Paintwork damage - perspective required.

[Futurama]

The car dealer has scratched by car! How should I react? I am trying not to get too upset and need some opinions or advice.

The car was taken to the dealers for a headlamp adjustment. When the car was returned it had been washed. Only when I got home did I notice the light scratches or swirl marks in the middle of the bonnet! Due to the failing light I have not had an opportunity to inspect the rest of the car. Some would say it’s nothing, but to a new car owner whose paintwork was perfect, it looks awful. When you clean the car properly and it’s all shiny you could see it then. There are at least 4 marks, three are maybe 4" long going across the car (left to right) and have a slight arc (as if grit had been present during handwashing/drying of the bonnet).

My car is only 4 weeks old and has been hand washed by myself every weekend; the paintwork was perfect. I read the forums on the best way to keep the car looking its best. I bought the gear and cleaning the car using the recommended method to avoid paintwork damage such as scratches or swirl marks.

The paintwork damage has really got me upset. :(

The dealer has advised my to bring the car back so he can see the damage.

What would you advise? Is this worth getting upset about? If the dealer covers the marks with polish, would this be a satisfactory solution? Please can you put this into perspective, I am always worried about overreacting.

What are my rights?

Should I or have I a course of action other that talking to the dealer?

I will post photographs, but this will require cleaning the car and good weather and light. Also I am away for a few days and cannot do this immediately.

Any advice appreciated, thank you.

[oggy]

Thats terrible fella. I watched how my local Honda dealer cleans their cars, very frightening.

I don't know your rights, but If I was you I'd take It straight back to them. It didn't go In with the scratches on, so I would have thought they should correct the damage!

If the scratches are bad, polish won't cover them, at best It will mask them for a short period, but they will still be there. It'll probably need m/c polishing to remove the defects.

Did you know they were going to clean your car for you after the work was carried out? If not you could argue the fact you never wanted It cleaning & they should never have touched It without your permission..

[MoggyTech]

Question is, would you trust the dealer to correct the damage by machine polishing the defects they caused? Having seen the state of some dealers (not just Skoda) buffing pads, I wouldn't let them near my car. Print up an A4 sheet and stick it on the dash nest time it goes in for service. "Do NOT wash this car"

[Babs]

Prove it.

That's what they're gonna say!

[anewman]

Prove it.

That's what they're gonna say!

Either that, or "what you on about I can't see anything" or "it's normal what you so worried about" sort of thing.

People don't realise the damage they can do, and even if they do they don't give two hoots about other people's property, or they wouldn't care about it on their property. Sadly few people care about swirl marks and most people would be pleased the dealer had taken the effort to clean their car for them To the majority a car is pretty much just a white good that goes from A to B that you wash every few months if you can be bothered to get off your arse and devote 2 minutes to it. The minority will always be considered abnormal by the majority sadly.

I personally think they should pay for a professional detailing correction on the marks, especially if they want to keep your custom. Be armed with a quote

[Chris_Focus]

I personally think they should pay for a professional detailing correction on the marks, especially if they want to keep your custom. Be armed with a quote

PM me if you'd like a quote faxed/emailed to you, anything for a good cause

[willskoda]

Sorry to hear about the damage, it's happened to me a few times but I've never taken the car back as I just think they'll say "prove it" like others have said already. On the washing side of things, although it doesn't help you now is that I always ask that the dealer do not wash my car.

[expostmanpat]

The reason why you should always tell a dealer not to wash a car after a service etc etc etc, and as said very difficult to prove it was the dealer that as imparted the swirl marks :(

If the dealer has a body shop then it will only be a 15 minute job for them to give the bonnet a quick mop and wax and have the swirls removed so long as they aren't deep. That would be my first request rather than trying to claim from them, failing that find a talented amateur with a pc and ask them to do it for a few beer tokens,OR if you are getting into detailing your car it may be worth investing in a pc yourself. Get a scrap panel to practice on first. As it is impossible to totally avoid swirl marks over time this may be your best route, a pc will also give you a better finish when waxing normally.

[barney_b]

I've had a couple of issues with damage caused by dealers, smashed fog light on a road test (after warranty work) and also scratching my car door. The dealer has a duty of care (I believe that the legal term) when working on your vehicle but the problem as previously stated is proving they caused the scratch. However on a 4 week old car you should have a fairly good arguement (it was 4 years old then I think you'd be in for a tough time).

Based on my experience with the door, they resprayed it and then it had a run, nightmare!! Also bare in mind you any T&C's around your paint warranty, they might send it to a non Skoda approved bodyshop and that may cause you issues in the future. My advice would be show them the damage but say you want either a bodyshop or detailer of your choice to sort the issue. Out of those two I'd go for a detailer, IMHO they'll have a great repsect for your paintwork than a bodyshop.

Good luck and don't be shy with speaking to consumer direct if you need more advice.

[Baker21]

PM me if you'd like a quote faxed/emailed to you, anything for a good cause

I'd take Chris up on his offer, sounds like the best course of action to me.......

[Futurama]

Thank you all for your replies. The dealer has offered to "polish it up". I am not familiar with how effective or permanent this solution so I am not confident to simply agree with the dealer (the one who made these scratches). Can polishing really hide light scratches permanently or will that area of the paint always require special treatment to hide the scratches? I've cleaned the car today in order to inspect for any more marks and to take photographs. The only marks I can find are in the middle of the bonnet. It is difficult to capture the marks with a camera but my efforts are posted below.

The marks are light and you would only notice them when inspecting the car after it has been thoroughly cleaned. Do you think these can "polish out"?

[cjb]

I was all prepared to say 'is it *really* that bad, and that paint will suffer in use, but that's quite noticeable, they must have been very sloppy cleaning it to do that. It should polish out though.

[martinch]

Well, that doesn't look good - I can see why you're so upset! :(

Can polishing really hide light scratches permanently or will that area of the paint always require special treatment to hide the scratches?

My understanding is that using polish (which is mildly abrasive) will "round off" the edges of the scratch, scattering the light in a more diffuse pattern rather than reflecting it, causing the edges to be less well-defined. Some polishes (e.g. Autoglym Super Resin Polish) contain fillers, which goes to further hide the scratch by filling it slightly (obviously, this is only temporary for however long the polish survives on the paintwork).

I'm sure Mr Baker et al will be able to give you a good idea if it can be hidden, and how.

[Babs]

Harder polishing with also remove a layer of lacquer, so it brings the whole area down to a layer that's below that of the scratch.

I'd be going mad if a dealer did that to mine!

[oggy]

I know It may not help now, but having a browse on DW I found a downloadable "do not wash my car" sign to stick In your car when you take It for repairs/service. http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=144741

[Fastkwak]

always always put an a4 sign on your dash and passenger seat saying do not wash this car when dropping it at the dealers because most of the people they use on their forecourt are butchers !!!!!!:wonder:

[Nick P]

In addition to the A4 sign(s), when giving them the car, get the service manager to sign a note stating they will not charge you for the service / will compensate you £200 if they wash your car. That should help ensure they don't.

[Baker21]

I know It may not help now, but having a browse on DW I found a downloadable "do not wash my car" sign to stick In your car when you take It for repairs/service. http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=144741

Remember seeing that sign on DW a long time ago, always makes me laugh.........

[Chris_Focus]

Those look like they'll polish out easily enough.

Not sure I'd let the dealer who inflicted the damage have a go polishing them out...if they can't wash a car properly what hope do you have with them wielding a machine polisher :wonder:

Just to clarify machine polishing levels out the clear coat (lacquer) to remove the defects. You should be left with a defect free or as close to defect free as possible panel which you can then protect with a sealant or wax as you would the rest of the car, no need to treat this panel any differently than the rest of the car.

It maybe an idea to look at the bonnet before & after under the halogen lights of a petrol station forecourt..and take some pics accordingly.

Best of luck