Is your paint smooth?

I have a 2002 black Explorer and the paint is not smooth. After a car wash, when I run my hand across the hood, roof, or sides, it feels like very fine sandpaper. I also noticed these very very minute (you have to look very close) white bubbles on the roof and hood of the car. I noticed this the day I brought the car home. I went back to the dealer and requested a new paint job, but they said I just needed a "chemical" wash to remove all the dirt, debris, and grime from transporting the car across country. Even after the "chemical" wash, the car's paint is not smooth. I'm just wondering is this normal or is your guys' paint smooth after a nice wash? Oh, I also have the Dupont Teflon coat (dealer option) applied to my car. I don't think this would affect the paint, would it? I'm going to bring it in again sometime this week or this weekend to see what they say. But in the meantime, let me know how your paint is.

TIA,
LDawg

 

[Jason_25]

I am not familiar with the teflon paint so I can't really give you any tips on cleaning it but I STRONGLY recommend you take the truck back to the dealer and demand they fix the imperfection.

 

[VairKing]

You might want to give the clay bar treatment a try, It removed all the contaminants out of my paint and made it as smooth as glass. You can get a kit at walmart for $15

 

[expo5.0]

no, do not clay bar a new vehicle. make them make the truck perfect. you might need to get an outside reference (like a good paint and body shop in the area) to say that it really is bad. ford has a tendency not to see imperfections

 

[rydinhigh]

could just need a good buff job. after my truck got buffed it was smoooooth as glass.

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

You can claybar a new vehicle. Personally, I wouldn't let the monkeys that work at the dealer's "detailing" department touch my truck with a ten foot pole. I've seen dealers really screw up a paint job, especially with a high speed buffer. What you are describing is probably just IFO (Industrial Fallout) and is actually quite common, especially during transit from the factory to the dealer. I'd buy a claybar and take care of it yourself. I'd get the blue Clay Magic bar at Autozone.

Mike

 

[Crankcase]

My paint is 10 years old, and it is smooooth when it is clean. You should complain for sure, and get them to fix it for nothing!

 

[LDawg]

thanks for your responses

Thanks guys for taking your time and replying to my question with great ideas/comments. I'll take it in when I get a chance.

Cheers,
LDawg

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Mike is right. The best thing you can do to your brand new car's paint is claybar it. That gets rid of everything and make the paint smooth like glass. After clay bar, be sure to slap a coat of wax on top because the clay will take out everything off the paint, including wax.

 

[Magicfan25]

I hadnt heard of the teflon coat thing before on the paint. Wouldnt surprise me if they sealed all that junk under their coating.... try a clay bar. I tried a blue magic clay bar, but honestly I think the mothers clay bar was better

 

[LDawg]

what about zaino's?

What do you guys think about Zaino's clay bar in comparison to mother's and blue magic's?

TIA,
LDawg

 

[Hartman]

He says the paint feels like fine sandpaper. It seems to me that that is a little rough for a clay bar to take care of. I would first take it to Ford and see what they say, then clay bar it.

I work at a carwash, and I have seen an unusual number of paint defects on the new 02 Explorers, which is a concern.

 

[MONMIX]

Come on man , it is BRAND NEW !!!!! Save the clay bar for later. Take it back get it done right , that's what warrenty's are for !!!!!!

Hey Mike 92 , you got 1,000 , hurray for you !

 

[aldive]

Sounds like a warranty problem; make the dealer fix it.

Good luck....

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

Originally posted by MONMIX
Hey Mike 92 , you got 1,000 , hurray for you !

Hey, sweet! Didn't think I'd still own this thing by 1,000.

Mike

 

[FORDisKING]

The clay bar when used properly should work just fine. Keep it lubed. I use the Griot's clay bar. It is the best one by far.

I purchased their Starter kit for $59.95 and will ONLY use their products from now on.

www.griotsgarage.com

Jay

 

[JoKKer]

Teflon Coating is just a fancy way of saying "give me some more of your money for a really cheap wax job".
I hate to put it that way but I used to work with a major Ford dealer in the Orlando, FL area and that is that we did.

Teflon needs 3 things to to adhear to a surface. Perfectly clean surface (yea, we can get that in any garage), A perfect vacume (yea, we can get that in a garage too), and over 1,000 degree temp. (what do think would happen to your X at 1,000 degrees?)

Anyway, I would take it back to them and tell them to fix it, don't ask, don't be nice, be an ass when you show up and tell them to fix it. Take it too a body shop and get an estimate of the cost to repair the damage and take that with ya.

Good Luck.

 

[MrExplorer]

I agree you spend 20G plus for a vehicle with rough paint? The service manager would know me by name until that was taken care of. Besides if you attempt to do something to it and mess it up worse its has become your problem now!

 

[LowdPypes]

bad paint...

My truck is black and the paint on it really looks terrible. The hood is the worst.

 

[EST]

I used Zanio Clay bar on my 2002 and OMG Smoooooooooooooooooooooth