Swirl marks on NEW Highlander

[boodahfinger]

I had ordered a Highlander SE Nautical Blue with black leather and went to get it on Friday after waiting 10 weeks for it and went to inspect it to make sure nothing was wrong with it and low and behold the whole car was covered in minor scratches! The salesman had a guy come and try to "wipe" it off and he wasn't able too and then blamed it on the factory saying that it came from there like that. I was very irritated to say the least. Opening the inside I noticed that they had used a dirty rag to wipe down the dust and it showed up really well especially on the black interior and there was lint all over the carpet also.

I feel that I'm pretty experienced in minor detailing of a car (babied my 93 300ZX until I recently sold it) and I know the primary causes of scratches and I informed the salesman and the guy trying to "wipe" the scratches away that it was due to someone using a dirty rag to dry off the car after they had washed it but they kept insisting it was from the factory that way. It seemed that they were taking a page from Apple's excuse book that if it is a problem that it is actually a feature for the product. They finally agreed that the car did need work to remove the scratches and have scheduled for it to be polished this Friday. I know that the paint is gonna get scratch in the future especially since the car is gonna be parked outside and not garaged but being a new car I expect flawlessness. The question though is if I should allow them to polish the scratch out or not. Being a new car the paint is still pretty pliable and I'm afraid it may damage the paint and I'm also afraid they will be using a compound to remove the scratches so also removing a thin layer off the paint.

[JMSinMD]

Either walk away or accept what they're offering you.

[9volt]

Originally Posted by jmsinmd

either walk away or accept what they're offering you.

+1

Or have them order another one

[matt0420]

Originally Posted by JMSinMD

Either walk away or accept what they're offering you.

OH MAN TAKE THIS ADVISE!!!

When I picked up my black '10 from the lot, there was some glaze left behind from the PDI on the rear quarter panel.

I didn't really notice it till the first weekend with my truck when I was tailigating at Mosport Internation Raceway with it. When I finally noticed it I rubbed it ever so gently with my hand, and nothing happened. When I got home I washed the truck, still didn't come off. So I called the dealer (biggest mistake ever) and asked them if they would mind removing it for me becasue I was afraid of doing more damage than good on my own.

They took it to their detailier, and he buffed the whole quarter panel. IT WAS DESTROYED. Swirled, hazey, and dull looking. The truck was a week old. I was beyond pissed. They offered to try some other remedies, but I said no thank you. I went online and figured out which detailers all the exotic owners in my end of town used, and picked one. He did a remarkable job. Removed everything the dealer did and made it look completely flawless. He now does my truck and my GP every other year

Moral of the story: never trust a dealer's detailer, or do your research before (find out what methods they use, other's dealings with them, etc...)

[TrailDust]

I'd have them order a new one, and if they didn't comply I'd walk.

This is also why when I do take my Highlander in to a dealer (usually only warranty or recall work) I make sure to tell the service manager to NOT wash my Highlander, and make sure they write it on the work order. I don't need some dipweed who doesn't know the first thing about car care screwing around with my car's finish. One time, though, the message didn't get through and they washed my Highlander.......they never have made that mistake again on those rare occasions I have them service my vehicle.

[MmmHotdogs]

I worked as a car detailer for a while while I was goingthrough college.

There is a pretty good amount of clear coat on newer cars. They could polish this for you without doing much damage at all. The polish just smooths out the clear coat and wont take a lot off like buffing will. I would tell them to polish it profesionally or have a new car ordered for you.

[CTB727]

NEVER have a dealership wash the car, and NEVER EVER have them "detail" a car. They will just make the problem worse. In the thread title you say swirl marks, but in your post you say minor scratches. I'm confused. But anyhow, if you can't feel the scratch on a finger nail, then it is removable.

I highly recommend that you either do the work yourself, or better yet take it to a professional detailer. It may cost you more than what the dealer would charge, but it will get done right. And that's the most important thing.

[becks]

I would walk away.

[luck123]

Whenever I buy a new car, I make it VERY clear that the dealer is NOT to touch it...no wash, no polish, no wax. They will no doubt @#%$ things up very time. First thing is take it home, wash, polish and several coats of wax. And yes....rubbing the paint surface, even with your bare fingers, will leave minor scratches. So wiping a car even with minor dust on it is like using a fine sand paper.

My vehicle also had what looked like hard water spots on the upper portion of the doors and quarter panels. Wash and regular cleaner wax did not work. I used polish and followed up with wax and bingo!

I polish my HL once a year, sometimes twice, with Optimum compound and/or polish, Porter Cable buffer and CSS pads. It's better if a day long process including several coats of wax, but the result is simply fantastic. I don't get rid of every blemish, but the haze and the spider webbing are gone, and by black paint is like a mirror, even under a halogen spot light or fluorescent overhead. Every professional detailer tells me that you can do so safely depending on the grit you're using, so taking it to have it detailed is not a problem.

All this to say, unless you can afford to walk away, which is likely a bigger PITA given it is an ordered vehicle, get them to pay for having it detailed by a detailer of YOUR choosing. This presumes of course, that the "scratches" you refer to are only minor surface level scratches that can be easily buffed. If you're not sure, get the opinion of an independent detail shop.

If that's the case, a professional detail shop will have your HL looking way better than when it came off the truck (which often comes with flaws due to environmental effects and rail dust), especially given you have a darker color. Just make sure that the detailer tops off with a wax or polish that is compatible with whatever you will be using during your ownership.

[xsvtoys]

Originally Posted by matt0420

OH MAN TAKE THIS ADVISE!!!

....
Moral of the story: never trust a dealer's detailer, or do your research before (find out what methods they use, other's dealings with them, etc...)

AND make sure you carefully look over every inch of the new car BEFORE you go in to pay. Your leverage is much greater BEFORE you pay. If you see even the tiniest spot and you think you don't like it, then get it fixed right, or just refuse the car.

I think all the advice about not letting the dealer wash, wax, detail the new car etc is great. But isn't it a bit ironic? I mean, what you do is, you SELL CARS. This is what you do all day long, every day, year-in, year-out. They are NOT cheap. Properly cleaning and detailing one does require some degree of knowledge and proper tools, but it is nothing dramatically difficult or expensive, right? Can't you put in the time and effort to just do it the right way, which in turn will produce a series of much more satisfied customers and therefore further increase your business? Rather than doing the opposite and actually screwing it up and then annoying your customers?

[AML]

This is nothing new. Take a glance over at autopia.org and you'll see plenty of pictures with Ferraris, Astons, Lamborghinis, etc. with swirls, ghosting, hazing from dealer PDI detailing.

[luck123]

Originally Posted by xsvtoys

AND make sure you carefully look over every inch of the new car BEFORE you go in to pay. Your leverage is much greater BEFORE you pay. If you see even the tiniest spot and you think you don't like it, then get it fixed right, or just refuse the car.

I think all the advice about not letting the dealer wash, wax, detail the new car etc is great. But isn't it a bit ironic? I mean, what you do is, you SELL CARS. This is what you do all day long, every day, year-in, year-out. They are NOT cheap. Properly cleaning and detailing one does require some degree of knowledge and proper tools, but it is nothing dramatically difficult or expensive, right? Can't you put in the time and effort to just do it the right way, which in turn will produce a series of much more satisfied customers and therefore further increase your business? Rather than doing the opposite and actually screwing it up and then annoying your customers?

I couldn't agree more!! However, the fact is, many/most? dealers couldn't care less because lets face it, many buyers don't know what to look for or simply are not "anal" enough to pay attention or notice the details. If they don't see a dent or a significant scratch, and there are 4 wheels and tires, they're good to go (yes I am exaggerating). So many dealers try to get away with what they can to minimize their cost.

Ultimately, I would probably still do it myself just because I can, and I have greater trust in my ability than an unknown detailer in a dealer.

[boodahfinger]

Well I went ahead and got the Highlander and they're gonna polish it out. Sorry about the confusing title but the car just has minor scratches that can't be felt without it being super clean. I'm just very picky about the paint on my car and have always detailed my car myself. If they do mess up the polishing I will expect to have to do it myself but I'm hoping that that will not be the case.