scott2k

Hi,

First of all, I don't trust my dealer at ALL. The relationship got very contentious after the 2 month delay in delivering my car. I have concern that they may have onsold my original order to a higher "bidder", then re-ordered my car. I'll investigate that with Honda on Monday.

I asked the dealer not to detail my car at all. I picked it up yesterday and it 1) didn't have any plastic sheeting on the car, 2) was rather dusty, with some dirt spots that were "more that dust" (a couple white marks that look like they'll wash out fine), and 3) had light swirls in the paint. In hindsight, I wonder if they did a swap with another dealer (I should be able to find that out directly from Honda by tracing VIN # with order #, etc). Like I said, I really grew to distrust these guys immensly.

Questions:

1. Do new cars come off the ship with plastic sheeting on the sides and hood of the car to protect against scratches, etc.?

2. If you remove the sheeting, what should the paint look like underneath? Dusty? I assume the only thing you'd see would be maybe some tape residue?

3. Is it normal for a new car to have *any* swirls whatsoever in the paint? I mean, they are light, and it is a black car. But in sunlight, when I look at it from an angle, I can definitely see circular lines in the reflection. I pointed this out to the dealer, and of course he said that's how it comes from the factory.

In hindsight, I wonder if I should have refused shipment of the car...

Thanks...

koala

The S2000 is very well packed for shipment. I was at the dealership when my '04 was unloaded... among what I saw:

-Convertible top was completely wrapped in white plastic
-Hood and bumpers (doors too, I believe) were completely coated in white plastic
-Rims have clear plastic covering them
-Seats are completely wrapped in plastic
-Most of the small interior parts have clear plastic over them

and quite a bit more that I don't even remember seeing.

my S2000 had swirl marks, too... but they're caused by the dealership... a lot of dealers don't seem to train their people on properly detailing a car.

All of my other new cars ('00 Civic, '02 RSX, '03 F-150) were completely swirl-free upon delivery.

wanabe

your car comes swirl free from the factory...
the dealers add the swirls at no extra cost!
strange that yours had swirls if they didnt wash it.
if it had swirls, someone washed it!

SPLNDID

Yep. When the plastic is removed, it can leave a static charge that attracts dust. I see it all the time following a track event.
If there are no scratches and outright dings, then I think a good waxing would help deswirl. Maguires' makes an excellent wax. Best stuff I've ever used.

Have fun!