Jsmply

Okay . . . I just can't ever get my car 100% done. Since my top was slashed right after I got my car back from getting a custom paint job, I had no choice but to install a top on a freshly painted car. I wanted to do it myself, but I thought it might be safer to let a professional install it . . . didn't want to risk messing it up. I had a convertible top shop install the top for me.

They got GLUE on the car. It was pretty thick and would not wash off. I took it to my bodyshop and they tried buffing it out. It seemed to lift the glue off the surface, I didn't see it anymore till the sun hit it this morning, there is a residue line that is till there. I took it back to the covertible top shop and they claim the detailing guy who tried to buff the glue off with the buffer and compound is at fault because that caused the glue to be burnt into the paint.

Does this many any sense? Any suggestions? Worse case scenario I'll have to have that quarter panel repainted . . . its only 2 weeks old! Stupid top thieves! lol

wanabe

man, cant catch any luck!!

it is possible that the glue melted the clear and into the paint- is it cratered? can you "catch an edge" with your fingernail?
if so, you could try to polish it out- but if it has an edge it is likely past the clear and into the paint- if not, there might be hope.

if you want to try polishing, i would go swirl remover first, then fine cut and then rubbing compound- checking after each stage to see if you really need to keep going. if you really have a compounding problem you would be better off having someone who can use a real buffer (not your pc) do the job... cause you might need to "soften the paint" to get this to work.
this is a nice site for info:
http://properautocare.com/makhigspeedp3.html

the way i look at it, if you are willing to get it repainted anyway, why not go for it and try to fix it yourself? nothing to lose... if you get it you are finished. if you dont you are off to the body shop where you were headed anyway!

more good reading:

http://properautocare.com/rempaindefus1.html


and if you are interested in using your drill (since its a small area)-

http://www.properautocare.com/spotrepairkit.html

Jsmply

I cannot catch a nail on it. It just looks like its part of the color, like a discoloration.

Not being able to catch a nail is a good thing?

wanabe

its a better than catching a nail thing!!

you now have a stain- so it just depends on how deep the stain went. if the car was properly clear coated the stain should be in the clear... and if thats the case, polish should get it.
if the stain happened to go into the paint, it just depends on how far into the paint it got-

so back to my ideas about polishing this spot out- in my post above.
again, go lightest level of polish first- reevaluate... then if you have to go more aggressive, then thats what is required.

(by the way, i have assumed that it is too late to clay- clay would have been my first step if they hadnt set the stain... still would be worth trying before the polish- i would be surprised if it gets it, but then if it did it would be a good surprise!)

MikeyC

Wow! What a strange problem. I'm with the top installer that buffing the glue was a bad idea and probably made the problem worse. The glue probably melted because they used a rotary to buff it. It probably would have been easier to remove with a solvent, but now it's in the paint.

Anyway, keep us posted on how it goes!!

Jsmply

What a mess . . . I don't even know who to go after here. Would you all go after the top installers? Maybe its just me, but I don't think I should have to go through all this to get glue off my freshly painted car when I specifically warned them it was fresh paint when I brought them the car.

If they could not have handled it, they should ahve turned down the job. The place has been there 30 years, I can't be the first car with a new custom paint job. They had a candy apple red GTO in there the day I took my car in.

wanabe

yes, you can take the car back and complain... and yes, they should fix it-
i guess i thought you didnt trust them and wanted to deal with it without them.

my post above was if you want to try this yourself

Jsmply

No no no I do not want them to fix it . . . what I meant was if I end up having to pay some place to fix this (probably my bodyshop) is the convertible shop liable for this kind of damage.

I spoke to the convertible shop yesterday when I stopped by. He told me to use mineral spirits wherever there is glue and it will come right up. Mineral spirits is a form of paint thinner?!?! Can I even use that stuff on my car? I know it will eat up the wax, but will it do anything worse than that? They did not offer to fix it themselves, they just use this mineral spirits stuff on a small area to show it pulled up the glue. Even if they offered I was not about to let them go over my whole car with this stuff until I found out it would not eat up my new paint.

Ubetit

They got glue on your car, they need to remove it. Unfortunately you got a third party involved so now the blame game is happening.

Jsmply

I agree, but that is only one spot on the side that the bodyshop guy tried to help with. The rest is on the bumper and fender and hood. The bodyshop did not touch that. Is this honestly worth getting a lawyer to send a demand letter since the convertible shop blew me off? I'll have to check into the liability.

Does anyone have any input as to the mineral spirits the convertible shop told me to use?