I just purchased a CPO 2011 G37x from a dealer and noticed a stain front and center on the hood after I brought the car home. I took it to an auto body shop and, as expected, they recommended to repaint the hood. Im trying to work something out with the dealer who is taking the stance that this is "normal wear for a used vehicle". I was hoping to get some thoughts on what the stain is and if there are any remedies short of a full refinish of the hood. Also, do you think I have a legitimate gripe with the dealer for not pointing this out when I purchased the car? This is supposedly a reputable Infiniti dealer, so I had the perception that a CPO vehicle wouldn't have issues like this.

 

Hard to tell butnit looks like something ate through the clear coat there. If that's the case you cannot repair it without painting it. In would bitch at the dealer when did you take delivery?

 

Hi, it is difficult to say from the picture what caused the stain.

Just a couple of questions, are you able to feel it with your hand? Does it feel like it's something on top of the paint (for example, a blob from a bad paint touch-up job or tree sap), or does it look and feel like there is paint material missing (for example, an etching from a bird dropping/bug splatter, or a strike through from a previous sanding or buff job)?

If it's some sort of contaminant on top of the paint, you can try using a clay bar to see if it can be removed. If it's touch-up paint residue, you would have to wetsand the area with a fine grit like 2000-3000 sandpaper and polish the area afterwards. For medium-light etchings, you can put some paint polish or compound on a MF towel and try to see if you can improve it by hand. Most compounds or polishes should do the trick, Meguiars M105 is a safe bet to get the job done.

 

Odds are if there is still factory orange peel on the rest of the car, and that area is smooth it was repaired cheaply, or someone used a buffer incorrectly

 

I know it's an old thread, but I couldn't help noticing original post was created in February and judging by reflection on the hood OP is in cold climate. This can be a moisture behind clear coat that froze.

I had same looking stains on door panels in sporadic places also in January/February only 2 months after I picked up my G37 brand new. Took it to dealership. They diagnosed it as moisture behind clear coat. My car is also black. On lighter colors you wouldn't even notice this.

Anyway, to solve the issue dealer used heat gun to warm up the surface and drive moisture out. I was back on the road in 30 min. The issue hasn't come back in 4 years now.

 

Heating painted areas if not done right can cause more problems