Detailer messed up!

[LC1050]

I came across this thread and found it interesting. What wash and dry techniques are you currently using? I only ask because I hand wash my 2009 sedan with the same black paint as yours every week and have also had this problem!! The solution however has to be how you are washing and drying...once I started using a two bucket method and better wash media I had no more marring on the paint. Also it is very important to know what you are drying with. I also started premium waffle weave drying towels and still no marks. Trust me I know...I ruined a $700 polish detail and had to fix it myself.

There were also a couple other comments about Autogeek.net and Detailedimage.com. Those are two fantastic websites!

I'm not trying to defend the detailers because I have experience with my fair share of "professionals" but it could have very well been your own doing. I know $160 might sound like a lot but hiring someone to fix what the cheap guys do is even more expensive.

 

[DominicJE]

Hey there - while this could also cause the issue, the problem with this though is that I haven't touched the car when they did the detailing. 2-3 days after, it rained and then I noticed it before I even washed / dried the car. It seems they put some wax on there that hides / fills it in for a few days but then it shows again.

So when I went back a second time they did the same thing, it looked great but then a few days later it showed back up. Both times I haven't touched the car to make sure.

 

[scottdk]

Hey there - while this could also cause the issue, the problem with this though is that I haven't touched the car when they did the detailing. 2-3 days after, it rained and then I noticed it before I even washed / dried the car. It seems they put some wax on there that hides / fills it in for a few days but then it shows again.

So when I went back a second time they did the same thing, it looked great but then a few days later it showed back up. Both times I haven't touched the car to make sure.

From what my detailer says about this after reading this thread.......

Scott -

What I was talking about is different than the poster in that thread. Wiping the car down with solvents like that several times increases the chance of instilling some marring/scratching. The solvent will temporarily soften the clear and the wiping with MF towels increases the chance of this. It varies by paint type though and some cars are more prone to scratching than others.

In the original posters case of that thread, he brought his car to a hack who most likely flew over the car with a rotary polisher, aggressive pad, and an oil heavy polish, skipping all the necessary refining steps. That's what you get for a $160 though. You'll see threads like this all the time.

On your car I did 3 polishing steps (with multiple passes on the first step). Keep in mind that I also do a test spot and wipe it down with alcohol (IPA) to ensure my correction is true before doing the whole car.

The first step I performed on your car was Meguiars M105 on the DA with Surbuf pads. This is a very aggressive combo on most cars, but it was required to get any amount of correction on your rock hard paint, which still required a good 4 passes to get it looking good. After I got the paint to where I was happy with I followed that up with Meguiars D300 on the DA polisher with MF cutting pads, This step further refined the finish by removing the haze left behind from the initial correction, while also allowing me to chase down a few more deeper scratches. At this point this finish look glossy and free of defects, but further refinement was still required. For the final polishing, or "jeweling" step, I went over the whole car with Menzerna PO85RD on the rotary equipped with a blue LC finishing pad. The car was then washed to remove all polishing oils which could potentially be filling defects in the paint. At this point what you see if what you get, a true finish with no filling from polishes or waxes.

 

[Corvo]

From what my detailer says about this after reading this thread.......

I second this. I don't recommend going out and buying surbuf pads if you have no experience using them, they are certainly something you want to leave to the professionals.

Properly washing the car is, of course, a huge step in maintaining it's appearance. I had a customer ruin a $500 detail we did because he read somewhere to wash his car with a truck broom.

If you are very concerned with the appearance of your vehicle, just make sure the advice you get on how to care for it is from someone who knows what they are talking about.

 

[scottdk]

I had a customer ruin a $500 detail we did because he read somewhere to wash his car with a truck broom.QUOTE]

OMG Might as well just sand blast the car for every wash!!!!!!!!

 

[DominicJE]

Any good detailers that are really good in Central Florida area? I mean money isn't an issue, I just want to honestly get this whole thing fixed. It bugs me each time I'm driving to the point it's not fun driving... While it's not the worst ever, it's still there in the sun and ruins it

Or any good websites where I can find legit detailers in my area?

 

[scottdk]

Pics after the Wash, Clay Bar, buffing, and wax. Your car should look like this after

 

[DominicJE]

It did, however a few days later is when all those marks showed up. I still haven't fixed it yet.

 

[scottdk]

It did, however a few days later is when all those marks showed up.

I know, that's what I was getting to....if you had the problems corrected yet.

 

[Black Rocket 3.8]

I’ve followed this thread with interest as I had a similar problem with a detailer. The car looked great initially, but after the first washing the car was covered with swirl marks. After reading the posts about doing your own detailing, I decided to take the plunge and try to correct the swirl problem. I reviewed the various web sites and settled on using Meguiar’s products. I also purchased a Meguiar’s DA polisher. The top handle position on the polisher seemed more user friendly than the other polishers on the market. I used a four step process:

1. Wash with car soap. (Meguiar’s)
2. Clay bar entire car. (Meguiar’s clay bar with Meguiar’s Quik Detailer)
3. Compound the entire car using DA Polisher with Meguiar's 6.5-Inch Soft Buff Foam Polishing Pad. (Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound-Liquid)
4. Polish entire car using DA polisher to apply polish with Meguiar's 6.5-Inch Soft Buff Foam Finishing Pad and hand buff. (Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish-Liquid)

The entire process took about five hours. The results, to be modest, were spectacular. There are no swirls on the car and the color depth is superb. The two attached pictures were taken after the fourth washing since going through the above process. I would recommend this self detailing process to anyone. Once you get into it, it’s not that hard. I’m no spring chicken, 70, and if I can do it, you young wipper snappers can as well!

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[msitter]

I’ve followed this thread with interest as I had a similar problem with a detailer. The car looked great initially, but after the first washing the car was covered with swirl marks. After reading the posts about doing your own detailing, I decided to take the plunge and try to correct the swirl problem. I reviewed the various web sites and settled on using Meguiar’s products. I also purchased a Meguiar’s DA polisher. The top handle position on the polisher seemed more user friendly than the other polishers on the market. I used a four step process:

1. Wash with car soap. (Meguiar’s)
2. Clay bar entire car. (Meguiar’s clay bar with Meguiar’s Quik Detailer)
3. Compound the entire car using DA Polisher with Meguiar's 6.5-Inch Soft Buff Foam Polishing Pad. (Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound-Liquid)
4. Polish entire car using DA polisher to apply polish with Meguiar's 6.5-Inch Soft Buff Foam Finishing Pad and hand buff. (Meguiar’s Ultimate Polish-Liquid)

The entire process took about five hours. The results, to be modest, were spectacular. There are no swirls on the car and the color depth is superb. The two attached pictures were taken after the fourth washing since going through the above process. I would recommend this self detailing process to anyone. Once you get into it, it’s not that hard. I’m no spring chicken, 70, and if I can do it, you young wipper snappers can as well!

The swirl marks are really fine scratches in the clear and are not going away without some work. This outlined method is the only way to permanently remove swirls. Basically polishing down the clear coat until the swirls are at the surface again and the paint is absolutely smooth even under a microscope. This can be accomplished 2 ways, 1) use a non abrasive polish to fill these scratches which will look good for 1 or 2 washes and then reappear or 2) remove the scratches using a fine abrasive product (professionally recommended) and they should not reappear.

 

[DominicJE]

Ugh I had hope in going to someone in yet ANOTHER city as they are reputable, and paid $225 dollars, and the end result? I'm still seeing things like this: (this is not my car, but will be taking pictures tomorrow to show you)

It seems I am putting so much money to get this solved and it seems like I am NEVER getting this fixed... It's been a complete nightmare. I've tried FOUR different detailers... and still my hood and my trunk are still full with the hologram type look when seeing it in the sun. Also now I see vortex circular scratches everywhere which I think are causing the hologram look.

IS THERE ANY HOPE?

This has been bothering me for so long I can't take it...

I've contacted the detailer I went to today and hopefully they will work something out. I've invested so much money in gettin this issue fixed. Where the hell can I find someone who can actually fix this issue? I mean, I'm seeing all these other detailing threads of how they removed theirs but yet I can't get mine removed.

/sorry im a bit angry right now.

 

[Mark_888]

It seems I am putting so much money to get this solved and it seems like I am NEVER getting this fixed... It's been a complete nightmare. I've tried FOUR different detailers... and still my hood and my trunk are still full with the hologram type look when seeing it in the sun. Also now I see vortex circular scratches everywhere which I think are causing the hologram look.

IS THERE ANY HOPE?

By now, I suspect that all (or most) of the clear coat has has been polished away. Each time you have work done, it physically removes something from the finish. They can add wax on it, but the wax washes off after a short time.

 

[DominicJE]

The people I went to yesterday agreed to fix it, however what if my clear coat is gone? It seems only the hood and the trunk are having problems with the swirls that are making it look like a bunch of holograms when walking around the area. Can the detailer add the clear coat or do I have to go to a paint repair place? Sorry I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to paint and such.

 

[scottdk]

The people I went to yesterday agreed to fix it, however what if my clear coat is gone? It seems only the hood and the trunk are having problems with the swirls that are making it look like a bunch of holograms when walking around the area. Can the detailer add the clear coat or do I have to go to a paint repair place? Sorry I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to paint and such.

I've sent a message to my detailer regarding your nightmare. Standing by for his reply...................

 

[RaskyR1]

I've sent a message to my detailer regarding your nightmare. Standing by for his reply...................

Figured it was easier for me to just create an account.

How's the Opti-Guard on the Optima?


Dominic,

Please don't take this the wrong way, but for the prices you are paying, especially is FL, you are going to continue getting these types of results. Places like that simply can't spend the required time it takes to properly finish a car down and still make a profit, period. The going rate in your area for a reputable pro is going to be between $50-95 an hour, most will be on the higher end too. Based on you're most recent pics it will likely take 2 polishing steps to remove the damage instilled by the last detailer and finish to a show car shine. That's about 10-14 hours worth of work on a car of that size. A reputable pro will have a Paint Thickness Gauge (PTG) and should be able to tell if there is enough clear to work with...based on the readings I took from Scott's car, I'd say your cars have pretty good readings compared to a lot of other manufactures.

At this point you have two options:

1. Buy a DA polisher, pads, polishes...ect and tackle it yourself. This is probably the best and more affordable route as you will have the tools needed to maintain the finish going forward. However, detailing is not for everyone and it is a lot of work. If you do decide to do it yourself we have lots of good articles on the DI "Ask-A-Pro" blog that will help you with the products, tool, and techniques. Sicne you're in FL you also have the option of going to Autogeek and attending one of there classes, which will really getting you heading in the right direction if you choose to do it yourself.


2. Spend the money for a REAL pro, not some high volume detailer shop, even if they have good ratings/reviews.

I'm not sure where you are exactly in FL but below are a few guys I'd recommend. Be sure to tell them Rasky referred you if you decide to call them.

Good Guys Detailing
Addison Good
South Florida
Phone: 614-738-5006
Email: addison@goodguysdetailing.com
Website: http://www.goodguysdetailing.com/


Bella Macchina
Todd Helme
407.963.1444
http://belladetailing.com/

If those guys are not in your area they may know someone that is, so give them a call.




Hope this helps,
Rasky

 

[scottdk]

Figured it was easier for me to just create an account.

How's the Opti-Guard on the Optima?

It's great, I can't wait to get the Sonata done too!

 

[DominicJE]

Thanks a lot for all your help guys!

The detailer actually has charged me 50 dollars an hour and took about 4-5 hours but gave me one hour for free. The detailing company has about 15 different stores throughout united states so I figured they would be very good.

He is allowing me to come back to get it fixed and said my clear coat was definitely still there. This is what he said:

You absolutely have a clean coat. What was originally used on your car was probably a heavy grit compound with a wool or yellow cutting pad, which gave you the burn or trail from your other detailer. We used a very low grit wax by Meguiar’s called Solo and a paint sealant that has no grit.

If your car was wet sanded that would eliminate clear coat, not what we did yesterday. Buffing puts fine marks in that can be blended out, but does not remove clear coat. Clear coat protects the paint and without it (or if areas were compromised) you would see shading variations in color as the wax will not stick to paint.

I am glad to hear about the roof and the rest of the car. We’ll make it right!

 

[RaskyR1]

Thanks a lot for all your help guys!

The detailer actually has charged me 50 dollars an hour and took about 4-5 hours but gave me one hour for free. The detailing company has about 15 different stores throughout united states so I figured they would be very good.

He is allowing me to come back to get it fixed and said my clear coat was definitely still there. This is what he said:

4-5 hours is not much time on a car that size with one person working on it. At most they would have enough time to do a 1-step.

Meguair's Solo is a "one liquid" system, (not a wax) where the cut is determined by the pad and polisher used. It can be a very aggressive compound or a finishing polish simply by changing the pad, and it is good stuff, when used correctly. If after they worked on the car you still have buffer trails, either they weren't aggressive enough to remove the previous detailers buffer marks, or they were still too aggressive themselves for a finishing step.

Please send them the above info and also ask what type of polishers they are using and what type of pads they used.

Again, based solely on the images posted before (condition may be different in person) They should have hit it with Solo and a cutting pad followed by Solo and a finishing pad, or even M205 or similar finishing polish on a finishing pad. IMO they should probably use a DA too to ensure there are ZERO holograms remaining. The marks you are seeing are from rotary polishers combined with too aggressive of a pad/polish combo or an inexperienced user.

Can you PM me the name of the shop too?


Rasky

 

[shadax]

I've been reading all of this stuff about washing cars and clearcoat scratching etc and I have to say that it's made me notice tiny scratches on mine. Also, it looks like a dirty towel was brought inside or something(?) because I notice little tiny fine scratches on some of the inside plastic surfaces too. I'm more and more reluctant to even wash my car! I need to find a good place to do regular washes. If anyone is in SoCal and can point me to one, ....