New GTI Paint problem...need help and advice

[Veee1.8t]

Hey guys

I purchased a brand new Black pearl GTI a couple months ago and when i picked it up from the showroom it had swirl marks all over it and made note of it before i drove away with it, the sales guy then sent me to get it removed at the place they wash all their cars, they ended up over buffing it and now there are more swirls marks and hollograms all over the paintwork and it looks terrible. I spoke to the new car manager and he now sent me to a paint correction guy who just hand polishes it and said it will take about 4 or 5 hand polishes to get rid of it. I however dont think this will work as whenever i wash the car it removes the polish and in the sun it looks terrible. What are my options? ive taken it to get it polished 3 times now and if it doesnt work this time what should i be asking of the dealer?

any help would be great.
Cheers, Vee

[aVex]

Polishing is not a coat thus it does not wash off after washing. What polishing does is it removes a layer of the paint lacquer which in turn reduces the swirls. Swirls are actually very fine cuts/scratches in the lacquer. As polishing removes microscopic layer of the lacquer, you should only do it once a year else you will eventually run out of lacquer to polish off as it gets thinner and thinner, of course over the years.

If I were to buy a new car, I would not expect to have any swirls on it. I really don't know how you should proceed on this, it does cost heaps to respray the car.

[cjay]

Sounds like you need to find a decent detailed, if paint correction is done properly it will look like a new car.

[SilvrFoxX]

If his guy doesnt fix it you need to get them to agree you want to take it to a pro.. I would take it down to the guys a Car Care Products / Car Care, Car Wax, Car Polish, Car Covers, Detailing products & more ...

They will give you a prognosis and a quote to fix it

[Veee1.8t]

Hopefully i can take some pictures of it soon to put up, but it is very bad, they sent to it to a paint correction guy and they admit the condition of the paint is almost damaged to the point of no repair so that will give u an idea of how bad it is. I will give them a chance to "fix" it with their correction guy one more time. If it doesnt return to brand new condition then i will i will either take it to the place above, or they will have to respray the car or come to some sort of other arrangement. Its pretty unacceptable.

[elisiX]

I think the point is mate that nomatter who is polioshing it, it's not going to be 'returned to brande new condition'.

I'd be taking the car back and insisting on a new car ordered. I cant believe you took delivery of it in the first place.

No way in hell i'd be happy settling for a resprayed new car. Automatic devalue. No thanks.

[Corey_R]

A good paint detailing company can actually restore a car with swirls and scratches to look better than new. For example, Surface Tech, who I can personally recommend. SilvrFoxX above linked you to Car Care Products.com.au, and whilst I'm also a customer of theirs, I had no idea they offered paint corrective services (or any detailing services) to customers. I know they can give advice though.

The problem is, as has been mentioned, you eventually get to the point where there is not enough clear coat left to actually perform restoration on. If the paint correction person has already told you that it is basically damaged to the point of no repair, I would be probably pushing to have the car replaced as even IF they are able to fix it, you could literally kill your paint the next time you go to polish it....

[SilvrFoxX]

I did a detailing course at their premises and they also proffered their professional detailing services. Also whilst there someone came in with damaged paintwork and they took it on .. hence my recommendation.

[Corey_R]

Yeah, their site mentions their clinics but not their pro services (that I can find anyway).

Btw, how'd you find the course?

[SilvrFoxX]

Well I knew most of it anyway but it was organised by another forum so I went along to hook up with those I usually only chat online.

But I did learn a few things as some of the products can get a bit confusing. It is inexpensive and a bit of a laugh if you are with people you know / sort of ..

But in the end it is a bit of a product sales pitch ( tupperware comes to mind) but for $40 you get a day out to talk about cars and see what can be done to a Black car bonnet that the owner thought was in good nick. These guys took the paint right back and built it up till it was a mirror.. scratches, swirls the full deal.

As an aside one of the guys there has exatly , and I mean exactly the same problem and this is what he did

So what did Mrs KWICKS order?

[Danny]

A good paint detailing company can actually restore a car with swirls and scratches to look better than new.

He is 100% spot on. The car is not beyond repair at all. Unless the scratches have permeated the clear and are down to the paint and or metal, with a brand new clear coat, the car is repairable.

If you were in Melbourne I'd personally reccommend Eurogloss Prestige. Mario is highly eccentric and borderline obsessive compulsive. He's a cousin of a mate, and has the contracts for Zagame's and does a lot of work on European cars. He is highly experienced in exotics and I have seen his work and seen him at work first hand. The guy does not stop until the car is finished like a mirror, even if he comes across as a little odd. But to have the immaculate attention to detail and an obsession with the tiny most superficial parts of a car, you have to be different. His work is beyond belief.

We have a brand new FPV F6 Ute in Black with the same Issue. It was fixed by Mario. The difference was astounding. No new car comes out of pre delivery looking the way Eurogloss Prestige finishes them.

So it is possible to fix your issue. I would take any doomsayers with a grain of salt. Too bad you are not in Melbourne! As I'd be pushing the dealer to send your GTI to Mario for a weekend.

[cjay]

+1 for Mario, his work is ammmmmmazing! Shows what can be done

[Veee1.8t]

Thanks guys, okay so melbourne might be out. who can i use in Sydney?

[SilvrFoxX]

You can contact the guy in my link to see how he fared but he was pretty happy with this bloke

DMS Detailing - Home

[Ryan_R]

I noticed the other day that my roof doesn't have any paint lacquer on the roof. I'm thinking of using the services of a local car detailer shop that I found on the net and just want to check what I need to restore the roof -do I just need a polish or something special in addition?

Here's the link in case anyone else is interested:
Pride Detailing | Gallery of Car Detailing Work