I was doing a quick detailing last night and noticed a half-dollar sized dull spot in the paint, right on top of the driver's side fender. You can only see it when the light is just so, but it is definitely duller than the surrounding paint and feels different...not as slick as the rest of the hood. It almost seems like it's a spot the factory missed when polishing/wetsanding the paint...or perhaps it's a low spot from excessive buffing. It's right on the top of the ridge leading to the headlight.

The car is only about a month old and I've not used any kind of product on it yet except Meguiar's Hi-Tech wash and spot-cleanings with Meguiar's Final Inspection. Is this something I should bring to the dealer's attention or try to treat it myself with a high-quality fine polish? The car is pepper white so it's not terribly noticeable, as it might be on a dark or metallic color.

Thanks for any guidance...

 

If the car is only 1 month old I would bring any defect to the dealers attention

 

Bring it to the attention of your dealer, and stand your ground! I had a funny spot on my DS bonnet. The dealer was a bit ignorant to me, suggesting that they didn't know what could've happened to it AFTER I picked it up. I insisted that they take care of it, and they did. I think it just involved some detailing steps on the part of their detailing department. Unlike some dealerships, they do have a good detailing group.

 

Took my CR/W MINI back to the dealer after about a month with, among other things, a dull whitesh looking spot on the drivers door. Response of SA, (Roadshow), "you should have said something about that when you picked up the car". What a crock of BS. I talked to the Service Manager and they made the spot better, although you can still see it a little.

Take it back and make sure it's 100% OK before you accept it.


R.E.

 

resmini, do you know exactly what they did to make the spot better?

I have a dull spot just a couple mm wide on my bonnet scoop that I've tried everything on to no avail.

 

I think they buffed it out, but I'm not positive because I didn't see them do it. I saw my car on Saturday before I picked it up on Monday. It had been cleaned up at that time but a dull whitesh spot existed on both doors. I asked the detail supervisor about it and he said, "we're not through yet". They buffed out the passenger door but the drivers door still needed help. In the rush and excitement of picking the car up on Monday I didn't notice you could still see the spot on the drivers door. In my after the fact discussion with the service manager I suggested if they were going to try and deny fixing stuff that should have been taken care of by them at delivery then they had better get out their list and go over it in great detail with every customer before the customer accepts the car. They certainly didn't do that with me. Still hacks me off to think about it.

I'm afraid the discoloration that still exist is an indication that the clearcoat is very thin in the area that was buffed. It's not bad though and I only notice it now if the light is just right.

 

Usually, dealers use orbiters to wax cars before delivery. Often they use worn out pads, abbrassive waxes or a combination of these and unskilled labor to get it done.

It is a good idea for the future to request the dealer not to wash/wax the car before delivery. If you request that, they'll do it and won't touch your vehicle.

Dull spots can be removed with patience and the right "tools". Take it back to the dealer if you must, but I personally would try to buff it out myself as the dealer may again use that crappy orbiter to get it out.