swirl marks and fingerprints?

[dictionaaron]

so i bought my h3 about a month ago and i got home and washed it a week later. After that i parked it in direct sun and you could see HORRIBLE swirl marks and what looks like fingerprints that dont go away. Ive waxed it with the zymol cleaner wax/polish and it didnt do anything. I only really shows up in direct sunlight. So obviously this is something that was there when i bought it that the dealership did. It really pisses me off because they took care in making sure it wasnt visible on the lot. Is there anything i could do to get the dealership to fix it because it bugs the living **** out of me. look at the picture to see, that is right after washing it so those arent finger prints that come off. It looks like someone touched it with solvent on their hands or something. There are also small scracthes ALL over the clearcoat with the fingerprints. Any suggestions.

[Beastmaster]

You need to do this:

1) Get yourself a Porter Cable 7424 and a bunch of foam pads
2) Buy these two 3M products
- 3M Swirl Mark Remover
- 3M Perfect-It II Foam Polishing Pad Glaze - Dark

Wash the car, dry it with a chamois or other drying technique. Take the swirl mark remover and the 7424, do the entire truck. Wipe off. The truck's paint should squeek a bit. Next, do the Polishing Glaze. Do the whole truck. Wipe off. Then wax with your favorite wax.

I use this method on Black BMW's all the time with perfect results. It also works well on my black H1.

[R6realtor]

wow that looks bad, not sure about the swirl marks but try a clay bar for the finger prints if it is some type of solvent on there that should remove it, unless it actually etched into the clearcoat? I had something similair to the fingerprints on my vette and the claybar took care of it. The day I brought my Hummers home I claybarred them both, you wouldn't believe the crap that sticks to the paint during shipping. Other wise take it back and complain. Good luck

[K9sH3]

Go back to your dealer and make it known, you should also be getting a rate our dealership letter that goes back to Hummer, say what you need to on that and don't hold back.
But, if that doesn't work do what the others say, Look at there H3's, you will see why. They know what they are doing!
As for me, I have no clue what a clay bar is.

[R6realtor]

Go back to your dealer and make it known, you should also be getting a rate our dealership letter that goes back to Hummer, say what you need to on that and don't hold back.
But, if that doesn't work do what the others say, Look at there H3's, you will see why. They know what they are doing!
As for me, I have no clue what a clay bar is.

The Claybar is basically the best thing ever invented for your paint!
It's actually a bar of clay I guess? thats about the size of a small bar of soap. It comes with a lubricant, which is usually just a detailer spray. Spray it on in a 2x2 section at a time and rub the claybar over it, very easy to use and you really can't mess up, just don't rub the paint to hard the claybar does all the work lightly. It's amazing the results you get after your done, paint is smooth as glass, takes out all the contaminents, then you have to wax the whole thing! because it does take all the wax off as well, Long process but well worth the results and it's only like $15 bucks at autozone, pepboyz.

[dictionaaron]

i went to a local car wash and detailer here and he said he could high speed buff it but he didnt know how much better even that would make it. Im sure i could get it out eventually using one of the methods above its just the fact that i purchased a brand new hummer and it was already like this. I mean its not like they could have never seen it on the lot and attempted to fix it. It looks like its etched the clearcoat pretty bad. Also if i buff the car with swirl mark remover will that not remove a good percentage of the clearcoat.

[dеiтайожни]

Another, cheaper option would be to get a tube of Nu Finish Scratch Doctor and some microfiber cloths. Just apply by hand, dry to haze, wipe off and all your swirl marks and surface scratches should be gone. If you can't catch your fingernail in any of them, they shouldn't be a problem. It removes so little of the clearcoat that it's not going to matter.

You can complain to the dealership, but I'm sure they would just have it buffed out. Not like they are going to have it repainted for you.

[Zoomie]

Black is a heart breaker. Go to Griot's web site. People use his stuff on museum quality Ferraris and Pebble Beach Concours winners. a little pricey, but there is a lifetime guarantee. They have a show room in Fife, WA. His stuff salvaged a paint job on my Vette that the savages at Bret Chevrolet in Kent, WA tried to pass off. Do all this AFTER you make the dealer make it right! Also, if you want black to REALLY look like wet licoriche, go to the Zaino web site. It's kind of tricky to apply, but that wet look is worth it.:clapping:

Cheers!

[Hmmm2]

Here is some more mention of the claybar. BlueHUMMERH2 had posted a link under another thread (Happy Halloween under General Topic)regarding Halloween night pranks to vehicles:

Recommended products:

For something like an egg beating, you need to look for cleaning products that are made to tackle harmful substances, yet are still easy enough that the average consumer -- not a detailing expert -- can use them. One such product line is the Clay Magic Detailing Kit (approximately $14.99). There?s some advantage to using the original six-patented clay bar to really give your car that showroom finish, as well as to repair any damages caused by flying eggs and other projectiles.

Another good option might be to look at swirl-removing products. Although these products are usually geared toward removing damage caused by abrasive materials (such as a wool pad), they could possibly take out some of the markings left by the egg. Look to products such as Auto Magic XP Swirl Remover (approximately $24 for 1 gallon).

http://autos.aol.com/article/general/v2/_a/halloween-car-cleanup-guide/20061025164309990002

[BlueHUMMERH2]

Wow, maybe I actually posted something useful! :D

Black is the most difficult color I've ever tried to take care of. My ex's H3 was black. I used Meguires waxes on it, and Meguires soap. I always liked the results, and they are reasonably priced and easy to find. Never tried most of what's recommended above.

My biggest word of advice is NEVER take the car to one of those washout bays at the local carwash. And if you really have to, DO NOT use the brush that foams. 2/5 times it will usually scratch the paint horribly.

[K9sH3]

so i bought my h3 about a month ago and i got home and washed it a week later. After that i parked it in direct sun and you could see HORRIBLE swirl marks and what looks like fingerprints that dont go away. Ive waxed it with the zymol cleaner wax/polish and it didnt do anything. I only really shows up in direct sunlight. So obviously this is something that was there when i bought it that the dealership did. It really pisses me off because they took care in making sure it wasnt visible on the lot. Is there anything i could do to get the dealership to fix it because it bugs the living **** out of me. look at the picture to see, that is right after washing it so those arent finger prints that come off. It looks like someone touched it with solvent on their hands or something. There are also small scracthes ALL over the clearcoat with the fingerprints. Any suggestions.

What was the outcome of this?

[MotorsportsAuthority aka Dragon]

For black, wax after every wash. In addition, use a REAL sheep's skin wash mit. Wal-mart has them (you can feel the leather inside) for around $5.00. I've found that car wash is pretty much car wash. Wax and products afterwards are a WHOLE different story...

Errr...back to the paint. IF on the surface, those finger prints can be removed with a clay bar. Be sure to keep it lubricated. IF etched into the clear, you'll have to do some fighting there. It would be hard to prove that the dealership was trying to "hide" the marks. Especially since you have to prove that it didn't happen at the supermarket. The BEST I see them doing is reclearing that door or side. With how little clear is on the vehicle, I'm 90% sure that they'll sand through and end up having to repaint it. Sorry...just don't trust dealership "collision" centers.

There should be a REAL good detail person in the area. We use 3M 06060 to buff cars after paint, so you could try it. The porter cable won't work for what you're needing to get done. You're going to need a high speed buffer, or actually, I'd recommend you pay a pro to do it and not risk burning through the clear.

If you do end up going to a pro detailer, they don't HAVE to use 3M or Meguiar's or whatever. They know their products, the combinations, and the steps that they need to be successful. Just make sure they have proven they know what they're doing by providing CLOSE UP photos past projects.

Good luck.

[dictionaaron]

I sent the sales manager at the dealership an email with the picture and he sent no response back. Which is odd because he responded quickly to any of my other emails. I dont know how id prove it was them since its been about a month. Im thinking of just taking it to a detailer here and letting them high speed buff, even though he said he he didnt think it would help that much. I think the dealership would somehow be able to say it wasnt htere fault if i called them out. Even though its obvious that kind of etching isnt the result of me just plain washing it. Its not just the door either its almost the entire car. I just got my survey from GM and im gonna tear up the dealership on it. The biggest problem is the dealership is 2 hours away so i cant just drive in and show them. We have a large GM dealership here but since i didnt buy it there i dont see how that helps at all. Any suggestions on getting the dealership involved. Im gonna call this afternoon but i dont see anything good coming from it.

[K9sH3]

I think your in a bad spot... The dealer will of course blame it all on you. And it seems that you will have to eat whatever cost it will be to fix it, and that sucks. The only thing you can do at this point is to be sure that GM and Hummer branch know about this and keep on them about it. Send them all reciepts (copies) and be sure to nag nag nag. I wish ya luck!

[lotus4s]

I would make every effort to let the dealer see it before you do anything. From the swirl marks it looks like they already tried to buff it out and it didn't work. It may need to be wet sanded and buffed but that may not even work if it's etched too deep.

Good luck.

[dictionaaron]

i called the dealership and my salesman siad he look into it and see when all it was in the shop and what for. Which probably will come back him saying they didnt do it but its worth a shot. If that doesnt work im gonna call GM. If i had done it i wouldnt care so much but i didnt so i want what i paid for. I didnt buy a dam neon or something, i think i have the right to be picky considering its a hummer. I figure Worst case scenario i just get a nice coat of dirt on there and leave it.

[dictionaaron]

my dealership scheduled me a day to take it in,and they said theyd do whatever it takes to fix it. My problem is if they had to repaint or re-clear for some reason this would severely depreciate the value of my car. If this is the only way to fix it should i ask for a replacemet since it would drop at least 10% off the value of my car. Plus the fact that my paint job is horrible and "orange peelish" to begin with.

[K9sH3]

GO GET EM'