My Paint Work!

[Greedy80]

Hi all, let me explain I have had a problem with break judder which I posted about on another topic and that problem has turnned into a new problem, hence this topic. To bring everyone up to speed I had warpped discs which my garage offered to skim for me which because the discs were new I opted for.

Ok so all dandy! Well so I thought, I'm 300 miles in now and I'm still being delicate with the breaks but the breaking feel is fine now, smooth and with no grabbiness. However the day after I had the work done I was driving to the post office with my family and I couldn't help but notice what looked like tree sap or that kind of staining on the passenger side front door. I noticed in my passenger side wing mirror and it troubled me all the way to my destination when I got out I ran my hand over the paint work and it became clear very quickly that the paint work was covered in the dust and flecks of metal from the skimming that occurred the day before!!!!! I couldn't have seen it the day before because it took the night and the dew that it brought to allow the said bits of metal to oxidise thus creating a visibly orange tint to my now sand paper like body work!!! Seriously both sides of the car were orange to the naked eye with the passengers side being worse because that disc wasn't as warpped and as such needed more skimming. Swines!

I was fuming I quickly drove to a friend of the families body shop and he quickly confirmed my thoughts, he did remove some of it by simply using some car detergent and a sponge with lots of water, but he was very shocked that this had happened and couldn't belive the state that they'd left my car in. So after that I went directly to the garge, at this point I want to mention the garage have been brilliant for me always and this is the first issue I have had. So I arrived at the garage and the now familiar mechanic came over and said 'alright' and once shown my body work he announced 'oh :tsktsk: '. The second mechanic concurred and couldn't believe it had happened, they do this with many cars and haven't had the problem before. Then the third mechanic came over and he was the chap that completed the work, he said back so soon in a joking way adn once he saw the body work he just let out a half hearted laugh and said blimey that hasn't happened before, all the while playing down the significance of the damage. He then took over and said no problem that'll wash right off! I wish I had pics for you guys but I wasn't thinking, it was clear a wash wasn't going to do the car justice. The chap rushed the car over to their valetting spot and started soaping up and washing down the side panels of my car with me and my family looking on in disbelief. He washed and scrubbed and said there ya go, I ran my hand on my car and said it's all still there but you have just washed the rustiness away, he didn't agree but continued to clean the car. He even whipped out the polish out one point just to try and help but I mentioned to him that all it would do would seal in the particles not lift them away from the paint work. Anyway at which point the guy said well im spending my lunch hour doing this for you, so if you would like anymore doing you'll have to bring it back and I'll polish the whole car, obviouslly ignoring what I'd just said. I said well I was planning to clean the car properly tmrw so i will try and sort it myself then but if not I would be back.

So the following morning I got the full detailing kit out I rinsed the whole car, followed by the full two bucket car shampoo, I then shammied and dried the whole car, I then clay barred the car in the hope the woulkd lift out the particles, I followed this with a wax and polish. Still i could feel almost grit like bits on the paint work. This left me utterly deflated and beginning to notice that below the window seales I could see oxidisation reoccurring. i couldn't believe it I worked my nuts off. The car looked great but as soon as you felt it you could tell it wasn't right, it was better but only slightly.

So I took the car back again that day and spoke to the manager who is an excellent guy and has been incredibly helpful, he was fully aware of how bad things were and said whatever it would take to sort the car i.e re-laquer or re-paint then it would be done. He grabbed the owner who would have the casting vote of what to do this chap really annoyed me he was an old guy and started running his hands over the car exclaiming that by the way his team had been talking the car was much worse, I replied it was before 5hrs of work that morning, the car was orange! he much like one of the guys before played down this issue and kept repeating 'this is fixable', he said I could drop it in any day in the following week and the car would be fixed. However whenever I asked how he intended to fix the car he just replied it will be sorted or fixed no problem. When I cornered him and quite annoyed asked how would he fix it he replied with it's my secret, his secret it's my :tsktsk: car!! With that he had to leave, the manager came back over and calmed me down saying he'd find out what was being done and that the owner was a little nuts but assurreed me that the I would be satisfied.

So now I have had the work done about three days ago the car does look fantastic and the paint work is like glass, i'm still a little concerned that I might get dull spots in the laquer or that there maybe surface rust occurring in a few months but the manager said if that happened he would definately sort everything for me. Oh and the old guy? He put hours of work in cleansing the body work and heavily polishing and waxing the car. So I guess I'll watch this space to see if things are ok, i've been assurred the skimming dust and flecks were only surface based but I don't kn ow how the guys can know that 100%.

Anyway rant over I wanted to post this massive post and wanted to see what you guys think.

Thanks

Mark

[Parthiban]

That sounds like an awful problem and really hope that has sorted it out for you. Might be worth asking a bodyshop or detailer to take some paint measurements to see if they've taken a lot off by polishing that out.

[kam05]

Shame you didn't get any pics- would have be useful to other members in the future who may consider getting their discs skimmed.

Hope the garage sorts out your car quickly and properly (at their cost).

[Greedy80]

Shame you didn't get any pics- would have be useful to other members in the future who may consider getting their discs skimmed.

Hope the garage sorts out your car quickly and properly (at their cost).

So far so good but we'll see I guess, I too wish I had taken photos and I was going to but the guy started washing before I had a chance.

[Steve ( West Mids )]

So the discs were skimmed on the car, which left metal embedded in the paint and people tried to wash it off? I really am amazed that anything other than a hosepipe or maybe jet wash was used by anybody ..... to start with at least as all toy will do by washing / polishing is make it worse.

[Greedy80]

So the discs were skimmed on the car, which left metal embedded in the paint and people tried to wash it off? I really am amazed that anything other than a hosepipe or maybe jet wash was used by anybody ..... to start with at least as all toy will do by washing / polishing is make it worse.

Exaclty, I think the guy trying to sort it didn't have a clue, he was just worried.

[Parthiban]

So the discs were skimmed on the car, which left metal embedded in the paint and people tried to wash it off? I really am amazed that anything other than a hosepipe or maybe jet wash was used by anybody ..... to start with at least as all toy will do by washing / polishing is make it worse.

That's a good point, how did they skim the discs with them still on the car? Do they not put it on a lathe?

[Greedy80]

So the discs were skimmed on the car, which left metal embedded in the paint and people tried to wash it off? I really am amazed that anything other than a hosepipe or maybe jet wash was used by anybody ..... to start with at least as all toy will do by washing / polishing is make it worse.

That's a good point, how did they skim the discs with them still on the car? Do they not put it on a lathe?

Honestly I really don't know but I think they had a machine which they used with the discs on the car, they said it was setup to catch all the sparks and that it worked on every car they've used it on just fine but it couldn't have been setup right in my case. :tsktsk: Like I said it looks and feels great now but I'll be keeping a close eye on the body and make sure I contact them as soon as I have a problem.

[Chris.S]

the disc skimming machines ive seen bolt to the hub and re-cut the surface as it turns the disc, ive seen hundreds done and the waste material drops into a bin underneath, never seen one that makes sparks

[Tom 1]

My mate was doing a bit of welding on an Ford Transit!as he used the grinder to clean off a bit!the sparks were flying every where!His Dad"s owd honda civic was parked next to it!A few days passed and we thought nowt of it!then we had a day of rain.very small rust spots appeared all over his car!He went mad!The sparks had eaten into the paint,even stuck to the window!I can see excactly how ya feel!the bodywork cleaned up,but the speckles of rust are still engrained in the window glass all down one side mate!

[ormi]

My mate was doing a bit of welding on an Ford Transit!as he used the grinder to clean off a bit!the sparks were flying every where!His Dad"s owd honda civic was parked next to it!A few days passed and we thought nowt of it!then we had a day of rain.very small rust spots appeared all over his car!He went mad!The sparks had eaten into the paint,even stuck to the window!I can see excactly how ya feel!the bodywork cleaned up,but the speckles of rust are still engrained in the window glass all down one side mate!

try cleaning the windows with a clay bar mate that'll take all the fall out off your windows.

[fil4362]

I have had the same problem when welding in the past many years ago now. I use a leather dust cover now over any car that could come into contact from welding or grinding sparks. I bought up a load of old leather jackets from all charity shops inmy area along with a few old shami leathers and wrap everything up. If i wear a leather apron when weldign why shouldnt the surrounding cars.

I have heard of this clay bar stuff a few times now but no one seems so knwo where to get it from, anyone have a source for the stuff a link would be good thanks

[Maffison]

Fire blankets (as found in commercial kitchens)are perfect for catching sparks! Contact a local fire protection company and ask if they have any second hand ones you could have or buy.

[deckie77]

We had a Lorry (yes a lorry, but similar circumstances) into the body shop which had run the front brake shoes on one side to the metal and ended up with rusty metal embedded into the whole side of the cab, we power washed, wet & dry sandpapered it and t-cutted the white paintwork back to it's best. had to rub for ages with the paper and luckily didn't rub thru to primer, no painting required, but - the plastic arch's, passenger window & window rubber wern't so lucky, couldnt remove all traces from them, never seen the owner of the lorry again, but i bet he has rust showing on these areas!!!!

[ormi]

I have had the same problem when welding in the past many years ago now. I use a leather dust cover now over any car that could come into contact from welding or grinding sparks. I bought up a load of old leather jackets from all charity shops inmy area along with a few old shami leathers and wrap everything up. If i wear a leather apron when weldign why shouldnt the surrounding cars.

I have heard of this clay bar stuff a few times now but no one seems so knwo where to get it from, anyone have a source for the stuff a link would be good thanks

Halfords sell it also type in clay bar on eBay and 155 come up.