Overspray removal gone wrong!

[wagiii]

I have a 2007 Ford Expedition that is Black with Tan trim. Back in August, a business up the street had one of their buildings spray painted and as a result I ended up with silver overspray all over the vehicle. The business owner contracted with a local mobile detailer to clean-up the 20+ cars that were affected. I met with the detailer and he told me they would use a clay bar. I had never heard of a clay bar so I asked about scratching and he said absolutely not and don't worry about scratches. Well, they picked up the vehicle one day before lunch and brought it back around 3:00. When I looked at it that night in the garage, I was shocked at all the scratches and even dullness in some places. My gut told me to just use a solvent in the first place to remove the overspray, but I didn't! You can see start and stop marks from the clay bar usage. There are also places that resemble wet sanding without polishing. This is the first vehicle that my wife and I have ever bought new after 20 years of marriage and I'm really irritated about what has happened. Am I being too picky by viewing the finish in my garage with a bright light? Before this occured I would dry the vehicle and use Meguiars spray detailer under a bright light in the garage and the finish was near perfect.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks.... first time poster.

[Murr1525]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

The clay bar is certainly the way to go. But who knows what they actually did or how they used it.

I take it the overspray is gone....

So, now going to have to look at swirl removal. The two products I would look at are SwirlX and Ultimate Compound. SwirlX being the milder product.

Generally speaking, you would want to do a test spot/area with SwirlX, working it into the paint with some passion, and then check your results. See if it worked, and if not, then try the UC if needed.

Fixing an Expedition by hand may take some time, so don't plan to rush it. A panel or two a day cleaned and waxed is just fine.

[ColonelCash]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

How about some photos? That would be a big help in getting the best possible help for your paint.

[Andrew C.]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

As Murr said, you are going to have to remove these marks which we call swirls. Go to your local auto parts store or Wal Mart, buy some Swirl X and Ultimate Compound along with some quality foam pads.

You are going to want to start out with Swirl X first in a small test spot and see if it removes the swirls. If it doesn't quite get them all out, step it up to Ultimate Compound (UC).

UC may finish out really nice (the swirls are all gone and paint looks clear) but there is a chance it may look a little hazy (swirls are gone, but paint isn't so clear looking) If this is the case, you are going to want to go back over the area you did with UC with Swirl X to finish it out to being nice and clear.

Here is a great thread that you can use on how to remove Swirls by hand

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

[Andrew C.]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

By the way to MOL

On a side note, it would be a lot easier to remove all the swirls of you buy a DA polisher. If you are thinking that you may want to go with this option, let us know. The DA cannot hurt your paint at all and it makes life a whole lot easier too!

Let us know!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

If they used a very aggressive clay it may well have marred the surface, and that marring is going to be more noticeable on a black vehicle, especially if the detailer wasn't using proper lube, dropped the clay and continued using it, didn't work the clay properly to expose fresh material, etc. Who knows what could have gone wrong with that many cars to correct in a short period of time!?

Are you being too picky? Absolutely, 100%, definitely NOT. Some might be inclined to suggest to contact this detailer regarding a repair of this damage, but one has to wonder if they can't even clay properly what else can they mess up? Odds are that you can correct the issue yourself, by hand, with a product like SwirlX or Ultimate Compound. You've got a large enough vehicle that working by hand might be a daunting task, but there's nothing that says you have to do it all in one session either. Still, a good quality dual action polisher is easy to use, safe to use, and highly effective at removing defects like this and bringing your vehicle to a very high level of shine.

[Fly Bye]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!




I would seek damages from the business/detailer and find a reputable auto detailer, or buy a PC and do it yourself.

[wagiii]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

Thanks for the responses. I'm feeling better about the eventual outcome now. I did go back to the detailer and showed him the scratches and he claimed that he never had this happen before and that I was the only one that had any issues. He offered to hand polish the vehicle or give me the $150 he was paid. When he offered to redo it he said that he was afraid that I wouldn't be happy even then. I just said give me the $150 and I'll take care of it. I'm going to get some Swirl-X, UC, foam pads and microfiber towels and give it a shot. I may even get a DA polisher. I don't have a digital camera or I would attempt to get some good pictures. If I can borrow a camera, I may post some pics for some additional advice. Thanks again.

[Murr1525]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

Just try a test area by hand and see what happens. You can try some pics of that as well to show if you have problems.

Those products (SwirlX/UC) can be used by DA, so no waste there.

[Fly Bye]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

he claimed that he never had this happen before and that I was the only one that had any issues.

It kind of sounds like this person is putting the blame on you, when he says "you're the only one that has ever had an issue".

When he offered to redo it he said that he was afraid that I wouldn't be happy even then.

Ask yourself this, you wouldn't be happy with them, or maybe they don't have a clue as to how to properly, and safely detail a vehicle?

Great job taking the money and running away from this detailer. If you want to take a look into the world of paint polishing/detailing, thats great!!! I would recommend getting a random orbit polisher/PC and a couple of pads (light cutting pad & a polishing pad).

Beware, detailing is very addicting, kinda like smoking crack, although I've never tried crack, just what I hear




Welcome aboard

[tcy006]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

A few years ago I had overspray from the painting of a water tower all over my black Mustang. The car felt like 4 grit sandpaper. I ordered an aggressive clay from Meguairs and used it with Final Inspection as a lube. This was the first time I ever used a clay. I had no scratches or marring and have been a firm believer in clay ever since.

[KeithIndy]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

I had this same thing happen a while back when they were painting a water tower, I had it taken care of at a local detailer instead of using the one that was hired to clean up all the cars. I tried claying myself but after doing a couple test spots and not getting the finish like I wanted after polishing with my DA I decided it was best to let a pro handle it with clay and a rotary buffer.
The guy that did your car probably did 10 others that day, who knows how clean the clay was, was the car washed correctly before claying, and how aggressive he had to get to get the overspray off. I bet 9 out of those 10 he did that day the owners were overjoyed on how their car looked, they got a free wash, and the cars were probably cleaner than they have been in a long time. Most folks don't pay much attention to micro marring so no one else complained.
Sounds like the guy was decent and gave you the $150.00, that's about all you can ask for.
So you have a couple choices now:
1) Take the $150 and drop your car at a detailer to have him use a rotary to remove the marring.
2) Take the $150 to buy your self a nice DA, pads, and polish - spend a day doing it yourself. Now you've got the tools you need to maintain the finish in the future.

Since the overspray has already been removed I would probably go with option #2.

[wagiii]

Re: Overspray removal gone wrong!

I got some Ultimate compound and Swirl-X and tried my hand in a few spots. The Swirl-X couldn't quite cut it so I used the UC and it took the scratches out. I'm planning to get a DA polisher and do the whole thing. As good as the UC and Swirl-X worked on the spot that I tried on my Black Expedition, I plan to go over my 2006 Maxima that is Blue Metallic and restore it to a scratch free finish.