Brand New Car.. Brand New Paint...

[XoticGA]

So, as some of you guys know I had to get rid of the GA way before it's time.

I got a bran new 07 Balt in it's place.. And the paint in pristine... No swirls, it's amazing!! :lol:

Anyways.. I didn't do right to the paint on GA, I towel dried it and I'm sure I didn't HELP the swirls..

So now I have a chance to do it right from jump street.. what are some basic things I can do to keep the paint looking nice?

[lamonpat]

Trish, I can suggest you some website that would give you some great infos and tricks to keep your car looking new. I try to do my best to keep my car looking good. I have over 300$ of detailing products and I'm anal about how clean my car looks, but with a daily driver, unfortunatly you can't keep it like the day it rolled from the plant.

www.autopia.org
www.meguiarsonline.com

[coupe]

Read through this site:
http://www.paintcare-n-detailing.com/

It will get you on the right track.

[XoticGA]

Sweet thanks guys :D

[coupe]

First thing i would do is clay it, you would be amazed what your paint has been through already. The fact that the paint has no swirls/imperfections is very suprising. Have you looked at it in the sun at all angles and on all panels? How about pointing a halogen light at all the panels and inspecting very closely?

[Nighthawk243]

Welcome to the Delta Platform. :)

Did you get the Auto or did you go for the Getrag?

[GMFWDFAN]

At work we clayed an '07 Montego with around 8 miles on it, and the difference the clay bar made was amazing. The paint had already seen a lot of abuse just from dust and stuff on the dealer lot.

[coupe]

Check this, something most people have no idea about when buying a new car.

Its seen the worste environment possible before it even leaves the factory.

The parts get painted at the factory and even though they have the best air filtration possible overspray still gets all over the body panels.

As the vehicle is being put together the panels are being touched by dirty hands, dirty machines and extremely dirty contaminated air.

After the vehicle rolls out of the factory it then sits in a huge parking lot for 1 month to 6 months. Factorys produce an insane amount of industrial fallout and guess where that lands? Thats right, on the vehicles in the parking lot.

Then the cars get prepped for shipping. All they do is lay down plastic on the horizantal panels, they do not wash the cars first. So guess what? You now have sticky protective plastic applied over all that dirt.

Then they get shipped via train (most anyways). The panels that dont have the plastic get COVERED in rail dust, even more industrial fallout and environmental fallout.

Then the dealership gets their hands on the vehicle. Guess what they do? They either pay a high school kid to pull the plastic off the panels and then they wash it with dirty rags and cheapy soap or no soap at all. Or they pull the plastic off and then run it through their tunnel wash.

Then you buy your brand new car with only 4 miles on it with destroyed paint.

[XoticGA]

Ok.. that's gross


Very good point though, Rand... I'll guess I'll clay it Friday :D

[Reverend]

I remember trains full of cars coming through my town and it always drove me crazy. Kids lined up along the tracks to see who could get the best hit with their rocks. They had slingshots, bb guns and by hand. It was a big thrill to hear glass shatter.

[coupe]

Originally posted by Reverend
I remember trains full of cars coming through my town and it always drove me crazy. Kids lined up along the tracks to see who could get the best hit with their rocks. They had slingshots, bb guns and by hand. It was a big thrill to hear glass shatter.


Hahaha see what i mean?

The funny thing is 90% of consumers who buy new cars dont even notice the paint damage.

I guess my point is that even though it is new does not mean its perfect.

Take a walk through a car lot with BRAND NEW cars sometime on a sunny day. Take a close look at the paint on all of them, i bet you cannot find 1 that is not at minimum have swirls.

Now there are a few exceptions, some dealerships do take pride in the cars they receive from the factory and used cars. Its such a rarity though.

[Bouchie11982]

i recently clayed my friend's 07 black cobalt and wow what a diff. the guy at the dealership told my friend not to wax the car for 3 months after he got it because the paintis that new. i've never heard that, but whatever. well it was 3 months and i have to say his hood was the dirtiest. but it's liek 10'x better then before even he was amazed.
goodluck Trish! i do like the color.

[coupe]

Its amazing how little dealers actually know about their cars.

[Bouchie11982]

Originally posted by coupe
Its amazing how little dealers actually know about their cars.
OT: HAHA! oh god....tell me about it. when i got my car, the horn button on my keychain thing, the salesman claimed that was the alarm. he's like "yup, there is a built in alarm" little did he know I KNEW he was totally b.sing.

[GMFWDFAN]

Then the dealership gets their hands on the vehicle. Guess what they do? They either pay a high school kid to pull the plastic off the panels and then they wash it with dirty rags and cheapy soap or no soap at all. Or they pull the plastic off and then run it through their tunnel wash.
All through summer I was that high-school kid. :D

[Nighthawk243]

The dealership I was at, they had the new guy in the shop do all of the washing. It was the same guy who also got stuck doing the driving of the courtesy car.


My car didn't have perfect paint either. I still have to get those very small pink paint splotches that somehow was on the vehicle on the rear quarter panel. I might have to wetsand, but I don't have a rotorary, so that isn't gonna happen.

As far as halo's or swirls, I didn't see any, but I claybared 2 days after I got it though, and I already got some imperfections from the lower end of the car already.

[lamonpat]

Originally posted by Nighthawk243
...As far as halo's or swirls, I didn't see any, but I claybared 2 days after I got it though, and I already got some imperfections from the lower end of the car already.

Wait until your front bumper looks almost gray like mine under direct sunlight... :(
Other than the front bumper, my car is still in amazing shape for being alost 3 years old now.

[Nighthawk243]

Originally posted by lamonpat
Wait until your front bumper looks almost gray like mine under direct sunlight... :(
Other than the front bumper, my car is still in amazing shape for being alost 3 years old now.

I'm not sure, but they migh've used different paints between the Pursuit and G5.

If it fades, I'm definately going to take it in and have them repaint it under warranty.

[lamonpat]

Originally posted by Nighthawk243
I'm not sure, but they migh've used different paints between the Pursuit and G5.

If it fades, I'm definately going to take it in and have them repaint it under warranty.

The Pursuit and G5 are the SAME car. Just different years and name.
My front bumper didn't fade, it looks gray from all the rocks, roads crap during the winter here in Canada.

[Bouchie11982]

the Pursuit is the Canooks G5....basically :)

[Nighthawk243]

I knew that, but I figured they might've used different paints between the years/areas.

[lamonpat]

Originally posted by Bouchie11982
the Pursuit is the Canooks G5....basically :)

Katie, the Pursuit was back in 2005...
In 2006 they were G5 Pursuit.
Then in 2007, they are G5.
That thing is kinda confusing. Silly enough that they were named G4 in Mexico prior to become G5...

I removed the badge "Pursuit" on the back of my car, so my car doesn't look too old... :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Bouchie11982]

ah what the heck it's still a pursuit HAHA