You have any pics of what your truck looks like with the swirls? Black is a pain in the a$$ to get to look right, but when you get it right nothing looks better.

 

I can't understand why you would let someone else detail your vehicle anyway. Hell, even when I had my business and was working 6 days a week, I'd wash and detail my vehicles, not to mention do all the mods and maintenance. To me, it was a way to unwind after work. I even went so far as to install a full size street lamp over my shed door so I could work on my vehicles or detail them in the evenings at my old Ga. house...

 

Yep, I too find it a great way to clear my mind. You are tired as heck after all the work, but the feeling of pride and satisfaction, you can't put a price on. As far as that detailer goes, I would definitely complain (to put it mildly) and get a refund. Don't take "no" for an answer. I would also suggest (unless the admin has a problem with it) you post who it was that did such a terrible job so no one else in your area gets ripped off by this jerk off.

 

I will take some shots for you guys the next time I can get some headlights pointed at the truck at night, looks awful! I'm going to have to hire someone to fix this though, because I have no idea how to fix buff marks.

I agree with offroadteacher though, when a black truck is clean, it looks the greatest, I love it. I don't detail my truck, but I always give her the works with my handwashes. I stopped going through carwashed a long time ago, unless I'm on a road trip. I usually spend 2-3 hours just on the exterior alone, I love it. The people on our street think my brother and me are freaks lmao. We even bought a gasoline powered power wash, super goobery, but it works awesome. Aint nothing better than a bucket of a soap, a rinse bucket, a wash mit, and microfiber dry towels!

 

Only detailing I do is the engine and the interior. Once in a blue moon i'll slap wax/polish on but that's it....and that's all it is a slapping.

 

Correct detailing is truly a labor of love and a real PITA - with black being 2X harder - but it does look fantastic when done right! Find someone in your area that does custom show cars and details them for the ISCA shows -it won't be cheap but you will not be pissed afterwards.

 

It's going to be more costly to get the buff marks out now than what a regular detail would cost. The problem is that you have one of two things 1-he used an aggressive detailing compound and didn't use the necessary compounds afterward to get rid of the marks. Buffing a car is like sanding a piece of wood, you start off with a 60 grit, then you go 100, 220, 300, 600, 800 etc. The point is to get out the trouble areas like scratches, then leave it with now marks showing. A job done correctly will leave your paint looking like a mirror. 2-The other problem is that he could have used the wrong buffer. If he used a single action buffer, those spin really fast like an angle grinder, and they can burn into your paint and mess it up. They are great because they work fast, but the can mess up a paint job faster too. The dual action buffers are much better, but produce slower results. So you need someone to diagnose the problem correctly and take appropriate measures. Another thing many people don't take into consideration is that each car company has different paint pliability. Some paints are harder than others and each one needs to be treated differently. The softer the paint, the easier it is to mess up. I have three cars, from three different manufacturers and I can see the difference.

 

Just for an update, I called and left a message with the shop that did the detail. This morning he called me back and I told him that I was upset with the way the detail came out. I told him when the sun hits the paint, or when you put headlights on the truck at night, you can see all of the buff marks where the buffer was.

So he tried defending himself saying the only way buff marks could be left was if he used a compound, and he said all he used was swirl mark remover, a 3m pad, and wax. I told him whatever he used, the buff marks were there and that I wanted them to be taken care of. He continued to be pissy, and insisted he spent a ton of extra time with my truck "because he knows how meticulous we are about our trucks". He then went on to say how he had 5 guys working on it, and nobody thought it looked bad. Lastly, he told me it was sunny when I picked it up (I had to correct him and tell him it was on the verge of raining, so of course it looked like glass). Now he wants me to come up and "show him"....as if he won't take my word for it and set me up an appointment. Is there any truth to buff marks not being possible if compound isn't being used? Seems to me like any kind of electric buffer can cause marks regardless of the product being used.

 

No there is no truth to what he is telling you. Read my previous post and pay attention to what I said about the softness of paint, and the compounds used. He most definitely used a compound, otherwise what is the point of buffing? Claying is to get contaminants off the truck, buffing is to get scratches and swirl marks off the truck. A high speed buffer, or the wrong pad on the buffer (there are many pads just like there are many compounds) will cause buff marks. There is no need to use a machine to put on wax (unless you want to). Ask him to outline the methods he used, and then you will know what the machine was used for. Find out at what step and for what the buffer was used.

IMO he is just giving you the run around. That BS about everybody thought it looked good is just a cop out. "You must be nuts, all MY guys thought it looked great!" Duh!

 

I agree with RAM15002ndGen and think the guy is either dishonest or just an idiot; I know $120.00 is a bunch of money for a butchered job - but find a real professional to help you clean up the mess and don't dig the grave any deeper.