Well in the interest of a hopefully good dealer relationship, I need to let them have a go at it. They promised me (4 of them!) that the car will be like the ones in the showroom which are really spectacular. So as much as I hate doing this, I will let them have a go.

If they screw it up or worse, take rubbing compound to it (the guy seems to know what he is doing) I'll trade it in for another, at another dealer. But not until I get some compensation to offset my costs.

SIgh, I'm probably over reacting. Do G37 owners tend to do this?

edit: It's really cloudy so the pictures don't seem like they will happen. Good thing is I don't see the swirls. Still see the scratches though.

 

Well, the outcome was acceptable, but not perfect. There was still dirt lower down on the panels..
The dealer used a sealant, not a polish, and pretty well all the scratches are gone and most of the swirls. As I was walking up to the dealer, there was a g37S in the front and I said to myself, well my car better be as good as that one....turns out it was my car.

I'll tell you one thing, they are never going to wash my car again!

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your scratches and swirls are still there, just hidden. A sealant can't actually remove scratches and swirls, only hide them. Only a polish can remove them. After a wash or two they will probably be back.

A polish removes a very thin amount of the clear coat surface to level out the imperfection so the surface is smooth. More than likely they actually used some type of glaze. Glazes use some type of material, often oils or kaolin clay, to "fill in" the scratches and swirls to render them far less visible. If they put a sealant or wax on top of that, your car will look pretty good for a while. Then as it wears the imperfections will be back.

Glazing Auto Detailing Guide - Detailed Image

 

^ BB is right. They'll be back soon

 

Well, I did examine it very closely in direct sun. Would this not show them anyways? The scratches are definitely gone, it appears they may have not been scratches but rather glue residue from the plastic sheets they put on the car for shipping.
When I talked to the manager, he asked if I was happy and I said, it was not as good as a proper detail. So, he told me he would pay for a detailing as well. Just bring him the bill! I'll wait a couple of weeks and washes and then do just that. (It's raining like crazy today maybe that will pop them back?)

 

well, you guys are right. Just one day of rain, and tonight with the spotlights in the garage, the swirls are all there. It seems they used Mothers gold sealant and glaze. As it says on the bottle...hides swirls.

Well, looking on the bright side, they didn't take compound to it, or it probably would have been a disaster.

So I will take up the dealer on his offer. The place I am going to go is macdetailing in Montreal. They are affliliated with a club called auto etctera that rents and stores cars like bentleys, porsches, ferraris and so on. My guess is that the detailing is going to be over $500, since they offer a 4 part wax for $425. One guy who just bought his porsche was in the same situation as me...the dealer delivered a car with scratches and swirls. After mac did his work it was utterly flawless.

Question though...once such a job is done, can it be maintained and swirls prevented for the future?

 

Yep, you sure can. I'd start with reading this thread that is stickied in this section.

Glad to hear that you are taking it to a professional. Like I mentioned earlier, dealerships do not have the tools nor experience to do proper paint correction. Let us know how you make out with MacDetailing.

 

What you need for them to do is to clay the paint, then polish out the swirls and scratches, and then protect the finish with some sealant or wax (or both). If they do a good job, your paint will look deeper and glossier than you thought possible, even under bright lights.

To maintain it that way, the most important thing you can do is wash it correctly. I know this personally from doing it the wrong way and damaging my paint, learning how to do it right, then practicing it.

Use the 2 bucket method to wash (or even better buy a foam gun). Only use sheepskin or microfiber mitts or towels to wash it. Only use soft microfiber to dry it. Keep the paint protected with sealant and/or wax all the time.

Spend the time to read through the "Ask a professional detailer" thread. It is more than worth the time you'll invest. Ask pros like George (Detailed Image), Garnet Canuck, Wes_R, nikku and all those guys who do it for a living.

Get some good general knowledge about detailing by reading Detailed Image's Auto Detailing Guide.

 

I visited the detailer today. It will be 3 weeks before he can get to my car.

I think that this shop is something special. He spent over an hour just looking at the car and explaining what he will do. In the shop at the moment was 2 ferraris (one with a $30k factory paint option), Porsche 911, Lambourgini and Mercedes. He showed me the porsche, at an early stage, and the paint was amazing. The Ferrari, which looked flawless to me, had sanding marks from the factory, swirls and tool marks (I couldn't see any of them)
My car he said was in bad shape. Lots of swirls, tooling marks, but no holograms. He would need my car for 3-4 days.
The work that he does is incredibly meticulous. I guess it would have to be. This is a car club catering to high end exotic cars. There is a "warehouse", cleaner than my bedroom, with about 125 bentlys, porshe, ferraris, Rolls Royces and so on. My car is like a Lada next to all of these! But, he himself, is a craftsman, who cannot afford these cars like me, but really appreciates the G, being a car he wants for the future.

He charges $2000 for the Lambourgini's, but it won't cost me anywhere near as much.

Some of the work: Washing, clay bar, (2 passes), washing again. Several stages of polish, followed by wax.
I saw a few cars, driven regularly, that were done by him over a year ago and they were impeccable. He also has specific recommendations for the maintenance and does touch ups for $125 when necessary.
I was utterly impressed. I'll post the before and after shots with the before this weekend.

 

Seems like overkill to spend that much time and money on a car that will surely be swirled again. Sorry black sucks and unless you're a professional detailer and live in a bubble its going to show everything. I gave up with my BMW, and which is why I have red now. The time I spent with a Meguiars DA and #83, and Tech Wax Pro wasn't really worth it. One trip to the dealer and it was back to swirls.

Take the tip from the dealer. Just keep it will waxed and you'll be less annoyed.

But seriously you have a G37 not a Ferrari that sits in a garage. Take it to a cheaper place which will do it for half the cost and yield the same results.

 

Frend of the family, no where near that cost

 

hey guys!

I have the same problem with my car!!!
I just got the car last week and they delivered the car on that condition,
iwent there and the offered me a second wax, but this was worst!!!
Now I think i will go and make a bigggggggggggg !@!@$@#%$$% complain!
Any suggestions!?

 

Take it to a detailer, get a polish and then maintain it yourself.