Need Advice: Dealer Applied Tire-Shine Stained Brand New Car

[CroatKat]

Hello all,

I just bought a brand new 2026 X5 xdrive 40i in metallic white. It’s been great aside from the service at the dealership. Long story short, after several trips to the service dept. to repair a cut in the leather from the factory and multiple attempts at installing window tint because they left lint and bubbles and scratched the window trim, they decided to detail my car and applied tire shine. The tire shine was put on in excess and slung all over the wheel well and along the bottom of the rocker panel leaving yellow stains in the ceramic coating clearly visible on the white car.

I’ve tried cleaning it with rubbing alcohol and carefully with a little acetone. It doesn’t come off. I’m waiting for some Koch-Chemie green star to arrive so I can try that so fingers crossed. The dealer on the other hand has said they need to either replace the trim or take it to their certified body shop to have to buffed out and the clear coat reapplied. Seeing as this is a brand new car with less than 500mi, I really don’t want that kind of service work done, especially given their current track record. And I’m worried about devaluation with that kind of work. Does anyone have any tips on removal of these stains or dealing with the dealership?

[rmorin1249]

Wow this is bad. You could try something like scratch remover but it will definitely remove your ceramic coating.

[QUiKSR20]

Just bring it to a reputable detailer, They will probably get that off in a few mins & if pricey maybe get the dealer to cover the bill..

Im sure its frustrating but should be an easy fix, Your gonna encounter way worse than that just driving your car.

[TimmyTurbos]

Damn, what a mess. I'm feeling for you man..
Honestly I'm a bit confused though, Chemical stains etc are exactly what ceramic coating is supposed to prevent? Are we 100% certain the car was actually done? Right?

I'm no expert, but I think you'll need a strip wax/ceramic coat, buff this out of the clear and reapplication of ceramic coat. I'm not sure you'll need a respray of clear since it's probably not that deep..
Goes without saying but 100% of any corrections this needs should definitely be taken care of by that dealership. May not be a bad idea to try another dealership as well. They are not all run the same, that's for sure.

Good luck. Keep us updated.

1 thing I would buy is a hang tag for your cars rearview when you take it in for any service. DO NOT WASH. Even if you say No I don't want a wash, it doesn't get translated to the detail guys. Save yourself that headache now.

[CroatKat]

Originally Posted by TimmyTurbos

Honestly I'm a bit confused though, Chemical stains etc are exactly what ceramic coating is supposed to prevent? Are we 100% certain the car was actually done? Right?

The ceramic coating was done by the dealer as well. It was a service they provided with the purchase. I also thought the ceramic coating made it easy to wipe stuff like this off but . It did sit for almost a day before I noticed the sling since I picked up the car late in the day

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by CroatKat

they decided to detail my car and applied tire shine. The tire shine was put on in excess and slung all over the wheel well and along the bottom of the rocker panel leaving yellow stains in the ceramic coating clearly visible on the white car.

Alcohol will not clear this, but either tar remover or wheel cleaner will.
The sooner you get it off the better, so if you don't have those chemicals on hand, drive to the nearest AutoZone or WallMart and grab something off the shelf. The exact brand doesn't matter, I think AutoZone carries Griots and those products have always worked well for me in the past.

If, for any reason, chemicals don't do the trick, then a random orbital polisher will, 100% of the time. Absolutely no need to replace pieces or get body shop or insurance involved here.

Originally Posted by TimmyTurbos

I'm a bit confused though, Chemical stains etc are exactly what ceramic coating is supposed to prevent? Are we 100% certain the car was actually done? Right?

Ceramic coating does not prevent anything. It just a 1-2mil layer that takes the hit first.

If polishing is required, it will remove ceramic layer, which will need to be re-applied.

Originally Posted by CroatKat

The ceramic coating was done by the dealer as well. It was a service they provided with the purchase.

Dealer do NOT apply proper ceramic coating, ever. It's a scam.
The best they do is spray some water repelling chemical on the car to make water bead for a few months.

Originally Posted by CroatKat

It did sit for almost a day before I noticed the sling since I picked up the car late in the day

I would go to the nearest auto store, get the chemicals, and try to get this crap off your car ASAP.
Alternatively, take the car to a reputable detailer in your area, have them do the work, and send the bill to the dealer who did the damage.

Never EVER buy car detailing service from a dealer. Same goes for tires or tire balancing. They are not good at it, and they always over-charge for 3rd-rate work in those areas.

Good luck!
a

[TimmyTurbos]

Originally Posted by CroatKat

The ceramic coating was done by the dealer as well. It was a service they provided with the purchase. I also thought the ceramic coating made it easy to wipe stuff like this off but . It did sit for almost a day before I noticed the sling since I picked up the car late in the day

I think they half assed that coating job too by the looks of it then. I wish there was a way you could confirm they actually did the job vs just polishing it so it looked good and telling you it's ceramic coated. This place sounds a little sketch.

[allinon72]

Doesn't look like tire shine to me, but sucks none the less.

[nick3753]

Take it to a detailer and let this be a life lesson as afadeev pointed out, never let the dealership apply anything (ceramics, tint, magic interior protection, etc). Any dealer add-ons are garbage and just pad dealer profit. As part of your life lesson, spread the word to all your friends and family.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by afadeev

It just a 1-2mil layer

microns, maybe (mil is typically taken to mean thousandths of an inch and I doubt it's that).

Not trying to nitpick, otherwise totally agree with what you said, and pretty much any of your other posts as well that I read, BTW.

But if anyone wondered, ceramic coatings (as most others) are crazy thin.

[JoeyO]

I agree with afadeev and try a bug/tar remover. That stuff does wonders. It somehow turns bugs and tar into butter without damaging the clear coat. The longer you leave it on, the more it works. It might work in your situation.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Dealer do NOT apply proper ceramic coating, ever. It's a scam.
The best they do is spray some water repelling chemical on the car to make water bead for a few months.

I agree 100%!!!

[CroatKat]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Since posting I have tried an all purpose cleaner from Chemical Guys, I have tried Bug/Tar remover, and I have tried goo off. No results from any of the products. I don’t have a buff wheel or compound so I’ll save that for a detailer. Photos after cleaning supplies used attached.

I am going to contact a professional and have them look at it/quote it. Any recommendations for SoCal detailers? The dealership is trying to brush me off. The GM made an appointment with me today at 8am to discuss the options and to my surprise, the dealership closed and didn’t open until 9. After walking around for a while I finally got a hold of the GM via phone where he told me that he got his days mixed up. He then hung up on me when I started giving him heat for the lack of professionalism. Called back and got an appointment for next weekend.

I don’t want to name the dealership just yet, but what an absolute joke

[tracer bullet]

That's crazy. It may have actually gotten into / etched the clear coat.

Next step is probably trying to polish it out and crossing your fingers. You may as well have a detailer do it at this point and have the dealer foot the bill. Easier said than done, perhaps, but the detailer will have more experience with it / be less likely to do too much. Might also have some other idea but I'm guessing it'll be polishing next (light removal of clear coat and hoping the mark goes with it).

[TimmyTurbos]

If you've tried all of that with no luck I'd also say the odds are good it's etched the clear..PLUS went through whatever "Ceramic Coating" they sold you, so I would definitely demand a refund for that service too! Either it was not applied at all, or not correctly applied. Either way, its a fail. The stains are the proof of the workmanship. If I had to drive an hour out of the way I'd never take my car back to this place! I'd also call corporate and give someone an ear full. They may mediate the refunds you should be given.

[Venti26M2CS]

All good ideas and feedback. I’m going to pile on and say this isn’t too bad for a detailer with the tools, chemicals and experience.

The approach if you want to diy, I’d start with least abrasive to most.

When you get the green star, let it sit for a min or two, then agitate with a brush for a bit. Powerwash away from a safe distance, keep the head at least a foot away. Don’t get any closer than that.

The bug and tar remover was a good idea, same process there.

If those don’t work I’d VERY carefully and with the green star as lubrication, use a plastic razor and try and scrape a little off at a time.

Not a fun situation, good luck.

[NickyC]

That's wild, can't imagine this is actually tire shine? Never seen the product do anything remotely close to this.

Good luck OP!

[Phillies8008]

This is why I:

1) Always tell the dealership not wash my car at all. I have serious doubts they're using any kind of washing methods to reduce scratching etc., and absolutely guarantee you they're using the same water and mitts/sponges for every car, over and over. I wouldn't be at all shocked if they were using those big, shitty broom-like brushes that are seemingly designed to scratch paint.

2) Would never let them do any kind of "detailing" to my car – they are not detailers and the people doing this are probably poorly paid and expected to whip through cars as fast as possible. I imagine the turnover for the position is frequent as well, so any kind of experience at all is routinely lost.

3) Would never have the dealership apply any kind of coating, tint, etc. Again, they're neither detailers nor tint installers and almost certainly have no real idea what they're doing.

If you want professional results you have to go to professionals. It costs more, but you get what you pay for.

That being said, given how stubborn these spots are, I'd just suck it up and take it to a detailer. They'll get it off.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

microns, maybe (mil is typically taken to mean thousandths of an inch and I doubt it's that).

Agreed.
I used wrong "mi" prefix.
Ceramic coatings are between 0.5 - 5 microns (0.0005 to 0.005 mm) per layer. For comparison, most paint layers are 35-50 microns per layer, so 80 to 140 microns in total for base + pigment + clear coat layers.

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

But if anyone wondered, ceramic coatings (as most others) are crazy thin.

Yep.
Basically, ceramic coating == more durable and longer lasting wax.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Originally Posted by CroatKat

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Since posting I have tried an all purpose cleaner from Chemical Guys, I have tried Bug/Tar remover, and I have tried goo off. No results from any of the products. I don’t have a buff wheel or compound so I’ll save that for a detailer. Photos after cleaning supplies used attached.

This is remarkably weird.
Can you feel any surface bumps over the discolored areas, or has the discoloration been absorbed into the paint?

YMMV,
a

[Phizzzle]

Did they use tire shine with acid as the base or something? OP you already mentioned it but get a quote from a reputable and professional detailer and send that to the GM or directly to BMW themselves and explain the situation. Use Google or Yelp, that's how we found our forever detailer (we're not in SoCal though to recommend). Our detailer only worked on our X5, and it took them a week to complete the project which includes ceramic coating, PPF, and tint. That's the level of service you'd get going outside these dealers.

Don't want to throw salt in the wound here. There's a reason most of us on this forum and enthusiasts in general steer clear of these detail packages from the stealerships. Sorry you're going through this. You have an amazing car and will enjoy it after all this. Best of luck.

[TimmyTurbos]

Where did we land with this OP? Ever get it sorted out?

[CroatKat]

Major update!

I’ve gotten two quotes for repairs for the stained paint damage. Both body shops have tried to get it out unsuccessfully and said they would need to remove and repaint all the trim pieces, the rocker panels and blend the adjacent panels which includes the doors, the front rear bumper etc. So basically the car has to significantly reworked and I’ve gotten quotes in the $7k price range.

The dealer has offered to:
1) pay for the repairs and for a month of the loan while the car is down
2) replace the car but they don’t want to give me my full equity back. They want to hold on to the first two payments I made and they will no longer offer me the 0.9% interest, they’ve increased it to 1.99%. So I’m out another $1300 in interest and I’m out $2700 in payments made so far

So I’m not happy. They car hasn’t even had its first oil change so I don’t really want to have to strip it down and repaint it and risk any number of things like any of the sensors in the bumper not being reinstalled correctly or the paint not matching well.

I would be happy to take the replacement car offer and I’m not too disappointed with the interest change because it’s still low interest, but they want to keep my first two car payments??? That’s $2700

Not to mention all of the time off of work I have had to take to deal with this. At this point I’m not sure what to do. I’m leaning towards the replacement car but I don’t want to agree to my first two car payments going in to the void and having to repay that