clear bra :)

**Mystical_Ice** · 08-23-07 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by Silver Dollar

I shed a tear for your paint job this morning. Since you have a friend at the place perhaps you can leverage that to have this repaired and done right.

well since i have a friend at the place, i would've hoped it would be done right the first time.

i am pissed off like you have no idea, so yeah, i'm GOING to go there and complain, but i just wanted to run it by you guys to make sure that i shouldn't have expected swirl marks or something.

**TaVern** · 08-23-07 09:02 AM

Looks like the entire shop got drunk before working on your V... I'd be furious. Keep us updated.

**The Tony Show** · 08-23-07 09:07 AM

*sigh*

Why people use Rotary buffers for detailing is beyond me. The only purpose they serve is finishing between coats of paint- they are NOT good detailing tools.

My advice to you if you want it to look right: www.griotsgarage.com. You should buy all of your car care products from them (soap, bucket, brushes, wheel cleaner.....everything). Get one of their Professional Orbital machines, orange foam pads and machine polish 3 and 4. Spend an afternoon (4-5 hours) on your car and it'll look brand new (assuming they didn't completely shave your clear, which I doubt). If you take it back to the body shop to get the swirls out, they're just going to buff more and then cover them with wax to hide it. As I said on the first page, it will only last a few months before it looks like ass again.

This is why nobody details my car but me. My Griot's products are the best money I've ever spent on my car (they even have a simple wax remover fluid to get rid of the white edges on the clear bra- a LOT less caustic than Kerosene

).

Here's a link to what you need- spend the money, do it right, do it yourself.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog....1004&SKU=11119

**z06bigbird** · 08-23-07 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by The Tony Show

Yeah, my mirrors look like hell from getting splattered with FL love bugs. Little bastards eat the paint right off....

I make it a point to drive in between all the bugs, dirt, rain, etc.

Takes a little effort, and it wears the edges of my tires, but.....

**The Tony Show** · 08-23-07 10:17 AM

Here's a link to the thread I made when first trying out the Griot's Orbital. I couldn't get the swirl marks to photograph, but the "after" pictures are in direct sunlight, so if there were swirls you'd see them.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums...tml#post879198 (Griots Garage- Wow.)

**Mystical_Ice** · 08-23-07 11:00 AM

well i appreciate everyone's suggestions. i took the car to PDAuto concepts today, the people that are going to be doing my clear bra.

they said the same thing all of you have said... that they obviously used a high speed rotary instead of an orbital, and they clearly didn't know how to use the rotary (apparently if you're knowledgeable enough, the rotary can be a great tool, but seems like these guys didn't, and either used too much pressure, let it get too hot, or whatever else, i forget what they told me).

they said i should take it back to them and tell them to fix the problem. i should also tell them if they can't fix the problem, to let me know and that i'll send it to someone else and then send them the bill. they also said to make sure to tell them not to just try to cover it up with wax, because i'd find out as soon as PDAuto concepts REMOVES the wax to install the clear bra. bottom line is they created the problem, and i shouldn't have to be the one to fix it.

by the way. PDAuto concepts said they'd suggeset using Griots, and apparently it's all they use.

i'm going to go over there and raise hell in a few minutes.

**Mystical_Ice** · 08-23-07 11:02 AM

and Tony show: i WOULD do it myself. if all i had was a dirty car that needed waxing, but i had body work that needed to be done, which is why i took it to this place. i shouldn't have to fix a problem that they caused, and that i paid them for, you know?

i'm not going to be able to put the bra on before i do the driving on friday, so i'll probably just end up waxing it real nice friday morning, which hopefully should protect it for the drive. that is if they can't fix the problem today, which i'm pretty sure they wont' be able to.

**The Tony Show** · 08-23-07 11:03 AM

I wouldn't let morons try to fix their own work. Get them to give you something in writing that says they will pay for another shop to orbital your paint and remove the swirls. Do not let these people anywhere near your paint again, as they have proven that they're incompitent.

**The Tony Show** · 08-23-07 11:05 AM

Regarding your second comment:

Owning a black car requires once or twice a year orbital treatment with a very fine compound like Griot's #4 polish. By purchasing the kit you will have the tools to remove the normal swirls that will come from washing and drying, plus you'll never need to worry about this situation with any car you buy ever again.

**Silver Dollar** · 08-23-07 11:22 AM

Hang in there Mystical. We're with you.

**thebigjimsho** · 08-23-07 11:56 AM

Yeah, it sucks alright. At least you caught it and are waiting to get it done right. Did you wash the car after getting it from shop #1? Because what a lot of places do is use a rotary buffer and then use a "filler" glaze that does nothing but temporarily fill swirls quickly. It looks great out the door, but then, once you wash the car once or twice, it looks like crap.

What I love personally about Griot's is that they offer a full guide that explains everything about making a car's finish perfect. Not only explaining how, but WHY doing things a certain way works so well. There's a whole lot of detailing crap that I DON'T buy at AutoZone anymore and it's nice to know why.

You may pay a good amount for Griot's stuff, but knowing that I've only bought what I need and using it appropriately is a savings to me...

**thebigjimsho** · 08-23-07 11:59 AM

Also, I bought my random orbitals elsewhere because it used to save me so much money. But I believe they have a direct line to Porter Cable because the prices have gone way down, to where it makes sense to buy from them. Plus, they have a nice custom handle that makes it much easier to polish and wax...

**Mystical_Ice** · 08-23-07 12:05 PM

well i'll get the griots, but only once this is done right.

i shouldn't have to spend my own time and money (neither of which i have right now. the next few days are BUSY, which is why i took it to a shop in the first place, so they could do it) on fixing something that they broke.

do you agree?

**Mystical_Ice** · 08-23-07 12:06 PM

no, i didn't wash the car after getting it from shop#1. just took it home briefly, went out to eat, and then under the parking lot floodlights is when i noticed it. showed it to the guys at PDAutoconcepts this morning, and they couldnt' believe it. it was "unacceptable", to quote them.

i feel like crying.

**rand49er** · 08-23-07 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by thebigjimsho

... What I love personally about Griot's is that they offer a full guide that explains everything about making a car's finish perfect. Not only explaining how, but WHY doing things a certain way works so well. There's a whole lot of detailing crap that I DON'T buy at AutoZone anymore and it's nice to know why. ...

As much as I like Zaino stuff, their literature doesn't say chit ... just insults one's intelligence with glib nonsense talk.