / Ultima stepped up and dealt with the customer directly, and paid for a new decal. While they likely had no way of knowing this issue could occur, the product did state quite clearly that it was safe to use over decals. I do fault the design of the decal finish as well, but these things happen from time to time.



Kudos to Autopia & Ultima for taking care of their client (me), and my client as well. They have recieved my business for 5 years and will continue to do so in the future.



In response to some of the other posts in this thread:



I do carry my own insurance for $2 million, but did not feel I had any way of preventing this situation, although I certainly would have made sure my client was taken care of should the product manufacturer not stepped up.



I do not feel Dodge should be liable although I hope they modify their decals in the future.



To the person who said it is impossible for Ultima Paint Guard Plus sealant to create white spots - any sealant that creates any sort of a haze as it dries can create spotting when applied to the right texture as demonstrated. The decal was clear and defect free before applying this product.



Again, my thanks to Autopia & Ultima for their great products and excellent customer care.



Edit: I would recommend (as suggested above) not applying any wax or sealant over the Challenger Carbon Fiber look Decals unless the texture has been changed from the manufacturer from the previous model years.
 
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