I just got my car back from 33 days in the body shop to repair hail damage (this is a story in itself). They had to repaint the roof but they left swirl marks when they buffed it out. Is there any reason I should not use my PC and swirl mark remover on the roof now? I was thinking that if the shop buffed it with a rotary, I should be able to get on it with an orbital. Also, how long would you wait before applying Klasse? thanks

 

Well, you could do it yourself....

But since the bodyshop messed it up in the first place, shouldn't they fix it? Or maybe pay someone to fix it?

 

^ +1, i would have the bodyshop fix it.

then consult with Octaneguy if you're gonna fix it yourself.

 

It would be appropriate to have the body shop repair it however, after my experience with them, I think I would rather repair it myself. I will probably buy Octaneguy's dvd for tips.

 

Don't bother with the body shop. If your paint is swirled out, that's the best you can expect "FROM THEM". I see it all the time. Body Shops are production shops. They fix damaged body pieces, they paint them, they've got a guy with sandpaper and a rotary buffer with a wool pad, and some unknown chemicals and he goes to town. Then it's delivered to the customer.

I've repaired many paint finishes that were wrecked by body shops. I've taught body shop guys how to buff properly. I've got a good friend who owns a body shop, and he recently hired me to work on his own car.

There are a few different types of swirls. You've got buffer swirls from an inexperienced polisher


Then you have swirls from just wiping your car or using the car wash


To fix it, I needed to use my rotary bufer. A PC might have fixed it too, it just would have taken longer. This stripes in this image are where I separated different test areas with 3/4" painters tape--so what you are looking at are polished areas against the original damaged areas.


Another example of a body shop who said this was the best the customer could expect


Masking off for the test spot


A little buffing and voila!


The secret to fixing body shop mistakes is understanding the problem, determining how severe it is, and choosing the best tool/process to fix it. Haha, ok, it's no secret, that's what I do all the time for any situation. But seriously, the PC used properly with the right pad and chemicals MIGHT do the trick, but without pix, it's gonna be hard to advise.

re: Klasse Wait time
In general you want to wait 30 days before putting a wax on the paint, but the wait time will vary depending on the type of paint used and what wax product is being used. Many of Meguiar's Pro products are body shop safe. I'm not certain of Klasse, but since it's been greater than 30 days, I don't see why not.

 

Octane guy I wish you lived in new york

 

Naw winters are too cold and my detailing work would become "seasonal".

 

I just got my car re painted black, The Owner of the shop told me to come back in 20 days to buff the car. I asked him why and he said with his 30 year experience, he has found that you have to let black sit before you touch it with anything.

 

My roof came out of the body shop swirled up as well. When I called to complain I was told he would polish it out once but it would just look the same the next time I washed it. I wanted to give him a lesson of washing and drying but decided I would deal with it myself. I did wait about 3 weeks and then swirl and a white pad was all it needed. No wax or sealant till a good month was over to make sure the paint is done curing. The new paint is much softer and scratches much more easily than factory.

 

Waiting a few weeks is a good idea for any paint that hasn't been cured, either in an oven or using infrared lamps. As the volatile components continue to outgas over time, the paint will actually shrink a little bit and change texture.

You wouldn't hurt anything by using a "pure" polish (no waxes, silicones or sealants), but you're not going to get the best possible results unless you wait until the paint's done outgassing.

 

Your new paint chips easier than factory paint?? It seems my Pepper White paint chips with barely a touch of a nail! But I tossed my phone to my wife and it bounced off her Mercedes's roof, and behold! No damage! Yabba!

Good luck with your polishing! Make sure you take it to the bodyshop to show them how its done. It is truly sad that work like this happens when you are paying them thousands.