Is it normal for new cars to have swirl marks and scratches?
 

Hello,

I've had my raven '17 86 for about a week and I gave it a wash/wax yesterday. To my surprise, I found swirl marks all over the paint and a few scratches. At first I wondered if I made all these, but I was sure to wash in straight lines to avoid any making accidental scratches too obvious. I also found a deep scratch near the key hole, and I've never used the physical key to lock/unlock the door before. The dealership had one of those automatic washers which I'm assuming they used to wash the car while I was doing the paperwork.

The main reason why I'm asking if it's normal for these kinds of scratches to be on new cars is because this is my first car purchase, new or used, and I would like to be better informed for future purchases.

Also, the salesman that worked with me gave me his cell number and has been able to answer a few questions I've had since the purchase. Should I bring this up to him and see if there is anything the dealership can do about the paint? Unfortunately, I live a couple hours away from the dealership and won't be able to go back to the area for a couple of weeks.

Quite a few people have told me that black paint is difficult to take care of, but I am willing to put in the time and effort to do so. It would be preferable to start with a clean slate though.

Please let me know if I'm being oversensitive about this.

Swirls are very typical. Even in high end cars. It's always good to tell the dealer not to wash the car when they offer it before delivery, because they don't use the best washing methods and swirl/scratch the paint.

Yes, it is typical. The guys at the dealer are not detailers; they throw some water on the car to rinse obvious dirt off and call it a day. Take your car to a detailer, have them claybar and wash it, then have them do paint correction. From there you can have it sealed, opticoated, wrapped in clear vinyl, or whatever you want.

There is nothing that the dealer will do about swirl marks and they probably won't touch the scratches since you signed off on the car at delivery.


Black is the very hardest colour to maintain and you will need to put a lot of time into it. For the best finish you can either follow Gram's instruction above or spend some time on Youtube watching different techniques and do it yourself.


You will get less picky as time goes by and right now are just suffering from new car isn't perfect syndrome. Just wait until you get your first chip or ding!

nooo! don't say that!

It will happen. Yes, yes, it will happen.

I keep telling myself that I bought this car to drive, not look at.. but I still want it to look pretty!

I took the first high velocity rock hit in my first week. Damn near cried. Second a few weeks later. Was upset. After the 3rd or 4th dozen of them I no longer even flinch. Just walk by and think "oh that's new" and carry on.

Does this mean that you wouldn't recommend a full detail & some form of coating?

If that is what you want it will help with the small stuff. There is no coating that will help against high velocity stones or debris though. My clear hood film is like tattered flag now and my bumper looks like it took a shrapnel blast. My sides have chips and dings, my roof has chips and dings and even my trunk lit took a hit. It is a low car and stuff that would hit others in the grill will just catch you someplace else.

Yepper, you are being too sensitive. It's just a car ....... not your SO's face. :sigh:

I'm surprised that ol @Tcoat didn't reference some threads for you ..... I reckon he is slowing down ....... maybe he took too many of his new pills .... :iono:

Yep, the first scratch is the worst ...... so, prepare yourself.

There is a bunch of instructional stuff on the interweb, to guide you in maintaining a black (or any color) car.


humfrz

Most of my friends that are really into detailing have stopped buying any dark colored cars since the mid 00's. Regulations on paint has taken out a lot of the toxic/polluting VOC's that gave old paint their durability. A lot of the brand new FRS's I saw at the dealership I purchased my car at had swirl marks.

I would still do the full detail and at least put sealant on. If you want to put a coating on the paint (recommended), it needs to be clean before you start or you're just sealing the scratches in. Do what you can now to keep the paint nice, so in five years it still looks great instead of good enough. I wish I had clear bra'd mine, because the first thing I did was drive it across the country and chip up the front end. Tcoat is right that nothing you do will matter when it comes to big rocks or things like that, but a clear bra will keep the small stuff from chipping the paint.


Within the first week I took a rock into my windshield. I didn't cry, but there was a lot of screaming and swearing.

In my lazy, un-kept opinion, some folks just get all carried away with fussing over a car's paint protection.

The humfrz method is to wash it with Dawn like dishwashing soap (to remove the wax); claybar the sucker (follow the instructions on the kit); wax that puppy with a good, name brand wax ...... then just drive it.

When it gets dirty, or you feel like it, wash it with a car washing soap (that won't remove the wax). Then wax it once in the spring and once in the fall.


humfrz

Pick an inconspicuous spot and test your paint. I bet you can dig your fingernail into it.

It'll harden up in about a year. :/

Polish out your swirls after then.

Definitely typical. My firestorm was horrible. I did a full 2 step polish glaze and sealant. Now I wax it after every wash and it's smooth and fairly swirl-less after more than a year.
The red isn't metallic so the swirls stand out like crazy..at least to an obsessive eye like mine O__o

Good luck and congrats!!


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I say you are being oversensitive but I get it, you got a new car and the novelty of having a new car is still in strong effect.

Eventually you will be more concerned about the mechanical aspects of the car rather than the cosmetic.

There's a pretty reputable detailing place down here in Santa Barbara. I think what I'll do is stop by, ask some questions, and maybe have the car evaluated to see if a coating is something worth doing for me.

Ask about claying and paint correction while you're there.

Coatings are very useful. Barring any physical impact (rocks, children, other cars, etc...) they keep the paint nicer longer. In the case of sealants, they need to be redone every so often. Same with polymer wax. Actual carnauba wax needs to be redone much more often, but it looks gorgeous when it's done right. I'm not sure about the life span of opticoat, but it's longer than sealants.

The offer a deep clean + clay bar + paint correction + ceramic coating package and they also do SunTek film which is a bit pricey but probably worth it.

When you say coating, are you referring to ceramic coating? Is that just like another layer of clear coat?

Opticoat is one brand of ceramic coating, although I'm sure there are others. It's basically another clear coat on top of your clear coat, only this one is ceramic, with the hardness and etch/scratch resistance that ceramics have. So, no worrying about bird shit sitting on your car all day etching the paint, or things like that.


Film is a personal choice; I can't say if it's right for you or not. I'd have done the ceramic coating package in a heartbeat if it was available where I bought my car.

To OP IMHO get your car detailed by a professional and have them use a ceramic coating like Opicoat or CQuartz Finest. Both products are great as they make washing your car easy as the water will sheet off.

I just use Optimum Instant detailer every other wash which can be used a aid in drying the car. I spray it on while car is wet and use a waffle towel to wipe off. You won't need to wax your car often. My car sits out in the hot sun 24/7 here in Honolulu which is why I got my car ceramic coated. I have no garage at home.

If you decide to get Opticoat do it soon before your car gets more swirls and shit. Because it'll cost you more $$$$ because of the paint correction. Prepping the car & paint correction for ceramic coating is labor intensive. Applying the ceramic coating is easier then doing paint correction.

Difference between the two is Optimum Opticoat is 5 yr. warranty vs CQuartz Finest is 2 yr. I paid $400.00 to have Opticoat Pro applied to my car which IMHO was the best investment I made for my car. My car was 3 weeks old when I got it done. I only had a small swirl on lower part of my hood. The detailer told me he didn't feel comfortable in charging me $500.00 since not much paint correction needed to be done.

My car just got clayed over the weekend to remove :mad0260:over spray that the auto paint shop did. Unfortunately the detailer had to reapply the ceramic coating, "Cquartz Finest" to my car because he had to use an aggressive clay and polish. The detail shop I go to now uses Cquartz Finest now which fine with me.

Paint film protection is too costly for me which is why I didn't do it.
Just my two cents on this topic! ;)

It's very typical sadly. I do not think your being too sensitive at all you want your paint to look as it should not swirled up, however this problem all starts with dealers detailer's who are using incorrect tools and processes. Also you have black which shows absolutely everything. To start with a clean slate, you need to fix the damage and then make certain that you use the proper tools and procedure to to maintain the finish. Option would be to take the project on yourself which I have done several times, this will require a dual action polisher and quality polish, microfiber towels, decontamination process, etc. I would highly suggest a quality sealant that you apply annually or better yet a paint coating. There are several on the market that any DIY'er can apply once the damage is completely repaired and you have a flawless finish. Also invest in 2 bucket wash system, with grit guards and quality wash and drying tools. The other option is to pay a professional detailer to repair your finish.

I wanted to make a quick note, some people have suggest bring the car back to the dealer: I would ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE allow the dealer to do a thing to the cars finish either now or in the future. They are almost always untrained and will likely create more damage including buffer trails, deep swirls or scratches and holograms in your paint.

Please fell free to PM me and I will be glad to go over any and all options and equipment etc with you to help you keep your car looking great. I detail as a hobby for the past 10+ years.

I'm pretty convinced that I want a ceramic coating. I'll see if I can get some quotes asap.

Thanks! I will most definitely send you a pm next time I'm in need for some advice.

I would love to do a complete detail myself, but I live in an apartment complex and don't have much space to work.

http://optimumforums.org/

Take a look at the Optimum forums on their ceramic coatings, Opticoat Pro and their latest is Gloss Coat. Their instant detailer that I use is the concentrated version which is mixed with distilled water. I buy it from Amazon which lasts me one year. Inexpensive product but damn makes your car glossy and shiny. The other product you could read up on is Optimum No Rinse Wash.

Also buy good microfiber towels with at least 450-700 gsm. Don't buy cheap ones from Costco, Wally world (walmart) because they may leave scratch marks. I purchase all my microfiber towels from a local auto detail shop which also did my ceramic coating.

http://www.pakshak.com/

We'll be waiting for pictures of you car after it's ceramic coated. ;)

I'll take your word for it and try out those two. I'm a little skeptical about doing a no rinse wash when the car is so dusty though. Is it ok to rinse down the car first, then use the no rinse wash?

The "no rinse" portion of Optimum No Rinse is for rinsing the soap off. You're certainly welcome to rinse the dust off first; you just don't need to rinse the soap off. So you can use the two bucket wash method (buy grit guards for both!), which really really cuts down on the total water used to wash your car. I use Optimum No Rinse Wash and Wax; I just mix it a little strong and use it for quick detailer instead of washing my car with it. There are instructions on the bottle for both.

Just use two bucket method with grit guard as gramicci101 already mentioned. No need rinse the car down first before using it.

Btw make sure you're not getting the Opticoat Pro or Gloss Coat ceramic coating from the dealership. Find a authorized installer in your state. Dealerships will charge you a high price. An auto Detail shop is better since they know what products to use and how to prep the car and apply the ceramic coating.

http://opticoat.com/dealer/usa

The nearest authorized dealer is almost 100 miles away =/
Are there other brands that are on par with Opticoat?

Edit: You did mentioned Cquartz Finest. I've inquired about the brand that a local detailing place uses.

👍👍👍Cquartz Finest is good too. I got part of my car coated with it cause detailer I go to uses that now. I had some overspray from a auto paint shop so now I have cquartz finest on parts of my car.

IMHO your car shouldn't cost more than $500.00-$600.00. My friend will be getting his 2016 Tacoma truck coated with Cquartz finest for $800.00.

Absolutely if you have a reputable and authorized Cquartz Finest installer close by that would another great option.

Op, what you are seeing is scratches in the clear coat....I have used Zanio products for almost 18 years and have found that simply using their Z2 pro (alone with nothing else after a hand wash) keeps the paint clean and scratch free. I have a 2013 DGM BRZ since nov 2012 and the paint looks great. People see it and ask if its a new car after 4 years.

http://www.zainostore.com/mm5/mercha...Category_Code=

As others have said, don't take it to the dealer. They will just take an orbital polisher to it and thin out the clean coat.

I was given a quote for Cquartz and also Crystal Serum for $50 more. They haven't seen the vehicle yet, but the estimate was 450 for the coating and 900 for the detail/paint correction. The prices seem reasonable from what I've seen online.


My friend wants to detail the car with me and teach me some techniques to keep the paint looking good before I drop $1000 - $1500 on the professionals though.

Take him up on it! Doing it yourself is very rewarding, if you're into it. Only one way to find out!

I can't believe how much it costs. I've been doing it myself for years. I detailed mine (including paint correction) the second day I owned it. It's not perfect but looks damn good IMHO

:eyebulge: What a rip off to get your car done. Find another auto detail shop.

Yep, I definitely will. He has a detailing certification of some kind too.
What I'm really wondering is if I do polish the car for years and years down to the base color layer, can I then do the ceramic coating and treat it like a new clear coat?

You would need a new paintjob well before you will ever polish it down that far. Or if you do polish it down that far that fast then you are doing something dreadfully wrong.

Sounds good to me. Out of curiosity, would you happen to know about how much a professional completely redone high quality paint job would cost? I know it'll vary widely but if its, say, under $3,000 then a $1500 detail & coating doesn't look so appealing.

Way more then that! And you would still be back to square one after a very short time.

Knock off the rallying on those logging roads man.