TimboIS

hehe.. thanks for proving my point.

Big Andy

There is no reason for the paint to be thinner at any point on the car. A paint depth gauge will confirm this.

BTW Having seen the quality control that finished Lexus paintwork goes through at the factory there is no way that would have even got on the boat. Most scratches and swilrls are caused by the dealer employing muppets to prepare the cars before delivery to customers and letting them buff away with circular polishers.

picus

Wow, this thread is turning into a trainwreck. I'm not even sure where to begin. Since the OP was first I'll start there.

GSE25 - your damage looks to me like a combination of two things. First, your car has scratches which look like they were induced simply by improper care, by it washing, drying, people brushing against it, etc... Second, and more importantly it looks like the car has buffer burn from inexperienced rotary use (if I'm seeing it correctly). I'm unsure how you didn't notice a big spot of primer before washing? Either way, if that is down to the primer or metal, it will require a repaint. I don't know how long it's been since you took delivery of the car but I would personally raise a stink like no ones business at the dealership.

Second - regardless of whather or not black IS's have a clearcoat, they are still cared for in the same way. The clear coat issue is almost uniformly misunderstood. Cars do not need a clear coat and if they are single stage (the name for paint with no clear coat), you care for them in the same way. Wash them properly, polish them occassionally, wax them regularly.

Third - buffing paint is not a bad thing. You just need to use the right tools and more importantly, have experience. I spend a large part of my day buffing cars, and have for the past 6 years - I've yet to have an issue with buffer burn, holograms, etc... Why do you polish paint? I'm writing a FAQ on it right now but the bottom line is to remove scratches, swirls, marring, oxidation, bird etchings, and restore a paints shine and luster. Many people incorrectly assume that wax or sealants are what makes a car look good - they are a very small percentage of the actual look of the paint. Remember, preperation is 95% of the job.

Forth - microfiber vs cotton? I'm not going to touch this other than to say that literally thousands of people use both problem free every day. I've been using mf's for years, and will continue to do so until something works better for me.

Fifth - paint is thinner is some areas of a cars finish. Body lines and creases are typically 10-15% thinner than the rest of the car. Luckily this should never be an issue, because even if you polish a car 4 times a year for 10 years if done properly you'll never remove more than a few thosoundths of a micron of paint.

To the op - it seems unlikey to me personally that someone would accept a car with such obvious damage. Even a bucketfull of glaze would not have been able to cover a spot like that. Even so, if you absolutely have no idea how that happened (as it, you didn't buy a $19.99 rotary from Home Depot and try to remove the scratches yourself), I would definitely contact the dealership and Lexus corporate about repaint.

Cheers.

AndyL

Hi Picus,

Not sure if it is directly relevant to this thread. Will clay bar remove waxes on the car?

OneOfOne

use dishwashing liquid to remove the wax. and never use it to wash your car. use it in the same manner as if you were going to wash it and then once rinsed off use your regular washing formula.

Guitarman

Clay bar will remove waxes and many sealants, at least to a degree.

Someone, somewhere along the way used a rotary buffer on that ridge. Whether it was the dealership guys "waxing" it and not having a clue, or someone else. That caused it. If it were my car, I'd be possesed into finding out who.


By hand, you'd need to rub long and hard with a heavy cut compound to do that.

GSE25

As I said before.... I picked up the car that spot wasnt there... it was other areas that were scratched...............
I just got back from the dealership.. they said it was most likely from a cigarette burn when someone threw out their cig on the road... or some bastage decided to rub his cig on my hood... Not covered under warranty, polished/waxed it for me... that is all..

picus

That is not a cigarette burn. I very rarely make black and white comments like that but I have seen cigarette damage on paint and that is most definitely not it. Not only that, but there is further evidence of buffer trails near the burn, which leads me to believe that it is almost certainly a buffer burn (I would really, REALLY be shocked if it wasn't). Someone somewhere is lying to you.

AndyL - clay will remove almost any wax and a large majority of sealants. If you want it gone for sure use a mixture of 50:50 rubbing alcohol and water (just regular store bought 70% rubbing alcohol), spray on a panel then wipe off with a mf.

GSE25

My car hasn't seen a buffer since I took delivery.

EDIT: sorry I meant after delivery..

Guitarman

Ok...now...the only thing I picked up on on an earlier page of this thread is this quote from you:


This is the salient point then isn't it?

I mean, if the car was out of your sight for a period of time, and some bozos thought that applying "wax" with a rotary buffer was a great time saving notion...does anyone here think that's beyond belief? From the horror stories I've read on similar matters, I believe it ENTIRELY plausible.

Sure, they will absolve themselves of any culpability, but that doesn't mean they didn't do it. I would expect them to cover themselves.
None of us are there in person to view that spot, but I've seen buffer burn many times, that IS it. Not a cigarette burn. I've been wrong enough times before, but I'd bet on it personally that i'm not.

I realize this doesn't make you feel any better, but there's really no other explanation that is as reasonable.

Just sorry you're going though this, it's deplorable.

picus

Ya, I definitely have to agree. I've been wrong in the past too, but if that isn't a buffer burn then like I said above, I'd be very shocked. I think while the car was out of your sight someone either applied some wax, or more likely, tried to remove some of those scratches with a rotary and burned the paint. It's likely they covered up their mistake with a lot of glaze and hoped it wouldn't be noticed until too late. Unfortunately it looks like that worked.

GSE25

Ouch.... but how could I possibly convince them that it is indeed their fault and it IS a buffer burn? Would I have to resort to Lexus of Canada?

picus

Well the issue now is that it's your word against theirs. I'd approach the dealership, ask to speak with the GM, and tell him that you've had the car looked at and the general concensus is that the damage is due to imporper use of a buffer. Since you've not used a buffer on the car the damage must have been caused by them. If he refuses to pay for a repaint of the effected areas I would contact Lexus of Canada, although at this point it may be a long shot.

Good luck, and if in the future you have any detailing questions please let us know. I didn't even realize you were in Toronto until now. I'd be happy to assist you in any way I can if you ever need someone locally.