Car Wash Scratched Paint

I took my 4Runner Nightshade edition to the car wash for the first time. It came out with tiny little scratches on it. They wanted to make it right and offered to buff and wax it. Not only did that not work, now I have wax along the line where the clear bra is. You could barely see where it ended before. Any suggestions? I’m taking it back to the dealer Monday to see what they say.

 

Is the car wash at the dealer? If the dealer and car wash are unrelated the dealer isn't going to do anything.

Car washes with brushes are notorious for causing scratches, dirt and rocks embed in the brushes and scratch every car that goes through.

If the buff and wax didn't work, then the car wash needs to send your vehicle to paint correction like at a collision repair or actual competent detail shop.

As far as the clear bra, unless the wax actually embedded under the bra, it shouldnt be much of a hassle to get that wax dust off. Sometimes it statically sticks and is hard to remove. A good water spray should work.

Overall though that is a bummer. I've had my 4Runner for five years now and it has yet to go through a non touchless carwash. I learned the lesson the hard way with my last black vehicle.

 

Thanks. It is a bummer. And lesson learned the hard way. I’ve only had it a couple of months The dealer and car wash are separate. The car wash agreed to pay to get the problem corrected. I’m going to see what the dealer says tomorrow. I’ll check out the bra and see if I can get the wax out without any damage. I’m so upset at myself and frustrated with the whole mess!

 

Sorry to hear! Some toyota colors are single stage paint, no clear coat and they tend to scratch easily. White is one, not sure of others? For mine I put a good coat of ceramic wax and topped off later with good wax. I run mine through a wash at least once a week without issue. It depends on the car wash I imagine? Hope they work it out for you!

 

Thanks. I’m not 100% sure how the paint job is protected on the nightshade. It’s black. I know that can be an issue although I had a black Rav4 years ago that had a great paint job on it. I’ll be curious as to what the shop at the dealership thinks. The car wash owner was very nice and did try to fix it but I can still see the scratches.

 

With the metal flake it has to have a clearcoat on it and that's good news. A competence body or detail shop buff that out easily. In my experience dealers are a mixed bunch. Had a Ford dealer trash my paint and in the end found a Chevy dealer 1 state away that does perfect good as new work!
If it can't be buffed, a good shop can fine sand it and respray the clearcoat and not effecting the base black.

 

Thanks. That’s good to hear. I may ask around to find a good body/detail shop. I work with a bunch of guys who love their vehicles lol. Surely one of them will know of a place.

 

Sorry to here that. Especially black no car wash. You have to wash it yourself by hand. There is a good chance you may have to have that paint correction because of the black. After that have them ceramic coated if possible.

 

Best of luck in getting your 4runner buffed out. As we own a MBM (Midnight Black Metallic; our paint color) also & it is a job to keep it clean & not scratch free.
It is not cheap but we put PPF wrap on 80% of the vehicle and it really seems to help. We used Xpel and it is not a cheap option. It is an 8mil thick clear wrap custom cut & put wherever you want. With all the salt in this area we wanted a lot of protection!
As stated above I have heard great things about ceramic coating (we did this also); however I have read a lot of people are very happy with just the coating.
Again, there are lots of options to protect the paint once it is repaired. Any good detail shop can tell you about PPF & ceramic coating. YouTube ceramic coating, it maybe something that you would want to do yourself. They say it is a lot of time & labor to do it right.
Hope my rant helps,
Ryan

 

Thanks for the info Ryan. I’ll ask about those options. I was so worried about protecting the inside (already bought WeatherTech mats) that I hadn’t thought much about the outside. You would think for the price you pay the exterior would be well protected. One car wash shouldn’t ruin it. Lesson learned.

 

The guys that did our paint corrections before the wrap said that Toyota has some of the thinnest paint in the industry. They build a truck that will last 20 yrs or 400,000 miles+ & they skimp on the paint. I don't get that.

 

Me either. My old paint job on the Rav4 held up pretty well. Especially for the conditions it was put under lol.

 

Why would you go to the dealer their not going to care and they shouldn't.

 

I'm surprised the car wash even offered to pay for it.

I've never gone through one but I always see on the sign they are not liable.

But it doesn't look that bad some correction and should be gone.

 

Well my dealer cares. Sorry if yours doesn’t. And they should because it’s good business. Repeat customers.

The guy at the car wash is rebuilding his reputation. He really is trying. Old owners sucked. He’s just trying to make it right. Again. Good business practice.

 

Not saying they don't care. Most just have the generic statement posted so people don't try to blame them for everything. Most are automatic so no way to tell if the damage was there before or after.

Glad your is being taken care of.

 

I only hand wash my black 4Runner. Electric pressure washer, foam cannon, two bucket system.
This is a pretty good video on how to wash a black car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKaeq_7pZfo

 

Thanks! Where were you before I took it to the car wash lol. I should have done my research. And listened to my gut which told me not to let them touch it.

That video was awesome. The guy cracks me up with his commentary on black cars. But good info. Thanks!

 

I'm sure your dealer "cares" but caring and fixing it for you is two different things. Next time a rock from the truck in front of me cracks my windshield I should try your dealership. Maybe they'll replace it because they "care." NOT!!! BTW... I could have missed it and I'm not going back and re-reading the thread but did they buff it out for nothing (the dealership I mean??

 

LOL

 

You obviously don’t read for content. All taken care of. Have a good day.

 

You might try being a little considerate of other People’s feelings.

 

Thank you always do...

Can you please cut/paste in a previous post where you stated "it's taken care of" I just don't see it. I'm talking about the DEALER not fixing it I did read how the car wash "tried fixing it... Content, content, content...

 

I would try to research a very good car detailer in your area. There is a place by me called motor city auto spa and the work they do is unreal. They work on all the old classics to Ferraris and Lamborghini’s.

There are so many levels of compounds something is bound to help.

If you can feel the scratches with your fingernail then it will never come out 100 percent. But certain compounds can lightly remove the some of the surface and clear coat. I am no expert but they are out there. Take your time and do some due diligence. Call an exotic car dealer like for Ferrari or Bugatti dealer around you and ask them who they recommend

 

opinions, (especially negative) are like rear ends...everyone has one....I'm sure your 'problem' will be taken care of......myself, I will eventually have my front hood repainted...as over the course of two decades, I've had some paint chipping ..(tiny) but there nonetheless

 

Unfortunately, it appears that the OP was run out of here by some of the replies, as she hasn't logged in since January 21.

 

I'm sorry to hear about that.....but not totally surprised...

 

All 9 of her posts were on this thread & on or before Jan 20, 2020. She is no longer here.
I wish her luck!
Ryan.