When I bought my 2011 (new) it was unfortunately left near a sprinkler. Next day it was covered in white spots (Pix 1) that were unremovable without a chemical (literally could not be scraped off). After the CPR worked and I was released from the ER, the dealer's story was both - it had some coating of something used during delivery that had not been removed and/or it hadn't been waxed. I picked it up and the spots were gone (except for the trunk they missed) but the car was one big swirl mark. I also noticed water didn't bead like other black cars I've had (not Jags). They re-did it and it's better (not perfect) and the water beads a little - still leaves stripes more than not. I feel like it needs a couple coats of great wax.

1. Has anyone had this issue and what did you do?
2. Am I being unreasonable to think there is something someone can do to it to eliminate all the swirl marks and have the water bead?
3. Anything else with the paint I need to worry about?
4. Any trick to getting small white spot off the edge of the black soft top (prob from wax).

There is a "Black Car Specialist" the Mercedes dealer uses and recommends. Considering it... (FYI - this is not something I would remotely try myself!)

 

Oof. I had that problem once. Those are hard water marks. Believe it or not, try using some vinegar. Use it sparingly and ignore the smell while you're doing it. A good couple coats of wax should minimize the swirly issues. I'm a pretty die hard fan of the Zaino line -- been using them for almost 10 years and I drive my cars in the rain on a regular basis. Just look for a real detailer in your area -- ones that take responsibility for Exotics like Ferrari, Masers, and... you know, Jags.

And welcome!

 

If the waterspots are embedded in the clearcoat you will probably need to have it buffed out with a rotary buffer. Same with swirl marks. I don't trust my dealer in detailing my car as my car was full of swirl marks during pre-delivery. Most of these guys are teenage porters who don't know much about detailing. When I got there to pickup my car, I knew why....they were using dirty worn out rags and towels. Even my salesman told me afterwards he doesn't trust their guys.

Get yourself a good deatailer in your area. If you don't know of one, go on the detailing forum and ask. There should be tons of recommendations there of who is good in your area. Ask alot of questions also before letting him/her do the work.

Zaino is good. There are also alot of great choices of synthetic sealants and carnauba base waxes out there such as Griots, Optimum, Sonax, Menzerna,Chemical Guys, Blackfire, Pinnacle, Wolfgang, Dodo Juice, etc.

 

Not sure about the remaining water marks, but swirl marks are pretty easy to remove with a dual action polisher and a light polish (I used Meguiars Swirl X on mine, which is, I believe, the least abrasive polish in the Meguiars line... more aggressive would be Scratch X, and more aggressive than that is Ultimate Compound). Dual action polishers oscillate as well as rotate, so there isn't the danger in burning the paint like with a regular rotary buffer (they're made to move randomly, like your hand only much faster). I think I got mine, with 3 polishing pads, for around 150$ off Amazon.com. Lots of videos on Youtube on how to use one. You can put wax on it, but that'll just hide the swirls for a while.

Dont know if you're a DIY person or not, but I had pretty much the same issue as you with my Ebony '11. The cars get coated with some kind of super-protectant that has to be removed with harsh chemicals when they get off the boat. When the wax the dealership had put on was cleaned off, the paint was swirled and a little hazy in direct sunlight. It wasn't a really hard thing to fix, just some equipment and a few hours spent reading about technique and which product does what.

If you go the DIY route, you might practice on another car if you have one available. I used my wife's company car. Messing it up would be kind of hard, but it made me feel better to not practice on my brand new car.

Good luck =]

 

Yeah I had the same experience when I picked up my car.

My stupid dealer is yet another one who clearly has a standard practice of running a single-action buffer over the paint of any used car they resell, resulting in endless number of very light circular scratches in the clearcoat that you don't see until you wash it the first time.

Now I have a very visible holographic effect everytime I wash the car and until I wax it again.

You would think a large and established Jaguar dealer would know better.

 

After a lot of work and looking, I found the answer to my prayers.
My buddy was the manager at the local Mercedes dealership and gave me their "Black Car Specialist" connection. He is in Plano and after being told repeatedly I needed a paint job and the car couldn't be fixed - he did it. He spent 7 hours on it and removed every single swirl mark (and it was baaaadddd). He washes it with water only, put another coat of wax on it and it looks amazing. It was hard to explain when I burst into tears - I have never been so relieved and happy in my entire life. If you are in the DFW area and need your car done, this guy is magic. When I picked it up, he insisted on pulling it into the sunlight and re-positioning it 3 times to ensure I saw it from every angle.

 

Washing with water only sounds like a recipe to get more swirl marks!

Glad to see he got it looking great, though!

 

I bet that feels good I had the same issues on my BMW and had to hand polish it in order to get the marks out. Took forever! No more black cars for this guy lol