When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Here's what I want to know, I don't think it been mentioned...
Did you pay in full for the mechanical work performed on the harmonic balancer or did you withhold funds? If they had your credit card did you deny the charge?
I paid in full for the mechanical work that was performed.
Ive only ceramic coated two cars and they dont look like that. One is my z06 which is washed correctly(so why would it get scratches) and the other is my G8 that is auto washed. Both black. The G8 is driven in the winter and has gone through at least 6 automatic washes already this year and doesn't look anything like the OPs car. The G8 only has one coat on it to boot. Maybe the coating the detailer used sucks? I use Mohs and I really like it so far.
Even when I was washing with the old school method (get car wet, dirty mitt, dip in soap, circle motions, rinse, done) I never scratched a car like the OPs. That car looks like its been washed a lot or washed once with scotch brite.
Could it be swirls caused from buffing? Maybe they scuffed your car up or messed up something and did a quick buff job and messed that up?
Can you post some pictures of the car now, but like the original pictures? We are comparing apples to oranges here. Zoom in shots, with flash, will show EVERYTHING. I can see scratches and swirls in the original pictures, especially the trunk lid one (top right area). Do you have original zoom in shots? The pics attached are of a couple of my vehicles after getting coated with a similar product (literally every car pictured has a coating on it). Every car is super reflective and obviously swirl free based on these pictures. I'll be happy to take pics of any of them up close zoomed in and zoomed out back to back. Even though doing this is something I have never done I'm betting I can get shots that look awesome like the attached ones and zoom in shots that look like butt. I'm just wondering if you had good lighting and the car looked great, then something caught your eye and are now being overly picky? None of this is trying to bust your ***** or the detailer... just trying to put a different perspective on things hoping it helps.
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16'-'17-‘18-'19-'20-'21-'22-
'23-'24
Wow, I just read this entire post. Lots of dumb comments made and some good ones.
It's simple, it was given to the dealership in great condition, it came out damaged. Dealerships reasonability IMO.
I do tell everyone who works on my cars not to wash them. The Chevy dealership here in Cedar Rapids Iowa washes the cars they work on..... for free.
As for the member who did the paint correction on the Corvette, I'd trust him to do mine. Best wishes to the OP
Can you post some pictures of the car now, but like the original pictures? We are comparing apples to oranges here. Zoom in shots, with flash, will show EVERYTHING. I can see scratches and swirls in the original pictures, especially the trunk lid one (top right area). Do you have original zoom in shots? The pics attached are of a couple of my vehicles after getting coated with a similar product (literally every car pictured has a coating on it). Every car is super reflective and obviously swirl free based on these pictures. I'll be happy to take pics of any of them up close zoomed in and zoomed out back to back. Even though doing this is something I have never done I'm betting I can get shots that look awesome like the attached ones and zoom in shots that look like butt. I'm just wondering if you had good lighting and the car looked great, then something caught your eye and are now being overly picky? None of this is trying to bust your ***** or the detailer... just trying to put a different perspective on things hoping it helps.
based on the fact you failed to respond I'm going with the detailer did a crap job up front and you noticed it later
based on the fact you failed to respond I'm going with the detailer did a crap job up front and you noticed it later
Interesting response. I have not been on this site in some time, as already noted, and just came across your questions/request. It seems as though you are assuming the detailer did a poor job, and are basing this on the photos I posted?
I posted this to both vent and remind people who care about their finish to do a better job than I did of ensuring a dealership does not wash their cars. I am not here to prove to you that SSTG (the member of this forum who is also the detailer who performed this work) did what I paid him to do to my car. He did a great job on this car, as well as my daily driver. The daily driver, by the way, is still swirl-free over a year later. The only difference being that it has never seen the inside of a dealership since purchase.
It seems as though you're asking for photos taken further away? You also mention "apples to apples". You will find in the original post here that I posted close-up shots of both the trunk deck and hood, showing the condition of the paint prior.
Are you wanting me to take photos of the car where you cannot see the damage? I don't know why I would do this. Swirl marks are best seen in the correct lighting conditions, and are not easily viewed from far away. Hence the shots of both my hood and trunk deck, in direct sunlight and closeup. You mention something about "flash" - there was no flash photography used. That is sunlight, as in the "prior" photos.
Regardless, I've always been satisfied with this detailers work, as have many other forum members.
Interesting response. I have not been on this site in some time, as already noted, and just came across your questions/request. It seems as though you are assuming the detailer did a poor job, and are basing this on the photos I posted?
I posted this to both vent and remind people who care about their finish to do a better job than I did of ensuring a dealership does not wash their cars. I am not here to prove to you that SSTG (the member of this forum who is also the detailer who performed this work) did what I paid him to do to my car. He did a great job on this car, as well as my daily driver. The daily driver, by the way, is still swirl-free over a year later. The only difference being that it has never seen the inside of a dealership since purchase.
It seems as though you're asking for photos taken further away? You also mention "apples to apples". You will find in the original post here that I posted close-up shots of both the trunk deck and hood, showing the condition of the paint prior.
Are you wanting me to take photos of the car where you cannot see the damage? I don't know why I would do this. Swirl marks are best seen in the correct lighting conditions, and are not easily viewed from far away. Hence the shots of both my hood and trunk deck, in direct sunlight and closeup. You mention something about "flash" - there was no flash photography used. That is sunlight, as in the "prior" photos.
Regardless, I've always been satisfied with this detailers work, as have many other forum members.
as I pointed out already I can see scratches in the pics before the dealer got the car. I posted pics of my cars for the same reason you are now stating... swirls only show up in certain light and can darn sure tell you my Wife's G37 and my DD Volt are both blanketed in ceramic coating and in wash swirls yet pics dont show swirls.
there is a much higher probability that the detailer just had an off day and you didn't notice it versus a dealer doing that level of damage. Once a ceramic coating is applied, in my experience, it is really hard to screw up the paint that bad... hell... it is part of the marketing of these coatings... in my case the coating was applied over scratches because I dont Care enough about a DD to have paint corrected. I will say post coating the cars look better and haven't gotten worse even though both run through a car wash multiple times a week. So yes, your pics dont help your case. I can see scratches in the "good" pics which you didn't address. I dont see pics of the car zoomed out now because I bet it still looks great.
furthermore... a bad wash, typically, shows everywhere. You posted some VERY highly pounded areas where C5's will tend to get swirls over time. If you posted areas where they dont it would hold a lot more water.
as I pointed out already I can see scratches in the pics before the dealer got the car. I posted pics of my cars for the same reason you are now stating... swirls only show up in certain light and can darn sure tell you my Wife's G37 and my DD Volt are both blanketed in ceramic coating and in wash swirls yet pics dont show swirls.
there is a much higher probability that the detailer just had an off day and you didn't notice it versus a dealer doing that level of damage. Once a ceramic coating is applied, in my experience, it is really hard to screw up the paint that bad... hell... it is part of the marketing of these coatings... in my case the coating was applied over scratches because I dont Care enough about a DD to have paint corrected. I will say post coating the cars look better and haven't gotten worse even though both run through a car wash multiple times a week. So yes, your pics dont help your case. I can see scratches in the "good" pics which you didn't address. I dont see pics of the car zoomed out now because I bet it still looks great.
furthermore... a bad wash, typically, shows everywhere. You posted some VERY highly pounded areas where C5's will tend to get swirls over time. If you posted areas where they dont it would hold a lot more water.
Your theory is that I paid a not-small sum of money to a professional to coat my car, a detailer I trust and who has performed other work for me, inspected it with him in full light, drove, and yet somehow missed the fact that the finish is completely covered in swirls on every panel? And furthermore, that I coincidentally noticed the finish after picking up the car from a dealer who initially told me they did indeed provide a "courtesy wash"?
That is of "higher probability" to you? Interesting.
It seems you also want further proof of the extent of damage? Good lord. What panel would you like to see? They all look the same.
Ive only ceramic coated two cars and they dont look like that. One is my z06 which is washed correctly(so why would it get scratches) and the other is my G8 that is auto washed. Both black. The G8 is driven in the winter and has gone through at least 6 automatic washes already this year and doesn't look anything like the OPs car. The G8 only has one coat on it to boot. Maybe the coating the detailer used sucks? I use Mohs and I really like it so far.
Even when I was washing with the old school method (get car wet, dirty mitt, dip in soap, circle motions, rinse, done) I never scratched a car like the OPs. That car looks like its been washed a lot or washed once with scotch brite.
Could it be swirls caused from buffing? Maybe they scuffed your car up or messed up something and did a quick buff job and messed that up?
I call bs on this whole post I'm sorry. There is no chance in hell you washed your car with a dirty mitt single bucket method, in circular motion, and not introduce swirls. Your paint isn't sapphire.
I call bs on this whole post I'm sorry. There is no chance in hell you washed your car with a dirty mitt single bucket method, in circular motion, and not introduce swirls. Your paint isn't sapphire.
10-15-2018, 11:50 PM
